The BEST Black Bean Brownies recipe – healthy, vegan, gluten free and really easy to make! These moist brownies are made with canned black beans and peanut butter making them extra fudgy. I love how simple they are to make and how much kids and adults both love them!
Black Bean Brownie Recipe
You know I only share the best with you guys, right? So you totally have to believe me that this Black Bean Brownies Recipe is what brownie dreams are made out of!
We finished these brownies in 2 days. I went into the brownie box (what, you don’t have a brownie box?) for one and there was no more left. My hands started to shake, “Matthew, did you eat the last brownie?!” I shouted. He said yes. My night was destroyed. The next day I made another batch. These brownies are THAT GOOD.
Healthy Black Bean Brownies
I love these brownies because they are so fudgy and chocolate ooey gooey. They’re soft, they’re moist and because they are made with black beans and oats, I’m totally going to call them healthy too. What? This is my blog and I’m allowed to do what I want!
No but in all seriousness, why don’t people think of black beans when they make dessert recipes? Is it because they aren’t brightly colored like so many fruits and vegetables are? I’m not sure, but I can tell you I love them and they make the perfect partner with chocolate brownies.
Vegan and Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies
These brownies are vegan and gluten free. You don’t need dairy products to make fudgy brownies! When buying chocolate chips, make sure they’re vegan. My favorite vegan chips are Enjoy Life and Sunspire. Whole Foods 365 also sells vegan chocolate chips now too!
Even though these are made with a whole can of black beans, they taste like pretty traditional chocolate brownies. With the addition of peanut butter to the recipe, it makes a delicious fudgy soft brownie. These brownies are so easy to make too!
How to Make Black Bean Brownies
Here’s the ingredients you need:
- 1 can of black beans
- creamy peanut butter
- cocoa powder
- quick oats
- salt
- brown sugar
- sugar
- vegetable oil
- vanilla extract
- baking powder
- chocolate chips
You’re pretty much going to throw everything in the food processor (except the chocolate chips) and your brownie batter will be ready for you! I told you these brownies were easy to make!
If you’ve never had a black bean brownie, you have to trust me in that they are amazing. You won’t even be able to tell there’s black beans to be honest and you don’t even have to tell anyone they’re made with black beans… until after they finish and tell you how delicious they are, then you can giggle and raise your hands triumphantly in the air and shout “THEY ARE MADE WITH BLACK BEANS!”.
A few years ago I sent my Father black bean brownies in the mail. I just told him they were chocolate brownies because I know if I would have mentioned the ingredients he would eyed me evilly. Well after he finished a batch and declared his love for these delicious treats, then I gave him the 1-2-3 punch of “THEY ARE MADE WITH BLACK BEANS!”. It never gets old.
Goodness, I really love these brownies.
These brownies are the best.
Can you freeze brownies?
If you’re looking for a brownie you can freeze, you can totally freeze these too! I like to cut them up into single serving squares and them add them to freezer bags. Whenever I’m hungry for a brownie, you can pop one out of the freezer and throw in the microwave for a few seconds.
Hope you enjoy these Fudgy Black Bean Brownies as much as I do!
More Brownie Recipes
Looking for more fudgy brownie recipes? Try my:
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Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
PrintIngredients
- 1 15 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips + additional handful of chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a food processor. Pulse until smooth and creamy.
- Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and mix with spoon so they are equally distributed.
- Grease 8x8 pan and pour brownie mixture in it. Take a spatula to smooth out the top.
- Bake the brownies for 16-18 minutes.
- Once out of the oven, let cool, then sprinkle the handful of chocolate chips on top. Use a spoon or spatula to gently push them into the top of the brownies.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes before cutting into brownie squares.
LareeMade says
These taste like a cross between a Chocolate No Bake Cookie and a brownie! Absolutely fabulous !!
Pamela says
I’m so happy to hear you liked these black bean brownies! Thanks for commenting and letting me know!
Cindy says
I made these without oil and added applesauce instead. They came out really fudgy and my family can’t get enough!
Pamela says
Hey Cindy, thanks for sharing! Glad you liked the brownies!
Marshmallows says
Hi there! What brand of chocolate chips do you recommend? Many of the ones at the store are not actually vegan 🙁
Kaye Johnstonbaugh says
I made these today and they are amazing! I used coconut oil, and in place of brown sugar, I used Splenda brown sugar. I didn’t have regular Splenda to substitute for the regular sugar, but 2 tablespoons in the entire recipe isn’t really too much. I need to figure out the points value, so I can track them on my Weight Watchers app. Thanks for making my day!
