Meet the best Black Bean Brownies you’ll ever try. They are rich and fudgy, and taste like the real thing! (Not some “healthy” alternative.) You can’t tell there are black beans in here at all.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What makes these black bean brownies healthier? They’re made with easy, real food ingredients. No refined flour or oil necessary!
Here’s what’s inside:
- Black beans (a whole can!)
- Rolled oats (use certified gluten-free, if needed)
- Almond butter (adds fat & fiber)
- Coconut sugar (a lower glycemic sweetener)
- Cacao powder
- Baking soda + vinegar (which work together to help them rise)
These brownies are naturally gluten-free, oil-free, and egg-free, so they are vegan friendly and perfect for those following a special diet. And they really do taste like the real thing!
Why You’ll Love Them
I’m pretty picky about brownies. To me, a good brownie needs to be rich and moist, with an ultra-fudgy texture. If I wanted a cake-like texture, I’d reach for a piece of cake. Brownies need to feel more moist and decadent.
These Black Bean Brownies are:
- Flourless! (which also keeps them gluten-free)
- Naturally sweetened with coconut sugar
- Oil-Free
- Loaded with fiber and protein from black beans
- Sneaky– you can’t detect the black bean flavor AT ALL.
- Rich and fudge-like
Trust me when I say that these brownies taste totally decadent.
How to Make Them
To make black bean brownies, all you’ll need is a food processor and about 10 minutes of time before they go in the oven. I like to start by processing the rolled oats into a coarse flour.
Once the oats are pulsed (no need for them to be perfectly ground) you’ll add in the rest of the brownie ingredients and process them again.
The resulting brownie batter should be thick, and relatively smooth. It won’t be as runny as traditional brownie batter!
Add in 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips, and pulse the food processor briefly to mix them in.
Transfer the batter to an 8-inch pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. (Greasing the pan first helps the parchment paper stay in place.)
Use a spatula to smooth the top, then sprinkle the top with a few more chocolate chips, if desired.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. These brownies will be very fragile when they are hot, so it’s important that you let them cool completely before slicing.
They will smell so good, it’s hard to be patient, but the flavor gets better as they cool, too. I think the black bean flavor is slightly noticeable when they are hot from the oven, but when they cool it disappears entirely.
I think they taste even better the next day, too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Beans contain a complex sugar called raffinose, which the body can have a hard time breaking down. That, paired with the fiber found in beans, can make you gassy, especially if you don’t already eat a fiber-rich diet.
Incorporating beans into your diet regularly may help to reduce this effect, and one study suggests that taking Beano can help prevent gas, too.
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You can replace the almond butter with peanut butter, cashew butter, or a nut-free alternative, like sunflower seed butter or tahini. Keep in mind that the seeds are more bitter in flavor, so you might need to adjust the sweetness to your taste.
Luckily, this batter is egg-free, so you can taste as you go!
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I’ve made these black bean brownies successfully without the oats. The results are just more fragile, and more gooey in the middle.
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I don’t use any zero calorie sweeteners, so I can’t comment on how those might work in this recipe, but keep in mind that the granulated sugar is what gives these brownies their classic “fudgy” texture.
If you want to use maple syrup or honey, these brownies will probably be much more wet and fragile, so they might lose that classic brownies texture, and you won’t need nearly as much, since they are sweeter than coconut sugar. (I’d start with 1/2 cup maple or 1/3 cup honey.)
Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (26 grams; certified gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 15 oz. can black beans , drained and rinsed (260 grams drained)
- 1/4 cup creamy raw almond butter (68 grams)
- 6 tablespoons raw cacao powder (35 grams)
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (13 grams)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract (9 grams)
- 1 cup coconut sugar (164 grams)
- 2 teaspoon vinegar (12 grams; balsamic or apple cider)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (2 grams)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (3 grams)
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (105 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. In a large food processor fitted with an S-blade, process the rolled oats briefly, until they resemble a coarse flour.
- Add in the black beans, almond butter, cacao powder, ground flax, vanilla, sugar, vinegar (which helps the brownies rise), salt, and baking soda. Process until a very smooth and thick batter is formed, stopping to scrape down the sides at least once to make sure everything is mixed evenly. Add 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips to the batter, and pulse briefly to mix them in.
- Transfer the batter into the lined 8-inch baking dish. The batter will be rather thick, so you'll need to use the spatula to spread it evenly into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top, and press them lightly into the batter.
