Brownie Batter Dip

Brownie Batter Dip is a rich, creamy, no-bake dessert that tastes exactly like licking the spoon after mixing up a batch of brownies—but better! With just five simple ingredients and five minutes of your time, you’ll have a crowd-pleasing dip that’s perfect for parties, movie nights, or whenever that chocolate craving hits.

Love More No Bake Desserts? Try My Turtle Cheesecake Dip or this Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Rich, creamy, and irresistibly chocolatey, this Brownie Batter Dip is a no-bake dessert that tastes just like licking the bowl. Made with a few simple ingredients, it’s smooth, sweet, and perfect for dipping cookies, fruit, or pretzels. Quick to make and even quicker to disappear, it’s a chocolate lover’s dream.

Print

Ingredient List

For the Dip:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 8 ounces Cool Whip (frozen whipped topping), thawed
• 1 (8-ounce) box brownie mix (dry; do not prepare according to box directions)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

For Serving:

• Graham crackers
• Pretzels or pretzel chips
• Fresh fruit (strawberries, banana slices, apple slices)
• Cookies (vanilla wafers, shortbread, Oreos)
• Marshmallows
• Cinnamon sugar pita chips

Substitution Notes:

• Cream cheese: Get the block from the refrigerated section, not that whipped tub stuff. I’ve used store brand and fancy brand—both work fine. Full-fat tastes way better but reduced-fat is okay if that’s what you have.
• Cool Whip: I always have this in my freezer because it lasts forever and saves me from whipping cream. You could make real whipped cream but why make extra work for yourself?
• Brownie mix: Whatever’s cheapest works. Sometimes I splurge on Ghirardelli but honestly the store brand is fine too.
• Milk: I use whatever milk is in my fridge. Regular, almond, oat—doesn’t matter.

Why These Ingredients Work

Cream cheese makes this thick enough to actually scoop with a cracker instead of just having chocolate soup. It also keeps it from being sickeningly sweet because cream cheese has that slight tang to it.

Cool Whip is the magic ingredient that makes this fluffy instead of dense and heavy. I know food snobs hate Cool Whip but it does something special here that homemade whipped cream can’t quite match. It stays stable and doesn’t get watery after sitting out.

The brownie mix is obviously where all the chocolate flavor comes from. You’re basically eating raw brownie batter but in a socially acceptable dip form. It’s got the cocoa, the sugar, the vanilla—everything that makes brownies taste like brownies.

Milk just loosens everything up enough so it’s scoopable. Without it you’d have this thick paste situation that would break your graham crackers when you tried to dip.

Mini chocolate chips give you those little bursts of straight chocolate in every bite. Regular chocolate chips are too big and weird in a dip. The little ones spread out better and you get chocolate in every scoop.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Hand mixer or stand mixer (or a whisk and some serious arm strength)
• Rubber spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Serving bowl
• Instant-read thermometer (if you’re doing the flour heat-treating thing)
• Microwave-safe bowl or baking sheet

How To Make Brownie Batter Dip

Step 1: Heat Treat Brownie Mix (Optional but Recommended)

So there’s this whole thing about raw flour potentially having bacteria. Most of the time it’s fine, but if you’re serving pregnant people or little kids, you should probably heat-treat the flour just to be safe. Microwave the brownie mix in 30-second chunks, stirring between each one, until it hits 165°F. Or spread it on a baking sheet and bake it at 300-350°F for 5-10 minutes. Let it cool ALL THE WAY DOWN before using it. Hot brownie mix will melt your Cool Whip and wreck everything.

Step 2: Beat the Cream Cheese

Put your cream cheese in the bowl and beat it with the mixer until it’s smooth. This takes like a minute. The cream cheese HAS to be soft or you’ll have lumps forever. I take mine out when I start making dinner so it’s ready by dessert time.

Step 3: Add Cool Whip

Mix in the Cool Whip on low speed. Don’t go crazy beating it or you’ll knock all the air out and end up with a dense mess. Just mix until it’s combined and looks fluffy.

Step 4: Add Brownie Mix and Milk

Add the brownie mix and milk. Start on low speed unless you want chocolate powder all over your kitchen—ask me how I know. Once it’s mixed in, turn it up to medium and beat until smooth. It’ll turn this gorgeous brown color.

Step 5: Fold in Chocolate Chips

Use your spatula to fold in the chocolate chips. Save some for the top because it looks prettier. Fold gently instead of stirring hard to keep it fluffy.

Step 6: Serve and Enjoy

Put it in your serving bowl, throw those extra chips on top, and you’re done. Serve it right away or cover it and refrigerate until you need it.

You Must Know

Room temperature cream cheese is the whole ballgame here. Cold cream cheese will NOT smooth out. You’ll have lumps and there’s nothing you can do about it once they’re there. I leave mine on the counter for at least 45 minutes, sometimes an hour. Forgot to take it out early? Cut it into chunks and microwave it on half power for 15-20 seconds. Just don’t melt it.

Personal Secret: I add maybe 1/8 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the brownie mix before I add it. Sounds weird but it makes the chocolate taste way more intense without tasting like coffee at all.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Use full-fat cream cheese. I tried the low-fat version once to save calories and it was thin and sad looking. Not worth it.

Make sure Cool Whip is totally thawed. I move it to the fridge the night before. Half-frozen Cool Whip makes weird icy chunks.

