Brownies, rich chocolate squares of goodness, have a special place in the hearts of all dessert lovers and are a wonderful treat to make for yourself, your family, or your friends.
But if you find yourself somewhere that doesn’t have an oven such as a college dorm or if you already have plans for using your oven, you may feel as though your afternoon brownie-making plans are shot.
After all, everyone knows that you have to bake brownies in an oven, right? But can you make brownies without an oven?
You can bake brownies without an oven using a saucepan, slow cooker, crockpot, or microwave. You can even cook brownies in your steamer if you want!
There’s a myriad of ways to make no-bake brownies, and they all taste amazing! The technique for some of the methods can vary slightly, so you need to make sure you’re doing everything right to end up with perfect, rich brownies.
The rest of this article will dive into every method of making no-bake brownies as well as providing some useful recipes to help you whip up the perfect brownies.
Using a Cast Iron or Sauce Pan
First, prepare your batter, adding butter, sugar, and eggs in a mixing bowl. Mix until the sugar is dissolved, add vanilla extract, and stir again. Combine cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing continuously until everything is well mixed.
Get a small baking pan to fit your big saucepan and line it with wax or parchment paper. You could alternatively grease with butter or oil and sprinkle some cocoa powder on top. Add your mixture and smooth the top.
Put the cover lid on and pre-heat your saucepan on low for five minutes. Using any heat-safe metal container (a wire rack will do nicely), place it inside the pan so that the brownies aren’t directly on the heat.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, checking occasionally with a toothpick to see if the brownies are done. If the toothpick comes out clean, the brownies should be ready, and you’re free to remove and cut them into serving pieces.
You can also use your saucepan to cook the brownies in a water bath. Fill your large pan with water. Grease your brownie pan and float it on top of the water, ensuring that the brownies don’t get wet.
Cooking times will vary depending on the heat and desired consistency of the brownie, but you can expect to spend up to 90 minutes with the water at a simmer, regularly topping off the water that’s evaporating.
Using a Slow Cooker
One of the easiest ways to make no-bake brownies is to use a slow cooker. All you need to do is line the inside of the slow cooker with parchment paper and add your brownie mixture.
Cook for 4-5 hours, checking occasionally, and remove your mixture carefully, using the parchment paper as makeshift handles.
If you really love the crunchy top of the brownie, then this method might not be for you, since slow cooking doesn’t yield a crunchy top; however, if you love the ooey-gooey flavor of brownies, then you’ll get a perfect chewy, fudgy flavor.
This method is ideal if you’re planning ahead for dessert and know that you’ll already be using your oven for something else.
Using a Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot
For the best results, you should have a brownie pan that fits comfortably inside your pressure cooker or instant pot. If your instant pot has a cake setting, perfect! Use that. Otherwise, just use the normal setting and follow these steps:
- Grease an aluminum or stainless-steel bowl that fits into the cooker
- Pour in your mix and spread evenly
- Cover the bowl with aluminum foil
- Put a trivet inside the cooker and pour 1 cup of water
- Place the bowl on the trivet and seal the pressure cooker
- Cook for 10-15 minutes based on preference
How long you choose to cook is up to you, but the longer you bake, the more moist and fudgy your brownies will be.
Using a Microwave Oven
One of the fastest ways to whip up some delicious brownies is just to use a microwave. Not only are microwaves good for heating up leftovers, but they are also a quick and easy way to make brownies to treat yourself or a few friends.
All you’ll need are a few mugs. Portion out your brownie batter into your mug and heat the mugs in the microwave on high for 90 seconds. That’s it!
Microwave brownies are probably the most convenient way to satisfy your chocolate craving without sacrificing too much on flavor. Here’s an easy recipe you can follow to get the most out of these quick and delicious brownies.
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips
- 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix your dry ingredients into each mug as per the number of brownies you want. Stir in wet ingredients until evenly mixed. Microwave on high for 90 seconds. Serve and enjoy!
The Verdict
Brownies are really easy to make without an oven without sacrificing flavor or texture. You can still get the perfect fudgy consistency regardless of what method you choose.
If your oven is occupied or you just want to try out the joys of no-bake brownies, there are plenty of methods to choose from. With a large saucepan, you can mimic the heat circulation of an oven to bake perfect brownies.
You can also take the quick route using a pressure cooker or instant pot to have brownies whipped up in 10-15 minutes. Of course, you can also make the batter directly in your mug and microwave for a quick dessert.
With any of these methods, you can feel free to add toppings as suitable―whipped cream, chocolate chips, fresh strawberries― to make the perfect no-bake brownies to share with family and friends!