With no flour or eggs required, these fudgy chocolate black bean brownie bites are a delicious homemade vegan snack or dessert you won’t want to share!
Chocolate black bean brownie bites
Want to quickly become the most popular person at your next party?
Just whip up a batch of these rich and decadent gooey chocolate brownie bites, and watch how fast the entire tray disappears!
The healthy brownie bites absolutely hold their own against any traditional flour-and-sugar brownies. Your guests will never guess the secret ingredient.
You may also like Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brownie bites that do not taste healthy
There are definitely some healthy dessert recipes on my blog that do taste healthy.
For example, no one would confuse my Banana Ice Cream recipe with Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream or proclaim Chia Pudding to be the most decadent dessert they’ve ever tasted in their life.
However, these black bean brownie bites taste 100% just as rich, fudgy, moist, chocolatey, and indulgent as traditional homemade brownies.
They can easily stand up against those famous Little Bites Fudge Brownies from Entenmann’s, or store bought brownie bites from Costco, Sam’s Club, or Target.
If anything, this healthier version is even more rich, moist, chocolatey, and decadent. While traditional brownie bites with flour can often be dry and crumbly, the black beans in this healthy recipe keep them ultra moist and soft, with NO crumbling.
The recipe was inspired by my black bean brownies and Healthy Brownies, two other bean desserts that are huge crowd pleasers, even with people who have no interest whatsoever in vegan or healthy eating.
So don’t be afraid to try these out at your next event. You might be surprised at the overwhelmingly positive reception they receive!
Watch the healthy brownie bites recipe video – above
Black bean brownie bite flavors
This healthy dessert is incredibly versatile. Feel free to include anything you normally add to homemade or boxed brownies.
Stir in a handful of shredded coconut or chopped walnuts or pecans. Or add a pinch of ground cinnamon or a few drops of pure peppermint extract.
They are also really good with a half teaspoon of instant coffee sprinkled into the batter before baking. (I use this brand of instant coffee.)
I love using peanut butter in the recipe and stirring in some chopped peanuts or pressing a vegan peanut butter cup into the top of each bite, turning them into chocolate peanut butter brownie bites.
Finally, if you’re feeling really lazy, you can always just eat the eggless batter with a spoon and call it a day. Not that I’ve ever done this or anything…
Healthy brownie bite ingredients
Here’s what you need: cocoa powder, rolled oats or almond flour, black beans, liquid sweetener of choice, a little salt, oil or almond butter, pure vanilla extract, baking powder, and mini chocolate chips.
I know some people will be skeptical of the idea of beans in desserts. But did you know Entenmann’s brownie bites contain beans too??
It’s true; they have soybean oil an locust bean gum. Not to mention their other ingredients that include sugar, eggs, bleached wheat flour, corn syrup, whey protein concentrate, propylene glycol esters of fatty acids, mono and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, cellulose gum, and artificial flavor.
In contrast, the fudgy homemade brownie bites have just nine ingredients, with no artificial flavors, gums, corn syrup, or flour.
They can be gluten free, egg free, dairy free, vegan, and refined sugar free.
Most importantly, they taste so intensely fudgy and delicious that no one even notices those other ingredients are missing!
Substitution options
Many people have asked me over the years if they can substitute lentils or another type of bean for the black beans.
While I have not personally tried, many readers have written in to say they successfully substituted white beans, kidney beans, lentils, or adzuki beans.
I do not recommend steel cut oats here. But you can use a third cup of white, spelt, or oat flour instead of the oats if you prefer.
How to make the healthy dessert
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a mini muffin pan.
If you don’t have a mini muffin pan, you can bake the recipe in either a regular sized muffin pan. Or use an eight inch pan and cut into mini or large squares.
Process all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a high quality food processor until thick and completely smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips. Portion the batter into the prepared muffin tin, and press a few extra chocolate chips on top if desired.
