Vegan Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies

These came out so well! Perfectly fudgy and chocolatey. Usually my husband is tentative about “bean sweets” but he is really enjoying them, too!

I made these over the weekend and they turned out delicious and fudgy. Mine did break apart easily but I think I may have taken them out too soon. I put in 3 tbsp of coconut butter instead of the oil— not sure if that’s why it broke apart easily. I also put some chopped walnuts in the batter (not just on top) so my husband won’t notice the beans. He didn’t notice the beans at all! He said he liked these brownies. I like them coz they’re not too sweet. I put chopped walnuts and Enjoy Life semi sweet chips on top for decoration.

Just out of the oven – these are terrific!

A few amendments that may or may not make a difference: I subbed in canola oil because I’m trying to use up a last bit, added 2 TBSP flour to give it some heft, and added 2 TBSP almond milk to offset the flour. Folded chocolate chips in at the end. Used cupcake liners and a cookie scoop to evenly distribute and baked for 28 minutes.

These are great! They smell amazing coming out of the oven and are super yummy. Thanks!

Followed recipe as per the site.
Altered on the site for a larger can of black beans (so I changed the final amount to 15 as this was the closest I could get, 540ml = 19oz.) Our cans of beans and veggies tend to be a standard size of 540ml in Ontario. 15oz can is 423ml here and thus not available.
Turned out horrible. Was not fudgey at all, was cakey and fell apart. Too salty, upon closer inspection of the can of beans was were salted (even though they were well rinsed) it definitely impacted the recipe.
Even though the pan was generously greased, it stuck horribly.
Ended up throwing it all in the trash because it was such a crumbly mess.
Do not recommend.

These were delicious! Love the simple ingredients. I personally enjoyed them more the next day, they are super fudgy! Definitely will be making again

So glad I gave these a try! Super fudgy and just sweet enough. I was worried they would be too bean tasting but not at all.

These will definitely be my new go to for a easy vegan chocolate treat. Super easy and I like the adding of ingredients to processor and no extra steps. My brownies were done in 20 minutes. Perfect!

Thank you!

I made these today and they came out great! I replaced the oil with applesauce and it was delicious. I ended up cooking the brownies for 27 minutes. I’ll be making these again, the whole family loved them!

Love how this brownie recipe doesn’t require any sort of flour. Excluded the sugar and added some mashed bananas for sweetness. 3/4 cup cocoa powder feels a bit much for me so be sure to taste as you go.

Just made these spur of the moment after seeing them on your Instagrm with my 16 yo daughter. We both loved them. So good!

These are insanely good. I did make a couple adjustments that worked great so I would also say this is great as is or as a foundational recipe if you need to make substitutions or want to get creative. They are especially good with vanilla ice cream and/or drizzled with peanut butter. The texture is super fudgey and my kids devoured them without noticing any difference from standard flour brownies.

These are such a great snack! Make sure you run the food processor for the full 3 minutes to get the best overall texture! Everyone (toddlers included) in my home enjoys these!

My little girls and I just made these this morning, and they were delightedly licking the batter off the mixing spoons…KNOWING there were black beans in there. My 5 year old is a clinically extreme picky eater, and I was blown away at her love for these brownies! They came out perfect, but I did have to add about 10 minutes baking time. That’s normal for us, for some reason. Will be making these weekly! THANK YOU!

Just whipped these up last night. Honestly were so delicious, tasty, warm, fudgy, … just amazing!!!
Great recipe! Thanks, as always!

I have made LOTS of black bean brownies and these are BY FAR the best! I only had brown sugar on hand so I equally subbed for the cane sugar and added two tablespoons of flour to get what looked like the right brownie consistency and wow! So good. Fudgy and just the perfect amount of sweetness. I set up a toppings station with choc chips, sprinkles, nuts and coconut and let my three year old go for it. I will definitely make them again, and again, and again! Great recipe!

These were exactly what I needed – chocolaty, gooey & just sweet enough to hit the spot. Used my Ninja blender & made sure to blend a full 3 minutes for a super smooth batter. Also added a splash of leftover coffee to the mix & topped them with a mini vegan chocolate chips, walnuts & a sprinkle of sea salt.
Will definitely make again.

Pretty good! While they’re not sweet like traditional brownies (compare 1/2 a cup of sugar to the 1-2 cups in a regular brownie recipe), they give a nice deep dark chocolate contrast when served with ice cream. Adding the semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Guittard) also give a nice pop of sweetness.

