You don’t like beans? Just eat brownies! Sounds crazy? It actually isn’t!! When I first heard of black bean brownies, I wasn’t exactly eager to try them and just couldn’t believe that they could be used to make delicious chocolate brownies. But as I started baking with zucchini a couple of weeks ago and really loved it (check out my zucchini carrot muffins), I thought “what the heck why not just give it a try”? And so I ended up with these vegan black bean brownies, which totally blew my mind! And I didn’t even stopped with brownies, I also tried vegan donuts with beans, which also turned out great.
They’re not only super delicious but also really fudgy and chocolatey. Plus the recipe really couldn’t be easier! All you need is a food processor or blender, an oven, and a handful of ingredients such as brown beans, cacao, and vegan chocolate chips. I’m sure people would never guess that these brownies contain black beans instead of flour. They exactly look, smell, and taste like normal brownies. Isn’t this just crazy?!
They’re also great for people who suffer from gluten sensitivity and those who like to avoid flour in general. I added a handful of walnuts, but I’m sure they’re also great with hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, or peanut butter. Make sure to let them cool down a bit before you cut them in pieces.
I hope you all have a great start into the week! As always, I love hearing from you guys! :-)
PS: Flo is so proud of his first (hand) modeling job! :D How could a job that includes holding vegan black bean brownies and eating them afterwards get any better?!
Vegan Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 15 oz cans black beans (~3 cups)
- 4 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 8 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup agave
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 °C).
- Thoroughly rinse and drain the black beans. Grind the flax seeds in a food processor or use store-bought ground flax seeds. Whisk them together with 8 tablespoons of water and set aside to thicken for about 2 minutes.. Then make the batter: Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips and the walnuts in a food processor and process until smooth (also add the soaked flax seeds).
- Lightly grease a baking tray and pour in the batter. Add the chocolate chips and spread evenly. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts.
- Bake for about 40 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool down before you cut them into pieces.
I want to try these but I’m doing swap outs for sugar in everything I bake I’m not vegan. Two things, could I use honey instead of agave and could I use unsweetened applesauce instead of the sugar. I know they can be subsititued but I’m just worried about the texture.
JUST pulled these out of the oven- loved that I had everything already at my house!!! Super stoked to try with dairy free ice cream, or maybe sunflower butter, or maybe both! :o)
Question, do these pass the same “clean fork” test that most other brownies do?! Mine did but it still jiggles so I wasn’t sure.
I have already made these several times and they are delicious. I even took them to a get-together and their were a hit! Now I have been asked to bring them to another get-together to be put with the gluten free section.
I just came across your recipe. I can’t wait to try it. Have you made this with a sugar substitute (not honey or maple substitute)? Is so what did you use and how much? Any recommendations would be great.
Hi I’m about to make this recipe but Is this 2 cups or 2 cans of black beans??
Hi Kate, It’s two cans. This equals 3 cups of black beans. Hope you like them. :-)
Can the agave be sub with maple syrup? This is a great recipe!
8×8 or 13×9 pan?
Cannot wait to try these!
Haha never mind.
I looked over the part where you mentioned the size.
Hey.. I tried this today.. They came out really fudgy no crumb at all.. Any reason why?? I used dates instead of honey and sugar.. Taste yum though..!! ??
Hey Deepanjali, So glad you liked them! :-) They’re actually supposed to be pretty fudgy, but I guess the dates made them even fudgier. I haven’t tried making them with dates yet, but I’ll try this soon.
These look absolutely GORGEOUS! I am drooling looking at these right now :-)
Thanks, Aimee! And sorry for making you drool! ;-)
Hi! This is the first time ever that I decided to do something so bold as using black beans in brownies. They were good. The beans pass completly unnoticed and I plan to keep it as my secret ingredient. I always like to personize a bit the recipes I make so I did add 1/2 tsp salt and added an extra 1 TBSP of agave. Delicious!
So glad you liked them, Neysha! :-) I know! People would never guess that there are beans in them. Oh and personalizing sounds always great! ;-)
Ok, so you convinced me! I’ll be making them pretty soon:)
Haha, Ilona! So glad you like them! :-)