Truth is, you really wouldn’t know these decadent treats were loaded with black beans if I didn’t tell you! The gooey, fudgy texture of these brownies stays moist and delicious for days! (If they even last in your house that long!) These brownies are an awesome gluten-free treat with basic ingredients, including a whole can of fiber-dense black beans, raw cacao, and nut butter.
I have been trying to perfect my black bean brownie recipe for a long time so that all of my gluten-free friends can indulge in a fantastic chocolatey brownie. I didn’t quite know what ingredient was missing until now! The secret? Oat flour! It provides the perfect texture. My husband and I can’t get enough of these yummy black bean brownies!
How to make black bean brownies
Start by opening your can of black beans, draining and rinsing them in a strainer. Let the beans sit in the sink and strain while you put together the rest of your ingredients. Mix together your dry ingredients (oat flour, cacao powder, baking powder, salt, and finely ground coffee) in a separate bowl. Add the oil, vanilla, maple syrup, and drained black beans to your food processor. Blend together for about 30-45 seconds, until a smooth and creamy consistency is achieved. Add the bean mixture together to the dry ingredients and stir. Combine nut butter to the mixture and stir. Add all three eggs and mix until well combined. Lastly, stir chocolate chips into the batter. Pour into a parchment lined 8×8 inch or 9×9 inch pan. Top with more chocolate chips. Bake at 350F/175C for about 30 minutes.
Tips for the best black bean brownies
- Be sure to add chocolate chips – these are essential for a delicious gooey, chocolatey flavor throughout the brownies.
- Be sure to line your pan with parchment paper. Not only does this make it very easy to remove the bars from the pan, but it prevents the edges from being over-baked. No one likes hard edges on their brownies.
- Adding a few of the wet ingredients to the beans creates a better bean paste. You can process just the beans in your food processor, but you’ll get more chunks of beans in your brownies and can cause them to get a little ‘gritty’.
- A chocolate hazelnut spread can be used in lieu of nut butter for my chocolate lovers!
- Be sure to chill these brownies completely before cutting and eating for proper texture & taste.
More chocolate-y desserts to try (gluten-free!)
- Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cake: This is an amazing, intense chocolate fudge cake – fudgy, rich and super chocolatey. The texture is creamy, silky and truffle-like. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream!
- Flourless Chocolate Almond Torte: Incredibly fudgy and chocolatey with a slight almond crunch, no one can resist this simple and beautiful flourless torte. Chocoholics: beware, you have just found your new favorite dessert!
- Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cookies: These are the most requested gluten-free cookies among my friends, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re super fudgy and insanely chocolate-y without being too sweet.
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Gooey, Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
The gooey, fudgy texture of these brownies stays moist and delicious for days! (If they even last in your refrigerator that long!) These brownies are an awesome gluten-free treat with basic ingredients, including a whole can of fiber-dense black beans, raw cacao, and nut butter.
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can (425g) Black Beans, rinsed and drained
- ⅓ cup (35g) raw cacao powder (can substitute with unsweetened cocoa powder)
- ¼ cup (30g) oat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon coffee (finely ground or instant)
- 3 Tablespoons canola oil (can substitute with any flavorless oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (160g) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60g) creamy nut butter (your choice, can also use chocolate hazelnut spread as well)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (60g) semisweet chocolate chips
Top The Batter Before Baking
- ¼ cup (30g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Line a 8x8in or 9x9in pan with parchment paper.
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Rinse and drain black beans.
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In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients (cacao powder, oat flour, baking powder, salt, and coffee). Set aside.
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In food processor, add oil, vanilla, maple syrup, and black beans. Puree until a nice, creamy bean paste is created (approximately 30-45 seconds). Add the bean paste to the dry ingredients bowl and stir well.
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Add nut butter to the mixture and stir. Add eggs to the mixture and mix until well combined. Stir in ½ cup of chocolate chips.
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Pour mixture into parchment-lined pan. Sprinkle the top with another ¼ cup (or handful) of chocolate chips.
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Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the edges are cooked and the center only jiggles slightly when shaken. A toothpick inserted in the middle will still come out gooey.
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Place brownie pan on a cooling rack for an hour and then refrigerate an additional 3 hours so brownies are completely cool before cutting and eating.
Recipe Notes
Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator up to 4 days.
If doubling the recipe, use a 9x13in pan.
If you don’t have pure maple syrup, you can substitute with ⅔ cup agave syrup or 1 cup of granulated sugar.
Deanna says
What would be the best egg replacement to use in these? I am new to not using eggs
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Deanna! I suggest you use ‘flax eggs or chia eggs’. To do this: grind 1 tablespoon of flax or chia seeds into a flour-like texture. Only grind up as much as you need. Mix the ground seed meal with 3 tablespoons of water or other room-temperature liquid to aid the gelling process. Allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it turns into a thick gel similar to a raw egg. This gel pulls together when heated, acting as a binding agent. Use this as you would an egg in any of your cooking or baking.