I used ground chia seed “eggs” instead of flax, since elsewhere on this site, it says the 2 are interchangeable.

Like other bean brownies they don’t have a “crumb” (the photos on this post kind of look like they do, but mine didn’t and I don’t *think* you can get that texture without flour). Cooked for 25 min in my oven, they weren’t so much gooey as soft in the middle (again, to be expected since gooeyness comes from fat + sugar + flour).

The directions to blend for 3 full minutes was very helpful – made for a much better texture than other bean brownies I’ve tried. I still don’t love the bean brownie texture on its own, but served warm with some ice cream, they made for a satisfying treat :-)

Perfectly fudgy, chocolatey, and not too sweet! I made my brownies in a glass baking dish which measure (roughly) 13inx9inx3in. They turned out over 1.5in. thick. Because I baked them in a glass dish, the total bake time was around 50 minutes – 1 hour to cook to my liking: cooked through with a fudgy center. Despite it cooking for much longer than suggested in the directions, they were fudgy, chewy and tasted amazing!

Next time I make them I would stir a tablespoon or two of corn starch or oat flower because I like a crumb and some firmness to my brownies. I found it hard to pick them up with my hands and eat them cleanly without them falling apart. This didn’t keep me from eating half the pan, though!!

I might’ve also added too much water while I blended the ingredients because my blender isn’t very high powered and wasn’t mixing everything in properly.

Overall, I would make these again!!

Made these brownies this evening and I somehow forgot the baking powder but they still turned out delicious, fudgey and fluffy all at once so that’s a bonus! You can screw it up and it’s still delicious! Once cooled, I topped them with chocolate hummus for a little extra sweetness and it is divine! Will be making these again for certain :)

Delicious!! They are fudgy, so quick to make, and actually taste like brownies.

I was scared to make these, thinking that there’s just no way black beans would be good – But I was WRONG. Wow these are amazing. So fudgey. Definitely will make again!

These brownies are absolutely mind blowingly delicious!
I am actually speechless…
You would never know that they are flourless or made with black beans!!
Now… not to eat the whole tray to myself!!

I’ve made these several times–amazing!!!!!!!!! I use a mini-muffin tin to make 24 tiny brownies and bake for about 23-25 min. There are more crusty brownie edges that way :) I also use brown sugar, works great. To make them fancy, I dust with powdered sugar. They’re so cute and yummy, I frequently bring them to parties or give them as thank-you gifts. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!!

LOVE this recepie!
super simple and they turned out perfect.
I’m about to make it for the second time. I added in some crushed walnuts and *chefs kiss* Yuuum!!

Absolutely amazing recipe, I’ve made them so often with great results every time! I usually make these in reusable silicone baking cups (from IKEA) which holds the shape really nicely. I’ve also substituted for chicken eggs with good results.

Mine have also turned out much fluffier than the picture, it might be because I use a blender and the batter gets more whipped.

For a topping, I sprinkle shredded coconut on top halfway through the baking time — doesn’t burn and sticks to the brownie :)

These are the most delicious black bean brownies I have ever had. I like the fact that there is no flour in the recipe. They are moist and delicious. I use the dark chocolate baking powder and my family enjoys them. I make them almost every week!!

Have been curious about black bean brownies for a while, finally took the plunge and these did not disappoint! Loved the fudgy texture. Next time I’ll definitely add nuts. Adding these to the “sweets” rotation.

Just made these brownies!! Simple and amazing!! Thanks for the great recipe 😊

So delicious! I really enjoyed these brownies. They’re definitely more bittersweet than just a sweet brownie with a mild chocolate flavor. I liked it and thought it was a refreshing change, because most most brownies and desserts tend to be overly sweet and almost sickly to me. However, my mom didn’t. If you like a more dark chocolate flavored, less traditional brownie, this is a recipe for you!

I hate beans….but i love these muffins. I mean fuuuuuudge!!!! So good

These brownies hit the spot. I used Lakanto golden sugar and walnuts. Also, I added too much water to thin the batter. I was concerned that they wouldn’t come out well. Heed the warning to only add a tablespoon of water to thin. I left them in the warm oven to allow extended time to cook. The middle sunk but that created a perfect spot for my “nice” cream. Mine were not very sweet and tasted better with a dollop of ice cream. I would make them again.

These are delicious and the texture is perfect, although I used generic cocoa and found them to lack a certain ‘oomph’. I’m going to add some maple syrup and instant coffee next time, or use higher quality cocoa. Baked in a brownie pan and 35 mins was perfect! I don’t think I’ll ever make ‘regular’ brownies again.

