Black Bean Brownies – the ultra fudgy and decadent chocolate treat.
Edit: Thank you to everyone who has been asking…
After more than a year in the works, my NEW cookbook is finally available!
Based on your feedback, every single recipe in the book comes with complete nutrition facts including calories, total fat, carbohydrates, protein, and Weight Watchers points.
Above – Watch how to make black bean brownies.
I know what you’re thinking.
“Why would I want to eat a healthy brownie when I could be eating a deep, dark, rich, fudgy, and chocolatey brownie instead?”
But what if the deep, dark, rich, chocolate brownie is the healthy brownie?
No, not in a dream world. These black bean brownies are healthy brownies that DO NOT taste healthy, and I can say that with assurance, as they’ve been tested on three different groups of people used to “normal” desserts.
For the ultimate test, my roommate brought two pans of the vegan black bean brownies into work and set them down on the table without revealing the secret or saying they were healthy.
She came home with no brownies left… but with five requests for the healthy black bean brownie recipe!
You May Also Like: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Easy Black Bean Brownies
I know some of you have been disappointed by mediocre bean-based brownies you’ve tried in the past, which is why it’s taken me so long to come up with my own recipe:
I’ve tried some awful black bean brownie recipes in the past, too.
For example?
Don’t think you’ll get brownies by adding cocoa powder to my Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip and baking it.
Trust me. You’ll get cardboard.
I wanted a recipe that would not let people down; a recipe that could stand up to a regular sugar-and-flour brownie in a competition.
And these really do!
Also, huge thanks to everyone who’s been sharing these on Instagram!
If you try the brownies, be sure to rate the recipe here, or tag @ChocolateCoveredKatie on Instagram so I can see and like your pictures!
Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups black beans (1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed very well) (250g after draining)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder (10g)
- 1/2 cup quick oats (40g) (See nutrition link below for substitutions)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave (75g)
- pinch uncut stevia OR 2 tbsp sugar (or omit and increase maple syrup to 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil (40g) (See nutrition link for substitution notes)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup chocolate chips (Not optional. Omit at your own risk)
- optional: more chips, for presentation
Instructions
- Black Bean Brownies Recipe: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except chips in a good food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Really blend well. (A blender can work if you absolutely must, but the texture—and even the taste—will be much better in a food processor. I use this food processor.) Stir in the chips, then pour into a greased 8×8 pan. Optional: sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top. Cook the black bean brownies 15-18 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before trying to cut. If they still look a bit undercooked, you can place them in the fridge overnight and they will magically firm up! Makes 9-12 brownies. If you make this recipe, don't forget to leave a review! The trick with these: serve them first, and then reveal the secret ingredient. In all the times I’ve served bean desserts, not one single person who didn’t know beforehand has ever guessed!View Black Bean Brownies Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Currently Trending Posts:
(15 Different Flavors)
Lentil Soup – Reader Favorite Recipe
More Healthy Brownie Recipes
(No crazy ingredients!)
Had anyone tried omitting the maple syrup and sugar and added either applesauce or an banana. And I saw you could use any nut butter instead of oils, anyone tried it with an avocado? Thanks for the feed back.
I was going to make these the night before and bring them to the camp I work at the following day. How should I store these if they will not be eaten till early evening?
I just made and devoured this recipe. It’s so good. Wayy better than your averaged box mix brownie. Thank you!
Yummy
oh my god! Who knew black beans could be turned into chocolatey goodness? Well, I guess you did… thanks for sharing. Great recipe!
I made this last week and absolutely loved it! These brownies are so rich, flavorful, and dense!! My husband and I really enjoyed eating “healthy” brownies. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Everything I’ve tried thus far has been amazing!
I substituted Greek yogurt instead of the olive oil to make it healthier (I saved almost 475 calories doing so) and it worked great!
I made these tonite….I had to try them warm right away and they are delicious. I will still refrigerate them overnite to firm up a bit.I ‘m trying to find some healthier options of sweet things for my husband who is recovering from bypass surgery this year….Tomorrow is our anniversary so I’ll give him one of these black bean brownies tomorrow….Thanks for the great recipes online.
Can I add nuts to this?
This recipe came out delicious! I followed the recipe, but just added a little molasses instead of stevia. Next time I’ll try adding flax, more oats and less maple syrup. It came out a little too sweet for me. Can wait to try it after refrigeration too. Yum!!
Just made these tonight! I do not have a food processor but I did what another commenter suggested!
I used an immersion blender to start to puree the black beans, then added all the wet ingredients and blended — again with an immersion blender. Worked really well! I blended up the dry ingredients in my magic bullet then added the dry to the wet. The texture turned out perfect! These brownies are delicious!
My family loves and I do mean we really love these brownies!! They are so moist and yummy!! I don’t use any stevia in this recipe I just use the 1/2 c. maple syrup!! They are our go to recipe for a yummy treat!! Thanks so much!!
Thank you for your chocolate recipes, Katie! I’ve just tried this and everyone in the family loved it! ? Mine turned out rather flattish though. How do you get yours to be so tall?
These are amazing. We are GF, dairy free and many other restrictions. Plus a child who’s so picky. Shes getting in protein and doesn’t know it. Thanks. Your recipes are always awesome.
I have never left a review for a recipe before but felt compelled because I’m trying to cut back on my sugar intake and I was very skeptical that any non-sugar dessert could satisfy my sweet tooth. I needed to make a dessert for a family reunion and the whole pan was gone very quickly – no mention of them tasting any different than a “regular” brownie.
These brownies are delicious! They are fudge-like in consistency rather than cake-like. I used coconut oil in them but I think next time I would try Canola oil or something because I could really taste the coconut. I used dark chocolate chips which made them extra yummy. I will definitely be making them again. It helps that all of the ingredients are things I tend to keep on-hand 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe! I made a few changes, adding zucchini and a fresh prune to the batter and it came out great! Hoping to trick my family into eating a healthy delicious dessert for once.