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!)
It’s such a myth that calories make something unhealthy. This is based on inaccurate and outdated research. Once I upped my calorie intake (while eating whole, healthy foods) my body went out of metabolic shock and I started losing weight at a steady pace. Great recipe! We are going to enjoy these on our snowed in day today. 🙂
All I can say is OMG!!! I’m not a fan of healthy baking (99% because of taste/texture) but these!!!! Wow! So fudgy, moist, chocolaty and delicious!!! I don’t think I’ll ever make traditional brownies again!!!
My tip would be to blend in the food processor for at least 5-7 min for the smoothest texture. Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic recipe!
Thank you so so much for making them 🙂
Great recipie! Tasty results!
Wow, just WOW! I messed up and added the chips to the main batter but it worked out just fine, maybe even better?! My somewhat picky 19 year old son snuck a second one and at this point I told him what was in it. He said they were pretty dang delicious! I agree, thanks for this recipe!
Delicious!! I thought my mixture looked a touch dry, so I added a tablespoon of oat milk. Also, I used rolled oats instead of old fashioned oats, but I processed my rolled oats first before adding any other ingredients. I enjoy eating these straight from the fridge 🙂
These were amazing! I did 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and omitted the chocolate chips.
Absolutely love these. I blended espresso beans into mine for extra crunch and kick ✨
I know this is an old recipe now, but I’ve only just heard about black bean brownies and it sounds like they are worth giving a try!
The only thing is that it’s a bit difficult to see what the end texture is like in the photos. They look a little more cake-like than the pictures of e.g. the sweet potato brownies above, is that the case?
I do like brownies to be a little more on the cakey side than really very fudgy, so the sweet potato brownie look is faaaar to wet for my taste.
If the bean ones come out similar, does anyone have any ideas on how to make them a bit cake-ier?
I’ve not made many brownies, so am really not familiar with ways of tweaking them……….thanks :o)
……..or would this batter work as a cookie mix too? anyone tried that?
I made these last week and they were delicious! I used my VitaMix to mix everything up, adding about 2 TBS of water to make sure it got going enough to pull everything into the tornado and not burn up my motor. The “dough” was super smooth. I also didn’t have enough maple syrup and I don’t like the taste of honey baked into sweets, so I topped up the measuring cup with Hershey’s Simple 5. EEK! I know that doesn’t go with the “healthy”, but it seemed to work just fine. I used mini chips instead of regular sized and loved the effect. Tonight I am making a double batch for a gluten free play date tomorrow. I will report back with if a double batch turns out as good as a single or if it is better to just do two pans. Thanks for the guidance! I love your recipes 🙂
These are so incredible tasting, so easy to make, and can be endlessly riffed on. They’re perfect as is, but I’ve also started sprinkling toasted pepitas and walnuts on top just before placing the brownies in the oven, and it’s otherworldly. This is a go-to recipe for me!