- Bake until the top begins to crack and the center feels relatively firm to a light touch, about 30 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool completely before attempting to cut them into squares, as they are fragile when warm. I let mine cool for at least 2 hours. Serve at room temperature, and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. (I imagine these would freeze well, too!)
Video
Notes
- Nutrition information is for 1 of 16 brownies. This is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
- If you prefer a darker chocolate brownie, go ahead and use 1/2 cup of raw cacao powder in this recipe. I’ve tested it that way, and I thought they were delicious, but they were a little “too dark” for some of my taste testers.
- I imagine that any other nut or seed butter, such as peanut butter or sunflower seed butter, would work well in this recipe if you’d prefer to replace the almond butter.
- You can use any vinegar that you have on hand. I’ve tested these with balsamic and apple cider vinegar.
- Coconut sugar gives these brownies much of their substance and texture, so don’t be tempted to use a liquid sweetener or sugar substitute without expecting significantly different results. Granulated sugar = chewy, fudgy brownies, so keep that in mind.
- You can leave out the rolled oats for a grain-free dessert. They are just slightly more gooey and fragile that way.
Nutrition
More Healthy Brownie Recipes
Looking for more brownie ideas? Try one of these other crowd-pleasing recipes!
- Almond Flour Brownies
- Coconut Flour Brownies
- Date Sweetened Brownies
- Vegan Gluten-free Brownies
- Instant Pot Brownies
- Sweet Potato Brownies
- Avocado Brownies
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know how you like it! And if you try any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite way to use black beans? Have you tried using them in a desert before?
Oh my goodness these look incredible!!! – so fudgey and rich!
Izzy Bruning
Mmmmm these look so yummy! Not to mention squidgy! 🙂 😛
http://www.clare-without-an-i.com
A question of curiousity, why use coconut sugar instead of regular granulated sugar?. When I compare the sugar levels they both contain 4g of sugar per teaspoon. I haven’t tried making these yet but am looking forward to making this recipe soon!
Coconut sugar is still lower on the glycemic index than table sugar and has trace amounts of minerals like iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. You can use white sugar if you prefer, but the brownies will taste MUCH sweeter with that substitution.
Hi,
I’m very happy Wit ur site, my baby is actually allergic to diary, wheat, chocolate, peanuts and most of the fruits. This vegan flour less’ should help me. Anyways, thank u Megan. Can u plz post the recipes for cookies and cakes Wat my baby can eat……
You might want to search the recipe index on my website– https://detoxinista.com/category/all-recipes/
All of my recipes are wheat-free and many can easily avoid dairy, chocolate, peanuts, and whatever fruit your child is allergic to. Good luck!
Thank u so much Megan, god bless u
Black beans I am not sure If my baby can eat. Can I try kidney beans?
Of course you can!
I haven’t tired wit it yet,but I think I can make it. Wen ever my baby asked me for cakes, cookies, any dairy, wheat , chocolate products, since I can’t give him, I used to feel like hanging myself. But now, ur recipes r making me feel, I can breathe…. should I say u something Megan, I love u !!
Preethi, based on your comment I think you might have left a 1 star review by mistake! 1 is the lowest rating and 5 is the highest.
Oh. My. Gosh. I must try these!!
I’ve recently learned to make brownies using black beans…you would NEVER know the difference…tastes great!!!
What about using stevia? Any thoughts?
Unfortunately I stopped using stevia (you can read why in this post) so I can’t test the recipe using it. Let us know if you have any success!
I made a batch of your Vegan Almond Butter Brownies today and they were a hit. I like nuts in my brownies. Did you try adding nuts to any of your test batches?
No, I didn’t try that but I think it would be okay to add some. Maybe try using only 1/2 cup of chocolate chips & 1/2 cup of chopped nuts?
Sherlie Battiato, I would love to know how the stevia works out too. 1 cup of any sugar is a lot…to me anyways.
These look awesome!! Just wondering if you can substitute regular cocoa powder for the cacao powder?
I think that would work just fine!
I’m gonna try these very soon. That protein and fiber ???
thanks for the recipes!
Maybe add “gluten free” to the list of tags under the title?
These were awesome!!! I used just shy of 1/2 cup cocoa and loved the deep chocolate flavour, especially with the sea salt. I only used about 2/3 cup coconut sugar and was happy with the results. Excellent and easy recipe, thank you Detoxonista!
These brownies look amazing… And I love that you said they’re JUST good, not “good for healthy food!” I struggle with that all the time!!
