This Fudgy KIDNEY BEAN Brownies recipe is the BEST! These brownies are easy to make, moist and made with red beans to make them more healthy! They have a thick chocolate frosting on top that everyone will love! This is a sneaky way to get your kids to eat more vegetables! Trust me, everyone will think they’re the best brownies ever!
A few days ago I was craving brownies (when aren’t I)? Because I always love some adding some vegetables to sweets, I went into the cabinet to grab a can of black beans to make my favorite black bean brownies but sadness hit, I was all out of black beans. So then I sat on the floor, pantry door open, and begun to think.. could I use another bean? So I grabbed a can of dark red kidney beans and these Fudgy Kidney Bean Brownies were made!
These brownies are incredibly fudgy, incredibly rich, incredibly chocolaty and made out of magic. Did I sell you on them yet? The kidney beans worked as a perfect substitution for the black beans. This recipe is now one of my favorite brownie recipes that I can’t keep my paws off of!
Because I love double chocolate, I added a thick layer of brownie frosting to the top of these that set perfectly. When you take a bite you’re just going to fall into chocolate heaven. So go ahead and make these….. I’ll meet you there!
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Looking for more brownie recipes? Try Vanilla Brownies or Black Bean Brownies!
Fudgy Kidney Bean Brownies
PrintIngredients
For the brownies
- 1 15 oz can of dark kidney beans - drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup creamy regular or chocolate 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.
- 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 8x8 pan and pour brownie mixture in it. Take a spatula to smooth out the top.
- Bake the brownies for 16-18 minutes and remove from 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.
- Put in refrigerator to allow brownies to set quickly.
- Enjoy!
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!
fran hemstreet says
this was interesting to try. it took about ten minutes more in my oven than you recommended. I used regular oats, not quick, so the brownies are chewier. and I served the brownies without the frosting. I will make this again. thanks for posting your recipe.
Monica says
Until today, I’ve never made bean brownies. I had a few substitutes; I used only white sugar because I didn’t have brown sugar and I used chocolate whey protein powder in place of cocoa powder. I eliminated chocolate chips and icing. All that said – they are super yummy. Thanks.
Pamela says
Hey Monica, I love that you used protein powder instead of cocoa powder – what a great idea! Thanks for commenting!
Gill says
Thank you so much for this recipe!!
First batch is is cooling now – waiting for my fussy eaters, Mr 3.5 and Mr 2 to wake from their naps and try, but Mr 3.5 liked the raw mixture so I’m super hopeful!!
The frosting recipe is super easy and chocolatey too! A bit sweet for me – think I’ll try with less sugar next time, but definitely a winner.
Pamela says
Hey Gill, I don’t blame your husband as I love the raw batter too! I hope everyone liked these brownies! Thanks for commenting!
Vanna G says
I see the video, but can’t fin the actual recipe… ?
Pamela says
Hi Vanna, the recipe is found directly under the video. If you can’t see it, please refresh the page.