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    Home > Recipes > Desserts

    Black Bean Brownies

    Published: Oct 8, 2020 · Modified: Nov 15, 2022 by Iosune · This post may contain affiliate links · 22 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    Photo of a baking dish with black bean brownies with the words black bean brownies
    Photo of a piece of black bean brownies with the words black bean brownies

    Black bean brownies, a tasty dessert made with black beans instead of flour. They're sweet, healthy, vegan, gluten-free, and made with only 9 ingredients!

    Photo of a piece of black bean brownies

    These black bean brownies are mind-blowing and taste amazing! I'm a brownie lover, so this time I wanted to try something different, and I still cannot believe how GOOD they actually are!

    This dessert is special because it's made with black beans instead of flour. I know it sounds weird, but trust me when I say they are one of the BEST brownies I've ever had! They don't have bean flavor at all, and they're healthier than regular brownies.

    Besides, they are so moist and soft. Their texture is actually something between a classic brownie and a chocolate fudge, and they will melt in your mouth. I just can't wait to make them again!

    Black bean brownies, a deliciously sweet dessert, made with no flour. They are vegan, gluten-free, very easy to prepare, and to make them you only need 9 ingredients.

    How to make black bean brownies - Step by step

    Step-by-step photos of how to make black bean brownies
    • Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180ºC.
    • Add all the ingredients except the vegan chocolate chips to a food processor (photo 1) and blend until smooth (photo 2).
    • Line an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) square baking pan with some parchment paper or grease it with coconut oil.
    • Pour the batter into the pan (photo 3), smoothing out the top evenly (photo 4), and top with the chocolate chips (photo 5).
    • Bake for 30-40 minutes and then remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes.
    • Transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before slicing (photo 6).
    • Serve at room temperature.

    Pro tips

    • To make this recipe you need 1 and ½ cups or 250 g of cooked black beans (without their water). If you don't cook them from scratch, you'll need to use a 1 15-ounce can of black beans (425 g), drain and rinse them, and then you'll get the right amount of cooked beans.
    • Feel free to use any type of sugar.
    • You can add more or less sugar depending on how sweet you like your brownies. I suggest you add ¼ or ½ cup of sugar first, then try the batter, and add more if needed.
    • If you want your brownies to be even healthier, try to replace the sweetener with dates or some date syrup. If the batter gets too thick, just add some liquid like coconut oil or plant milk.
    • Liquid sweeteners don't really work for this recipe, as the batter will be too watery if you use them.
    • You can replace the cocoa powder with raw cacao and carob powder if you want to. If you use raw cacao you'll probably need to add less of it, because it has a stronger flavor. If you use carob powder you may need to add less sugar, as it's sweeter than cocoa powder.
    • Although you can use any kind of oil to make these brownies, I suggest you use the ones with a neutral flavor or use vegan butter instead.
    • Vanilla extract is optional, but it will give the brownies a wonderful flavor.
    • If you can't find vegan chocolate chips use some chopped dark chocolate or cacao nibs instead.
    Photo of a baking dish with black bean brownies

    What do black bean brownies taste like?

    They taste delicious and chocolatey, just like any other kind of brownies. The black bean flavor isn't noticeable at all, so you won't be able to tell the difference between them and the ones that are made with flour!

    How long will these black bean brownies keep?

    Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days or at room temperature if it's not too hot. In any case, remember to cover them.

    Can you freeze black bean brownies?

    Yes, you can! To do it just let them cool first, cut them, and put them in an airtight container or a freezer-friendly bag. That way, you won't have to thaw the whole batch when you want to have some!

    To defrost, just keep them at room temperature until thaw or heat them up in the microwave and check them out every 15 seconds to make sure they don't get burnt. They will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.

    How to serve back bean brownies

    You could eat them just plain, but if you feel like something a little bit fancier, feel free to heat them up and serve them with some vegan ice cream or coconut whipped cream. I love the contrast between the warm brownies and the cold toppings!

    Looking for more vegan brownie recipes?

    • Vegan Brownies
    • Sweet Potato Brownies
    • Raw Vegan Brownies
    • Ultimate Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies
    • Gluten-Free Brownies
    Side shot of a piece of black bean brownies

    Did you make this black bean brownies recipe?

    Please leave a comment below, share it, or rate it. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I’d love to see what you cook!

    Square photo of a piece of black bean brownies

    Black Bean Brownies

    Black bean brownies, a tasty dessert made with black beans instead of flour. They're sweet, healthy, vegan, gluten-free, and made with only 9 ingredients!
    4.67 from 3 votes
    PRINT PIN RATE
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 9
    Author: Iosune


    Ingredients 

    US Customary - Metric
    • 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed, see notes
    • 1 cup brown, cane or coconut sugar
    • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 2 flax eggs
    • 2 tablespoon vegan chocolate chips, optional
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    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180ºC.
    • Add all the ingredients except the vegan chocolate chips to a food processor or a powerful blender and blend until smooth.
    • Line an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) square baking pan with some parchment paper or grease it with coconut oil.
    • Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top evenly, and top with the chocolate chips.
    • Bake for 30-40 minutes (my brownies were ready in 35 minutes) and then remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes.
    • Transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before slicing.
    • Eat them plain at room temperature or heat them up a little bit and serve with some vegan ice cream or coconut whipped cream.
    • Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, keep them at room temperature until thaw or heat them up in the microwave and check them out every 15 seconds so they don't get burnt.