Loved these brownies, very chocolatey and satisfying!
I added a teaspoon of instant coffee to boost the flavour.
Mine were done in 21 minutes.
Bit of a pain to get out of the muffin tin – definitely grease well. I might try baking as a slice next time.

Thanks for this recipe!

I was a bit wary of these brownies at first because I’ve made some very untasty black bean brownies. I didn’t have baking powder, so I replaced it with baking soda and vinegar. Let me just say that I will definitely be making these again. Some of the best brownies I’ve ever eaten! Also pretty simple to make!

Perfect. I have made these at least 3 times over the last few years and today I want to make them again. One of my favourite dessert recipes. I love to serve them with raspberries and icecream 😍
Thank you for the great content!

I work for a non for profit, and with my job I promote healthy eating to under-privileged children. With this being said, I was asked to bring a healthy dessert to the Holiday Extravaganza Party. Most children & their families were shocked that this recipe tasted like regular brownies. As soon as I told everyone what was in it they were confused!! I’m so glad I found this recipe, it makes me feel better knowing that it’s vegan & gluten free & low in calories. A healthy treat to share with my students! I wanted to add a picture but I wasn’t sure how! Thank you!!!

The flavor was delicious! But the texture didn’t work out for me. I soaked dry beans overnight and cooked them, but they were still not soft enough for Those muffins. I made what looked like biscuits

Just made these and topped them with your vegan ganache from the no-bake vegan brownies recipe. Amazingly good!!!

Just made these today after being won over by the seeming ease of this recipe and rave reviews here. As the 1st “legit” / intentionally vegan thing I’ve ever baked (for a Mother’s Day gift), my expectations were low. MAN, was I pleasantly surprised. The batter was so fragrant and delicious I had to lick the bowl and all implements clean. And my mom (an accomplished vegan baker) was thrilled with her treat. I recommend a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream on top for a sort of healthy Junior Mint experience. Thank you so much for the fabulous online find, this nonvegan (and black bean lover) will definitely make these again!

Amazing! So fudgy. Baking in muffins tins is perfect for portion control and serving. Definately recommend adding chocolate chips. Also very messy and sticky to clean up, but worth it 😋

Good and easy dessert which I’ve made a few times, but not my favorite minimalist baker dessert. It has a slightly one-dimensional beany-chocolatey taste. l. But if I were using a higher grade cacao that chocolately taste might be more rich and satisfying .* (I’m using trader joe’s cocoa)
As suggested, I added 1/2 bar of dark chocolate to give it some gooy chocolate inside, and walnuts too. :)

16g flaxmeal is more like 1tbsp not 2. The tbsp to g conversions are off. And as a whole, the flax egg instructions here don’t match what is linked. Please fix! I’ve actually made this before, it’s delicious, but I just remade my flax egg. Someone how I didn’t notice last time. Please fix! I’m looking forward to this next batch! :)

I made this with flax eggs, and it was a hit! I enjoyed these brownies with a scoop of nut-milk ice cream on top. Yum!

I really don’t like baking, but I love food processing, so this was an excellent recipe for me! I’m making it for a second time today, with agave instead of sugar.

Very good recipe, I made them with chicken eggs for lack of flax seed & coconut sugar, since I’m insuline resistant, and they were amazing. Next time I’ll make them with flax egg for more chewy texture & a bit more sugar, because the cocoa I used is quite bitter.

I made the recipe and found the consistency to be very powdery, not gooey at all. I checked several other similar recipes online and found that they call for 1/4 cup of cocoa powder or less, instead of 3/4 cup, as listed in your recipe? Could this be a typo?

These are incredible!! I can’t imagine that I will bother making “regular” brownies again after making and devouring these. Soo easy and delicious! Made exactly as written. Texture is great. About to make another batch with a mini muffin pan to attempt to help with my portion control. Thanks for the great recipe!

I adapted this recipe into oil-free brownie cookies and they were amazing.
Used peanut butter instead of oil
Used 5 Tbsp of water to 2 Tbsp of flax

Mixed in chocolate chips after processing!

YUM.

They are definitely tender and moist! I used eggs and pinto beans and they were just as delicious! I’m ashamed to say I finished half the batch in one sitting!! I am glad I found your website!!

