Black Bean Brownies Recipe

square very dark brown black bean brownies with visible lighter brown chocolate chips on white paper

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4.98 from 145 votes

These black bean brownies actually taste like the rich, chocolate brownies you crave, but without any flour at all!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Chilling time45

Course: Bars, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: black bean brownies

Servings: brownies

Author: Nicole Hunn

Equipment

Blender or food processor

Ingredients

1 standard can black beans drained and rinsed well
2 eggs at room temperature
¼ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed, canola, peanut, or vegetable)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee (decaf is fine)
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed, your choice)
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
3 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips optional

Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan securely with parchment paper or line with aluminum foil that is nonstick or greased well. Set the pan aside.
In a blender or food processor, place the drained and rinsed beans, eggs, oil, vanilla and coffee, and blend or process until smooth.
In a large bowl, place the cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar, and whisk to combine well, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar.
Create a well in the center of the cocoa powder mixture and add the pureed bean mixture. Mix until well-combined. The mixture will be very soft.
Add about half of the (optional) chocolate chips to the batter and mix to combine.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer with a spatula or by shaking the pan from side to side. Sprinkle the remaining (optional) chocolate chips even on top of the batter, and press down gently to help the chips adhere.
Place the baking pan in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until the top springs back when pressed gently with a finger (about 25 minutes).
Continue to bake your brownies until the top is set, and it springs back when pressed gently in the center with your forefinger. And when you shake the pan gently from side to side, it doesn't jiggle at all.
For cakier brownies, lower the oven temperature to 300°F and continue to bake for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the center is really stable.
Remove the pan from the oven, place it on a wire rack (still in the pan) and allow to cool until no longer hot to the touch.
Remove from the pan and slice into squares with a sharp knife. For cleaner slicing, place the bars still in the cooled pan in the freezer for 10 minutes or the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.
Remove the brownies from the pan by lifting up on the paper or foil, and place it on a flat cutting surface. Using a large, sharp knife, slice into 9 equal pieces using one swift motion per cut.
Serve immediately after slicing.

Video

Notes

Originally published here on the blog in 2016. In 2020, video and some text added, recipe unchanged; in 2022, more text and one photo added.

Nutrition