These are the best black bean brownies!! They’re so fudgy and delicious. No one will be able to tell that they’re made with beans!
Today’s black bean brownie recipe was actually inspired by one of Isaac’s students. When we got married back in 2013 his class made us a cookbook as a gift. Each student submitted a favorite recipe to include in the book so it’s filled with taste-tested recipes, many of which are hand written and include adorable pictures.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE BLACK BEAN BROWNIES
It was such a sweet gift and we’ve made several of the recipes over the past year and half. When we received the cookbook I bookmarked these flourless black bean brownies almost immediately. The “really yummy” and “makes a healthy treat” notes are what caught my eye. 😉
I’ve made the brownies a couple times. The first time I followed the original recipe exactly to get an idea of how they should turn out and then I made a batch with some EBF-friendly changes. My version uses maple syrup instead of sugar, coconut oil instead of butter and raw cacao powder.
Using Maple Syrup Instead of Sugar
The biggest change is the maple syrup. I love using maple syrup (especially in baked goods) so we always have a big jug of it in the fridge. Because maple syrup isn’t processed, it contains higher levels of potentially beneficial minerals, including calcium, potassium, sodium and copper, making it a great natural sweetener and sugar alternative.
Making Brownies with Black Beans
I know it sounds kind of crazy, but yes these brownies are made with black beans! But don’t worry because no one will see or taste the beans. They get blended up in your food processor and they’re completely undetectable.
The black beans are used instead of flour so there’s no gluten in these brownies and they have a little extra fiber and protein. Not only is this awesome for dietary purposes, but it also means that you can blend the batter right in your food processor or blender!
The brownies are a breeze to whip up and come out tasting moist, flavorful and plenty sweet. I love the fudgy consistency of brownies and the little bits of texture from the chopped walnuts. I’ve tried other black bean brownie recipes before and none have turned out as good as this recipe. I think you’re going to LOVE them just as much as we do!
Ingredients & Substitutions
black beans – I used canned black beans (drained and rinsed), but you can always use dry black beans instead. I haven’t tried this, but someone else used 154g of dry black beans and the brownies turned out well.
eggs – To make this recipe vegan you could use flax eggs (1 Tablespoon flaxseed + 3 Tablespoons water). I have tested these brownies with flax eggs and the brownies turned out, they just didn’t rise as well.
coconut oil – butter works too.
raw cacao powder – cocoa powder works too.
sea salt
pure vanilla extract
pure maple syrup – another liquid sweetener like honey or agave would also work.
If you make these black bean brownies please leave me a comment and star rating below letting me know how they turned out. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and other readers!
These are the BEST black bean brownies!! No one will be able to tell that they’re made with beans and maple syrup.
Ingredients
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 large eggs
1/3 cup melted coconut oil (butter works too)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup gluten-free/dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life or Lily’s)
1/3 cup chopped raw walnuts (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan.
Place beans, eggs, coconut oil, cacao powder, salt, vanilla and maple syrup in the bowl of a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Remove the blade and gently stir in your chocolate chips and walnuts, if using. (Another option is to sprinkle the walnuts on top of the brownie batter once you pour it into the pan.)
Transfer mixture to the prepared pan.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until brownies are set in the center and a toothpicks comes out clean. Cool completely, cut into squares and enjoy!
Okay, so I had my doubts. Really, black beans in brownies? What an amazing result! I don’t have a food processor, so I just crushed the black beans in a bowl with a spoon and then mixed in the rest of the ingredients.
Yay! So glad you loved these black bean brownies, Charlene. Thanks so much for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it.
They were delightful! Better than many GF brownies i have tried previously. I loved it. My next will be the pecan pie brownies! Thank you so much fr such a great recipe.
These were GREAT! My husband couldn’t believe they had black beans in them and my 15 year old loved them as well. Have made them 4 times already. We added extra cacao powder (1/2C total) and extra nuts (1C total) for added texture and chocolatey flavor. The extra cacao powder masked the fact that they have beans in them. We also used butter rather than coconut oil as my husband doesn’t appreciate the flavor of coconut yet. Definitely a staple in our house now!
