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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.
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.)
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?
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!
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 😉
Do you know the carb and sugar count?
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!
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?
Great
I didn’t have balsamic , I used coconut vinegar instead. great I would make these again. Thank you
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??
Oops! Autocorrect made some amusing errors on my post.
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!
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 😉