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Easy vegan black bean brownies are made in less than thirty minutes and are gluten-free, paleo, deliciously fudgy, and made with simple ingredients. Top with extra chocolate chips for an extra sweet treat!
Fine, I’ll admit it…
I am obsessed with baking with legumes and beans, and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon! After you eat these easy vegan black bean brownies, I’m sure you’ll be saying the same thing.
I have a strong reason to believe this, as chickpea brownies seem to be the most widely viewed and tried recipe on my site! I also get tagged in new chickpea brownie posts on Instagram at least 2-3 times a week. People love those chickpea recipes, that’s for sure!
Made with black beans, almond butter, and cocoa powder, these brownies turn out to be perfectly fudgy. Since they’re made from beans, they’re high in protein, aka healthy as heck. But, the best part about this recipe is that you’d genuinely have no idea they were made from beans. Like, the amount of you who have made these and mentioned that nobody could tell is pretty impressive!
I like to let my friends and family try these and mention how great they are before delving into my little vegan secret. They normally don’t even believe me! Dive into this recipe and try it for yourself.
While I really love these brownies, my Healthy Tahini Brownies are a close second. Highly recommend making both.
Ingredients used to make fudgy black bean brownies
Like my chickpea brownie recipe, this black bean rendition uses all vegan ingredients and is just as easy to make as a “standard” brownie recipe (they require only 10 minutes of prep time). They’re also completely free of gluten, and they match paleo diet guidelines!
Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Black beans (drained and rinsed)
- Almond butter (or any nut butter)
- Almond flour
- Cocoa powder (the darker, the more chocolatey)
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Chocolate chips
Tools you’ll need to make easy vegan black bean brownies
Only four main items will be needed to make this recipe. It’s a pretty simple black bean recipe that doesn’t create a huge mess in the kitchen!
- Food processor
- Spoon or spatula
- 8×8 baking dish
- Nonstick spray
And, for measuring, you’ll need the following sizes: 1/4 tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, 1/4 cup, and 1/2 cup.
How to make easy vegan black bean brownies
If you’ve ever made a single batch of brownies in your life, you’ll be able to whip this together just as easy. I, for one, am at the point where I feel like I can essentially make brownies with my eyes closed! It’s just one of those recipes that’s crazy simple.
To start, preheat the oven to 350F.
In a food processor, blend the beans, nut butter, almond flour, cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Scrape down the sides as needed.
Then, once creamy and smooth, take off the lid and stir in the chocolate chips.
Do not process the chips.
Pour the batter into a greased 8×8 pan and add more chocolate chips on top if desired.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Store on the counter for 24 hours, or keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.
A healthier brownie alternative
There’s something about experimenting with healthy ingredients and figuring out what works and what doesn’t that’s so exciting! It’s probably my favorite part about recipe development, despite the fact that I lose lots of ingredients along the way.
Here are some of the ingredients that work magically in this recipe and are great, healthier alternatives!
Black beans
First up on the list of healthy ingredients in this recipe are of course the black beans! This is a great addition because not only does their consistency work well to make soft, fudgy, brownies, they also supply healthy amounts of protein and fiber!
Almond butter
Almond butter is always my go-to nut butter, as it’s filled with healthy fats and lots of protein and is a personally favorite option than standard peanut butter. Go with the all-natural kind, always!
Almond flour
Next up, almond flour is my favorite alternative to regular all-purpose flour. It’s low-carb, nutrient rich, and works so well in most baking recipes!
Maple syrup
If you’re a regular on my blog, you know that maple syrup is in almost all of my dessert recipes! It’s the perfect all-natural sweetener that provides a delicious taste of subtle sweetness.
Cocoa powder
For chocolate flavor, cocoa powder is the way to go. The darker the power the more chocolatey it will taste, which is why my go-to is Hershey’s extra dark flavor.
Coconut oil
Finally, coconut oil is the perfect replacement for vegetable or canola oil thanks to its supply of healthy fats.
If you liked these brownies, you’ll want to try my other brownie recipes too!
Brownies are always a hit. They’re perfect for gatherings, and I’ll admit that I find myself sneaking them for breakfast every now and then. I mean, it’s equivalent to eating a morning muffin, right? Below are some of my favorite brownie flavors that I know you’ll love too!
- Pecan Pie Brownies
- Paleo Zucchini Brownies
- Healthy Pumpkin Brownies
- Raw Peanut Butter Cup Freezer Brownies
Easy Vegan Black Bean Brownies
These easy vegan black bean brownies are made in less than thirty minutes, are gluten free, paleo, deliciously fudgy, and made with simple ingredients. Top with extra chocolate chips for extra chocolate deliciousness.
Ingredients
- 1 – 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed.
- 1/2 cup almond butter (or any nut butter)
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (the darker, the more chocolatey)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a food processor, blend beans, nut butter, almond flour, cocoa, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Scrape down sides as needed.
- Once creamy and smooth, take off lid and stir in chocolate chips.
- Do not process the chips.
- Pour into greased 8×8 pan and add more chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Store on counter for 24 hours or fridge for 1 week.
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Katelyn says
You would never know these had black beans in them. These brownies were chocolatey and moist and paired great with some vanilla dairy free ice cream for a brownie sundae 🤤. Erin Lives Whole is definitely my go to site for finding healthy easy recipes to satisfy my sweet tooth!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Katelyn, so happy you loved them and thank you SO much for the support!!
