These fudgy kidney bean brownies are rich, moist, and loaded with chocolate flavor. Made with red beans and topped with thick chocolate frosting, no one will guess the secret ingredient!
Brownies Made with Kidney Beans
These Fudgy Kidney Bean Brownies are rich, chocolaty, and seriously hard to stop eating. Think of them as the magical cousin to my popular Black Bean Brownies, except this time, we’re sneaking in red kidney beans for that same moist, fudgy texture everyone loves.
It all started when I had a major brownie craving (which, let’s be honest, is most days). I reached for my go-to black beans, but the pantry said nope. Instead of giving up, I spotted a can of dark red kidney beans and thought—why not? A little experimenting later, these kidney bean brownies were born, and I haven’t looked back.
And because I’m a double chocolate kind of baker, these brownies get topped with a thick, creamy chocolate frosting that sets just right. If you love desserts with hidden veggies and rich chocolate flavor, this easy bean brownie recipe is calling your name.
Baking Tip For These Brownies
These brownies are best when they’re slightly underbaked in the center. Start checking around the 16 minute mark; they should look set on top but still soft in the middle. They’ll firm up as they cool!
How to Make Fudgy Kidney Bean Brownies
Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a food processor, blend all ingredients except the chocolate chips until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand so they’re evenly mixed in.
Grease an 8×8 baking dish and pour in the brownie batter, using a spatula to smooth the top. Bake, then remove from the oven.
To make the frosting, combine milk, butter, and powdered sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Let it boil, then remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and vanilla until melted and smooth. Immediately pour the frosting over the warm brownies, then refrigerate to set. Slice and enjoy!
Storing Leftover Brownies
Store leftover kidney bean brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze them for longer storage—just wrap individually and place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
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Fudgy Kidney Bean Brownies
PrintIngredients
For the brownies
- (1) 15 ounce can dark kidney 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
For the frosting
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the brownies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a food processor. Pulse until smooth and creamy.
- Stir in chocolate chips and mix with spoon so they are equally distributed.
- Grease 8×8 pan and pour brownie mixture in it. Take a spatula to smooth out the top.
- Bake the brownies for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven.
For the frosting
- Combine milk, butter and powdered sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat, bringing to a boil. Allow to cook at a rolling boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and vanilla to saucepan and stir until the chips are melted.
- Pour immediately over warm brownies. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow the frosting to set. This will give it enough time to firm up without making the brownies too cold or hard.
- Slice into brownie squares and enjoy!
Jon says
amazing recipe, I always end up with a leftover 1/2 tin of kidney beans after making a chilli and never know what to do with them, this recipe turned out great ! I substituted butter for oil but I’m sure oil works just as well
Pamela Reed says
So happy to hear you liked them! Such a great use of leftover kidney beans!
Nobody says
Hello,
What can I substitute the oats with?
Thanks.
Pamela Reed says
Hi! You can substitute 1/2 cup of quick oats with a mix of 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of almond meal. You could also use 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, but reduce the amount by 2 tablespoons. Hope that helps!
Samantha says
Actually May be the best brownies I’ve ever had. They are literally SO delicious and fudgy!
Pamela Reed says
Hahaha, so happy you liked them!!
Margaret says
Thanks for your beautiful website.
I like that you made the brownies less sweet. I possibly over baked them. Mine weren’t fudgy, but moist.
My mixture was too dry, so I added eggs.
I like using kidney beans, high in iron and protein.
I’m going to try this recipe again. I might try with cannellini beans. They’re softer and blend easily.
Thanks for sharing this recipe
Sarre says
How many grams of kidney beans? Sorry I have no idea to convert.
Jane says
425 grams
Sarre says
How many grams of kidney beans. I’ve tried to convert 🤷🏻♀️ ( Aussie )
Nicolae says
can you please think of non-US readers and provide metric scale weights as well?
jean says
I had beans laying around so i decided to try it, i didnt want to get a food proccesser out and also it was a mini on so ill use a blender. they looked good, i was hoping to make a smaller batch but i didnt want to save half a can of beans. any idea how long these will last? Would I taste the peanut butter? Ill let you know how these turn out
jean says
Theyre cooling! they smell good, i was afraid they wouldnt bake but i raised the temp a bit and they did. I didnt add that much sugar because my family doesnt like things super sweet, but I added a failed/ thing chocolate ganache into the batter. btw, is it ok that the oats made the batter kinda lumpy? i cant wait to try them.
Leyla says
So good thank you
June says
Hi! This looks amazing! Wondering if I can sub the brown sugar with honey?
Pamela says
You sure can!
Barb says
Just made them. They’re fabulous even without the icing!
Pamela says
I’m so happy to hear you liked these brownies Barb! Thanks for commenting!
Becky says
I’ve been craving brownies for the past few months. Definitely going to try this recipe, it sounds healthy and yummy😌😊
Jackson says
I never leave comments normally, but this recipe is simply extraordinary! I cut the frosting.
Pamela says
Hey Jackson, I’m so happy to hear you liked these brownies! And many (!) thanks for commenting! 🙂
laraib says
what to use inplace of penut butter and oats
Lisa says
I was just wondering if other beans could be substituted into black bean brownies. I’m also thinking of making a version of blondies with some white beans.
Pamela says
Hey Lisa, I admit I never made white bean brownies but now I’m very curious and will add it to my list of things to test. I absolutely think it’ll work!
Jenny says
These turned out amazing. My kids loved them and after they were done eating I told them about the beans. Ha thanks for the recipe
Pamela says
Hah! I love that you told them after! I’m so happy your family liked the brownies, thanks for commenting!
Neesa says
Just made these. They’re cooling off as I’m typing. …I
wonder how they will taste. I used almond butter as I was out of peanut butter and added chopped walnuts and pecans to the batter. Also added 120gr of 80% melted chocolate. Smelled divine. And instead of the frosting I just did a dark chocolate ganache 🙂
Pamela says
Yum! Those brownies sound absolutely delicious Neesa – I hope you saved one for me! 😉
Neesa says
Yeah sorry…..they were all gone in no time. My family was shocked when I said its made with beans, they didn’t buy it 🙂
This is officially my to go recipe for brownies. Never making them any other way. Never. Thanks again for sharing ♡ love from Morocco
Neesa says
By the way, I always add half tsp of powdered coffee (nescafé) to anything chocolat-y I bake. It doesnt effect the taste but it makes the chocolate come out much yummier.
Kat says
Hi Pamela!
Does the red bean taste any different from the black bean brownies?
The red bean turned dark brown in the photos after baking, which surprised me!
<3
Pamela says
Hey Kat, they taste similar to black bean brownies, but a little bit more like kidney beans – definitely same taste spectrum though. I love the richness of the color of these brownies! Hope you enjoy
Harry says
Are there any bean brownie recipes without peanut butter?
Pamela says
Hey Harry, you can easily subsitute the peanut butter for almond butter or sunflower seed butter. Would that work for you?
Kari says
These were super duper fantastic! And so easy to make in the food processor. Thanks for the great recipe, and a good way to use up those beans🙂
Pamela says
Thanks for commenting Kari, so happy to hear you liked these fudgy brownies!
Shar from California says
What can I use instead of a nut butter in this recipe?
Pamela says
Sunflower seed butter would be a great alternative!
Janice says
Just made these. Really tasty a cake or muffins I made out of ingredients in cupboard. So stoked healthy high protein muffins and gluten free what a bonus. Thanks for recipe.i used nutribullet .
Pamela says
Hey Janice, glad to hear you enjoyed these brownies! Thanks for commenting!