Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies (2024)

Table of Contents

Ingredient notes

• Butter: Use unsalted butter that is melted and slightly cooled.
• Cocoa powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder is best for baking. I prefer the Ghirardelli brand.
• Red food coloring: I prefer gel food coloring. It’s more concentrated so you need less, but liquid food coloring may also be used.
• White vinegar: This acidic ingredient leavens the batter and reacts with the cocoa powder to enhance the red color. It also helps preserve the red color after the brownies have baked.
• Cream cheese: Block style cream cheese is best for baking. It is thicker with less air, which makes a creamy, rich cheesecake topping.

Recipe variations

If you prefer not to use food coloring, you can omit it and have regular brownies swirled with cheesecake topping. You can also use a different color, such as green for St. Patricks’ Day!

If cheesecake isn’t your favorite, then you can skip the cheesecake topping and make plain red velvet brownies (baking time will be 20 to 25 minutes). Feel free to mix in 1/2 cup white chocolate chips or nuts to the batter for extra flavor. You can also top them with cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting.

This recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan. Baking time will be the same!

How to make red velvet cheesecake brownies

1. Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Combine wet ingredients. Whisk together melted butter and sugar until shiny. Add eggs and whisk vigorously until frothy.
3. Mix in red food gel, white distilled vinegar and vanilla until incorporated.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix just until combined. Set aside ¼ cup batter. Pour remaining batter in 8×8 baking pan.

Expert tips

Use a kitchen scale for accurate measuring. If you don’t have a scale, spoon your flour into a measuring cup and level it with a knife (don’t pack it into the cup). Do the same for the cocoa powder.

Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature. It makes it much easier to mix and guarantees and creamy texture. Use block style if you can (it’s thicker and has less air in it).

Let the brownies cool completely before cutting and serving. I find it helpful to wipe the knife after each cut so the bars have a clean edges. Cheesecake brownies are good to serve at room temperature for 2 hours, but you can also serve them chilled.

Frequently Asked Questions