Vegan Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies

Great recipe! Taste even better than regular brownies. Will make this again and again… :)

I love these brownies. Have made them more than once. I don’t even remember how many times. You’re recipes are no fail every time.

I reduced the oil by substituting applesauce and they were still so good. They turned out to have more of a flourless cake texture. Very dense and soft. A little homemade hazelnut spread on top with some raspberries and my family devoured them. Sooo good

These came out great! I followed the recipe as written, except we added peanut butter cups in between layers of the batter. Definitely made them not healthy, but made for a fantastic treat.

I’ve never tried a black bean brownie before, and I am impressed! I’ll be making these again. I tend to go a little overboard with baked goods so I wanted something healthier than the normal brownie, and I’m glad I found this recipe. Substitutions: I used eggs instead of flaxseed, brown sugar instead of cane, and subbed one tbs of light olive oil for coconut, and I added chocolate chips on top. I didn’t do individual servings, but used a 9×9 pan (25 minutes was perfect), with a greased parchment sling, let them cool and then chilled the pan in the fridge before slicing (they sliced beautifully). Thanks for developing this recipe!

I made this recipe (minus the nuts) for my friend that’s on the auto-immune protocol diet and they turned out amazing! So fudgey and rich and decadent. I added mini marshmallows on top during the last few minutes of bake time, then torched the tops afterwards for incredible healthy s’mores brownies. Will definitely make again! And I also used silicone muffin cups, which made taking them out a breeze.

These turned out delicious! My stepdaughter was requesting to make black bean brownies and we came across this recipe. The only modification I made was that we used eggs because we didn’t have flax meal to make the flax egg on hand. They turned out a little less fudgey as described, with a more cake-like texture – and still amazing! We’ll have to try it again with the flax egg just to see the difference. My skeptical husband even loved them – we will definitely be making these again!

This recipe is phenomenal! If you love uber-rich, decadent (think molten lava cake) brownies,
this is the recipe for you!

I needed a chocolate fix and followed this recipe replacing the oil with unsweetened applesauce, and the sugar with maple syrup.

I was in a hurry and didn’t want to mess with muffin cups so I put it in a loaf pan and cooked it for the recommended time. OMG! It is heavenly!

I simply cannot believe these brownies are made of black beans …no eggs or flour!! They were not only simple to make, they taste AMAZING! I’m trying to make better decisions in terms of eating choices! With this recipe there is no sacrificing! Thank you for sharing!

I made these today for non-vegan friends. The brownies were a complete hit. They were blown away by the fact that there wasn’t any flour and instead beans and flax seeds were used.

I am a complete novice in the kitchen and especially with baking, and so was very nervous about entertaining. I want to thakyou for the recipe and the inspiration to make something vegan, relatively healthy yet tasty for my friends and their 4 year old twin girls as well as my husband and 4 year old little boy. Thanks to you we had A successful dinner party.

Just made these for a picnic with friends, followed the recipe exactly and baked for 20 minutes topped with walnuts. Have just eaten one chilled from the fridge and it is SO delicious and nice and gooey on the inside. I used a good quality fair-trade organic cocoa powder and the flavour is lovely. Will be serving them with blueberries or strawberries, I think that will go well. Love that they’re individual little cakes, it makes a nice change from brownie squares. Thank you!

It’s a fantastic recipe as is. The only thing I did different was add 1 tsp of cinnamon. I adore it with chocolate. We are plant based and my kiddo cannot have gluten so this was a really great, simple recipe.

thank you this recipe is yummy! I used my silicone muffin pan and it worked great :))

So rich and dark and fudgy! I even forgot there were black beans in it. My new favorite go-to healthy brownie recipe!

Yummmm! I like to make a recipe as written before modifying. So, my first try I only subbed maple syrup for the sugar. However, I completely forgot the oil. I was bringing them to a work dessert party, so I knew I would be making another batch. They were good, but not as sweet as I knew people would expect. Maybe it was a problem with the maple syrup substitution.

My second batch was amazing! I remembered the oil and added some extra brown sugar, along with the maple syrup sub again. Topped with vegan chocolate chips. They were a hit. No taste of black beans at all. A bit gooey inside. I used a good Dutch processed cocoa. And I made some of them in a mini cupcake pan because I was doing a double batch.

I will definitely be making these again. I might try using dates as a sweetener.

I loved this! I wasn’t sure it would be good after tasting the batter, but once it was cooked…heavenly!

I have now made this a number of times over the past year or so, I am currently sitting in front of the oven waiting for my fourth dozen to be done, as I am baking for my two daughters’ birthday party and one of their best friends has a complex range of food intolerances. This is one of two cake-type recipes her guts can tolerate, and she really likes it.

The only change I made was to use chia instead of flaxseed, because that is what I had in quantity.