I was wondering if this batter would work out in a Vitamix? I don’t have a food processor, and since I rarely make food requiring a food processor I don’t particularly want to buy one.
Also forgot to ask–would 1/4c of peanut butter made with PB2 function as an equivalent for peanut butter, or are the fats in a nut butter necessary to make the recipe work?
I had this question, too. Did you try it? If so, did it work?
I used my vitamix and it worked quite well
I made these today-Delicious. I used about 5 dates (pureed into parse) and only 1/2 cup sugar. They were really yummy.
Good idea to add dates. I’m going to make them the detoxinista way first and then dates the best time.
These look insanely good! I’m with you girl, brownies have to be fudgy ? My fave way to enjoy black beans is as black bean noodles. These awesome noodles I buy at my local supermarket – made from 100% dried black beans and nothing else. You cook them like regular pasta and they are epic. The best consistency, not starchy like lots of gf options but still very carry so satisfying all the same. I reckon I’ll give these brownies a go trying to use puréed dates as the sweetener and see how I go. If I have success I’ll post here so that you and your readers know results. Thanks again for all the work you put into this blog – it’s my go-to fave and has been since I first found it xxx
Aw, thanks! I have a box of lentil-based pasta sitting in my pantry that I’m excited to try, so I’ll have to look for the black bean version, too. I want to try using dates as the sweetener for a brownie recipe, too. I tried once in the early stages of testing this recipe, and it was a total mess, but I think it’s worth trying again!
This black bean brownie is absolutely gooey and yummy. I used cashew butter instead of almonds. I want to try it will less sugar next time, maybe half a cup. Do you think it will be bitter if i don’t use 1 cup of coconut sugar?
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
From my personal experience working with cocoa powder and chocolate, possibly, but if you really like dark chocolate then it may be okay. I saw that someone in the comments had some success with using 1/2 cup of sugar and the other half was date paste (which is a much healthier sugar alternative)
These were so dry after making them. Do you have any recommendations on how to improve?
thanks.
There is lots of moisture from the beans and the almond butter. Did your almond butter have any additives? The only ingredient should be almonds. Otherwise, I’m not sure why they would be dry! Every time I’ve made them they are borderline gooey.
Mine were SO moist! You didn’t use dry beans, right??
Made these tonight-AMAZING! And I was really skeptical because earlier in the year I had tried a different black bean brownie recipe that the blogger swore by. We threw them out-they were gross! These I will be hiding from my family so I get to eat them all 😉
Ha, that makes me so happy! I have also been disappointed by other recipes for black bean brownies, so I didn’t want to post this one until it was REALLY good! 😉
These look really good. Is it possible to substitute avocados for black beans in this recipie?
I haven’t tried that, so I have no idea! Let us know if you do any experimenting!
Oh my word these are awesome! So tasty do chewy and I love the recipe thank you for sharing
I have never used beans in a dessert before. Just made these. The house smells wonderful. I can’t wait to try them. This will be my dessert after dinner. Thank you for sharing the recipe and keep up the great work.
Glad you enjoyed them!
I used a bit of almond milk, the mixture turned out dry for me as well.
Almond milk did the trick, also used half cup sugar.
Great recipe!
Love your recipes tasty and easy to make.
A.
What is the point of the flax seeds? That is the one ingredient I don’t have on hand, so I’m hoping I can get nearly the same result without them.
They act as a binder, similar to the way you would add an egg to a recipe. I tried one version without it, and the result was much more gooey and less brownie-like, but I’m sure it would still taste good.
Can you use chia seeds instead of the flax? I’m going to try this recipe today with chia as the only substitute so will let you know how that goes!
Yes, I think ground chia seeds would have the same result. Hope you enjoy them!
Finally a black bean brownie that tastes like a regular brownie! They are chewy with a rich chocolate flavor. Mine only took 25 minutes to make so maybe those of you who thought these brownies are dry need to bake them for only 20 or 25 minutes. I think these brownies taste better than some regular brownie recipes!
These look delicious; can’t wait to try them. Can ground chia seeds be substituted for ground flax seeds?
Chia seeds should work fine 🙂
Wow, that dessert looks so rich and delicious in those beautiful pictures!!!! Have to try making them very soon.
Hi Megan, I have both your cookbooks but haven’t had the chance to actually follow the detox plan yet. I am ready to start doing that now but I was just wondering where this kind of recipe would fall. I am assuming a special treat? If a recipe isn’t labeled under one of the four categories on the blog (starch, fresh fruit, protein or nuts/seeds) would it also fit with this description? Thanks!
