How to Store Brownies to Keep Them Fresh and Moist?

Bought or baked too many brownies and wondering what the best way to store them is? How to store brownies to keep them fresh and moist?

That’s the short version.

Interested in learning more? Here’s what we cover below:

• more details on storing brownies
• when it makes sense to refrigerate brownies
• is freezing brownies an option?

Read on.

How to Store Brownies?

The best way to keep your brownies fresh and moist is to store them well wrapped or sealed in a container at room temperature.

The exception here are brownies frosted with cream cheese frosting (and other dairy-based frostings) or ones that include fresh fruit. Those brownies need to sit in the refrigerator.

The goal here is to prevent brownies from drying out. That’s why store-bought or ordered online brownies come in plastic containers and are often individually packed.

When storing homemade brownies, you have a couple of options:

• Using an airtight container or a cake carrier. The upside is that containers work well for both unfrosted and frosted brownies. The downside is that the container’s extra space (and therefore air) speeds up drying. And nobody likes a dry brownie. Because of that, try to use as small a container as you can fit the brownie into.
• Placing them in a freezer bag. Reusable freezer bags are great because there’s little air inside after you squeeze out any excess, so the brownies don’t dry as quickly. The only downside is that storing frosted brownies in a freezer bag isn’t an option unless you want to ruin the frosting completely.
• Wrapping them in plastic wrap or foil. The downside of this solution is that the wrap eventually ends up in the trash can, producing waste. Also, it works only for unfrosted brownies.

For extra points, you can postpone cutting the slab into individual brownies until you’re ready to serve them. That’s because a whole slab retains moisture a bit better than cut-up brownies due to the smaller surface area and less exposure to air.

Now, if your brownies are super moist, consider placing a paper towel underneath them to catch any extra moisture. You want the bottom to be moist, not wet.

Do Brownies Need to Be Refrigerated?

Regular brownies don’t need to be refrigerated, but if yours include fresh fruit or a perishable frosting, store them in the fridge.

You should also consider refrigerating your brownies if they are dense and fudge-like. High moisture content might cause them to grow mold prematurely if they get contaminated.

On the other hand, light and airy brownies keep perfectly well at room temperature for at least 3 to 4 days. So if you don’t need more time than that, refrigeration isn’t necessary.

Related: How long do brownies last?

Of course, you can put brownies in the fridge no matter the kind, as it helps them last a few days longer.

The thing to remember is that your refrigerator tends to dry out foods, and that’s why it’s essential to wrap or seal the brownies tightly first. A tight wrap or seal also protects the confection from picking up any smells.

Now, all the above applies to almost all store-bought and homemade brownies out there, but there are some outliers.

For instance, I found an online seller that asks specifically not to refrigerate their brownies. I imagine there might be some brownie recipes that you shouldn’t refrigerate for some reason as well.

Because of that, it’s best to check if there are any storage instructions provided with the recipe or package.

Last, if you have way more brownies than you can consume before they go bad, freezing might have crossed your mind. Let’s talk about that.

Can You Freeze Brownies?

Main article: Can you freeze brownies?

Brownies freeze well, and freezing is the way to go if you need yours to last as long as possible.

Like freezing any other baked goods, the most important thing is to wrap the brownies tightly and squeeze out any extra air.

If you’re freezing for the short term, like a couple of weeks tops, a freezer bag should be good enough. But if your brownies might sit frozen for longer than that, an extra layer of protection is needed.

The default choice here is plastic or freezer wrap, either of which allows wrapping the confection tightly. Once wrapped, you place the baked good in a freezer bag.

(Of course, wrapping the brownies help them retain quality better no matter how long they sit in the freezer.)

As you might imagine, freezing a whole brownie slab will yield better results than freezing it cut into squares. That works for the same reasons storing a whole brownie is better than storing it cut up.

When it comes to frosted brownies, whether they freeze well or not depends on how well the frosting withstands freezing and thawing. As a rule of thumb, it’s better to freeze the brownies unfrosted and make fresh frosting when the confection is defrosted and ready for serving.

Speaking of defrosting, you can defrost brownies on the counter, and it takes between an hour and 3 to 4 hours. It all depends on how thick and dense the brownie is – thinner and airy ones defrost faster.