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear. 🙂 So glad these brownies have been a hit! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it, Kaity.
Made these this week and love them! They are so easy to make and I was surprised at how chocolate-y they tasted. My toddler loved them too 🙂 Truth be told, my 5 year old was not a fan – he seems to be very sensitive to textures and to beans and could tell the difference between these and boxed brownies but we will keep trying!
Woo!! So glad these brownies were a hit with everyone except for your 5 year old. 🙂 Maybe next time! haha! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I have made this twice, and every time they turned out really fudgy and yummy.
For those who want to make the brownies with own cooked black beans, be sure to weigh around 154g of dry black beans, and soaked overnight for them to expand into 260g of black beans (the net weight after canned black beans being drained).
I have made second batch of the brownies by swapping the maple syrup with honey. The aroma of the honey smells so great while baking!!!
Also, special thanks to Brittany for the sharing such an amazing recipe and the patience in guiding me through.
This is definitely worth trying if you want to enjoy desserts without guilt. 🙂
I’m so confused – are you saying you only give your beans an overnight soak before blending into the recipe? You don’t cook them first, you only soak them?? aren’t canned beans already pre cooked? please clarify, as i really want to make this yummy recipe!
She was giving instructions for how she made these with dry beans that you need to soak and cook. For the recipe I used canned black beans, which are ready to go straight from the can!
oh my gosh, phew! I was just like…either I’m missing something, or my world is about to be ROCKED (lol). Thanks Teddee90 for the dry bean measurements and thanks Brittany for responding and for the recipe! Making these tonight!
So glad you’re loving these brownies and thanks so much for coming back to share how you made them with dry black beans. 🙂 It’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it!
These were out of this world delicious. As a box brownie maker, I can truly say the fudgey-ness was amazing. I’m becoming more intuitive in my eating experience and they do actually TASTE cleaner.
Hey Sara – I’m not sure how that would turn out since if you used melted chocolate instead that would be adding more liquid to the recipe vs the cacao powder which is a dry ingredient. Let me know if you experiment and how these turn out!
Made a batch of these for Valentine’s Day❤️they were delish…served ala mode with Baskin Robbins Love Potion #31 ice cream! Will make again with healthier ice cream choice! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
These turned out really well! Very satisfying chocolate flavor, plus an added bonus of the fiber from the beans 🙂
We cut two pieces, put some Trader Joe’s strawberry oat milk ice cream between them, stuck them in the freezer for a few minutes, and enjoyed an ice cream sandwich!
So glad these turned out for you! I bet they were delicious with the strawberry ice cream. 🙂 Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Linda. So glad you loved these brownies. Thanks for giving them a try and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Overall, it has a great flavor. I followed the recipe exactly. I didn’t put in walnuts. I’d say for not having flour and using beans, they taste pretty good. They are quite soft. Almost like a lava cake that the center got overcooked a bit and isn’t runny. Or a slightly dense chocolate souffle’. Anyway, I liked them. My 10 year old son thought they tasted good, as did my husband. Though if presented with a traditional brownie and this one, they would choose the traditional. Lol. I’ve been wanting to try bean brownies for years. I’m now eliminating gluten (may have Celiac) and wanted to try this out!
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Rachael. So glad you loved these brownies. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I’m not sure about subbing a liquid sweetener for the monkfruit in this recipe, but the monkfruit maple syrup would work!! Let me know what you decide to try.
Hey Kelly – I haven’t tried subbing the eggs for applesauce, so I’m not sure. I have tested these with flax eggs and the brownies turned out, they just didn’t rise as well. Let me know if you end up trying these and how they turn out!
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Okay, so I had my doubts. Really, black beans in brownies? What an amazing result! I don’t have a food processor, so I just crushed the black beans in a bowl with a spoon and then mixed in the rest of the ingredients.