Yes, this one would be a special treat. Anything with more than a tablespoon or two of natural sweetener (like you might find in a salad dressing) I would consider in the treat category. If I were to try to properly combine this after a meal, I’d plan for having a large leafy green salad as my main course to help the brownie digest better. 😉
These are delicious and I have now made them twice in 3 days! This was my first black bean brownie recipe to try so I was a little nervous how they would taste but they are perfectly fudgy and chocolatey. My husband said these were his favorite brownies that I have made (he even knows there are beans in there ha!). By the way, you really cannot taste the black beans in case you are apprehensive like I was.
The only modification I made was to add 1/4 cup milk to the black beans as I was blending. My Blendtec blender was not able to blend it up without some liquid help. I’m sure a food processor would work better. Also, I baked mine for exactly 25 minutes and they came out super fudgy which I prefer. Do not leave the chocolate chips out…it is what makes them magical.
Thanks Megan!
It’s “that time of he month” and I wanted a chocolatey treat for breakfast. I made these for the first time. HOLY CRAP they are so delicious and rich and FUDGEY. Everything a brownies should be. I thought the black beans would make me gag but there is no indication there’s anything out of the ordinary with these brownies. I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa powered and used an extra half tablespoon. I also used dark chocolate chips. These brownies are incredible.
My 13-year-old daughter said these were the best brownies that I had ever made! Now that’s a testament to a good brownie!
These were awesome! Substituted cashew butter for almond (allergic). Also used maple syrup 1/3 cup as substitute for sugar. Excellent!!! My husband even liked them. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I made these today and they came
out great. I used peanut butter instead of almond butter and used slightly less than 1 cup of coconut sugar, more like 3/4 cup. Fudgy and chocolately. I will definitely keep
making these.
Hi Megan, this is my first visit to your site and I know already that I’m ‘gonna love it! Especially after seeing this brownie recipe. I really want to try this but, as another reviewer noted, I don’t have a food processor (gave mine to my son before I decided to eat healthy!). Do you have any suggestions on another way to mix this….I’m assuming the food processor is needed due to thickness? I do have a juicer but not sure how that would work?? Any ideas would be a big help! (Would “borrow” the one I gave away but to far away!) Thanks in advance….can’t wait to try these!
I’ve had a reader report that they tried this in the blender, and that they wouldn’t recommend it. So, maybe try mashing the beans by hand and then stirring in the rest of the ingredients? You really only need the food processor to get the beans smooth so that they blend into the batter seamlessly… the rest should mix together just fine by hand. Hope you get to try them!
I find that I can mash cooked beans with an immersion blender. I do it all the time for tostadas. Think I’ll try this. Looking forward to trying this recipe.
I tried doing it in a blender, but it didn’t work. However, a normal stand mixer worked PERFECTLY
These were crazy delicious, and incredibly easy to make!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!
Wow. Just wow. These are amazing and are teenager approved. Our family has been eating healthier since doing Whole30 3 months ago. We are learning how to enjoy “treats” once in awhile and this recipe will definitely get a top spot in our recipe collection.
I doubled recipe and made them in muffin tins. Cut back the coconut sugar and chocolate chips and they turned out delicious. Might try to cut sugar back more. I also didn’t have raw cacao so I used regular cocoa powder.
I know a few people have said you can’t taste the black bean and they are 100% correct.
Thank you for coming up with this recipe! Pure genius:)
YAY!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
How did making them in muffin tins affect the cooking time?
has anyone tried freezing these? i’m only one person (and i don’t wanna share 🙂 )
I think they freeze well! I freeze almost all of our desserts to have some stashed away, and they always thaw quickly when I need a quick treat. 😉
Hi can I ask whether you could substitute flax seed or remove it from the ingredients? The brownies look incredible.
I wouldn’t remove it, but you could use ground chia seeds instead. They provide the structure that prevent these brownies from remaining gooey.
These are in my oven now with the following substitutions based on what was in my pantry: natural peanut butter instead of almond butter and brown sugar instead of coconut sugar. They were so tasty as dough! I haven’t made a vegan brownie recipe before and it was so fun to get to eat the dough.
Yes, eating egg-free dough is the BEST!! Hope you enjoyed the baked version, too. 🙂
I just made these! They are absolutely gorgeous. The texture is so decadent! No trace of “bean” flavour. I used date sugar, and didn’t have enough vanilla essence. But even without the vanilla essence, they are amazing. Fully recommended.
