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These fudgy, chocolatey black bean brownies are gluten-free, flourless, and made with a simple can of black beans! They’re the perfect healthy twist on the traditional dessert and so easy to make. Just throw everything in a blender, and it’s ready in 30 minutes from start to finish!
These black bean brownies are seriously impressive. They’re rich, fudgy, and loaded with chocolate flavor while being completely gluten-free and flourless.
The secret? A simple can of black beans! (I always have a couple of cans in my pantry to make my black bean soup, black bean quesadillas, and black bean tacos. 😉)
Everything gets blended together, making the prep super easy with minimal cleanup. Ready in just 30 minutes from start to finish, they’re perfect for a quick treat or last-minute dessert.
Plus, you’d never guess they’re made with beans – no one will know unless you tell them (and honestly, they might not believe you anyway).
Ingredient Notes
This is an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe, please scroll down to the bottom of the post.
- Black beans: They replace flour in this recipe, and I promise you can’t taste it. They give the brownies extra nutrition and are packed with protein and fiber. Plus, they keep them super moist, soft, and fudgy.
- Eggs: You’ll need 3 large eggs for this recipe, which help bind the batter together.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness to the brownies and disguises any black bean flavor.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Gives these brownies their rich chocolatey taste. For an even more intense chocolate flavor, use half unsweetened cocoa powder and half Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- Melted unsalted butter: Adds some richness and buttery flavor. You could also use oil like canola, avocado, or coconut oil if you prefer.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds some warmth and spice to the brownie mixture.
- Baking powder: The leavening agent that gives the brownies just the right amount of height while still being super fudgy.
- Fine salt: Just a hint to help balance the sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: A dash of vanilla adds extra flavor. For a holiday twist, you can use peppermint extract or even almond or maple extract.
- Chocolate chips: This recipe uses semi-sweet chocolate chips for the perfect balance, but you can use any chocolate chips or your favorite toppings.
How to Make Black Bean Brownies
Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips to a blender.
Blend until completely smooth.
Pour the batter into an 8×8 square baking dish lined with parchment paper. I also recommend spraying the parchment paper with cooking spray or oil to make sure the batter doesn’t stick at all.
Stir in half of the chocolate chips into the batter, then sprinkle the rest on top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the middle is just set. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes at room temperature before slicing and serving.
Recipe Tips
- Use the right baking dish. I recommend using an 8×8 baking dish for this brownie recipe to give you the perfect size and height. A 9×9 baking dish will give you thinner brownies that need to be baked for a shorter amount of time.
- Use parchment paper and cooking spray. Be sure to use parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray or oil very well so the brownies don’t stick to the pan.
Variations
This recipe is great as written, but here are ways to customize it and get creative with toppings and different flavors to make it your own:
- Chocolate chips: Feel free to use mini, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, chocolate chunks, or even white chocolate baking chips.
- Vanilla extract: If you want to make this for the holidays or change the flavor a bit, you can use peppermint extract or even almond or maple extract.
- Use candy: Add your favorite chocolate candy pieces like M&M’s, Reese’s, or chopped-up chocolate bars.
- Swirl ½ cup of creamy peanut butter into the brownie batter before baking for a sweet and salty twist.
- Add nuts: Chopped pecans, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, or pumpkin seeds would be great in this.
- Spread dulce de leche or caramel drizzle on top with flaky sea salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! Black beans generally have a mild flavor, so any trace of it is masked with cocoa powder, sugar, and chocolate chips.
You can make black bean brownies using a blender or hand mixer to fully incorporate the black beans with the other ingredients.
Absolutely! You can add or substitute different chocolate chips like mini, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter, toffee, or butterscotch. You can also add nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pecans.
Storage
- Storing on the counter: To keep your black bean brownies fresh and fudgy, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Storing in the refrigerator: If you’d like them to last longer, refrigerate them for up to a week. Just be sure they’re fully cooled before storing to avoid condensation making them soggy.