Heat-treating the flour is annoying but worth it if you’re nervous about food safety. Takes five extra minutes and then you don’t have to worry.

Always start your mixer on low when adding the brownie mix. High speed equals chocolate explosion. My white kitchen learned this lesson.

Mini chocolate chips really are better than regular sized ones. The big chips are clunky in a dip.

Too thick? Add milk one teaspoon at a time. Too thin? Add more brownie mix.

Put your serving bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes before adding the dip if you’re serving it outside or somewhere warm. Keeps it from getting too soft.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Cookies and Cream: Crush up a cup of Oreos and fold them in. My nephew begs for this version every birthday.

Peanut Butter Brownie: Mix 1/4 cup peanut butter in with the cream cheese. Use peanut butter chips or chopped Reese’s instead of some of the chocolate chips. My husband hides this in the back of the fridge.

Mint Chocolate: Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract and use mint chocolate chips or crushed Andes mints. Great for Christmas parties.

S’mores Style: Fold in mini marshmallows and crushed graham crackers. Serve with more graham crackers.

Double Chocolate: Use chocolate fudge brownie mix and add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder for maximum chocolate intensity.

Salted Caramel Brownie: Make it regular, then drizzle caramel on top and sprinkle with sea salt.

Birthday Cake Brownie: Add 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles and a teaspoon of vanilla. Kids lose their minds over this.

Make-Ahead Options

Make it the day before your party—it actually gets better sitting overnight in the fridge as everything blends together. Cover it tight with plastic wrap pressed right on the surface so it doesn’t dry out.

If I remember (big if), I’ll measure everything the night before and leave it ready to mix. Takes the stress off party day.

Don’t freeze this. I tried once and it was terrible when thawed. The cream cheese gets grainy and separated and there’s no fixing it.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

It firms up in the fridge which actually makes it better for dipping. Too firm after sitting overnight? Leave it on the counter for 10 minutes.

Different brownie mixes taste different. I’ve used Ghirardelli, Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, store brands—they all work. Pick whatever you like or whatever’s on sale.

It’s best the first day but still good for a few days after. You might notice it gets slightly less fluffy after 24 hours but it still tastes great.

Making this for a big party? Double it. I’ve tripled it before using my stand mixer and it works perfectly.

Dairy-free? Use Kite Hill cream cheese and coconut whipped topping. Tastes a little different but still really good.

Serving Suggestions

Graham crackers are my favorite thing to serve with this. The honey flavor with chocolate is perfect—like a deconstructed brownie s’more. Vanilla wafers and shortbread are close seconds.

My husband only eats this with pretzels. He loves the salty-sweet thing. The salt cuts through all that chocolate richness.

Strawberries are surprisingly amazing with this. They look pretty on a platter too. Banana slices taste like chocolate covered bananas. Apple slices add nice crunch.

Try marshmallows, animal crackers, Nilla wafers, or cinnamon pita chips. I served it with churros once and people freaked out.

When I’m making a platter, I arrange everything in sections around the bowl—fruit here, crackers there, pretzels over there. Throw some mint leaves or extra chips on top of the dip to make it look fancy.

Works for any party. Baby showers, Super Bowl, birthdays, holidays, book club, last-minute potlucks when you forgot until an hour before. Always gets compliments, bowl is always empty.

How to Store Your Brownie Batter Dip

Stick leftovers in an airtight container or cover the bowl really well with plastic wrap. Keeps in the fridge for about 4 days. I press the plastic wrap right on the dip’s surface so it doesn’t dry out.

It’s best the first day or two when it’s super fresh and fluffy.

DO NOT FREEZE. The cream cheese separates and gets grainy when you thaw it. Can’t be fixed. Don’t do it.

Serve it cold or room temperature. If it’s too stiff from the fridge, let it sit out 10-15 minutes to soften.

Allergy Information

Contains:

• Dairy (cream cheese, milk, Cool Whip)
• Wheat/gluten (brownie mix)
• Soy (usually in chocolate chips and brownie mix)

Allergen-Friendly Substitutions:

Dairy-Free: Use Kite Hill or Tofutti cream cheese, coconut whipped topping, and non-dairy milk. Check your brownie mix doesn’t have milk powder.

Gluten-Free: Get gluten-free brownie mix—King Arthur, Bob’s Red Mill, Simple Mills all work. Heat-treat it properly. Make sure chocolate chips are certified gluten-free if you’re serving someone with celiac.

Egg-Free: Already egg-free since you’re not baking the brownie mix!

Nut-Free: Most brownie mixes are nut-free but read the label for severe allergies. Skip any nut mix-ins obviously.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Why is my dip grainy or lumpy?

Cold cream cheese. Every single time. It won’t blend smooth no matter how long you mix. Your cream cheese needs to be soft enough to easily press your finger into. Forgot to soften it? Cut into cubes and microwave on half power for 15-20 seconds.

My dip tastes too sweet—how can I fix it?

Add a tiny pinch of salt to balance it. Or fold in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened cocoa powder. Serving it with salty pretzels helps too—the salt contrast makes it taste less sweet.

How far in advance can I make this for a party?

Up to 24 hours ahead works great. Actually gets better overnight! But it’s so quick I usually just make it morning-of.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! Tell me how it turned out! What did you serve it with? Try any fun variations? Drop a comment and let me know