Black Bean Brownies turn out perfectly gooey and chocolaty. You won’t even be able to taste the black beans in these healthy brownies.
Classic Fudgy Brownies are a favorite recipe, perfect for bringing to potlucks and bake sales, or enjoying with your family. This black bean recipe makes it so you can enjoy the rich Dessert Recipe even on a gluten-free diet.
Table of Contents
Sabrina’s Black Bean Brownies Recipe
Black beans may seem like a pretty unconventional ingredient for a chocolate brownie recipe. However, by blending the black beans with more classic brownie ingredients, you can make the perfect gluten-free brownie batter that still tastes sweet and chocolaty. Not only do the black beans make the recipe gluten-free, but they also add fiber and protein and just make a more healthy recipe overall.
Although beans make up a good portion of the batter, the brownies don’t actually taste like beans. They’re the same chocolate snack you know and love. Even picky eaters can enjoy this take on classic brownies. There is no reason not to enjoy your favorite treats on a gluten-free diet, and if you love this recipe then make sure to check out Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies next.
Ingredients
- Black Beans: Ahead of starting the recipe, be sure to carefully rinse and drain the black beans. This is essential to make sure the brownies don’t have an unpleasant bean taste. After they’re carefully rinsed, you’ll combine the beans with classic brownie recipe ingredients for a tasty dessert.
- Oil: The oil adds an important fat ingredient that helps keep the recipe moist. Blending oil and eggs into the pureed bean mixture creates a smooth consistency so that the Black Bean Brownies don’t turn out grainy.
- Sugar: You’ll use both granulated sugar and brown sugar for this recipe. Using both sweeteners helps create the perfect velvety brownie texture. The molasses content in brown sugar adds a rich flavor that pairs wonderfully with the chocolate. Keep in mind, brown sugar also absorbs more moisture. This makes soft baked goods, but if you use only brown sugar it can also make the recipe dense. Adding half white sugar helps to balance that out beautifully.
- Cocoa Powder: Get the amazing chocolate flavor by adding unsweetened cocoa powder to the batter. The cocoa makes up a bulk of the flavor and ensures you taste delicious brownies and not black beans.
- Chocolate: Get double the rich, chocolaty flavor by adding dark chocolate chunks to the batter. Be sure to reserve some of the chocolate to sprinkle over the top of the brownies.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Baking Dish: A 9×13-inch baking dish fits this brown batter perfectly. You can use any type of pan, metal, ceramic, or glass, just watch the bake times as they will bake a different rates.
- Cooking Spray: You will choose cooking spray to ensure the brownies don’t stick to your pan. Just don’t choose baking spray because it contains gluten. You can also grease the pan with just butter.
- Blender: In order to turn chunky black beans into a creamy brownie batter, you’ll need to use a blender. You could also use a food processor to do the job.
- Offset Spatula: An offset spatula is the right tool to spread the batter out into your baking dish. It will distribute the batter evenly while also creating a nice, smooth top.
- Toothpick: Just like with regular brownies, you will use a toothpick to test that these gluten-free brownies are done cooking. Look for the toothpick to come out clean the same way you would with other brownie recipes.
How to Make
Time needed: 35 minutes.
- Prep Time
Preheat the oven temperature to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Note that baking spray contains gluten. If you want to keep the recipe gluten-free, you can grease the pan with butter and then dust with cocoa powder.
- Bean Mixture
Add the black beans, vegetable oil, and eggs to a high-speed blender or food processor. Then blend for 1 minute at full speed.
- Brownie Batter
Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, baking powder, and kosher salt to the blender. Then blend the brownie mixture for another 15 seconds.
- Chocolate Chunks
Add half the dark chocolate chunks and stir them into the brownie mixture.
- Spread
Pour the black bean brownie batter into the prepared baking dish, and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.
- Topping
Sprinkle the remaining dark chocolate chunks on top.
- Baking Time
Put the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean. Then remove the Black Bean Brownies from the oven.
- Slice
Let the brownies cool before slicing them into squares and serving.
Can Black Bean Brownies be made ahead?
Yes, you can make these brownies ahead of time. They will keep well for a couple of days on the counter, and for longer in the refrigerator. Just make the brownies and seal them tightly. Cut them into squares fresh, on the day you want to serve them. They’ll still taste fantastic!
Nutritional Facts
What to Pair With Black Bean Brownies
These brownies would be excellent as a snack paired with a glass of milk, Chocolate Milk, Cold Brew Coffee, or Hot Chocolate. Wrap them up individually and enjoy them on the go with your lunch, or bring smiles by adding a brownie to your loved one’s lunch box. Create a more decadent dessert by pairing the Black Bean Brownies with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream or Chocolate Ice Cream.
