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
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(No crazy ingredients!)
question: what kind of chocolate chips are people using? I used ghirardelli 60%, and it definitely added fat to the nutrition content (I calculated myself), so was wondering what people were using to match it better. thanks!
NO NEED FOR QUICK OATS!
I couldn’t wait to make these and did it today – ate one right out of the pan. I don’t ever buy quick oats but you can make old fashioned rolled oats into quick oats by giving them a little jolt in the food processor before adding everything else. This cuts them into quick oats in no time. I went ahead and added the rest of the dry ingredients and pulsed for a few seconds, getting rid of any lumps in the cocoa powder, too.
Absolutely delicious!
I would NOT recommend these brownies, whether you’re a chocolate lover, a bean lover, or a healthy baker like myself. The flavour is not quite chocolatey enough (sweetness level is good. I used maple syrup), but the texture is off: too chewy and dense to be a decent brownie. I followed the recipe exactly and will certainly not be making it again. There are better recipes out there. Do not waste your ingredients on these bland, tough brownies that should not even be called brownies. This is not the first time I’ve made a CCK recipe, because I am always hoping one will be better than the next, but once again, CCK’s recipe and writing style just doesn’t do it for me.
Hi Katie,
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is a winner! I run Mindful Self Compassion and Mindfulness workshops in CT and make these for my participants and people love them. I now bring your recipe with me to share.
Love them!
Angela
These are delicious! I made a mistake, adding the chocolate chips in with all the ingredients instead of mixing them in after ,but I don’t think it had any negative affect on the brownies at all. They were the perfect consistency and my picky but chocolate loving toddler ate them right up. Is it possible to reduce the amount of agave/maple syrup/honey without messing with the flavor too much? If not, who cares, we are making this a staple in our house and can’t wait to try the blondies!
Was good but not amazing. I am glad that they are somewhat healthy. I liked the gooeyness and fudginess, and putting chocolate chips on top is the way to go. And you would never guess they’re made from black beans. But I didn’t find them to be chocolatey enough and I noticed a bit of an aftertaste.
I tried making the black bean brownies and they turned out awesome! Even my kids liked them and didn’t realize what they were made of! I also made the Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars and they turned out awesome too! Yeah! Great recipes! Thanks so much Katie! 🙂
I have made this recipe twice now and LOVE it! I make sure to not tell anyone they are flourless and made with black beans until everyone has tried them. Most people cannot believe they are black bean brownies! I use erythritol as a sugar substitute and sugar-free chocolate chips to make them diet-friendly.
What is the binding agent in this recipe? Do they not crumble apart?
What do you think about using cacao/cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips?
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m new to the gluten free world..along with my 1 and 4 year old! We’re doing well, but my 4 year old started asking for something sweet! I found this and we all LOVE it!! THANK YOU!!
Omg these were delicious!!! My toddler gobbled them up! Never eating regular brownies again! Thank you for the recipe!
These are yummy! My can of black beans was only 13.5 ounces, so I added a little mashed banana. My son tried these and liked them – all he could taste was the banana. Will definitely make them again. They will be great for a post-hockey snack.
These taste wonderful, totally “brownie”. The texture came out a bit like a raw oat-based bar for me (odd, since there is only 1/2cup of oats.). I did use a good food processor. A little more difficult, though, is that they’re not slicing into bars. Baked in a greased dish for 18 minutes, refrigerated overnight, but they’re very gummy through and through. Kind of have to scrape it out of the pan. Wonder if anyone else’s came out with this texture. Did they need still more baking time?
I used flax seed instead of oats…fabulous. thanks for the recipe.
This is the best black bean brownie recipe I’ve had so far! I had to make a few adjustments, but it still turned out really well. I omitted the chocolate chips and increased the cocoa powder to 4 tbsp. I also substituted the oats for 1/4 cup Brown rice flour and 1/4 cup white rice flour. They were super yummy! The texture was perfectly fudgy (but only after they cooled completely). Next, I’m going to try using flax meal. I’ll update with how it turns out.
Oh, I forgot that I also incread the sweetening to just under 1/2 cup of honey to balance the extra cocoa powder.