The BEST Black Bean Brownies Recipe ever + a video! I make these embarrassingly often because they are the perfect healthy dessert that’s ready in 30 minutes and are delicious straight from the oven.
Sometimes I factor dessert as part of my meal. I’m not kidding either. I plan how much I will eat at dinner based on the amount of dessert I’m in the mood for that night. That’s why I focus on making healthy sweets…because if you’re going to eat dessert every day it probably should be good for you! 😉 And it’s no secret that these Black Bean Brownies are my all-time favorites.
I mean really, if you follow my stories on Instagram then you know how often I blend up a batch of these beauties. Topped with this Vegan Peanut Butter Frosting, they’re one of my top 3 favorite desserts ever. They are loaded with protein and fiber and are gluten & dairy-free! So you can feel good about enjoying a little chocolatey treat!
Have I mentioned how much I love my Vitamix? Oh I have? Well humor me for another minute! {Side note: I have taught autocorrect the word “Vitamix” on all my electronic devices. I obsessively wax on about my blender not a vitamiN thankyouverymuch}. Any who, the Vitamix takes unusual ingredients and turns them into something beautiful. Like a can of beans mixed with other seemingly unrelated pantry staples…into these irresistibly fudgy {is there any other kind of brownie?}, insanely chocolatey, black bean brownies….(sigh).
These are the only black bean brownies I have ever made that taste good directly out of the oven {and I’ve tried tons}. I still like to let them cool a little bit so they retain their shape better. But if patience around brownies isn’t your forte, feel free to dig right in.
How to make Black Bean Brownies
Here are a few notes about making this recipe:
- Warm ingredients. Be sure that your ingredients are room temperature before adding them into the Vitamix. Rinse the beans with warm water, not cold. Melt the coconut oil before adding it to the container of your blender. This will ensure that your mixture blends easily and becomes silky smooth!
- Don’t over-blend. If you blend the mixture for too long it will start to get very warm. This becomes problematic when the chocolate chips melt when they’re added to a warm batter! Blend just until the mixture in homogenous {the same throughout} and smooth.
- Storage. Store these black bean brownies in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Warm them in the microwave for about 10 seconds to restore the fresh-from-the-oven taste!
Black Bean Brownies: Substitutions
To be totally real with you I never make substitutions to this recipe. I always follow it exactly as it’s written because it’s literally perfect {to me}. There are a few potential substitutions, but again, please try to follow the recipe!
- Coconut oil. Melted butter or ghee can be used in place of coconut oil.
- Coconut sugar. Any granulated sugar should work in place of the coconut sugar, however I have not tried using any others.
- Honey. Maple syrup can be used in place of honey if desired!
- Chocolate chips. One of my favorite variations of this recipe is using half chocolate chips, half peanut butter chips…YUM!
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Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained, and rinsed
- ¼ cup honey
- 1/3 cup coconut oil melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8" baking pan and set aside.
- Put beans, coconut oil, coconut sugar and honey into the container of your (Vitamix) or food processor. Blend until well combined.
- Add cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
- Add in eggs and blend until just combined.
- Mix in ½ cup chocolate chips by hand.
- Pour into greased 8×8-inch pan and top with remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is set and brownies are just barely pulling away from the sides.
- Let cool, cut and ENJOY!
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat for 15 seconds in the microwave to restore the fresh-from the oven gooeyness.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I thought I would share this recipe with you before Valentine’s Day. Because I love them. And you will love them too. And Valentine’s Day is all about love. Plus, you need some time to test out what recipe you will enjoy with your special someone on that special day {yes, Ritch loves these}! They’re also perfect to serve at a Galentine’s Day brunch!
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Janet
Made these last night using my Ninja blender and they turned out great. I added walnuts and would never be able to tell they were made with beans!
Sarah
Do you think it would work to substitute peanut butter for the coconut oil? (For no reason other than that I love peanut butter brownies)
Laura
No, but you could add a peanut butter swirl.
Steph
Can you use maple syrup instead of honey? Thanks
Laura
Yes absolutely!
Diana
This is the third black bean brownie recipe I’ve tried and the only one I’ve liked! Not “beany”, no weird aftertaste, not too sweet but a good cocoa flavor. Glad I gave black bean brownies another try. Great recipe!
Hillary
Wow o wow!!!! I am a bean lover! I cook with beans all the time. When I came across this recipe, I admit, I was skeptical to make a full batch, but had half a can of unsalted black beans in my refrigerator and decided to make my own version in the microwave as a test. I mashed up the beans, added 2 tblspns of cocoa powder, two hand fulls of chocolate chips, and some honey. Mixed it and microwaved it!!!! Wow is all I can say!!!! I never thought it was possible to get good fiber, protein, AND chocolate in one!!! You cannot taste the beans are all! All I tasted was dark chocolate brownie! I am so excited to try the real recipe!!! Thank you so much for sharing this!!!!
Annlee
I couldn’t find canned black beans. How should i work differently using dry black beans? I would really try your recipe!
Laura
You will need to cook them, and use about 1 1/4 cups cooked beans.
Felicia
Absolutely amazing!!! My whole family loved these! I usually tweak recipes a lot but I followed this one almost exactly. I omitted the coconut sugar (Didn’t have any) and did 1/3 cup total of honey instead. Oh my how delish! Cannot believe these are healthy. Not one trace of black bean taste, although I love black beans. But This was just browny goodness. Thanks so much for the amazing recipe!!!
Laura
Thank you so much I’m so glad you enjoyed them! This is one of my favorite recipes so I love it when it brings joy to others as well!