What kind of chocolate chips are you using that don’t have refined sugar? This recipe sounds great and I’d love to make something like this with no refined sugar but I’m stumped by the chocolate chips.
Eating Evolved brand makes a primal chocolate that is sweetened with coconut sugar. You can chop up a bar to use instead of chocolate chips! If you want totally sugar-free chocolate chips, Lily’s brand makes one sweetened with stevia and erythritol (a combination that makes me VERY sick) but some people prefer that.
I made these again—very good! Is there a particular brand of black beans you like to use?
thank you again.
I’ve actually started cooking my own dry beans from scratch, but when I’m testing recipes like this one I tested it with the generic brand from Whole Foods. (No salt added)
Fantastic recipe. Very yum. Thank you.
Hi! These look amazing! I am wondering what I could use instead of a nut or seed butter that would let them still work out? My daughter has severe allergies unfortunately. Thank you so much!
I’ve heard of “wow butter.” It’s supposed to mimick nut butter, but without the nuts! Its ingredients are soy, cane sugar, palm oil, and sea salt. It’s NOT produced in a factory that also has tree nuts or peanuts! It’s vegan and non-GMO if you care about that too 😉
Hi! I made these for my boyfriend who wanted a vegan dessert for his birthday. Huge success! As the guests were gobbling up the brownies, it was fun to have them try and guess the main ingredient.
I recommend several hours to cool and set. I didn’t have time for that, so I put them in the friends and then freezer forbidden about twenty minutes. They were gooey and kindness of messy. So getting them cold from the freezer helped. I cut them using a pizza cutter.
Next time i think I will try to cut down the coconut sugar to make them even more of a healthy choice. I will try ripe bananas and maybe a half cup of sugar.
Thanks for such a fabulous recipe!
Oops! Autocorrect made some amusing errors on my post.
Someone I know made these brownies and they were amazing… I just tried to make them and they came out very dry. The brownie dough was very thick and not spreadable at all. Please help… they were so good and I want to make them!
Hmmm… to troubleshoot, I’d first start with the ingredients. Did you make any substitutions? Was your almond butter all-natural, and drippy in consistency? Did you puree the beans in the food processor first? If you followed the directions to a T, then I’d say your oven might be too hot, and I’d just lower the temperature next time or reduce the baking time a bit. They might just be getting over-cooked! Maybe start with just 20 minutes next time?
Thank You! I thought maybe I overcooked them so next time I’ll try 20 minutes! As for the ingredients I went to an all natural store and ground the almond butter myself but maybe next time I’ll try the PB that I have… It’s a little more drippy and the almond butter was not as drippy. I will try agin and report back, I am not the best baker so… practice makes perfect. Thank You!!
Success!! I made another batch of these brownies with peanut butter and cooked them for 20 minutes and they came out AMAZING!! Thanks for your help.
I agree! Mine were very thick and hard to deal with. It’s like they needed an ingredient that would give them a more moist texture and consistency. I followed the recipe to a T! 🙂 maybe a dd a pureed ripe banana to make it more moist??
Great
I didn’t have balsamic , I used coconut vinegar instead. great I would make these again. Thank you
I’ve been searching for a dessert that can accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. It feels like there is very little out there that matches my criteria. I like the idea of this recipe but am not convinced it is sugar-free because of the chocolate chips. Do you have any suggestions? Brand or even another recipe of yours? Thanks!
Could you use Xylitol?
This is a really great recipe, I have got nothing but compliments on these brownies, I had comments like “These are the best brownies I have ever had”. The first time I thought they were not cooked enough so I increased the bake time to 45mins, it must be that my oven is not as hot. These are super easy, pretty healthy considering, and taste delicious. So far the best black bean brownie recipe I have made. Thank you!
Do you know the carb and sugar count?
I have made several different black bean brownie recipes and was always left not satisfied.. so I tried your recipe yesterday, and honestly I was not expecting much..especially looking at the ingredients, but I was so wrong! These are delicious and everything you said they would be. Thank you so much. The only thing different I did was used apple cider vinegar, and added some extra chocolate chips on the top. I can finally stop searching for the perfect recipe 😉
Megan,
These are the bomb! Thank you for sharing this delicious fudgey recipe. I think the brownie “knows itself a little better ” on the second day. I enjoy them cold from the fridge with a cup of tea. I love that you can enjoy some decadence and your blood sugar stays stable! Was considering adding salted sunflower seeds.
I think your term “knows itself a little better” is priceless. Gonna use that!