This recipe is AMAZING!! I love that it’s so simple and you’ve listed sub ingredients. My 2 and 5 year old LOVE these and so do I! I did make in an 8×8 so it took about 45 minutes then I let them cool all the way and stuck them in fridge. We did try them before fridge, so good but I personally like them nice and cold, so fudgy! My kids couldn’t get enough and today we will add some chocolate chips. This is soo good especially if you’re a dark chocolate love like myself. Thanks so much for this recipe. So simple and such a keeper! Oh, and we get to lick the spoon since theres no eggs! ✌ ❤

New family favourite!

I used an immersion blender and blended the beans up with the (vegetable) oil. I also blended up 1/2c raw sugar with the beans. Then added 2 (chicken) eggs, and all other ingredients and cooked them in a mini muffin tin with dark choc chips for about 9-10 minutes. They’re quite nice. Although a little bit cakey. But a fudgy cakey.
I’d make again but I do think flour brownies are a bit better ? but that’s not to say these aren’t good!

I was looking for recipes for leftover raw egg yolks and found this recipe for Black Bean Brownies. I subbed 4 egg yolks for the flax eggs and carob powder for the cocoa powder. I love the batter, it is thick and yummy. I read the cooking instructions carefully but somehow skipped Step 6: “smooth the top with a spoon or your finger.” I have a delicious batch of abstract-shaped brownies. I’ll try the flax eggs next time but I’m quarantined due to the Covid 19 pandemic, I’m trying to use what I have in the pantry before my next visit to the grocery store.

Delicious! They remind me of Japanese sweets that have bean in them, and I can imagine they would be great with icecream.

This was a very easy recipe. My 13 year old loves to bake and we are on a vegan diet right now and she wanted to experiment with vegan desserts and she did it all by herself. They tasted very good and I hope my daughter and I can make them together next time.

I WILL NEVER LOVE ANOTHER FLOURY BROWNIE AGAIN.

I bet this recipe is DELICIOUS as-is. I avoid refined sugar so here are my modifications:

– 3 tbsp raw, creamy almond butter instead of oil or butter
– 6 dates and 4 prunes, soaked and drained and thrown in with the ingredients in the food processor
– about 1/2 cup of unsweetened flaked coconut (because why not)
– 1 tbsp coconut sugar (it gives the dried prunes and dates just that little sweet push they need)
– I did go for the chopped walnut recommendation in my second batch but folded them in instead of serving over the top

I served the batter with apple slices for a dessert and baked the rest and I honestly can’t get enough. This is one of those recipes I’m wondering where I’ve been my whole life, and how many more recipes like this I’ve been missing out on!

Thank you, Dana, for always being a seriously reliable source. Every single time I look up a recipe online, I search for Minimalist Baker as the source.

x
Emilie (also from Portland!)

So SO good.
I’ve made these at least a dozen times a year since I found on your site in 2015! I’m only sad I didn’t leave a rave review earlier. I’ve send your recipe to so many people, even passed along today! I’ve made for birthdays, valentines, or just any occasion to have something sweet!
My 4 year old loves these topped with chocolate chips so much.
Ps We use chicken eggs a lot more these days and they seem to rise more.
Thanks so much for all the amazing recipes.

I’ve never had a recipe from you that hasn’t been genius level. What I particularly liked was the idea to put it in muffin tins, this way the portion sizes are controlled and I can limit my consumption. I usually eat 2 or 3 and then put the rest in the freezer. When I want one, I just gently heat it up in the oven (or microwave, if I am in a hurry!). Although i love baked goods, I don’t have a real sweet tooth, so I omitted the sugar and added a tablespoon of Stevia. The choc chips were sweet enough for me. I also made a second batch and experimented with less oil and adding coconut milk instead. Equally delicious, just more cake like and less fudge. Thanks again, Dana!

These are amazing!! I ended up making them in my mini muffin tin. They made a perfect 24. I cooked them for 11 mins and they turned out great! The second time I made them, I added a scoop of greens(powder + 2Tbsp water) to the batter (anyway I can sneak veg to my kids I will)! They were delicious both ways!
Thanks for the recipe!!

This was a first for me! No flour brownies… Honestly, I really loved the batter before I cooked it! I would rate that 5 stars. I think next time I will make it a little denser and try freezing it to set a raw brownie! Cooked these are fudgy and delicious, and I was missing something texture-wise I might get used to if I keep eating them! ? I love your recipes, and Minimalist Baker has become a go-to for me. Thank you!