Thank you for this recipe. I like eating, but not so much cooking and baking. Something like this is very achievable for a novice.

I followed most of the recipe. I had to use olive oil because that’s what I had. I used dark chocolate cocoa powder because I thought it would help make it taste more “chocolate-y”. I had to mix it like one of the other commentors said with the nutribullet and separate bowl. To me, I can taste the beans and flax quite distinctly. The texture is fine, like fudgy brownies, but it tastes only very slightly chocolate. It tastes like if I were to eat black beans and Grape Nuts together. Please Help! I was going to try it again with canola oil, regular cocoa, and mixed better in a real food processor. Will this fix the flavor?

Who thought you can bake with black beans! Super delicious. I used real eggs and mixed in hazelnuts and chocolate chips. The kids loved it.

So good and fudgy. Can’t believe it’s vegan and tasty. Thank you!

These are awesome, thanks so much :x

Love these! Will probably add a little more sugar or add agave next time if I make them for non -vegans who are quick to criticize. For me, they were great, really rich! I topped mine with chocolate chunks! I will definitely make them again.

Loved these! This is the first time I’ve used beans in baking. I’m super impressed at the results! Can’t taste the beans at all.
Few things I found while making them:
My old nutribullet could not handle all the ingredients. I used the nutribullet to make the flaxseed ‘egg’, then I added the beans and melted oil and blended all the wet ingredients. I then mixed the wet and dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
In summary: Great texture, super rich and so easy to make! ?

These are really excellent. I had only half a can of black beans left (I used some to make some shrimp and veggie wraps, yum!), so I halved this recipe. I didn’t quite have 7.5 oz of beans, so I just added some prunes until I had the correct weight. The brownies turned out so nicely! The prunes added a sweet fruity undertone that actually turned out way nicer than I expected.

Made them and they were absolute chocolate heaven!! They were so goos I had to leave a comment and I never did this before – so that’s how good they were!! I used organic high quality cocoa, also cooked black beans (organic) and sprinkled on top with some vegan 70% dark chocolate- couldn’t tell they were made out of beans. And topped with fresh blueberries when serving, definitely deserve 5 stars! Next time I will top with some walnuts I bet it will be awesome as well

This is an amazing recipe, not overly sweet, baked up beautifully with edges and a fudge center. No need to bake even, serve batter alongside fruit as brownie dip. Thanks for this, this will be in our rotation.

I made these and loved the texture and that they were quick and easy to make. I could not taste the beans and that was amazing. I used a food processor and made sure to process well, stopping several times to scrap the sides of the bowl.

I personally did not like the amount of cocoa in the recipe I thought it made the brownies too bitter. (Disclaimer: I love milk chocolate, dark chocolate not so much.) However, my husband and mother-in-love loved them.

I made a couple modifications using a chia seed egg instead of flax because I found out in the middle of mixing I was out of flax. I added cinnamon and used maple syrup instead of sugar.

I will definitely try the recipe again with less cocoa. I saw a comment that recommended using dutch process cocoa, which I have. I also will try the date paste as a sweetener next too.

Thanks for posting your recipe. The comments with substitutions and recommendations are helpful.
I love finding healthy alternatives for my food vices!

Hi! Thank you so much for an awesome recipe! I made them in mini muffin tins and the recipe made 24 — I took them to a party and everyone loved them! Yay! People couldn’t believe they had black beans!! Gotta make some more!

I made these, but with red kidney beans, as black beans aren’t available where I live. I stirred in dried cranberries and chocolate chips, and baked for just 15 minutes (I tend to burn everything for some reason). They were really good: I enjoyed them but so did my omnivorous and junk-food loving teenage sons. I’m really pleased that bean brownies are popular in my house. It’s nice to bake for the family but I’m much more comfortable baking often when the brownies are basically a vegetable ?.

Hey Dana ! we made this with some changes and LOVED it a lot.

Thanks so much for a keeper. I have several bookmarked from your blog and keep hopping back to look for doable , vegan recipes all the time :-) stay blessed and keep posting those yummy treats !

I made these and followed the recipe exactly. They were fantastic and looked just like the picture! Rave reviews from my co-workers who had no idea there were beans in them. I will make these again.

Beautiful recipe. Works every time and is loved by all who try them. My food processor broke down so I made these using the vitamin plus a coffee grinder for the flax. It worked very well.

These were great, thank you!!! On a related note, I don’t use regular sugar in bakery recipes, I always sub for over-ripe bananas because the sweetness has fibre and goodness. Would highly recommend this as a sub if you’re not a fan of sugar. Those artificial sugar substitutes aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. Love all your recipes! You make being a vegan fun.

