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
These are the best black bean brownies ever! This healthy dessert recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, has no refined sugar and is ready in 30 minutes!
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.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
If your oven cooks hot please check these at 25 minutes. If you want gooey fudgey brownies you cannot over bake them!
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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Michelle
These look fantastic! Can’t wait to try them 🙂
Holly
Can we use regular demon sugar in same amount rather than coconut sugar? And does it really taste like real brownie, not something folks fool themselves into thinking is delish but isn’t (like turkey bacon)?
Laura
First, I love you. Second, you can use any granulated sugar or just use 2/3 cup honey! You should try coconut sugar though it’s awesome! 😉 I’ll be honest…it tastes amazing but not like brownies that call for 12 TBS butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar (no explanation needed there). However they are far closer than turkey bacon is to regular bacon. I do have a paleo brownie recipe I’ll post in a couple weeks but can send you via e-mail that really does taste like the real thing but it’s healthy. These are still my favorite though, I just really enjoy eating them! 😉
Holly
OK, I may try it. Do I get the coconut sugar at Trader Joe’s if I decide to go crazy for health?
Laura
Yes, I think you can get it at Trader Joe’s! You can find it at almost any store in the baking aisles! I order mine through amazon subscribe and save. 😉
Gina
Hahaha! Thanks for asking this question, I will be trying to make these with demon sugar myself!
Laura
Hey Meg! Yikes draining the beans is a must for flavor and texture! I totally get the whole distracted in the kitchen thing though…I often have at least one kid clinging to my leg as I bake! LOL!
Raia
Delicious! I love black bean brownies! Pinned to try later. 🙂
Laura
Yay! Thanks Raia! Let me know if you give them a try! 🙂
Lela
This is such a great alternative! I love the idea. Pinned!
Laura
Thanks so much Lela! Check back in if you try them! 🙂
Angie
I’ve heard that black bean brownies taste wonderful. Can’t wait to make them.
Laura
I really love them! Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Maria
They look so decadent, but the fact that they’re guilt free & you can eat them for dinner makes them even more enticing. Thanks so much for sharing these with us on #SHINEbloghop. It was lovely of you to join us this week.
Laura
Thank you for hosting! 🙂 <3 Everyone should have chocolate for dinner...sometimes... 😉
Lori @ Frog's Lilypad
These sound yummy! I’ll have to give them a try. Thank you for sharing with Thankful Thursdays.
Miz Helen
Your Black Bean Brownies look amazing! Hope you have a very special Valentine Day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Lori Schumaker
Wow! I am intrigued! I will HAVE to try these!!! Thanks so much!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Carrie Bowers
These look awesome!! I just had brownies………..before dinner! HAHA Thanks for linking up with us! Please come back next week! #BloggersSpotlight
Laura
Dessert before dinner…always a good idea! 🙂
Mrs. AOK
This is awesome! I think we will have to give these brownies a try. Thanks for sharing with us at MMBH.
XOXO
Charlotte
I shared these on twitter and they were a big hit! I am not at all surprised though because they look delicious! I love the idea of the black beans too, I had never considered adding them to sweet recipes!
Laura
Thanks so much Charlotte! 🙂 I LOVE using beans in desserts! It seems unusual but tastes amazing!
Tori
OMG! These look to die for! They look like they have the perfect texture. I cannot have dairy, so these would be perfect. I’ve thought about purchasing a new blender, so I will have to look into the Vitamix. I love the idea behind your blog. Also, my friend and fellow blogger are hosing a link up on Mondays if you are interested.
Tori
http://www.thesweetlifediaryofahealthnut.blogspot.com
Laura
Thanks so much Tori! I totally understand not being able to eat dairy! :*( I am seriously in love with my Vitamix! I could talk about it all day if you have any questions! (I’m not endorsed by them and don’t get any money for saying so either…I just LOVE mine so much)! I use it multiple times a day for so many things.
Stephanie Andrasek
do you have the nutrition breakdown of the fats (saturated, trans)
Katie @ 24 Carrot Life
Wow! Not only are your photos amazing but these BROWNIES! I’m sort of afraid to make them because I dont know if I could be trusted around them. Pinning for later!!
Laura
Thank you so much Katie!! That’s the great thing about them….they’re super healthy so there’s no need feeling bad about eating half the pan in one sitting! (Not saying I do that or anything….) 😉
Carolina Hoyos
Hi I love this idea !!! I was wondering though how much calories would each brownie have ?
Laura
Hey Carolina! I don’t calculate the number of calories in a serving, but you can use a site like this and enter the ingredients to determine that information!
Emily Swanson
So excited to make these. I made another black bean brownie recipe this week, but whenever I see you make these on your stories I want to make them; and the video is so well done. IT’s cool how God made beans and enabled us to discover that they make delicious brownies; who would’ve thought? I’m hoping to make these on Monday!!!! Thank you Laura for sharing these tried and true recipes. 🙂
Erin
I’m really looking forward to trying these as well! The pictures just make them irresistible! Thank you for posting. I’m so curious, what ARE your top 3 desserts on your site??
Elissa
I’ve baked bean brownies before and liked them but this recipe is MUCH better. I did use brown sugar because I did not have the coconut sugar. As for the chips, I ground them up for extra ‘fudginess’. LOL. My only change would be the coconut oil. I didn’t care for the background taste of the coconut. I will however, be making my 3rd batch soon. ( I doubled the recipe this first time 😄 )
Laura
I just ate some of these tonight! You could always substitute butter or ghee for the coconut oil if you don’t love it!
Janet
can I use Cacao instead of cocoa powder? If so, would it be equivalent amount?
Terry Giovannucci
Do you melt the coconut oil before or after you measure the 1/3 cup? These sound great-can’t wait to try them!
Laura
I measure it in the solid state, and then melt it!
YP
I made these with a couple changes – I used cane sugar and I baked them in a cast-iron skillet instead of a pan. They turned out great! A little on the thin side because I used the skillet (next time I would double the recipe if I wanted to bake in the skillet). The texture of these brownies is very fluffy and gooey. I could detect a hint of black bean flavor, but if I didn’t know black beans were in them, I wouldn’t have known. Would make these again!
Dana
Very easy and delicious recipe! My teenagers loved them and didn’t know that it was made with black beans. I added ½ cup chopped walnuts too. Will definitely make these again! It’s a keeper! Thank you!
Cate
I didn’t have any eggs, I had eaten them for breakfast on avocado toast, so I substituted 1 smashed ripe banana, and added about 1/4 cup of peanut powder and topped with some crushed walnuts. Add about 5-7 minutes cook time and enjoy!!!
Helen Maglio
I’ve read that red beans and kidney beans are very good for you because of protein and antioxidants. Can I substitute them for the black beans?
Troy Perkins
These are yummy! My kids and friends love them. I’ve made them so many times now since last fall I can’t count. I use ghee instead of coconut oil and brown sugar instead of coconut sugar (I’m sensitive to coconut) and Chatfields carob chips- they still turn out great. Thanks for the recipe!
Ariana Sloan
I was skeptical about making brownies with black beans… like WHAT? Guys… you can’t even tell that theres beans in it! These are delicious and SO ADDICTING. I substituted cocoa powder for cacao powder and added butterscotch chips to my batter as well and it’s very yummy!