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?!
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.
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! :-)
Oh wow Sina!! These look amazing. I never had bean brownies, I’m really curious how they taste. I’m sure it works though!
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
I’ve been clipping (and Pinning) black bean brownies and for years and you have just convinced me to finally make them! This looks like a great and easy recipe!
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.
I have never tried these…but they look awesome..so moist and rich and fudgy..just the kind i Love..thanks for sharing, Sina!
Thanks, Pragati! :-) I’m sure you’d love them!
So amazing how black beans can be transformed into a wonderful dessert. Yummy!
Thanks, Kathy! :-) Yeah, it really is amazing! I’ve never thought they’d turn out this delicious!
Yum! I love black bean brownies.
Thanks, Shannon! Me too, they’re so good! :-)
These look so chocolatey and decadent!! :D
Thanks, Sarah! :-)
Black beans in chocolate cake or brownies is the only way I consume black beans these days :) These brownies look wonderful!
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.
could you substitute chia seeds for the flax seeds? I don’t like the bitter taste that flax sometimes gives. Thanks!
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. :-)
I have never made a cake with beans I will try
Let me know how it turned out! :-)
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!!
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. ;-)