I’ve been making these brownies on the regular for a few years and they’re STILL the best, most healthy brownies I’ve found. Thank you! I love them! x

Yum. I’ve made these three times in three weeks. I used muffin papers and also modified to make more flavor/spice by adding all of the following:
1 Tbsp finely ground coffee, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/4 tsp cayenne

These brownies are the best! I have changed it up a little using pyure organic stevia and also adding a chocolate protein powder. I sprinkle organic cashews on top! Makes for a great chocolate treat! I also make them in a blender because I only have a small food processor. Works great! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

I just made these. I am not sure about the people saying you can taste the Black Beans. I couldn’t taste them at all. Followed the recipe and made sure i ground my sugar in a coffee grinder. Put all the ingredients into my Vitamix and it turned out nice and smooth. I cooked for 26 min and they turned out perfect. I topped mine with some non dairy chocolate chips and they were wonderful. I will be making these again.

Really wonderful texture but for me something is missing in the flavour department. I will use top-grade cocoa next time (used a decent one this time but I can probably find one with more flavour) and I’d likely increase the sugar to match the amount of cocoa–3/4 cup (this equals 1 TBSP of sugar per brownie–not an unreasonable amount in my books, but I know that not everyone is comfortable with even that amount of sugar and I respect that).
I topped each one with a few walnut pieces and chocolate chips and Maldon salt flakes and they looked really beautiful. And again, A++ in the texture department.

Enjoying your cookbook immensely. You are an extremely talented baker and cook!

This easy recipe has become a weekly staple in our house! Daughter and I have newly-found food sensitivities (13 in all), and these brownies have helped us deal, in a serious way!

I sub avocado oil for coconut (one of our sensitivities of course) and even subbed applesauce one time, both with great results.

I always toss all the ingredients in my Vitamix and use the tamper really quick to get a super smooth batter…I sometimes even sneak in a handful of spinach or another veggie just ’cause…and kiddos are none the wiser!

I bake 24 mini muffins at 350 for about 12-15 min. Perfect! Thank you for your easy, adaptable, creative recipes!

Thank you for this recipe! I use powdered stevia/xylitol mix (same amount) instead of sugar, and 1C of cacao/cocoa mix instead of 3/4C, and add 2 scoops of plant protein + a bit of warm water to make up for the extra dry (sometimes some dark, sugar free choc drops like today). Everything else the same. This is my go-to recipe for delicious healthy snack that feels like a treat (I freeze 2/3 of it). They are soooo so delicious (I too had tried many bean ones before that did not work) you really got it right, thank you!

I made these today and they are quite intense but pretty good! My 3-year-old made them with me and she loved eating the dough before it went in the oven. But when we ate them she only had half. Probably because they are quite heavy. My 1-year-old ate an entire brownie and seemed so happy :-)
Will make them again probably with maple or date syrup and maybe add some almond flour if it’s too runny.

Thank you so much for this amazingly simple recipe. They come out perfect and delicious every time.

These brownies are wonderfully fudgy! You would never know there was beans in them (for all you skeptics)! Never doubt the deliciousness of vegggies. Thank you for sharing this with us.

I just made these (and subsequently almost burned myself tasting them before I was supposed to) and I used toasted carob instead of cocoa, as well as the only muffin tin I have (a jumbo one) and they turned out perfectly! I reduced the heat and lengthened the cook time so the bigger brownies wouldn’t cook on the outside too quickly and the insides would get at least somewhat done lol! But it worked well because they’re flawless! Since you have to use about 1.5x the carob to cocoa ratio I had to gradually add more water until the consistency was right. Topped with dairy free chocolate chips and gained 5lbs ;)
Thanks for the recipe!! Awesome!

Great, easy recipe. Delicious results! I didn’t have cocoa powder so I used carob powder (which is sweeter) and so I only used half the sugar. I would expect, due to the changes, that the results would be less “chocolatey” (and maybe less sweet) – and it’s true, they weren’t “decadent” tasting – but oh soooo goooood!! I’ll be making them often. :)

The best black bean brownie recipe I’ve made; even the picky 6 year old loved it. Needed to add 4 tbsp water while blending to achieve the correct consistency. Used my silicone muffin trays so no need to grease the pan. Quick and easy!

These are INSANELY good! I’ve done Chocolate Covered Katie’s recipe before and hers are also very good, but this time I wanted something that was grain-free and hers use oats. These have the best real brownie texture (probably thanks to cooking them in a muffin tin – smart AND automatic portion control!) They’re a tiny bit crunchy on the edges and perfectly fudgy in the middle. I used coconut sugar instead of cane sugar with no issues. Wow! I can’t wait to make these for unsuspecting friends who have no idea they’re vegan, grain free and made with BEANS! :)

I have an unnatural affinity for beans. When I found this recipe for black beans in brownies, I just had to try it. I think I like them better than brownies from scratch recipe that I have been using! I’m not a vegan, so I opted to use two extra large eggs instead – still great! Next time, I may try a different oil. I found the coconut oil solidified quickly in the batter.

