Recipe: Black Bean Brownies
2012
Black bean brownies? Wow. That sounds… uh, yummy?
Okay, I get it. The first time I made these I had to do it secretly so my husband wouldn’t know what I was up to. I didn’t think he’d even try these if he knew they had black beans inside of them. But after he devoured a couple of them I figured he liked them and spilled the beans (no pun intended).
Now, I don’t believe in telling people that these taste JUST LIKE a “normal” brownie. I think they are really good. And I love that they aren’t full of refined sugars and flours. And while they definitely have a yummy fudge-like texture and provide a comforting sweetness, they are kind of their own thing. Many days I find myself craving these instead of a “normal” brownie… but that’s not to say they have the same exact taste. (In fact, when I was in labor these black bean brownies were the only food I wanted to eat… )
These black bean brownies are full of good things, missing the bad stuff, and totally appropriate for an after-school snack. They are easy to make and very yummy. Besides, it’s always fun to tell people what they are made of after they tell you how much they like them. :)
Recipe: Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
1 can black beans (BPA free), drained and rinsed
2 eggs
2 – 3 Tbs of peanut butter (optional, but adds a fun flavor) (find nuts and nut butters here)
4 Tbs coconut oil (where to find coconut products)
4 Tbs cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp real salt
1/4 cup rolled oats (optional)
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Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°
1. Pour drained beans into a blender or food processor, blend until smooth.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the oats, and continue blending until evenly mixed.
3. Stir in the oats, if using.
4. Pour mixture into a greased 8 x 8 pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool and Enjoy!
This post was shared at Scratch Cookin’ Tuesday, The Mommy Club, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Healthy 2Day, Allergy Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, What I Learned Wednesday, Tasty Traditions, Full Plate Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Creative Juice Thursday, Freaky Friday, and Wow Me Wednesday.
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Hi!
Just got here and found these AMAZING brownies.
Really want to give them a shot. Just one question, don´t see any oats on the ingredients list… Am I missing something?
Congrats for site! Love it.
Amanda
Thanks Amanda! And thank you for pointing out my error. The oats are an optional ingredient that give a little more “substance” to the brownie. Lately I’ve been leaving them out for a more fudge-like brownie. I’ve update the recipe now with the correct amount. Hope you like them!
I want to make these! How many oats did you use? What kind?
Thanks, Cari! Sorry about the recipe error. I’ve updated it now to show the rolled oats option.
I did this to my family at Thanksgiving; only it was an entire cake instead of brownies! And I made chocolate frosting for it out of coconut butter, honey, coco powder, vanilla, and a little salt. Everyone except for my professional food-taster aunt loved it! The fact that mostly kids kept coming back for seconds proves that they don’t care what something is made out of as long as it tastes like chocolate
Just made them! One with and one w/o PB. They are good! I have to say liked the ones with out better. Will definitely be making these again. Thanks!
Awesome! So glad you liked them.
At the risk of sounding nit-picking (sorry!) I have two questions:
Is it unsweetened cocoa powder?
And is it 4TB of coconut oil?
If so, I already have all the ingredients already in my cupboard! My 6 year will go buggers!
“Brownies?!? For snack!??!?!?!”
Yes and yes! Sorry for the confusion.
Are there substitutions you would suggest for a coconut oil allergy? Peanut or olive oil?
Olive oil would work.
These sound delicious. Have you experimented with Stevia instead of sugar? I’m new to healthier cooking and substitutions. Recommendations?
I haven’t tried stevia, although I plan on experimenting with honey in the near future.
Just FYI, I have made the black bean chocolate cake using honey as sweetener in the cake AND frosting, and it tastes amazing! Can’t wait to try these brownies – thanks for sharing!
Awesome, Rachel! I bet honey will make them even more fudge-like!
These sound so interesting! I’d love to make them and I’m so glad you answered the commenter earlier about a substitute for a coconut oil allergy. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hope you like it, Laurie! Thanks for stopping by.
They sound really yummy. with that scrumptious texture…. YUM! I like chocolate, I like brownies, I like black beans. And any excuse to make brownies somewhat healthy works for me..
thanks for sharing! I pinned!
hugs x
Crystelle
Hope you like it!
I’m sure printing this and gonna make me some black bean brownies,shucks can’t go wrong with anything chocolate…and beleive it or not I love me some black beans.We try and cook/eat healthy here on LoblollyLane
I’m visiting from Miz Helens
~Jo @ LoblollyLane
Thanks, Jo! I hope you like them. Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great day and come back real soon!
Miz Helen
Could you substitute any other beans/legumes? I have a recipe for a red kidney been cake (assuming this would be very similar), but I have a HEAP of lentils and thought perhaps I could try these as an alternative. Do they have enough going for them to hold up as well as the beans?
That’s a good question. I’m not sure. But you can always give it a go and see what happens.
I was inspired, and I did, and the texture was good! I’m trying to eliminate sugar/fructose so used rice malt syrup but found it wasn’t sweet enough to balance with the cocoa. More testing required!
Good luck! Let us know if you find a successful version using malt syrup.
Can we substitute the sugar for xylitol. I dont use sugar at all.
You can definitely try. I’ve never used xylitol so I have no reference for how to substitute or how it will turn out.
My mom and I made these with almond butter and *loved* the results! By accident, we forgot the cocoa but didn’t miss it at all once we tasted them! Our family is avoiding sugar right now but found that our crystallized coconut served as a delicious substitute. As someone with a major wheat allergy, I was so excited to have guilt free brownies! We will definitely be making these again!
Awesome!
My boss brought these to work, I got the recipe. Made this for my family, without telling the secret. They ate it all in one night. Great way to get extra protein in my kids.
Ha! Love it.
This receipe was great!! I substituted the sugar with AGAVE and added a little greek yogourt and they were very moist. I made these twice and everyone at work loved them. I didn’t get any gas from eating the beans for some reason. I recommend this receipe as an alternative for healther eating.
Sounds great!
Am so gonna make these! I’ll use raw cacao, almond butter and maple sugar, should taste wonderful!
Sounds delicious!
Hey, great recipe!! I’d like to try it, I just have a question, do you think it’ll work the same way if I cook my own beans?? I won’t get the same canned beans you have there.. I live in Mexico, but we’re experts on black beans… haha I think that’ll do!! Thanks for your response!!
OH yes! By all means, using your own beans is even better.
I cant wait to do these, i have no intention of telling anyone that they are not just regular brownies. They sound amazing.
I Make A Version Of These Using DAtes To Sweeten. I Use 10 or so Dates Pitted and Chopped And Then PUreed In A Food Processor with 1/2 Cup water…I Love Them…