I am fully obsessed with the use of the muffin pan to make bite size brownies- I don’t think I’ll ever go back to using a flat pan- might try a mini muffin pan next time! Other honorable mentions: used an instant pot to make my own black beans, found out that flax and flax meal cannot be used interchangeably, and I used sunflower oil in lieu of coconut oil. <3

The only thing I did different was olive oil instead of coconut oil. Came out delicious!!! My husband, 3 and 4 year old kids loved it. I barely had one because they are it all but it tasted amazing soom going to make it again so I can have more than one :)

Hi! I made these in a mini-muffin pan and reduced the cooking time to 10 minutes. They turned out beautifully, and it made about 30 2-bite sized brownies.

Thanks for the great recipe.

Absolutely delicious and so easy to prepare!
I did have to add almost double the amount of water, could be that my heaped tbsps of flaxseed flour were too heaped :).. also, I substituted 1/2c of organic br sugar for 1 heaped tbsp of blackstrap molasses – just my way of incorporating it into my family’s diet for it’s mega benefits whilst avoiding any resistance *grin*. My husband couldn’t guess what the substitute for flour was and he loved them even more after the big reveal! My 2,5 yr old twins are fans too! Thank you for this mega alternative to a classic dessert option.

I made these brownies on Halloween for my newly vegan-ized husband. We were blown away by how good these are. I was too lazy to grind the organic sugar so I substituted regular white sugar, and I used vanilla paste instead of extract. Plus, I had some black cocoa powder on hand, so I added about 1 tablespoon of that too. I sprinkled the tops with chocolate chips and walnut pieces. Your description of how to tell when they are properly baked was spot on. Mine took only 20 minutes to bake and it was nice to know they were done. I let them cool completely before removing them from the pan, and they came out perfectly. Hubby requested I make them again today. Looks like I will be stocking up on black beans! Thanks so much for this recipe.

This is my second time around making these brownies. The first time I made them, I was at the cottage and used my family’s old (like, really old) food processor. The old food processor didn’t break down the skins on the black beans enough and left them with a less-than-pleasant texture. Plus, everyone was walking around with black bean skins stuck to the teeth for the rest of the night.

This time around, however, I used my KitchenAid mini food processor and it did a much better job of breaking down the skins…to the point where they were undetectable. The flavour of these is great and the texture is dense and chewy. I found the recipe only made 8 standard muffin-size brownies (instead of the 12 listed). I baked them for 22 minutes.

**Make sure you allow them to cool in the pan about 30 minutes before removing them! They will break if taken out of the pan if you take them out too early but hold together fine if you allow them to cool for a bit first.

This is a delicious brownie recipe! Thanks for sharing. I did as one other reviewer suggested and used cannellini beans in place of the black beans and it worked perfectly. I will definitely keep this as my “go to” brownie recipe!

Made it last night and loved it! I also added some salt flakes (and the other suggested toppings!) on top which was delicious!

Mine took 25 minutes but would definitely not bake them any longer to prevent the burnt cocoa taste. Oh and ofcourse let them cool like Dana says so they ‘set’. Tried one right out of the oven (impatient) and it was really soft and crumbly.

I made a few changes the second time around. Great Northern white beans made for a lighter texture. The cocoa gives the dark color, no need to use black beans. I added a half teaspoon of instant espresso powder and also a few dried prunes for depth of flavor. As always, topped with chocolate chips and pecan halves.

My spouse and I made this recipe countless times with these modifications:
– We used leftover pinto beans from our taco night instead of black beans (I purposely began leaving out the garlic and onion when I made beans because I knew I would be making these brownies!)
– Regular eggs instead of flax
-No vanilla because we never had any :( – I do not consider this an improvement, but we worked with what we had
-Maple syrup or honey in place of the sugar (and I think we reduced it to 1/3 cup?)
-We omitted incorporating the salt but sprinkled pink Himalayan salt on top of the batter right before going into the oven
-8×8 instead of cupcake pan
-sometimes we added chocolate chips
Definitely not vegan but 100% gluten free and they were amazing! We made them in our Magic Bullet which took a lot of patience as you can’t run the motor continuously but so worth it. It ought to be noted that it took a long time to puree the pinto beans but the velvety texture was so worth it.

I baked these for 24 minutes and it was too long. They came out dry and burnt tasting.

So good. I’ve made this recipe many times. I’ve made “cookies” out of them, and doubled the recipe to make in a 9×12 pan and bake for 40mins. I always add either a little spelt or oatmeal flour (and a little less sugar), which just makes them turn out a little more cakey and not so gooey.