When craving something decadent and healthy treat, these Supreme Black Bean Brownies are perfect! Plus, they are vegan, gluten-free and so easy to make!
Why We Love This Recipe!
Hands down these are the best black bean brownies ever! They are full of all the chocolate decadence you could ever want, all while being healthy in just about every way.
What we love most is that they are:
- 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. 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.
How To Make Easy Black Bean Brownies
Not only are vegan black bean brownies super healthy, but they’re super easy to make too!
Here is a quick overview with photos for reference:
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 as 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 to give it a little swirl.
Place in the oven and bake, and 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.
And there you have it, delicious, guilt-free Supreme Vegan Black Bean Brownies!
Top Tips
- You may like to make these without the peanut butter swirl opting to mix in ½ cup or so of fresh raspberries, blackberries or blueberries to the batter for something different.
How To Store Leftovers
Store black bean brownies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. For longer storage, they can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Adjusting For Dietary Restrictions
- Oil-Free: In place of oil, use plain unsweetened applesauce.
- Nut-Free: In place of nut butter, use sunflower or cashew butter.
More Healthy Vegan Desserts!
- Southern Blackberry Cobbler
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Brownies
- One Bowl Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- See all vegan dessert recipes on TSV!
If you try this easy black bean brownie recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintEASY BLACK BEAN BROWNIES (VEGAN + GLUTEN FREE)
Yep, there are black beans in these brownies! But you’d probably never know it unless you made them yourself. A truly decadent and healthy treat!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Makes 12 Brownies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ heaping cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut* or neutral-flavored oil (or applesauce)
- 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 5 tablespoons water)
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- 12 teaspoons natural peanut butter 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 it 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 scrape down the sides as needed. The batter should be about the consistency of pudding, not too thick, not too thin. Mix in chocolate chips.
Fill each cup about ¼ – ⅓ 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
Oil-free: Use plain unsweetened applesauce in place of oil.
Nut-Free: In place of nut butter, use sunflower or cashew butter.
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 ¼ cup maple syrup and ¼ cup of your favorite healthier sugar. The first batch I tried this way and it was slightly drier but not by much.
You may like to opt-out of using the nut butter swirl and adding in ½ 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 ¾ 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.
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S says
It would be great if there was a no-fat added version. These are have ~45% calories from fat. Otherwise, this recipe is outstanding!
★★★★
Lana says
I made these recently, followed recipe closely except I halved the oil. They came out well – they puff up and look cupcake-like while baking, then deflate after the cool down. I let them set for over 20 min. They held their shape when I removed from cupcake liner.
I look forward to making them again. I might omit oil next time. They’re not super sweet, and a great, high fiber and protein treat for brownie cravings :)
★★★★★
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!
Mel G says
I made these over the weekend and even without the chocolate chips they were amazing!!!
★★★★★
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.
Raven Shefferly says
8 had the same problem even after baking them for an additional 20 minutes.
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 :)
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. :)
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 :)
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! ????
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 :)