Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

Name: Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
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))

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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.

black bean brownies stacked with blue background

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!

black bean brownie ingredients in glass bowls

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.

rolled oats pulsed into flour in food processor

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!

rest of brownie ingredients pureed together

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

Will Black Bean Brownies Give You Gas?

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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Can I omit the almond butter?

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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Can you leave out the oats?

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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Can I leave out the coconut sugar?

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.)