Thank you! Definitely will make again!
★★★★★
Yay! So glad you loved these black bean brownies, Charlene. Thanks so much for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it.
It’s an amazing post for all the internet people; they will take benefit from it I am sure.
★★★★★
They were delightful! Better than many GF brownies i have tried previously. I loved it. My next will be the pecan pie brownies! Thank you so much fr such a great recipe.
★★★★★
So glad you loved these brownies, Ada! Thanks for making them and for the review. I so appreciate it.
These were GREAT! My husband couldn’t believe they had black beans in them and my 15 year old loved them as well. Have made them 4 times already. We added extra cacao powder (1/2C total) and extra nuts (1C total) for added texture and chocolatey flavor. The extra cacao powder masked the fact that they have beans in them. We also used butter rather than coconut oil as my husband doesn’t appreciate the flavor of coconut yet. Definitely a staple in our house now!
★★★★★
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear. 🙂 So glad these brownies have been a hit! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it, Kaity.
I used red kidney beans instead, all I had, and honey, no maple syrup. Was absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
Oh awesome!! So glad it turned out with kidney beans. 🙂 Thanks for coming back to share and for leaving a review. I so appreciate it!
Amazing … would never know they were made with beans, at all 😜Deliciously fudge and chocolatey, so easy to make too, delicious🤗😋
★★★★★
So glad you loved these brownies, Angela!! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Made these this week and love them! They are so easy to make and I was surprised at how chocolate-y they tasted. My toddler loved them too 🙂 Truth be told, my 5 year old was not a fan – he seems to be very sensitive to textures and to beans and could tell the difference between these and boxed brownies but we will keep trying!
★★★★★
It’s in the owen and we are excited to give it a try, wondering at what temperature is it best to bake? Thank you!
★★★★★
Hey Anna – 350F is noted in the recipe as the temp for baking these brownies. Let me know how they turn out for you!
Woo!! So glad these brownies were a hit with everyone except for your 5 year old. 🙂 Maybe next time! haha! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I have made this twice, and every time they turned out really fudgy and yummy.
For those who want to make the brownies with own cooked black beans, be sure to weigh around 154g of dry black beans, and soaked overnight for them to expand into 260g of black beans (the net weight after canned black beans being drained).
I have made second batch of the brownies by swapping the maple syrup with honey. The aroma of the honey smells so great while baking!!!
Also, special thanks to Brittany for the sharing such an amazing recipe and the patience in guiding me through.
This is definitely worth trying if you want to enjoy desserts without guilt. 🙂
★★★★★
I’m so confused – are you saying you only give your beans an overnight soak before blending into the recipe? You don’t cook them first, you only soak them?? aren’t canned beans already pre cooked? please clarify, as i really want to make this yummy recipe!
She was giving instructions for how she made these with dry beans that you need to soak and cook. For the recipe I used canned black beans, which are ready to go straight from the can!
oh my gosh, phew! I was just like…either I’m missing something, or my world is about to be ROCKED (lol). Thanks Teddee90 for the dry bean measurements and thanks Brittany for responding and for the recipe! Making these tonight!
Hi Elyse, apologies for left out on the instruction to cook after the beans being soaked. Hope yours turn out great.:)
★★★★★
Let me know how they turn out!!
So glad you’re loving these brownies and thanks so much for coming back to share how you made them with dry black beans. 🙂 It’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it!
Just made these. So delicious
★★★★★
Woo! So glad you loved these brownies, Julie. Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
These were out of this world delicious. As a box brownie maker, I can truly say the fudgey-ness was amazing. I’m becoming more intuitive in my eating experience and they do actually TASTE cleaner.
★★★★★
Woo!! So glad you loved these brownies, Suzanne. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Wow! Just made these and so glad I did! They are fab!!! I had wondered if I could freeze some but I’m not sure there will be any left to freeze! 🙂
★★★★★
So glad you loved these brownies, Denise!! Yes, these should be fine to freeze. 🙂 Thanks so much for the review. I so appreciate it.
