These Fudgy Black Bean Brownies are a decadent gluten-free dessert (and no one will ever guess that they’re packed with fiber-filled black beans!)
As I wandered the aisles of some nutrition fair back in college, one of the vendors offered me a sample of seemingly innocent brownies. I accepted the brownie offering, and it was good! But there had to be a catch. This was a nutrition fair after all.
That catch…black beans. In addition to being gluten-free, a cup of black beans has about half the calories that a cup of all-purpose flour has, it’s got 20% of your daily iron, AND it has a slightly higher protein content (15g). Brownies make you strong like bull.
Black Bean Brownies Video
How to make gluten-free black bean brownies
The secret to moist gluten-free brownies is black beans! They add structure and bulk, while also making them super soft and fudgy.
You’ll need to rinse, drain, and puree a can of black beans to make a good pasty base, then mix in the rest of your wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. I like to throw finely ground or instant coffee in with the dries. They add a little something something.
Mix the wets and dries separately to make sure everything gets mixed evenly. You can use one bowl, just be extra sure the baking powder is well mixed. If you’ve ever experienced a mouthful of baking powder due to uneven mixing, well, you’ll make sure things are mixed real well next time.
Then just pour into a pan, bake, and serve! I have this *condition* where I serve secretly healthy foods to unsuspecting eaters then ask them to guess the secret ingredient. And with this recipe, almost no one guesses the brownies are filled with beans!
What people have said about these fudgy black bean brownies
“These are the best brownies I’ve ever had!! You can’t even tell they have black beans in them. I followed the directions exactly, using coconut oil. I also used half milk chocolate chips and half dark chocolate chips because I didn’t have semi-sweet. Can’t stress enough how good these are!!!!”
Therese
“Simply delicious! Moist, dense but not gooey, and the perfect chocolateyness! (Is that a word? Who cares, it is now!)”
Angela
“OMG. These brownies are delicious!!! My family was hesitant to try them because of the ‘black beans’ but they had no problem gobbling them up!! I had to use an 11×7 pan so I only cooked for 30 minutes and they were the perfect, fudge-like consistency. I will be making these again!”
Victorria
More secretly healthy desserts you might like:
Chickpea Blondies
Chocolate Date Fudge
Banana Nice Cream
Salted Date Caramel
Sweet Potato Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- 3 large eggs
- 3 Tbsp flavorless oil, like canola or sunflower 45 mL
- 1 tsp vanilla 5 mL
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 30 g
- ⅔ cup sugar 120 g
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp finely ground or instant coffee optional
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 60 g
Instructions
- Wets: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Puree black beans in food processor into a rough paste. In a large bowl, mix together the bean puree, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
- Dries: In a separate bowl, combine cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt, and coffee (if using). Add the dry ingredients to the wets, then stir in chocolate chips.
- Bake: Grease an 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan, then line with parchment paper. Pour in batter and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the edges are visibly cooked and the center doesn’t jiggle much when you shake the pan (a toothpick may still come out a little gooey, that’s fine!)* Allow brownies to cool before cutting.
Tips & Tricks
- *For ultra-gooey brownies, remove brownies when the center still jiggles some. For firmer brownies, cook until toothpick comes out almost clean.
- For brownies that are really thick, double the recipe and add 15 to 20 minutes to the cooking time.
Nutrition Information
I originally posted this Black Bean Brownies recipe back when the blog was in its beginning years. I’ve since updated it with new photos and more clear instructions.
Heather says
These were pretty good, but my husband wasn’t in love and I think 30 minutes was just too long for my oven with an 8×8 pan for whatever reason. I’d like to try again to see if I can get them more like the main photo which looks amazing. On the other hand, my MIL LOVED them.
A very good result was that the brownies did not taste like beans! I was worried they would (which I knew my husband would hate) so I totally tasted the batter. The batter definitely tastes like black beans. But the bean flavor was absent in the final baked brownies.
cb says
Velvety & delicious! Not beany (though my tiny cuisinart couldn’t handle the can of beans and I had to toss one of the eggs in there to loosen it up, and maybe I had more detectible skins that a more powerful blender would have left.) Otherwise, stellar (and I need to upgrade my kitchen equipment…)
LALA says
This is a great recipe! I puréed the beans to a finer consistency with an addition of a bit of water, this seemed to make a big difference (so I didn’t see beans inside of brownie).
I added extra cocoa and extra coffee for flavor and used Splenda instead of sugar (1:1 ratio) and they came out delicious. You’re not able to tell they’ve got beans in them.
I love that they’re filling and great for an afternoon snack with coffee.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Joanne says
Could I use 2 eggs to prevent these from becoming cakey, or to make them more fudgey? We are not a fan of cake-like brownies, and 3 eggs seems like a lot – just wondering!
Sarah says
You could certainly try it! I’ve found that these are less cakey simply with a shorter bake time.
angie brumm says
can I cut the sugar? with what?
I have date sugar not quite as sweet
I have half and half brown sugar too sweet
I can use diet pancake syrup?
Sarah says
I probably wouldn’t use syrup, but other readers have had success with Splenda, Truvia, and Latanko!
Hope says
Wow, I am shocked by how good these are! I made them with black soy beans and monkfruit instead of sugar to make them keto friendly. I could taste the beans a little last night when they were still hot so I was not so sure about the recipe… But I can’t taste them at all today.
I underbaked them so they are super fudgey. Just delicious!
I blended the eggs in with the beans, needed more liquid to make my blender happy.
Michelle says
Great brownie. Not quite as dense as I’d like so I will try to cook less next time. I’m really surprised how something w no flour can taste so cake-y!!! Gone over a treat w everyone.
EBLEAU says
Who knew a brownie could be so “healthy” – moist – delicious
Yumminess devine.