The easy black bean brownie is here!
And if I do say so myself, they’re supreme and full of all the chocolate decadence you could ever want! All while being healthy in just about every way.
- flourless
- eggless
- gluten-free
- made with the simple ingredients
- virtually guilt free
- vegan
If you haven’t tried your hand at making vegan black bean brownies, I hope this will inspire you. There are many black bean brownie recipes around the web for you to try, and here is my spin on this simple, decadent & healthy treat.
- Adding a dollop of peanut butter only makes it better. Each one is full of fiber, protein and essential vitamins and minerals.
- Feel free to change it up with other ingredients. You may like to make these without the peanut butter swirl opting to mix in 1/2 cup or so of fresh raspberries, blackberries or blueberries to the batter for something different. You may even like to sprinkle them with organic powdered sugar.
However you like yours, I hope you enjoy every bite!
HOW TO MAKE EASY BLACK BEAN BROWNIES
Not only are they super healthy, they’re super easy to make!
Simply place the main ingredients in your blender/food processor. I know it doesn’t look too appealing but…
Once you’ve blended everything together you’ll get the most amazing, chocolate batter ever. Out of beans no less!
It blends up to be the consistency of pudding and you’ll probably be licking the bowl clean like I did. In fact, I can’t decide if I like the batter or the brownies better, both are delicious!
Place the batter into your prepared muffin tin, add a teaspoon of peanut butter to the center, using a toothpick give it a little swirl. Place in the oven and bake, and in in no time your home will begin to smell like cocoa heaven!
Once done, let cool a bit. They remind me somewhat of Reese’s peanut butter cups in brownie form (they were an old favorite before my transition).
Break one open and say Ahhh! They pair perfectly with a tall glass of milk or fresh seasonal berries.
EASY BLACK BEAN BROWNIES (VEGAN + GLUTEN FREE)
Yep, there’s black beans in these brownies! But you’d probably never know it unless you made them yourself. A truly decadent and healthy treat!
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 heaping cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut* or neutral flavored oil
- 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 5 tablespoons water)
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- 12 teaspoons natural peanut or almond butter (divided), chilled
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make your flax egg in a small bowl by combining the flax-seed meal and water, mix well. Place in refrigerator for at 5 – 7 minutes to set. Should be thick and goupy when ready.
Prepare your muffin tin by lightly greasing with oil. Use muffin liners if you prefer.
In a food processor/blender, add black beans, flax-eggs, cocoa powder, maple syrup, oil, baking powder and vanilla. Blend until creamy stopping to scrap down the sides as needed. Batter should be about the consistency of pudding, not too thick, not too thin. Mix in chocolate chips.
Fill each cup about 1/4 – 1/3 full. Use any remaining batter to make sure all tins are equally filled. Place 1 teaspoon of chilled nut butter in the center of each cup. Using a toothpick, chopstick or something pointy, swirl the nut butter into the chocolate.
Place in oven on middle rack and bake for 22 – 25 minutes. Let cool about 15 – 20 minutes. Using a butter knife, gently guide the knife around the outside of the muffin making sure it is away from the pan. Gently nudge under each brownie with the knife and lift removing from the tin.
Makes 12
NOTES:
I found the nut butter does best when chilled before baking, otherwise it’s very runny when trying to mix with the batter and won’t look as good once baked.
You can use 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup of your favorite healthier sugar. My first batch I tried it this way, it was slightly drier but not by much.
You may like to opt out of using the nut butter swirl and adding in 1/2 cup or so of fresh/frozen blueberries, raspberries or blackberries.
*If using coconut oil, be sure it’s in liquid form. Make sure maple syrup is at room temperature or it will harden the coconut oil with its coolness.
If you don’t have flaxseeds or flaxseed meal on hand, try using 3/4 of mashed banana. You can also try using a chia seed egg. Mix 2 tablespoon chia seeds + 6 tablespoons water in a small bowl, set aside for 7 – 10 minutes to thicken.
Jennifer Cameron says
Hi, I recently signed up for your newsletter, and want to tell you how much I love your recipes. These brownie cups look absolutely amazing, and the recipe is so original! I am planning to make them for a birthday celebration this weekend! And am definitely going to buy your ebook!
Thank you!
warm regards,
Jennifer
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Thank you so much Jennifer! Your feedback makes my day. Have a great weekend and enjoy everything! :)
Jessica says
Looks delicious! I’m going to try using frozen berries in place of the nut butter, should I leave them who,e or mash them slightly?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Great question! I was thinking about that as I was typing in fact. I think giving them a quick chop would be a good idea, especially if they are on the larger size. Sounds so good! I was eating mine with some fresh blackberries and that was pretty amazing. Enjoy!
Liz says
Wow, these looks (and sound) amazing! I love how you baked them in cupcake tins. Pinned!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Thank you! xo
Carrie says
Looks delish! Are these made with a regular size muffin tin? I can’t tell. Thanks!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
These are made in a regular size tin. Your welcome!
Joyce says
When do you add the flax eggs? I’m assuming that they go in the blender with everything else.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Oops, fixed! Thanks for pointing that out. :)
Dana says
I’ve been unable to print any of the recipes on the new website – the PRINT FRIENDLY button doesn’t seem to work. If you hover near the PRINT FRIENDLY button, the Pinterest symbol comes up and you can pin it, but not print. Glitch?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
I see what you mean with the pin it button, strange. You can hit the button to print just be sure to hit it at the far left, seemed to work for me. Thank you for pointing that out, I’ll see what I can do about the pin it button.
Also, I’m glad you weren’t able to print yet as I just had to change the baking ‘soda’ to ‘powder’.