Svetlana Nelson says
Absolutely the best! I did not have brownies for a long time, 3 years at least since I became vegan and this recipe is so good! I already made it twice, once to try and second time for a family get together and it was a hit both times! Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Svetlana, so glad you and your family enjoyed them! 🙂
Paula says
My god….I used tahini and peanut butter. These are the besttt
Chris says
I don’t do sugar, has anyone used stevia in place of the maple syrup?
Lili says
Great recipe. I used almond meal instead of almond flour and I added a few chopped walnuts.
I did find that they were extremely gooey after 22 minutes so I put them in for another 5 minutes….2 or 3 times. I still found after they cooled that they fell apart easily. Could that be because I used almond meal instead of flour?
I love the flavour however so I think next time I am going to experiment with using flax eggs to see if that helps hold them together better.
Looking forward to enjoying this with some vegan coffee ice cream!!
Erin says
Hi Lili, yes, almond meal is not nearly as fine as almond flour, so it will cause things to crumble and fall apart! Try again with almond flour and love the ice cream with it. Yum!!
Christina says
These are sooooo good. I substituted gluten free flour for the almond flour. I also made them into brownie bites so I can eat just one. This will be in my rotation for sure. I am not a chocolate fan, but I do like brownies.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Christina, so happy you enjoyed them and made them your own! 🙂
Claire Langlois says
Delicious! It’s fondant in your mouth and firm enough to be hold in your hand. It’s a keeper. Lovely combination almond butter, maple syrup and cocoa, a lot of my favorites. I used my new Cuisinart robot. It worked perfectly. Since my can of black beans was 19 ounce more than the recipe asked for. I had proportionally a little more( about a third more) of everything. I also grind my whole almonds to have the flour. Thanks so much. All the best!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Claire, I am so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Ilana says
These are absolutely amazing! So fudgy and perfect. Plus the ease of throwing everything into a food processor, just makes these that much better.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Ilana, so happy you enjoyed them!!
Tracey Harper says
These are a family favourite! I make them all the time! Thanks Erin for all the amazing recipes!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Tracey, so glad you love the brownies!!
katie says
hey erin 🙂 I want to make a double batch… i have 1tin black beans and 1tin chickpeas; is there much difference baking with the two different types of beans or do you think I’ll get away mixing the two and following the rest of the recipe as is stated? thanks so much.
Erin says
Hi Katie, yes you can definitely mix the two! Let me know how they come out!
Giovonne says
These are SO. GOOD. I think I found my new favorite dessert (and snack…and post-lunch nibbles..). I used chocolate protein powder instead of cocoa powder for even more protein, and they turned out amazingly delicious. They blended up perfectly in my Vitamix! Since I ate a third of them already today, I see another batch in my very near future!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Giovonne, thank you for sharing! I am so happy you love the brownies!
Nicole Pinkerman says
I’ve made many black bean brownies over the years & I’d never liked a single one till now! These are delicious!! You can’t tell they’re made with beans. Thank you so much for this recipe & for restoring my faith in bean desserts:) You & your recipes are amazing!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Nicole, thank you so much for sharing! I am so happy you found my recipe and loved them!!
Hannah Wilding says
Hello! I would love to make these! Do you have the measurements in grams?
Erin says
Hi Hannah, thanks for your kind words! I am so sorry, but I don’t. You’d have to use an online converter. Let me know how they come out for you!
Megan says
Was pleasantly surprised at how little I tasted the beans but how good of a texture they added to the brownies. They are almost like fudge- I like them best cold out of the fridge!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Megan, I’m so glad you enjoyed the brownies and love them out the fridge too! 🙂
Molly says
I made these for the first time yesterday and they are so so so good! I used 1 tbsp applesauce instead of oil because I didnt feel like opening a new jar but they came out super moist & fudgy & perfect so I doubt it made a difference.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Molly! I am so glad you tried the brownies and they came out so well! Thanks for your kind words!!
Bethany says
These were delicious!!! I added dark chocolate chunks and a few butterscotch chips to the top. I waited until my husband had eaten two and told me how good there were before I told him they had black beans in them! 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Bethany! I am so happy you both enjoyed the brownies and made them your own! 🙂
Juli says
I never bought black beans or even tried them until I decided to finally see what the hype was all about with this recipe. Black beans are now a staple in my pantry and I make these brownies at least once a week for my roommate and I to have as an after dinner treat every night. We look forward to it and love that we don’t have to feel guilty for this sweet indulgence! They are SO fudgy from the black beans and Erin is just a genius for thinking of that ingredient to make these perfect. Ps.. you don’t taste the black beans at all!! 🤩
Erin says
Hi Juli, I am so happy you’re converted to a black bean lover now!! Thank you for your kind words and support!! 🙂
Judy says
I love these even more than the chickpea brownies! The taste and texture is pretty much the same as normal brownies. Sooo good!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Judy! Thank you so much for your kind words! I am thrilled you liked them!
Kelly says
I love these–even more than your vegan chickpea brownies! Very moist and delish and relatively healthy! I will say that my vegan teen did not care for them and much prefers your chickpea brownies. To each her own! 🙂
Thank you for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kelly, thank you for the kind words!! I am so happy you enjoyed them and both of you like my recipes!!
Technolong says
These brownies are ridiculously simple to make. They require a handful of ingredients you likely have on hand, and all you need is a food processor (or a blender) and a muffin tin. Does clean up get much easier than that? Let me answer that, NO.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi!! Thanks for your kind words! I am so happy you enjoyed these and their fast clean up! 🙂