These are AWESOME! Didn’t substitute a thing!
I used one of those pre-cut brownie pans and made 9 brownies with this recipe. I still baked this for 30 minutes and they came out of the oven great :)

I loved this recipe! The brownies turned out yummy :D I only had loads of black beans as I was supposed to use them in a black bean chilli but they wouldn’t soften. I did use coconut sugar instead of palm sugar and chia seeds instead of flax seeds, thoroughly lush and guilt free! I’ve shared this recipe to my local vegan thread too.

Have baked these about a dozen times. The only modifications I have done is to replace oil with applesauce (only if I am making them for, ummm, myself). I have brought them into work and they get gobbled up without anyone knowing they are vegan, gluten free, and contain beans. I usually do had a healthy amount of chocolate chips to them as suggested and rarely add the walnuts. Enjoy!

Amazing work thanks Dana! This was my first all vegan intentional dish and I did this with a blender and used recipe pretty much as is. What a delightful perfect way to enjoy this treat. If you can restrain yourself they somehow taste even better the next day!

In your ingredients list, the 1 15-oz. (425 g) can of black beans is grossly inaccurate. 1 can of black beans is more like 250g.

Perfect brownies. Mine came out even better than the photo, with less sinking in the middle. The only changes I made were subbing coconut sugar and adding a few walnuts into the batter. Love the muffin tin idea, I’ll always do this now. This will be my go to recipe!

These are my go-to easy allergy-friendly dessert! My son can’t eat most of the Top 8, so these are a lifesaver. After making them for a couple years, I would say definitely err on the side of undercooking versus overcooking these. They go especially well with coconut ice cream :) Oh, and be sure to tell people the secret ingredient ahead of time! I personally know 2 people who are allergic to legumes who obviously wouldn’t think to ask ahead of time if brownies contain beans.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for this staple recipe!

These are the best!!! I am not vegan but am trying to limit meat and gluten free and eat healthier. I will also say I am not much of a baker. I did use half xylitol and half coconut sugar as I didn’t have the sugar specified in the recipe. These were so insanely delicious and so healthy compared to a processed flour version. I had my hubby try one without telling him what was in it and he loved it. He was so shocked there were black beans in them. No black bean taste at all. Just decadent chocolate goodness. Yum!!!

These puff up a lot (reminds me of souffle). Not really like a proper fudgy brownie, but still, not bad. Using dark cocoa powder would be better, as would adding chocolate chips

These brownies were so delicious! The whole family loved them, and they had no idea of the ingredients – until I told them following their last bite :). They were rich, moist, and full of chocolaty flavor. I followed the recipe exactly.

It’s the third time i make these!! All the family adores them! Thanks.

SOFT COOKIES TOO: Thank you for this great recipe: I use navy beans which work great. Recently I added about 1/2 cup left over bean juice and 1/2 c oatmeal flour, refrigerated overnight and baked the next day at 350 for 30-35 minutes on a cookie sheet w/ parchment. It made delicious, soft cookies … as an alternative to brownies.

I made these for friends over for dinner and they were amazing!! Got so many compliments! They are not too sweet which is good because the date caramel is so it is a nice balance. I made them the night before and they held up well. Didn’t crumble. A definite make again. Trust me, you do not know they are made with beans.

I brought these to work and my coworkers could not believe they were 1.gluten free 2.vegan 3. Made with black beans(!?!)!!
They turned out so well!! The texture and taste are both fabulous, my 10 year old nephew can’t get enough of them!
Definitely going to be a go-to recipe for me :))

Delicious!! I added chia and made them with real eggs because I didn’t have flax meal, next time I’m going to try making them vegan. I was skeptical about the beans but they turned out great!

My brownies came out super tight so i ended up adding 4-5 tbsp. of unsweetened almond milk. Turned out great!

I made these for the first time yesterday and they were delicious. My only problem was with how delicate they were. By the time I stored them in a container, they were practically crumbling apart. I think next time I will try to bake them a few minutes longer so they really set. Other than that, the taste was amazing!

Fantastic thick smooth chocolatey taste!
I also note that the insides are pudding-like until they are cooled off. So do not worry for those who cannot seem to turn off the oven…

I made these tonight, but did not have all the ingredients and did not want to add fat. What I did: used 2 ripe bananas in place of the flax eggs and oil. Only two things I would do differently next time. I would buy a better brand of cocoa as I used Hersey’s (all I had) and I would not use baking cups, but rather put directly in the pan as the recipe suggested. Had I done this there would have been less sticking.
My sister who is not vegan started eating these with the vegan ice cream I made and then asked what they were made from. When I told her they had black beans in them, she quit eating and said she could taste the beans. So, my advice, don’t tell your family and they will never know.
Great recipe, thank you for sharing.