How to Store
Serve: After the cooking time, don’t leave this Black Bean Brownie recipe out at room temperature for more than two hours.
Store: You can cover the brownies and store them on the counter for up to 2 days, or put them in the fridge where they can stay good for up to 5 days.
Freeze: You can also keep this recipe in the freezer for up to 3 months. To easily freeze the brownies, start by slicing them into squares and placing them in the freezer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once the brownies harden, you can transfer them to a large ziplock bag or another freezer-safe airtight container. By freezing them flat first, you’ll prevent the brownies from sticking together in the freezer. To thaw frozen brownies, unwrap them and let them sit on the countertop to defrost. You can pop them in the oven for a few minutes if you want to heat them up.
Ideas to Serve Black Bean Brownies
Black Bean Brownies are special enough to serve them all on their own! However you can also serve them with some delicious toppings to make them extra special. Try topping them with Whipped Cream, Chocolate Whipped Cream, Raspberry Sauce, or Salted Caramel Sauce. Cover them in rainbow sprinkles to make gluten-free birthday brownies. Top them with Cream Cheese Frosting for a tangy twist. Drizzle them with Chocolate Ganache for the ultimate chocolate-lover’s treat. You can also simply serve the brownies with a side of berries to add a little acidity and tart flavor to match the rich chocolate.
Frequent Questions
Yes, this recipe is naturally gluten-free. By blending the black beans in the food processor, you’ll create a gluten-free base for the brownie batter to use instead of all-purpose flour. This is a great alternative to classic brownies for anyone on a gluten-free diet.
Although baking with black beans may sound risky, you actually don’t taste the beans in these brownies. The chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder and the dark chocolate chunks, not to mention the other dessert ingredients like vanilla extract, white sugar, and brown sugar, make the brownies taste like… well, brownies. They have a smooth texture, rich flavor, and delicious chocolate chunks throughout. If you didn’t know they were Black Bean Brownies, you’d never guess.
Yes. While this is still a dessert recipe containing a fair amount of sugar, oil, and chocolate, the addition of black beans makes them much healthier than a standard brownie recipe. Black beans are a rich source of minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. They’re also low in fat and contain quality carbohydrates. Black beans make chocolaty brownies rich in fiber and protein. It’s a great way to enjoy one of your favorite desserts while sticking to your dietary goals.
While beans are easy to swap out in cooking, you’ll want to stick to black beans for this brownie recipe. Different bean varieties come with different flavor profiles, so you won’t get the same brownie-like taste using another type of bean.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 30 ounces black beans , rinsed and drained very well
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 5 large eggs
- 2/3 cups brown sugar , packed
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups dark chocolate chunks , divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with baking spray (caution this will have gluten, if you want something gluten free then butter the dish and dust with cocoa powder).
- In a high speed blender add the beans, vegetable oil, and eggs.
- Blend for 1 minute on full speed.
- Add in the brown sugar, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.
- Blend for 15 seconds.
- Stir in half the dark chocolate chunks.
- Pour into the baking pan, spread evenly.
- Top with remaining 1 cup of dark chocolate.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool before slicing.
Nutrition
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Variations
- Black Bean Walnut Brownies: To add a crunchy texture and more delicious flavor to this recipe, you can mix walnuts into the brownie filling. Swap out half of the dark chocolate chunks for chopped walnuts, and mix them in until well distributed. You could also use other kinds of nuts like almonds, pecans, or macadamia nuts.
- Chocolate Chips: The original recipe uses dark chocolate chips, but if you prefer you could swap out the dark chocolate chunks for semisweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips. Additionally, you could incorporate new flavors with white chocolate or peanut butter chips. The chocolate chips add to the chocolate taste in the recipe, so if you want to add peanut butter flavor, try doing half peanut butter chips and half regular chocolate chips.
- Frosted Brownies: For a more cakey version of these chocolate bars, you can top them off with Rich Chocolate Frosting. If you’re adding chocolate frosting, leave the additional chocolate chips off of the top of the brownies. Wait for the Black Bean Brownies to completely cool before spreading chocolate frosting over the top.
- Maple Syrup: For an extra fudgy brownie recipe, you can make this dish with maple syrup in place of the refined sugar in the recipe.
- Coffee: As a secret ingredient to enhance the chocolate taste, you can mix in 1 teaspoon of instant coffee or espresso powder. The coffee flavor actually makes the chocolate a bit sweeter.
- Mix-ins: There are lots of mix-ins that you can add to brownie recipes. Try adding sweetened coconut flakes, toffee bits, M&Ms, caramel, or flaky sea salt to the recipe. Just make sure not to add any gluten ingredients if you’re trying to keep this recipe gluten-free.
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