These black bean brownies are fudgy, rich, and so satisfying! The perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth while keeping things lighter: no refined sugar, grain-free, and 125 calories per brownie!
I am a sucker for a delicious dessert bar; chocolate tahini oat bars and no bake snack bars are some of my favorites on the blog. But the recipe I come back to time and time again when I have chocolate cravings? These black bean brownies!
I grew up with brownies being our traditional Sunday morning breakfast ("it has eggs, it counts!" my parents promise), so I obviously have strong feelings about what makes a brownie bad, good, or great. I was appalled when I first heard of putting black beans into this chocolatey recipe, but I'm so happy to say I was wrong! Once I got the ratios correct and tried it with a sneaky secret ingredient, these black bean brownies completely won me over. With the super rich, deep, chocolate flavor and that dense, moist, fudgy texture, nobody would guess you're handing them a gluten-free, flourless superfood filled with fiber and nutrients!
Why You'll Love This Black Bean Brownie Recipe
- it's refined sugar free, gluten-free and kid-friendly
- you can make them in the blender or a food processor, no bowls needed!
- they are fudgy, chocolatey and oh-so-delish
Black Bean Brownies Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I made these brownies. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Healthy Black Bean Brownie Recipe Ingredients
- black beans- you'll need cooked black beans, whether you cook them on the stove top, in the Instant Pot, or just use canned beans. Measure out 1 ½ cups and make sure they are rinsed, then drained.
- maple syrup- you can swap for honey or brown sugar if you'd prefer; alternative sweeteners have not been tested.
- coconut oil- helps bring moisture and fudginess to the brownies; you may swap for butter or vegan butter. Make sure you use refined coconut oil to avoid an overly coconutty flavor (unless you like it!)
- eggs- I have not tested flax eggs in this recipe and do not know if they will work.
- espresso powder- brings depth of flavor and enhances the chocolate flavors in the brownies; swap for instant coffee if you don't have espresso powder.
How to Make Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
1. Blend ingredients- in a large blender, combine the black beans, maple syrup, vanilla, cocoa powder, eggs, espresso powder and melted coconut oil. Blend until smooth and no lumps of cocoa powder remain.
TIP- I use this Vitamix, but even cheap blenders will get the job done
2. Prepare baking pan- Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit an 8 x 8 inch baking pan, and clip it in place using binder clips or kitchen clips.
TIP- spritz your baking pan with a little spray oil to help your parchment paper stick in place
3. Add batter- Spread the batter out into the pan, using a spatula to get it all out of the blender. Scatter the top of the batter with chocolate chips.
Remove the binder clips, and bake in a 350°F degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the center no longer jiggles.
TIP- do not use convection setting of your oven as it may cause the parchment paper to blow into the brownie batter
4. Cool, then slice- Allow the brownies to sit for at least 20 minutes, before lifting the parchment paper out of the baking pan and carefully slicing into bars.
TIP- they slice even better when they're completely cooled
Black Bean Recipe Variations
- bake it up in a muffin pan
- swap chocolate chips for peanut butter chips
- add a sprinkling of flaky sea salt to the tops
- add chopped nuts to tops for added crunch (walnuts or pecans would be great)
- add ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract
- add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
Serving Suggestions for Black Bean Brownies
We love these easy brownies topped with a little flakey sea salt and served with a glass of milk for a delicious treat! These stay dense and fudgy at every temperature, so you can enjoy these warm, room temperature, or cold if you like.
How to Store Black Bean Brownies
Move content from FAQ section about freezing them and add other content on how to store leftovers and for how long
Place the brownies in an airtight container and store them on the counter up to 3-4 days, in the fridge up to a week, or in the freezer for 3 months. If you have to stack yours to store them, I highly recommend placing a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper between layers so that they don't stick together.
Black Bean Brownies Recipe FAQs
NOPE. Honestly, there is no way I'd ever guess that these were made with black beans, and even my kids (who let's be honest are the real food critics) love them!
No, you don't. You can swap for instant coffee if you have it, or leave it out. It simply adds to the chocolatey flavor of this recipe.
It may be possible to replace the eggs with flax eggs, however I have not yet tested. If you give it a try, I'd love to hear how it turns out!
I bet you could, however I haven't tried. I highly recommend sticking wax or parchment paper between them if you do try it so they don't stick together.
Using beans in brownies allows us to keep that moist, fudgy texture and rich flavor we love in a classic brownie while eliminating the flour and reducing fat. Black beans will add more fiber, a little protein, and tons more nutrients, making the brownies more filling, too. It's also a much less expensive way to make a gluten-free brownie since you don't have to buy any extra flour!
If your brownies came out dry, there are a few things to check. Overbaking the brownies could be the culprit (Was the cooking time correct? Does your oven run hot?). Perhaps trying again and cooking for less time will help. Ingredients that are past their prime (old eggs, expired and dried out beans, etc.) can also cause this issue, so make sure you are using fresh ingredients. If this continues to be a problem, you could add 1-2 tablespoons of applesauce to the batter.
Yes, you can double this recipe and use two 8x8 pans without altering the cooking time at all. If you choose to double the recipe and cook in a 9x13 pan, you likely will need a longer baking time, but I have not tried to to provide any guidance.
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Fudgy Black Bean Brownies Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups black beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup maple syrup honey also works
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 3 eggs large
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted; see note 1
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare- Prepare an 8x8 inch baking dish by lining with parchment. Spray the bottom of the pan to help the paper stick, then clip it to the dish with binder clips (remove before baking).
- Blend ingredients- in a large blender, combine the black beans, maple syrup, vanilla, cocoa powder, eggs, espresso powder and melted coconut oil. Blend until smooth and no lumps of cocoa powder remain.
- Add batter- Spread the batter out into the pan, using a spatula to get it all out of the blender. Scatter the top of the batter with chocolate chips.
- Bake- Remove the binder clips, and bake in a 350°F degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the center no longer jiggles.
- Cool- Cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer to a cutting board and cut into 12 bars
Tips:
- swap chocolate chips for peanut butter chips
- add a sprinkling of flaky sea salt to the tops
- add chopped nuts to tops for added crunch (walnuts or pecans would be great)
- add ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract
- add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
Nutrition Information
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Hi, I'm Annie. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor in nutrition and nearly 20 year of both classical training, and self-taught experience, I've spent my career proving that home cooking can be practical, delicious and inspiring. What started in 2013 as one food blog has grown into a full-time business. Today, my husband Clayton and I run five food websites that connect with millions of home cooks every month.
When I'm not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I'm using fueling my love of travel, or chasing down new ideas that keep food fun and fresh.
Sonia says
So yummy!! I double the recipe and used a 9x13 pan the oven temp and baking time stayed the same for me 20 minutes at 350