Healthy Black Bean Brownies
Posted Aug 23, 2023, Updated Feb 12, 2024
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These black bean brownies are an easy, healthy dessert made with 9 ingredients in 30 minutes and are delicious straight from the oven. This is the best black bean brownies recipe and it’s gluten-free, dairy-free and has no refined sugar.
I enjoy dessert so much that I eat it every night – which is why I like to create healthier recipes, like these Black Bean Brownies! Dessert doesn’t have to derail your healthy eating habits, with this black bean brownie recipe it can be part of your daily routine – because what good is a day without chocolate?
Topped with this Vegan Peanut Butter Frosting, these black bean brownies are one of favorite desserts. They are loaded with protein and fiber and are gluten & dairy-free! So you can feel good about enjoying a little chocolatey treat.
These are the only black bean brownies I have ever made that taste good directly out of the oven, and I’ve made my fair share over the years. 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.
Black Bean Brownies: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Coconut oil. Melted butter (highly recommended) or ghee can be used in place of coconut oil.
- Coconut sugar. Any granulated sugar works well in place of coconut sugar. Or you can replace the granulated sugar with additional honey.
- Honey. Maple syrup is a good substitute for honey.
- Chocolate chips. Use your favorite mix-ins. Chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, nuts, etc.
Room Temperature Ingredients
Make sure that your ingredients are room temperature before adding them into the Vitamix (or another high-powered blender).
Rinse the beans with warm water, not cold.
Melt the coconut oil before adding it to the blending container.
This will ensure that your mixture blends easily and becomes silky smooth.
How to make Black Bean Brownies
This recipe is very easy to make, simply put the ingredients into the container of a blender and blend until smooth, then bake. Don’t forget to watch the video, and follow the step-by-step instructions.
Begin by greasing an 8×8″ baking pan, then set it aside. I suggest a ceramic or glass baking dish for the best results. If you use a 9×9″ baking pan, reduce baking time by 3-5 minutes.
Next, blend the black beans, coconut oil, honey and coconut sugar together until well-mixed.
Then, add the cocoa powder, vanilla, baking powder and sea salt and blend until combined.
Next, add the eggs and blend until the mixture is completely smooth.
Finally, stir in the chocolate chips by hand. I have also used pieces of chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, etc, and pulsed carefully to break them up in the batter.
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.
Then, pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread until the top is smooth.
If desired, top the black bean brownies with extra chocolate chips, then bake until the top and edges are just set (about 25 minutes).
Remove the black bean brownies from the oven and let them cool completely in the baking dish. Then, cut them into squares and serve.
Serve
These black bean brownies taste amazing on their own. If desired, here are some serving suggestions:
- Nut Butter. I like to drizzle some peanut butter, almond butter, Nutella, etc. on top of the brownies.
- Ice Cream. Serve them slightly warm with homemade ice cream like dairy-free vanilla ice cream, vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream.
- Frost the brownies: or slather your favorite frosting on top. Suggestions include: peanut butter frosting and chocolate buttercream frosting.
Store/Freeze
Store black bean brownies in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Warm them in the microwave for about 10 seconds to restore the fresh-from-the-oven taste!
Recipe FAQS
Yes, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13″ pan.
The only other bean I have tried to use in this recipe is great northern beans, and while it tasted good I far prefer black beans. I don’t suggest making substitutions for them. If you want to bake with chickpeas, try these healthy chickpea blondies.
They are still a treat, but they are made with nutritious ingredients and lower in calories than other baked goods.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Healthy Black Bean Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 oz black beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup honey
- â…“ cup coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8″ 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 20-25 minutes or until the top is set and brownies are just barely pulling away from the sides.
- Let cool, cut and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Coconut oil. Melted butter or ghee are great substitutions.Â
- Coconut sugar. Any granulated sugar works well, or you can replace it with additional honey.Â
- Honey. Maple syrup or agave are good substitutes.Â
- Chocolate chips. Use your favorite mix-ins. Chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, nuts, etc.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How much cholesterol is in the brownies, please?
First time making these… oh yeah! Will make them again! I didn’t have any chocolate chips so I made them without. Next time I’ll make sure I have some to add. I’m thinking of taking these to work without telling people what they are!
No flour?! No almond meal?! I can’t believe these worked but they turned out beautifully. I used almond butter instead of coconut oil and maple syrup instead of honey. Faultless recipe.
Thank you Kim! I have a batch of these in the fridge right now- one of my all-time favorite recipes so it makes me so happy when others love it too!
The BEST black bean brownies I’ve ever had. Already made two batches in less than a week!! Soo good! Has anyone tried adding peanut butter or peanut butter powder to make a more reeses peanut butter cup flavor? Or a mint? Love to experiment with variations!
I make these all the time (one of my top 10 favorite treats) – and I will often swirl in some peanut butter.
Discovered your blog very recently, have loved all 4 of the recipes I’ve tried so far. These brownies came out delicious, very chocolatey and not too sweet, I like them best straight out of the fridge with a cup of coffee, can’t beat the coffee- chocolate flavor combo, can you?!
Absolutely incredible. I only subbed regular sugar for the coconut sugar. Oh and I had 1 tablespoon left of date syrup I added to the honey to make 1/4 cup. My partner has eaten half of the batch since last night and I’m trying so hard not to hide them for myself! Can’t wait to make these once a month (or week)!
This was my first attempt at black bean brownies, and they turned out SO delicious. I struggle to stop eating them. Very melt in your mouth and fudgy. Even better than standard brownie recipies I have tried, and you can’t taste the beans at all. If you use coconut sugar and oil, they have a nice undertone of coconut flavor. I followed the directions exactly and they turned out perfect.
I’m so glad you love them! I make these more often than I care to admit! 😉
The best black bean brownies I’ve made.
Made these using stevia instead of coconut sugar. Also cacoa chips instead of semi sweet. Pretty good. Especially with some berries and non dairy whip topping. Then they’re a 10!
I made these today and really enjoyed them! I was able to mix all the ingredients in my nutribullet and subbed light brown sugar for the coconut sugar. I cooked for 22 minutes… maybe could have done 23? They are def on the fudgy side which is okay in my book :). I was also able to cut more than 9!