Black bean brownies?! Say what…yes, believe it or not these flourless brownies are quite possibly the most delicious homemade brownies you’ll ever make. Trust me on this one!
Black beans in brownies? Really? No, thanks…that’s what I originally thought when I first heard of black bean brownies.
There was absolutely no way that black beans could taste good in dessert or even come anywhere close to tasting like chocolate. Well, it turns out I was wrong.
Black Bean Brownies are actually an easy way to make delicious gluten free brownies. Oh, and they’re flourless brownies too! The perfect guilt-free dessert!
If you’ve tried to make homemade healthy brownies before, I’m going to guess and say you’ve probably tested some recipes that resulted in dry brownies.
If you’re a fan of cake-like brownies, maybe that’s not an issue but if you’re a fudgy brownie kind of person like me, you were probably a little disappointed.
Despite containing only 2 tablespoons of butter, these gluten-free brownies are deliciously fudgy and not at all dry. Just be sure to stick to the recommended bake time so as not to overcook them.
And there is so little clean-up because the whole thing is made in a blender! My Blendtec has a cleaning cycle, so it was literally done by the time I had my brownies in the oven.
So, what do these Black Bean Brownies taste like? Chocolate. Seriously. These flourless brownies turn black beans into something that tastes like chocolate.
I’ve even sampled these on people who didn’t know what they were and they never would have guessed they were eating Black Bean Brownies.
A good healthy brownie recipe is hard to find, so I definitely recommend trying this Black Bean Brownies. So here is the skinny on how to make black bean brownies:
- Preheat your oven and prepare a pan by lining with parchment paper for easy release. A square 9×9 pan works best.
- Place black beans and 1 egg in a blender, blending and scraping the sides until a paste forms. Add one egg at a time, blending between additions, if you add them all at once, it gets globby and yucky.
- Add honey, melted butter, vanilla extract and almond extract, blending well and scraping down the sides. Some folks use melted coconut oil for a dairy free version, but I don’t think the aftertaste of coconut. No need for granulated sugar since we are using honey!
- Add in cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, blending one more time until smooth. Some folks like using a melted butter and chocolate mix. You can use 2 ounces of melted and smooth chocolate, but I find cocoa powder to just be easier.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Top chocolate mixture with chocolate chips for the ultimate chocolate-y recipe.
- Bake and cool completely before lifting out of the pan and cutting. Are you ready to taste the greatest recipe ever for healthy(ish) brownies?
Whether you’re looking specifically for gluten-free brownies or flourless brownies are just trying to find a guilt-free homemade brownie recipe, you won’t find anything better than these.
I guarantee no one will ever know there are actually beans in these delicious brownies!
Try these other brownie recipes!
Flourless Avocado Brownies
Homemade Brownie Mix
Nutella Brownies
And brownie mix hacks in case you are feeling a little lazy. We won’t judge you.
Flourless Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 15 ounces black beans , rinsed and drained
- 3 eggs , lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons butter , melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 square baking dish with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.
- Place black beans and 1 egg in a blender, blending and scraping the sides until a paste forms.
- Add one egg at a time, blending between additions.
- Add honey, melted butter, vanilla extract and almond extract, blending well and scraping down the sides.
- Add in cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, blending one more time.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Top with chocolate chips.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center passes the toothpick test.
- Cool completely before cutting into 9 brownies.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
- Easy Homemade Brownies by Pretty Providence
- Brownie Peppermint Ice Cream Pie by Real Mom Kitchen
- Healthy Brownies by Namely Marly
- Simple Chocolate Orange Brownies by An Italian in my Kitchen
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies by Creations by Kara
- Chocolate Gingerbread Brownies by The Baker Upstairs
- Christmas Tree Brownies by SupergoldenBakes
And even more chocolate brownies recipes…
These are so good and easy to do . We just changed butter for coconut oil instead and took out the almond extract because we did not like the taste the first time we made these. Sometime we add a pinch of cinnamon to the mix. Big fan of these brownies! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thank so much for coming back to let us know!
These were fantastic and totally fudgy!!!
These were so delicious! I would take a picture but they are gone. I followed the recipe exactly and used coconut oil because we avoid dairy and was very pleased. I may have overcooked a tiny bit , a tiny bit dry , my fault.
Glad you loved them! Try our Avocado Brownies too!
Needed a GF treat for work, these are amazing. Can’t wait to trick everyone who thinks they only like “normal” food! I added a bit of espresso powder when adding the cocoa powder. I didn’t have a can of Black beans so I made dried beans in instant pot (30 min w water) … ty
LOL- I like to sneak them in as well. Glad you loved them!
These are fantastic! I added chopped pecans to half and chopped walnuts to the other half! Could never tell they are black bean brownies! Moist and rich!The almond extract adds a beautiful flavour as well. Will makes these as my new go to recipe! Thank you
Thanks for stopping by to let us know, Angie!
Thank you for the recipe! It was super nice! Mine was ready in 20 minutes and it was just perfect :smooth and creamy texture. And I put some dry cherry and just a handful of wall nuts( while blending). No one from my family could recognize beans in it! Amazing!
Awesome to hear and thank you for the feedback! I’ll totally try adding cherries 🙂
Best bean brownie recipe! I have tried similar recipes but this one is by far the best. Had white beans instead of black ones and brownies were so good!
These were very good. I added about 2 Tbs of maple syrup & used Special dark cocoa. When I do these again though, I will cut back on the almond flavor, but that is just my preference. Still very good with it. It took 32 mins bake time in OH. Thnx for the recipie!
Was excited to make these. They are good and I think I am going to try to make them moister . But over all I was pleased. Thank you for the recipe. When I was in Talkeetna Alaska at a little coffee shop , in July 2018 , is were I first fell in love with black bean brownies. Theirs were very moist . Today was my first attempt to make them . I will be experimenting to try and duplicate what I remember. Much heart felt thanks ???????????? Kendra Kerr
Thank YOU for stopping by to let us know! If you do make modifications, come back and let us know how it turned out. Readers often like to hear about how people made the recipe their own.