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!)
My four boys had no idea they were eating beans! These were a hit.
My only very minor complaint was the ten seconds it took me having to look up the conversion because my oven is in Celcius!
I replaced the maple syrup with golden syrup and used grated chocolate instead of choc chips in my second batch!
Highly recommend this!
I just made the black bean brownies! I saw this on Dr Oz. I am bringing them to a party today. I will report back.
Okay the party was great and absolutely no one knew the ingredients in my delicious chocolate black bean brownies until the container was empty! All were shocked when I told them! Many want the recipe so I will be sharing your website on my blog and with my friends! Thanks so much!
I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9×13 pan for 23 minutes. Came out perfectly!
Ok I tried these today and they weren’t bad! Maybe 6.5/10? Despite cooking for 17 minutes and letting sit 10 they were soft and mushy and more like thick pudding custard as opposed to a brownie. I will shove in fridge to see if they firm up but since I like brownies warm this isn’t ideal. I used a food processor but even still the texture was a bit pasty with small bits of bean skin. That being said they are a nice healthier alternative to regular brownies.
Also I used the calorie counts on the packages of my oats, chocolate chips etc and it came out as 175 or so per brownie (batch making 12).
These were to die for! I have tried a recipe similar before, but these are the best I’ve had. I used mini chocolate chips so they dispersed more evenly through out and they are just awesome! Thanks for a great recipe!
I made these black bean brownies with a whole bunch of substitutions and they turned out great. I used stevia for sweetener, unsweetened applesauce for the oil, and unsweetened carob chips instead of chocolate chips. They turned out great, which surprised me as I expected all the substitutions to ruin them. Only thing I’ll say is they probably aren’t as yummy as the ones with oil, sugar, and chocolate chips but I can eat one or two and not feel compelled to go through the entire batch at one time lol.
Omg how difficult is it to tell people how many grams there are per portion? I see no weight mentioned anywhere!
If you make this with dry beans, you still need to rinse well to get rid of the bean flavor. I also found that with my low-power ninja it worked best to grind up the oats first before adding the other ingredients.
These were the best bean brownies I’ve made so far. I prefer dark chocolate, so my only complaint is that I would have preferred them a bit richer- maybe more cocoa or raw cacao instead. I’d be surprised if you didn’t trick people into thinking these are “normal” brownies. As a registered dietitian, I’d say swap these are a great dessert swap!
I’m now obsessed with these brownies!
Thank you for this recipe 🙂
Super fudgey and delicious! Awesome recipe
I made these brownies today and WOW, so delicious!!!!! I could not believe how yummy they were. The only negative thing I could think of is the consistency is a little too fudgy, I wish they were a bit more solid. But the taste was honestly so good!!! Thank you!
Amazing! My kids devoured them even knowing the “secret” ingredient!
Oh my goodness. I am so happy with these brownies. Thank you for sharing!
These are fantastic. I’ve made them several times and am not sure what I enjoy more; eating them myself or serving them to others and watching their amazement when I tell them they just ate black bean brownies.
I just want to say that I had to try the recipe without the chocolate chips (just because it says not to and I’m annoying like that) and they turned out great! I used raw cacao powder and I added some raspberries and sugar free coconut flakes to the mix. Great recipe! 🙂