- Storing in the freezer: For even longer storage, you can freeze them. I recommend freezing them in a single layer on a baking sheet and transferring them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll keep well for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature or warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds for that just-baked taste.
More Desserts You’ll Love
If you tried this Black Bean Brownies Recipe or any other recipe on Isabel Eats, don’t forget to rate it and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing about your experience.
Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, spray it with cooking spray or oil, and set aside.
- Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish, then gently mix in ½ cup of the chocolate chips.
- Top the batter with the remaining ½ cup of chocolate chips, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the middle is just set.
- Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- Use the right baking dish. I recommend using an 8×8 baking dish to give you the perfect size and height. A 9×9 baking dish will give you thinner brownies that need to be baked for a shorter amount of time.
- Use parchment paper and cooking spray. Be sure to use parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray or oil very well so the brownies don’t stick to the pan.
- Chocolate chips: Feel free to use mini, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, chocolate chunks, or even white chocolate baking chips.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in July 2016 and has been updated with new photos, a better overall recipe, and more helpful tips.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
I love these. Made them a few times now. I added only 1/2 cup sugar; a bit less cinnamon and added some chilli flakes. I also used canola oil instead of butter…in equal parts. Not sure if it’s just my oven, but I bake these max 18mins…..by then it’s fairly dry and cake like.
I’ve shared this recipe with so many of my friends and made it for a few…raves all round.
I love, love, LOVE these brownies! They have been upgraded into my handwritten cookbook instead of just being in my Pinterest (so that I never lose the recipe)! No changes needed.
To be honest, I was really scared to try this, but they turned out amaaaaaazingly! They almost have a slight coffee aroma to them that I love. Overall, I’m super impressed. These will probably be my new go to brownies since they’re delicious, don’t make me feel like crap after I eat them from all the sugar, and are just perfectly sweet!
I am one of those people that bought way too much dried beans in March. I have been soaking the beans since 11AM and they still look so hard! Should I still follow this recipe the same way or do I need to cook the beans first if they are prepared from dried beans.
Hi Danielle! We would suggest cooking the beans first and then using them for this brownie recipe.
These look fantastic, can’t wait to try them! Quick question though, do you think it would be ok to make these in a food processor instead of a blender? I don’t own a blender apart from my nutribullet so I’m hoping these would come out just as good in a food processor. Thanks!
Yes, a food processor will work too! I hope you love them!
This is the third time I’ve made this brownie/blackbean brownies. Always comes out GREAT. I always add nuts on top–love nuts.
That sounds delicious! I think that’s a great addition for a little crunch!
I’m so glad I stumbled across this recipe. I’ve been on a black bean kick so I figured I would give them a try. Oh my gosh…I’m so glad I did. They are delicious. The best part is my 20 year old son grabbed one and commented how delicious they were. Guess what??If he knew there were black beans in there that brownie wouldn’t have touched his lips.
This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!
I made these today and they are delicious! I used Stevia instead of sugar and apple sauce for the butter. Made 9 cupcakes – baked 15-20 minutes. YUM!
I liked the idea of these and had to try just because…black beans?? 🙂
These were pretty good. To be fair, my hubby is the chocolate person, not me. He is not a fan of cinnamon, though (weird, huh?), so he was luke-warm because of that. I personally prefer a more dense, chewy brownie rather than a cake-like one. So, I was interested if there are any changes that you can think of that I might make to this recipe to make it more dense and chewy? I was thinking of applesauce in place of the butter, maybe? Maybe I should just find a recipe for the dense chewy kind and figure out how to sub the black beans in? Any thoughts, anyone?
Recipe is awesome. But…. Why are so many people so concerned about replacing the butter? Butter is all natural and considered “good” fat. So much of what people use as a replacement is so bad for you it ain’t funny. Processed oils including coconut oil are far worse. Nothing natural about them. Research how there manufactured. Your car was made to use oil, not your body.
I agree. The doctor said butter a day keeps the doctor away and prevents Alzheimer disease because Our brain is made up of fat.