Thanks for pointing that out! :)
Dana says
Thanks Julie, though still no luck for me peinting, even on the far left side of the print button.
Linda Cicerello says
Hi, this looks Yummy, I want to make this for tonight, anything chocolate is my weekness lol but what if you dont have flaxseed meal what can I use?
Thank You
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
I would suggest using 1/2 – 3/4 of a mashed banana.
If you don’t mind little seeds you could try making chia seed eggs. 2 tablespoons chia seeds + 6 tablespoons of water, mix together in a small bowl and let set about 7 – 10 minutes to thicken.
If you use any of these options we’d love to here how it went! :)
Lisa says
Hi Linda,
I don’t know about this specific recipe but I substituted flax eggs with chia eggs before. This might work here es well as it works the same way!
Other than that – I can’t wait to try them as well, they sound and look ridiculously good!
Linda says
Thank you lisa and I know right lol I love chocolate and peanut butter just so heavenly lol. I guess I will have to invest in flax. Sorry but I do have another question I seen 2 different flax one is seeds and one is meal. Which one to get.
Linda says
Wow Julie omg that’s awesome lol yes I will try using the banana which I always have on hand. Thanks so much for the suggestion. I will still invest in flax but its always nice to have other options.
Tashana says
Thank you – my new favourite site. I’ve made this recipe and two others today :)
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Thank you Tashana! I hope you continue to enjoy everything. Cheers :)
Jules says
I just made these today. OMG!! These are the BEST tasting vegan brownies ever!! All I can say these won’t last long in my house.
Beckie says
Hey there,
I’m a massive fan and make your recipes all the time! Sadly, when I made these the middle of them collapsed and became a big crater :( I followed the recipe exactly, do you have any ideas as to why this might be?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Hi Becky, I’m sorry these didn’t turn out for you. Nothing like having expectations and it doesn’t turn out as expected. The only think I can think of is maybe the oven wasn’t completely heated or possibly altitude. Maybe you could try adding two teaspoons of baking powder and see if that helps. I hope you don’t give up and try it again with better luck!
Lena Blue says
Hello Julie
This is one awesome recipe I can’t wait to try! I only need to go and buy some cocoa ^^Which brand of cocoa did you use for these? Is it dutch processed or not?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Use your favorite cocoa/cacao powder. I’m always trying new ones and used Ghirardelli here. Enjoy!
camille says
Hello!
is it possible to remplace the black bean for another kind of bean (like chickpeas or white kidney beans)
i want to make the recipe tonight and i dont have black beans unfortunately!
thank you ! (and sorry for my english it’s not y main language!)
p.s I LOVE your website so much!!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Absolutely, you can use chickpeas or white kidney beans in place of the black beans. The color may be a little lighter but it’ll will stick taste the same. Enjoy :)
Mary says
I am a new vegan + have been gluten free for some time and I am so happy I found your blog! I am making 3 recipes this weekend, including the brownies. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes!
Kristen says
I just made these today too and mine also collapsed in the middle and were undercooked in the middle even after 20 minutes in the oven. I even did the toothpick trick and then seemed done but I guess not. They still taste really good though.
Jess | Urban Alchemy says
Wow these look beyond incredible!! Pinned :)!!
Darlene says
I made these yesterday and they are amazingly delicious! My husband keeps commenting that he can’t believe they’re made from black beans! One question…what would happen if I use less oil? I love the coconut flavor from the oil but trying to watch fat content.
Thank you for sharing all your recipes. We’re really having fun trying them. ????
JAILI says
This recipe is definitely a keeper! I couldn’t believe how I could not tell the difference from a brownie made with black beans versus one made traditionally.
Andrea says
Hi!!! This looks great! :) I may be missing something, but I read through all the comments and I couldn’t find it… You don’t specify how much nut butter to use, did you? Sorry if I completely missed it!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Hi Andrea, it’s in the instructions…one teaspoon nut butter per brownie. Enjoy :)
Shannon says
Hi! These are delicious, but, like a couple other commenters, mine also collapsed in the center. I’ll do as you suggested above and double the baking powder next time. Trial and error but still edible! ????
Jessica says
I am making these now and I am not sure how to know if they are done. Does the toothpick trick work with these like with a regular cake or brownies? They are looking beautiful but I put them back in the oven to make sure they get done in the middle, but I don’t want to burn them either. Any advice is appreciated!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Going back in the oven won’t hurt them. They can be a little tricky because sometimes the center stays a little softer or the peanut butter can stay moist. When in doubt, cook a few minutes longer to be safe as ovens can vary. They should be fine. And if they are a little moister in the center they will still be delicious, rich and moist brownies. Hope it all comes out perfectly! Cheers :)
Agata says
I’m not vegan and I was wondering if using normal eggs works like flax eggs? Or is there anything I should decrease, increase the amount of?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yes, flax eggs work like chicken eggs one for one in this recipe. :)
Vanessa says
Hi,
I’m not vegan personally, would this recipe work with actual eggs instead of flax seed eggs? Or is better to use banana as a replacement? Flax isn’t something I’d usually have on hand and would very rarely use it.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
You can sub either of those, 1 egg or 1/2 mashed overripe banana! Enjoy :)
Cami Kangleon says
I followed the recipe. I baked them for 22 minutes and they came out completely liquidy. Cooked around the edges then there is a pool of hot bean brownie batter
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
So sorry they didn’t turn out as expected. Not sure what could have happened here. I’m hoping once they cooled down, the center thickened up enough to hold them.
Melanie says
Do I need to use chocolate chips
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
No, if you would rather not use chocolate chips, they’ll be fine without them. Enjoy!