Bean Brownies

You will never even know these black bean brownies are healthy! You can not taste the beans--all you taste is a rich, chewy fudge brownie! Plus, everything is made in the food processor, making these the easiest and healthiest brownies you'll ever eat. I make these for my kids all the time, and they think they're such a treat.

Can a Black Bean Brownie Actually Taste Good?

Do you trust me? Do you trust that my absolute love of beans has not clouded my judgement into thinking brownies are delicious when made with black beans? You really should! You might have to try them to believe me, but trust me when I say these brownies are insanely delicious and taste like NORMAL brownies. They're thick, dense, rich and chewy. They're super chocolatey, thanks to cocoa powder and chocolate chips. You do not even taste the black beans!

I'm constantly making these brownies, and serving them to unsuspecting people; I do the same with my chickpea cookie dough recipe. I feel it's the only way to get a fair opinion on just how rich and tasty they are. After I say 'they're made with black beans!' no one says 'oh yeah, I thought I taste something funny.' Absolutely no one! Instead, they take another bite and feel virtuous for eating something so delicious that has the benefits of beans.

These are the only brownies my kids really know as brownies. My kids aren't big meat eaters, so I'm always trying to get iron-rich beans into their diets. They are a driving force behind this site, of course. When I add cocoa powder and chocolate chips to black beans, they are happy to eat their beans!

Why eat Black Bean Brownies?

I make these black bean brownies, because they’re delicious, but I love their protein content. It’s such a fun way to sneak in a protein and fiber into a dish we already know and love.

Black Bean Brownie Recipe Ingredients

• Black Beans. You need one 15-ounce can of black beans, or 1 ¾ cup of cooked black beans. It's ideal to buy them canned without salt, or to make your own using my instant pot black beans recipe, and omit the salt. It's not the end of the world if you can't find low sodium or salt-free beans, though. 
• Granulated Sugar.
• Oil. Any type of neutral, flavorless oil works here: canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil. You can use coconut oil, if you like it.
• Vanilla Extract.
• Cocoa Powder. Unsweetened cocoa powder. It can be regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder, your choice.
• Baking Powder.
• Eggs. Two whole large eggs.
• Chocolate Chips. Any type of chocolate chips work here: semisweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or even milk chocolate chips are fine. We need ¾ cup of chocolate chips for pulsing into the batter, and then extra for the top.

How to make black bean brownies:

1. Gather all of your ingredients: rinse and drain the beans from the can, or drain the beans that you cooked. You need black beans, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, baking powder, two eggs, and chocolate chips. Spray an 8" square metal pan with cooking spray.
   
2. Next, open the lid on your food processor, and add the beans, sugar, oil and vanilla. Place the lid back on the food processor, and blend for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides, and blend again. Use a spoon or spatula to check for any lumps, and blend until the mixture is completely smooth.
   
3. Next, add the cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Blend again, until smooth.
   
4. Add the eggs, and blend until just combined. Do not over-mix the eggs, as this can incorporate too much air into the eggs and make the brownies cake-like and puffy, rather than dense and chewy.
   
5. Once the eggs are pulsed into the black bean brownies batter, add the chocolate chips.
   
6. Pulse the chocolate chips just to combine, about 2-3 pulses. It's okay if some of the chocolate chips break up in the blade.
   
7. Scrape the mixture into the pan, and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the brownies are starting to pull away from the edges of the pan. The top of the brownies will be dry to the touch, too.
   
8. Let them cool in the pan, and then slice into 9 pieces and serve.

How to make this Black Bean Brownie Recipe without a food processor

If you don't have a food processor, first, start by using a blender. If you also lack a blender, try smashing the black beans by hand with two forks or a potato masher. You'll need to mash the beans very, very well. You could even put them in a plastic bag, remove most of the air, and use a rolling pin. Then, pick out any large pieces you can see.

How do I know when brownies are done?

At the end of the baking time, use a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies. It should have very moist crumbs clinging to it, but no wet batter. The top of the brownies should also be dry and shiny.

One sweet note for making the Best Black Bean Brownies

Puree those black beans and then puree them some more. And then, use a spoon to dig around the food processor bowl just to make sure there are no pieces of black beans left behind. Then, puree it again. It's the same method for my white bean blondies.

Serving a Black Bean Brownie

Should you refrigerate brownies before cutting?

If you care about having perfectly cut slices with crisp edges, yes, refrigerating brownies before cutting is the way to attain it. However, I eat them warm out of the pan, craggy edges and all.

Storing Bean Brownies

Leftover black bean brownies are great stored at room temperature, they do not need to be refrigerated if you consume them within a day. Beyond that, you can refrigerate, or wrap tightly and freeze.

Can Bean Brownies be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze homemade black bean brownies by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and storing for up to 2 months. To defrost, either place them in the fridge overnight, or unwrap and zap in the microwave for 7-9 seconds.

More Favorites from Bean Recipes

• Boston Baked Beans Recipe
• Hopping John

Black Bean Brownie Recipe

Yield: 9

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Easy fudgy black bean brownies, made in the food processor.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed*
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup flavorless oil*
• 11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup chocolate chips, plus extra for top

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350, and lightly spray a 8” metal square pan with cooking spray. Gather ingredients to make the black bean brownies:
2. Place beans, sugar, oil and vanilla into a food processor, and blend until very, very smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Add the cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder, and blend again.
4. Add the eggs, and blend just until combined.
5. Add the chocolate chips, and pulse just 1-2 times to blend. It’s okay if the chocolate gets broken up slightly.
6. Scrape the mixture into a 8x8-inch greased baking pan. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top, if desired.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the brownies are starting to pull away from the edges of the pan. The top will appear dry to the touch, too. Let cool before cutting into 9 bars.

Notes

Black Beans: One 15-ounce can of black beans, or 1 ¾ cup of cooked black beans. Try to buy them without salt or low sodium, or to make your own using my instant pot black beans recipe, and omit the salt. If you can only find regular canned beans, it's fine. 
Oil: The oil can be flavroless, like canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil. Or, you can use coconut oil.
Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder.
Chocolate Chips: You can use semisweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or even milk chocolate chips. We need some for the batter, and then extra for sprinkling on top.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 280Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 104mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 5gSugar: 20gProtein: 7g