You may be interested in…
Your cart is currently empty!
Awesome black bean brownies
Course: Baked Goods, DessertCuisine: American, Vegan, Gluten-FreeDifficulty: MediumServings8
servingsPrep time5
minutesCooking time20
minutesCalories300
kcalThese Awesome Black Bean Brownies offer a healthier, vegan, and gluten-free alternative to traditional brownies without sacrificing flavor or texture. Utilizing black beans as a base, this recipe creates fudgy, decadent brownies that are high in fiber and protein. The use of a high-performance blender ensures a smooth batter, while ingredients like maple syrup provide natural sweetness. Perfect for those with dietary restrictions or anyone looking for a guilt-free chocolate treat, these brownies are easy to prepare and can be customized with various nut and topping options. This recipe proves that healthy baking can be both delicious and satisfying, making it an excellent choice for health-conscious dessert lovers. Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie’s recipe for No Flour Black Bean Brownies.
Ingredients
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup (80 ml) maple syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml) oil (we use coconut)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons sugar (we use coconut)
1/2 cup (45 g) rolled oats
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (120 g) chocolate chips
1/2 cup (60 g) chopped nuts (optional: walnuts, almonds, or pistachios)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Add all ingredients except chocolate chips (and nuts if using) to a high-performance blender.
- Blend on high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
- Stir in chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan and pour in the batter.
- Top with additional chocolate chips or nuts if desired.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then check with a toothpick. If not set, bake in 2-3 minute intervals until done.
- Cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Undercooked is better than overcooked for this recipe.
- Ensure oats are certified gluten-free to keep this recipe dietary friendly.
- Use vegan chocolate chips for a fully vegan version.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
21 responses to “Awesome black bean brownies”
Followed the recipe exactly but added a whole walnut to each mini muffin pan spot and baked for 15 minutes. It made 24 bite size treats. I loved them. Hubby said “what, it tastes like a brownie?” 3 kids 8, 5, and 3 also approve. We will definitely make them again.
Love the idea of making these into mini bite sized brownies. Now if I could just get my kids to agree to eat walnuts…
Thanks for the Vitamix recipes for vegan foods. I made these, but I am not supposed to have any oil. So I subbed applesauce for the oil. They were tasty, but I had problems getting them to blend in the Vitamix. It seemed I needed more liquid, but I was following the recipe exactly except for the oil/applesauce sub. I could get it to mix at speed 1 or 2, but as soon as I got higher it wouldn’t pull the mixture down into the blades to blend. I pushed and ‘stirred’ with the tamper, but to no avail. Other than that they were great and my dinner guests loved them, even after finding out what was in them!
Applesauce is an excellent sub for oil and I’m glad they turned out well. You can always double the recipe if it seems like the blades are not pulling the blend down.
You guys, this is amazing. I hated black beans and actually am not really a fan of legumes anyway but I really needed to change my lifestyle and I am making myself eat things, that I I haven’t liked before but know will fuel my body the way it needs to and oh boy this recipe just demonstrated that you can use nutritional dense foods and make a treat out of them that you can feel good about. I swapped out the maple syrup with applesauce and monkfruit sweetener for minimal spike of blood sugar and it still came out beautifully. Thank you for the great work you put out there and because of you, I got my first Vitamix. It was used on marketplace so I saved a ton of money but I can see what the rave is about. When this one dies, I know it will be worth paying full retail but by the looks this will last me years to come =)
I see many black bean brownies in your future 🙂
First off, I was not expecting to like this recipe. I hate black beans, but wanted a different way to sneak them into my diet. Well, this recipe is it!!! My husband and I love these brownies and will be making them for a Christmas treat. I just bought a Vitamix and this recipe was the first I tried in it. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Gotta love sneaky veggies!
The blender sounded very angry with this recipe. Is that normal?
This one should be pretty easy to handle. No hard or frozen ingredients. Is it working properly otherwise?
Yes – it seems fine otherwise. Could it be that there is not enough liquid in the recipe for the blender? It’s delicious by the way just don’t want to damage the machine.
I’d recommend just making sure you’re using the tamper to push the ingredients from the corners into the blade.
Fantastically yummy brownies. Made it twice. I don’t have 8 x 8 pan. So, the first time, I use 9 inch round glass pan. Middle came out soft, so baked for another 10 min. Still soft. So refrigerated it. Tasted great but chocolate chips were too hard when cold. Then left it out to come to room temperature. Amazing texture and taste!!
2nd time, divided batter evenly into 4 metal mini loaf pans, followed recipe exactly except used only 1 Tbsp sugar & made cooked my own beans. PERFECT!! I will make this til I die. Thank you!!!We have yet to make them with homemade beans, more power to ya!
Hello, I was wondering if you think Adzuki beans would work with this recipe instead of black beans.
If you’ve got a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix) to break them down, I don’t see why not! Let us know how it goes 🙂
Hi there, can I use maple syrup instead of agave to make it vegan?
You certainly can! We posted this recipe before going 100% vegan. Will update to sub maple for honey, thanks for the heads-up.
My Vitamix 750 and the Vitamix scale are arriving on Monday so I’m planning on having this be my first recipe. So excited! Just one question, I never buy canned beans, I make them in a pressure cooker. Do you know how many grams (or ounces, or cups) of beans are in a 15 oz can? I don’t think it’s 15 oz since it includes the beans water.
I’m going to convert this recipe to the Vitamix scale app so that the nutritional value can go straight to my MyFitnessPal account. I can’t wait to let you know how they turned out.
P.S. I wish I would have seen your blog before purchasing so that you could get the credit 🙁
Hi Azure, welcome to the Vitamix family! We are having a ton of fun with the Perfect Blend Scale too! You should be safe using 1.5 cups of black beans made in your pressure cooker.
P.S.- No problem, we know you’re going to love your Vitamix so much that you’ll tell your friends & family about Life is NOYOKE 🙂
Thanks to the reader who pointed out that this recipe was remarkably similar to Chocolate Covered Katie. You’re right; it is.
Hers was nearly perfect and deserves a ton of credit for how these turned out. We used hers as a template and worked from there.
Moral of the story: Go make these brownies. Katie’s version or ours. They’re incredible.
Leave a Reply