    Notes

    • To make this recipe you need 1 and ½ cups or 250 g of cooked black beans (without their water). If you don't cook them from scratch, you'll need to use a 1 15-ounce can of black beans (425 g), drain and rinse them, and then you'll get the right amount of cooked beans.
    • Feel free to use any type of sugar.
    • You can add more or less sugar depending on how sweet you like your brownies. I suggest you add ¼ or ½ cup of sugar first, then try the batter, and add more if needed.
    • If you want your brownies to be even healthier, try to replace the sweetener with dates or some date syrup. If the batter gets too thick, just add some liquid like coconut oil or plant milk.
    • Liquid sweeteners don't really work for this recipe, as the batter will be too watery if you use them.
    • You can replace the cocoa powder with raw cacao and carob powder if you want to. If you use raw cacao you'll probably need to add less of it, because it has a stronger flavor. If you use carob powder you may need to add less sugar, as it's sweeter than cocoa powder.
    • Although you can use any kind of oil to make these brownies, I suggest you use the ones with a neutral flavor or use vegan butter instead.
    • Vanilla extract is optional, but it will give the brownies a wonderful flavor.
    • If you can't find vegan chocolate chips use some chopped dark chocolate or cacao nibs instead.
    • Nutritional info has been calculated without the vegan chocolate chips.
       

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.8g | Protein: 3.7g | Fat: 7.5g | Saturated Fat: 5.7g | Sodium: 77mg | Fiber: 4.5g | Sugar: 19.9g

    Update Notes: This post was originally published in March of 2019, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, and tips in April of 2020.

    More Vegan Dessert Recipes

    • Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
    • Vegan Apple Crisp
    • Vegan No Bake Cookies
    • Vegan Snickerdoodles
    1.2K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lynn Riley says

      March 27, 2022 at 7:12 pm

      Superb. I enjoyed the ease and the wonderful flavor. Nice texture.
      Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        March 28, 2022 at 12:54 pm

        Hi Lynn! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂

        Reply
    2. Tahira Akhtar says

      July 30, 2021 at 12:07 pm

      Would these work with chickpeas or any other bean? Thank you

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        August 02, 2021 at 11:13 am

        Hi Tahira! I think it would work with chickpeas 🙂

        Reply
    3. Jeff says

      February 22, 2021 at 2:36 pm

      So, what are the proportions if you are trying to use dates? There is nothing mentioned about amounts for swapping in dates or date syrup. Also, have you tried using apple sauce instead of oil or butter?

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        February 23, 2021 at 7:26 am

        Hi Jeff! I don't know exactly the proportions, sorry! We haven't tried to use apple sauce in this recipe 🙂

        Reply
    4. Monika says

      October 25, 2020 at 9:11 pm

      I made this with leftover pulp from making soy milk. If I remembered to put there the flax egg that I forgot about in the fridge it would be even better. Still very good. Thank you for the recipe! Much love!

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        November 04, 2020 at 1:41 pm

        Thanks for your comment 🙂 So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    5. Sheila Nettles says

      September 13, 2020 at 11:06 pm

      I made this and the flavor is really nice but they never set up. I think it’s thicker but not enough to cut into squares. After 50 minutes, I took them out of the oven and we ate with a spoon. I’m going to refrigerate to see if that helps. I don’t know what happened.

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        September 14, 2020 at 12:16 pm

        Hi! I'm so sorry! Don't know what could have happened 🙁 Try to bake it at 200ºC or during more time, and then let it sit for an hour before cutting it into squares!

        Reply
    6. sergio says

      March 22, 2020 at 1:36 pm

      Hi Iosune. I started out this recipe this morning, actualy the batter is in the oven right now. But I've just noticed in the notes below that you meant 250 gr of beans weighted once cooked. But on the top o the recipe you wrote 425 gr. So I used two cans of 400 gr of black beans that, once it is drained of its water its 240gr each can. So I basically used almost 2 cans of beans (240+240=480gr then I took out 60 gr). I'm afraid I messed the recipe up!!!! if the amount of beans had to be 250 I think you should specify in the recipe summary that the weigh you quote is intended for the can INCLUDING its water. Now, I hope this will come out good anyway

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        April 01, 2020 at 3:59 pm

        Hi Sergio! I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. I used 1 15-ounce can of black beans (425 g) and I drained it, but if you use cooked beans (if you cook it from scratch), you only need 250 g. Hope you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    7. Ingrid says

      June 20, 2019 at 9:03 am

      Hi! I’m a little bit confused about the amount of beans this recipe calls for. Do you mean 250g measured dry before cooking or after? 🙂

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        June 23, 2019 at 11:07 am

        Hi Ingrid! You need 250 g of cooked beans, so I measured after cooking 🙂

        Reply
    8. Kate West says

      June 16, 2019 at 3:21 am

      Wow! Delicious! Wonderful, simple and healthy. Another win, win, win! Thank you 😊

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        June 17, 2019 at 10:01 am

        Hi Kate! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    9. RosieRobyn says

      June 08, 2019 at 8:44 pm

      5 stars
      Very moist chocolate brownies. I mixed a small amount of chocolate chips into dough before baking. I used 2 large eggs and Mexican vanilla. Delicious; I loved them! Gave brownies to a friend and she asked for recipe! Try them you'll love them! To the original baker-You did a great job creating them.

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        June 10, 2019 at 12:03 pm

        Hi there! So glad you enjoyed them 😉

        Reply
    10. Charlotte Peeters says

      May 12, 2019 at 5:41 pm

      4 stars
      Simpel en very tasty! The whole family loved it!

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        May 13, 2019 at 8:04 am

        Hi Charlotte! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    11. Susan Resnik says

      May 11, 2019 at 1:32 am

      I made my own recipe of brownies with tofu. Six ounces of tofu equal 2 eggs. I have heard lately of Brownie spread. Take away baking soda, etc. and use as jam for toast.

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        May 11, 2019 at 8:35 am

        Hi Susan! Sounds great 🙂 Have a nice day!

        Reply

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