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Vegan Black Bean Brownies

by 96 Comments
Last updated on: June 17, 2018

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Vegan Black Bean Brownies

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.

Vegan Black Bean Brownies

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?!

Vegan Black Bean Brownies

 

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.Vegan Black Bean Brownies

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
5 from 2 votes
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Vegan Black Bean Brownies

For 9 large brownies. I used a 9 x 8 inches baking tray.
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

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

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 °C).
  2. 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).
  3. Lightly grease a baking tray and pour in the batter. Add the chocolate chips and spread evenly. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts.
  4. Bake for about 40 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool down before you cut them into pieces.

Comments

    • Thanks, Kelly! You really should give black bean brownies a try! They’re so delicious and moist; I’m sure you’ll love them. I can’t believe I waited this long to try them! :-)

      Reply

    • Haha! I totally know what you mean, Rebecca! I took me forever to try raw cheesecake and I totally fell in love with it. And it was the same thing with black bean brownies. But I guess it’s never too late to try something new, isn’t it? :-)

      Reply

    • Thanks, Michaell! :-) I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to try black bean brownies. There sooo delicious, chocolatey, and moist!

      Reply

    • Thanks, Michele! :-) I know, I can’t believe it either! It’s so crazy that you can make delicious brownies using beans!!

      Reply

    • Thanks, Candia! :-) I’ve wanted to try black bean brownies for such a long time and now I finally did. I can’t believe it took me this long, they’re just so incredibly yummy! :-)

      Reply

    • Thanks, Jenna! I’ve wanted to try them for such a long time and I’m so glad I finally did. They’re so delicious and easy to make! :-)

      Reply

  13. The vegan blogging world really has given a whole new face to beans…there are so many amazing desserts to be made with them! These look irresistibly chocolatey and rich, and I love the mix-ins! Brownies should be chunky :)

    Reply

    • I know, it’s just crazy! I can’t wait to make more bean desserts. :-) Do you have any special recipes for bean desserts that you can recommend, Natalie? I still can’t believe I’ve waited this long to try black bean brownies! So glad I finally gave them a try!

      Reply

  14. Another great recipe, Sina! I can’t believe that I’ve never actually made black bean brownies before – better late than never and this recipe is the perfect place to start!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Sarah! I absolutely agree with you! I’ve wanted to try black bean brownies for such a long time and I’m so glad that I finally did. Let me know how you liked them! :-)

      Reply

    • Thanks! :-) I can’t believe it took me this long to try black bean brownies. They’re so delicious and easy to make!

      Reply

  20. I thought you were crazy until I read exactly how these were put together. And now, all I can think about are how I can eat as many brownies as I want (maybe) because you have used witchcraft to make them healthy. :)

    Reply

    • Let me know how you liked them, Stacey! :-) I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to try black bean brownies. They’re so delicious and easy to make!

      Reply

    • I was actually pretty skeptical too, Sophia! I just couldn’t imagine that you could use beans instead of flour and I still think it’s kinda crazy, but they were sooo delicious and chocolatey!! :-)

      Reply

  24. I just adore black bean brownies. There is something about the fudgy texture that gets me everytime! I make them a lot for my son and he has no idea what the secret ingredient is. I will try your recipe next time.

    Reply

    • I totally agree with you, Mel! Black bean brownies are awesome! :-) I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to give them a try. Haha! Yeah, I guess they’re great to trick kids into eating beans without even knowing about it! :D

      Reply

  25. Well, he sure did do a terrific job hand modeling for you :) These brownies looks super delicious! Definitely need to try this :)

    Reply

  26. I’m always so scared to use beans in baking, after trying a cake with white beans – it tasted awful :D I’ve seen so many black bean brownie recipes by now, I think I really have to try them at some point and get over my fear ;)

    Reply

    • Haha! I totally know what you mean, Kat! I was pretty skeptical too, but they turned out so delicious and chocolatey! You wouldn’t even know that they’re made of beans! :-) I still think it’s kinda crazy though! :D

      Reply

    • Thanks, Jenn!:-) I really have to try more bean desserts. Do you have a special recipe? I still can’t believe it took me this long to try black bean brownies!

      Reply

  29. Wow, these look amazing and really interesting that how you created them! I wish I had these delicious looking brownies in front of me with my cup of tea I’m having :D
    Thanks for sharing! :)

    Reply

  31. I had to make these as soon as I saw your recipe this morning at 9 AM! They are delicious and I’ve never felt better about eating brownies:) My kids will not believe they have black beans in them. Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Thanks so much for commenting, Tracie! It’s so great to hear that you liked them!:-) Haha! Yeah, I guess they’re great for tricking kids into eating beans. ;-)

      Reply

  33. could you substitute chia seeds for the flax seeds? I don’t like the bitter taste that flax sometimes gives. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Thanks for your comment, Ashley! :-) I haven’t tried making them with chia seeds yet. So I’m not 100 percent sure if it works out, but I guess it should be pretty similar. :-) For me flax seeds always worked fine, no bitter taste or anything. But maybe that depends on the brand? Let me know if it works out with chia seeds as well. :-)

      Reply

    • Haha! Thanks, Audrey! :-) I still can’t believe it took me this long to try black bean brownies. They’re awesome! I really gotta make a cake with them soon.

      Reply

    • Thanks, Letty! :-) Haha, I totally know what you mean! It took me forever to finally give them a try, but it’s so worth it! I made them when I visited my parents last weekend and even my grandma, who is 85, loved them and she just couldn’t believe that they didn’t contain any eggs, milk, or flour.

      Reply

    • Thanks, Hauke! :-) I’m sure you’d love them. I stopped by my grandma’s house and brought her some of the bean brownies last weekend and she was so thrilled! She said that she just turned 85 and she has never ever thought it would be possible to bake chocolate cake (as she called it) without dairy, eggs, and flour! :D

      Reply

  42. 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!

    Reply

    • So glad you liked them, Neysha! :-) I know! People would never guess that there are beans in them. Oh and personalizing sounds always great! ;-)

      Reply

  44. 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..!! ??

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  48. 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.

    Reply

  49. 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.

    Reply

  50. 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.

    Reply

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