Bake on the oven’s center rack for ten minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and let it cool for at least another ten minutes before going around the sides of each brownie bite with a knife and popping them out onto a plate.
Store these healthy brownie bites the same way you would store classic brownies. Once cool, place them in a covered container with a tiny opening for excess moisture to escape. They can stay out on the counter for a day.
After a day, I recommend placing in an airtight covered container and refrigerating for freshness. The brownies should last around four to five days.
You can also freeze leftover brownie bites in an airtight container for up to three or four months. Thaw before serving.
If you prefer blondies instead, try these Chickpea Blondies
Chocolate Black Bean Brownie Bites
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp regular cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp Dutch cocoa powder or additional regular
- 1/3 cup rolled oats or 1/2 cup almond flour (for keto, try these Keto Brownies)
- 1 can black beans or 1 1/2 cup cooked
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave
- 1/4 cup oil or almond or peanut butter
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, or more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a mini muffin pan. (A regular muffin pan also works, or you can smooth the batter into an 8×8 pan.) Process all ingredients except chips in a high quality food processor until smooth. Stir in chips. (Omit chips at own risk – I only vouch for the final taste if they’re included!) Portion into the pan, press a few more chips into the tops if desired, and bake on the center rack 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool at least 10 additional minutes before going around the sides with a knife and popping out.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Healthy Chocolate Snacks
Has anyone tried these using oat flour? Wondering how much to use…
Hello ! I have tried the recipe with the use of coconut oil, honey and oats. I also used a large muffin pan! After the first 10 min, I realised that my brownies were too gooey and thus I baked for an additional 3 min ish- The outside became firmer and thus I took it out! After cooling and tasting, they were rich, creamy and fudgy. First impression was “it really taste like brownies” but it also has a ‘non-brownie’ aftertaste, not sure if it was the black beans or everything combined. BUT I still like them as the toppings covered the aftertaste (I recommend putting in more than 1/2 cup of choc chips AND toppings on them)! They are soooo fudgy, YUM
Katie
I can’t believe this recipe. I had a lot of black beans and needed a dessert for them. I tried your recipe. The only thing I hated about it was I tasted the batter. Wow. It almost didn’t make it in the pans. I could have just sat down with a spoon and a glass of milk
Why are there slight differences between the regular black bean brownie recipe and this Brownie Bite recipe? I made the original recipe but baked them in a mini muffin pan and they were excellent. Then I noticed this Brownie Bite recipe but noticed it is slightly different (1/3 cup maple syrup vs 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup oats vs 1/3 cup oats). Thank you.
Simple and delicious. You can’t ask for more when you’re craving healthy chocolate goodness.
do i use the juice from the canned beans thanks
Hi no drain and rinse well 😉
Came here to say the same!!
Verry yummy seem really delicious definitely going to try this recipie this weekend
Keep Publishing. I have bookmarked this blog
Hi Katie! I absolutely love this recipe, and your other black bean brownie recipe (which is the first one I tried). They’re so fudgy and decadent, and nobody has ever guessed that there are beans in them!
On the other recipe, you add the note that the beans should be drained and rinsed very well. Could you add that here, too? I knew this from my experience with the other recipe so I did it of course, but when I sent this recipe to my friend she didn’t see this step and her brownies stank :(. Thanks!!
Made theses hopefully for a Halloween treat for my G niece and nephew.
Totally just fell apart. The mini tart pan is high quality, they did not stick, still
when trying to take them out after cooling just fell apart like sand.
I used almond flour and canola oil.
Taste great, healthy but not for serving. I am going to use the chocolate crumble over ice cream!
Hi! Did you mean to leave this comment on a different one of Katie’s recipes? This one doesn’t use a tart pan. Did you use canned or cooked beans?
These are my go-to dessert for any family dinner, event, or just for myself! They’re so quick and easy and I love the added nutrients from the black beans.
I was wondering if I could make the batter in advance and store it in the fridge overnight?
Thank you!