Can you skip the cacao/cocoa powder and exchange for chocolate chips somehow?
★★★★★
Hey Sara – I’m not sure how that would turn out since if you used melted chocolate instead that would be adding more liquid to the recipe vs the cacao powder which is a dry ingredient. Let me know if you experiment and how these turn out!
Made a batch of these for Valentine’s Day❤️they were delish…served ala mode with Baskin Robbins Love Potion #31 ice cream! Will make again with healthier ice cream choice! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
★★★★★
So glad these brownies were a hit!! Thanks for the review, Sandra. I so appreciate it!
Wowza! Just cooled and cut them. They are delicious! I’m going to see what my family thinks. Won’t tell them what’s in the recipe. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Woo!! So glad you love them. Definitely let me know what your fam thinks. 🙂 Thanks for the review, Sandra. I so appreciate it!
These turned out really well! Very satisfying chocolate flavor, plus an added bonus of the fiber from the beans 🙂
We cut two pieces, put some Trader Joe’s strawberry oat milk ice cream between them, stuck them in the freezer for a few minutes, and enjoyed an ice cream sandwich!
★★★★★
So glad these turned out for you! I bet they were delicious with the strawberry ice cream. 🙂 Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
These were so good! I tried making bean fudge one time and it wasn’t so good, so I was skeptical, but these are great!
★★★★★
Woo!! So glad you enjoyed these brownies, Stephanie. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I followed the recipe completely. Did not like the flavor or texture. Sad I wasted the pure maple syrup on something I’m going to discard.
★
Oh no!! I’m so sorry to hear that you didn’t like this recipe, Teri. What was the texture of your brownies? And did you think they tasted like beans?
I finally made these brownies and I’m so glad I did. They are delicious. This recipe is now my brownie recipe. Thanks Brittany
★★★★★
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Linda. So glad you loved these brownies. Thanks for giving them a try and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I have to admit that I was sceptical, but OMG! These are delicious! 🤤
★★★★★
Woo!! So glad you loved them. Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I discovered your blog a few months ago and have since made these brownies countless times. SO GOOD!! 5 STARS!
★★★★★
So glad you’re loving these brownies! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it, Brianne. 🙂
Overall, it has a great flavor. I followed the recipe exactly. I didn’t put in walnuts. I’d say for not having flour and using beans, they taste pretty good. They are quite soft. Almost like a lava cake that the center got overcooked a bit and isn’t runny. Or a slightly dense chocolate souffle’. Anyway, I liked them. My 10 year old son thought they tasted good, as did my husband. Though if presented with a traditional brownie and this one, they would choose the traditional. Lol. I’ve been wanting to try bean brownies for years. I’m now eliminating gluten (may have Celiac) and wanted to try this out!
★★★★
I’m glad these brownies were a hit, Rachel. Thanks for giving them a try and for the review!
These are the best brownies I’ve ever eaten. I will never go back to store bought mix again. Wow!! Thankyou!
★★★★★
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Rachael. So glad you loved these brownies. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Can unsweetened applesauce replace the coconut oil?
I haven’t tried it, but I bet it would work. Let me know if you end up trying it!!
Wondering if I can sub either monkfruit or xylitol for the maple syrup? Can’t have maple syrup on a specific program that I’m following. Ugh.
I’m not sure about subbing a liquid sweetener for the monkfruit in this recipe, but the monkfruit maple syrup would work!! Let me know what you decide to try.
I used stevia maple syrup 🤗
★★★★★
Good to know, Lisa!!
Can I use unsweetened applesauce instead of eggs?
Hey Kelly – I haven’t tried subbing the eggs for applesauce, so I’m not sure. I have tested these with flax eggs and the brownies turned out, they just didn’t rise as well. Let me know if you end up trying these and how they turn out!