Pamela says
Hey Kaye, I’m so happy you liked these black bean brownies! Thanks for sharing your substitutions – it sounds delicious!
Lisa says
These are the best black bean brownies I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a lot of black bean brownies! However, I sub the brown sugar and sugar for granulated Monk Fruit since it is healthier, and I sub the 1/2 cup of oats for vegan chocolate protein powder (Orgain brand) for an extra rich chocolate flavor and more protein! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!!
Jen says
I put the chocolate chips in before baking. Anyone else tried this? I also used my hand blender since I don’t have a food processor
Pamela says
Hey Jen, you definitely want to add the chocolate chips into the batter before baking – this makes them extra fudgy and delicious! Enjoy the brownies, I love them!
Jen says
What kind of chocolate chips do you use ? Semi sweet?
Dot says
These are delicious and are my go to brownie recipe !! I always do a double batch and they never last 24 hours 🙂
Ayda says
Hello, what can i use instead of oats? (I am allergic) 🙁
Pamela says
Hey Ayda, I’ve never made these without oats, BUT… I think crispy rice cereal or dates would work out! Good luck and enjoy the brownies!
Renata says
These are by far the best brownies I have ever tried. They are hard to get out unless you want to eat them with a spoon while still warm. I refrigerated them and cut them then…much easier and totally delicious
Pamela says
Hey Renata, I’m so happy you like these black bean brownies! Great tip about refrigerating them prior to cutting! Thanks for commenting!
Katie says
Wow. I made these tonight and I’m blown away. Although, the cook time was around 20 mins for my
Oven. They were DELICIOUS!!!!
Pamela says
Hey Katie, so happy to hear you liked these brownies! Thanks for commenting and letting me know!
Anita says
I’ve read thousands of recipe blogs and have never commented until now. Omg! These are incredible, and I never would have believed that they’re missing all the usual baking ingredients. Everyone needs these on their baking rotation! Having changed my eating habits to vegan 3 weeks ago, I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen and these are a win! Thanks for sharing!
Pamela says
Hey Anita – your comment makes me so happy! Thanks for letting me know you liked these brownies!
Kathy Palmer says
The recipe has disappeared! Can you please check and re-post as needed!
Gwen Govea says
Oh my goodness I made these just now and they are DELICIOUS! I was skeptical about these at first because I’ve never tried black bean brownies but they are amazing. Super fudgy and not too sweet! Thank you for the recipe!
Pamela says
I’m so happy you liked these brownies Gwen – I love how fudgy they are too! Thanks for commenting!
Nancy Hefflefinger says
I made these brownies with 1/2 cup pure maple syrup instead of sugars…(and made the oats a heaping 1/2 cup to make up for liquid) Absolutely delicious!!! especially when chilled in refrigerator!!! YUM!!! Added lots of chocolate chips and lots of walnuts!!! Thank you for sharing,…Can’t wait to make these for unsuspecting guests!!!! and for me!!! again!!!
Pamela says
Hey Nancy, so glad you liked these brownies! Thanks for sharing your tweaks – I love the change of adding maple syrup! Thanks for stopping by!
Sarit says
Is it possible to substitute the peanut butter with some tahini souce?
Thank you,
Sarit
Pamela says
Hey Sarit, I’ve never tried this with tahini sauce. If you do, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Don says
Ok I attempted this recipe. Disclaimer-not a cook-not vegan-not nutritionist. I put all ingredients except sugars in NutraNinja. Total failure to blend, cup is at capacity So dump it in a bowel, add sugars, try electric hand mixer. Fail, turns to lumpy granulated mess that the mixer distributes well over the counter top. Add 1/2 c water, Now blends to the consistency of sheet rock mud. Close enough, Bake as per instructions. Visual not great, Looks like the bottom of a sun baked mud puddle. Fed 1 1/4″ square to my wife as a “100 cal snack”, To satisfy Her latest diet. She says it is delicious. So I studied the recipe for a while and could find nothing I did wrong except add water, which was necessary to get it to blend. Why Is my mix so dry ? Should I add something other than water? With out the water it cant be mixed it has to be kneaded. HELP . Don
Pamela says
Hi Don, I’ve never had a issue with these brownies being dry. The creamy peanut butter and oil should be enough to keep them moist. It could have been a issue with mixing them in the Ninja first and then the hand mixer after that – it might have been too much and dried the batter out. Do you have a food processor? If so, I’d give that a shot. Glad your wife enjoyed them!
Renata says
Food processor worked perfectly with ingredients as listed
Kari says
These look so decadent!