These vegan black bean brownies are fudgy and moist and decadently delicious. No one would guess that black beans are the main ingredient!
Black beans aren’t what you would automatically think of when you think of brownies, yet they are the main ingredient in these vegan black bean brownies and no one would even know they’re there at all.
All you can taste is the most fudgy and decadent brownie ever. These are indulgent to the extreme.
They’re packed with chocolate flavor and they even have those gorgeous shiny cracked tops!
Of course if you love brownies then you’ll definitely love our fudgy vegan brownies so check those out too.
How To Make Vegan Black Bean Brownies
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Prepare some flax eggs by mixing ground flaxseed meal with hot water and letting it sit so it becomes gloopy.
- Add black beans to the food processor along with the flax eggs, oil and vanilla extract and process until well mixed.
- Transfer the mix to a mixing bowl and add in some all purpose flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and instant coffee and mix into a thick batter.
- Add chocolate chips and fold them in.
- Transfer to a 9×9 square dish lined with parchment paper so that there is overhang on each side, and smooth down.
- Sprinkle more chocolate chips directly on top of the brownies.
- Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F. The tops of the brownies should be shiny and cracked and dry.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before lifting the brownies out using the parchment paper overhang and place them on a cutting board.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Recipe Tips
Canned Black Beans: We used canned black beans that we drained and rinsed before use. This is certainly the easiest way to go about it. It worked out to 3 cups (500g) of black beans. If you don’t want to use canned black beans and want to rather cook them yourself, then you can do so, and just use 3 cups of cooked black beans.
The Oil: We used canola oil in this recipe, but you can use any vegetable oil or even olive oil. If you use coconut oil then melt it first.
Instant Coffee: This recipe uses a little finely ground coffee or instant coffee to boost the chocolate flavor. The brownies don’t taste like coffee at all, it just enhances the chocolate flavor. You can omit it if you prefer though.
Chocolate Chips: You can use any vegan chocolate chips that you like, or you can chop up a bar of vegan chocolate and use that instead.
Make It Gluten-Free: If you want a gluten free version of these brownies then you can use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend in the same quantity as the regular flour.
Storing and Freezing
These brownies will keep very well in an airtight container for up to a week. You can also store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
They are freezer friendly as well if you would like to freeze them.
More Vegan Brownies Recipes
- Vegan Chocolate Brownies
- Raw Vegan Brownies
- Simple Vegan Brownies
- Vegan Zucchini Brownies
- Vegan Gluten Free Brownies
Vegan Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 Flax Eggs 2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed Meal + 6 Tbsp Hot Water
- 2 (15-ounce) Cans Black Beans Drained and Rinsed
- 1/2 cup Canola Oil (120ml)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (63g)
- 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder (65g) Unsweetened
- 1 and 1/2 cups White Granulated Sugar (300g)
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Instant Coffee Powder Optional*
- 1 cup Vegan Chocolate Chips (175g) plus more to place directly on top of the brownies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9x9 square dish with non-stick spray and line it with parchment paper so that there is overhang on either side. Set it aside.
- Prepare your flax eggs by mixing 2 Tbsp of ground flaxseed meal with 6 Tbsp of hot water. Let it sit for a minute to become gloopy.
- Drain and rinse your black beans and then add them to the food processor along with your flax eggs, oil and vanilla extract and process until well mixed.
- Transfer the mix to a mixing bowl and add in the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and instant coffee powder and mix into a thick batter.
- Add the chocolate chips and fold them in.
- Transfer to your prepared 9x9 square dish and smooth down.
- Sprinkle more chocolate chips directly on top of the brownies.
- Bake for 40 minutes. The tops of the brownies should be shiny and cracked and dry.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before lifting the brownies out using the parchment paper overhang and place them on a cutting board.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
- The rinsed and drained black beans (from the two cans) works out to 3 cups (500g) of black beans. So if you don't want to use canned black beans and want to rather cook them yourself from dried, then you can do so, and just use 3 cups of cooked black beans in the recipe. If you're using canned black beans like we did, then just use the two 15-ounce cans, there is no need to weigh or measure out the beans.
- We used canola oil in this recipe, but you can use any vegetable oil or even olive oil. If you use coconut oil then melt it first.
- If you'd prefer these brownies to be gluten-free then you can use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend in the same quantity as the regular flour.
- The instant coffee powder is to boost the chocolate flavor. The brownies don't taste like coffee at all, it just enhances the chocolate flavor. You can omit it if you prefer though.
- You can use any variety of vegan chocolate chips or you can cut up a bar of vegan chocolate and use the chocolate chunks instead.
- Keep them stored in an airtight container for up to a week. You can also store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They are freezer friendly as well if you would like to freeze them.
Just wondering would this work with any other beans? I can’t find black beans in my local store
I think so! Red beans/kidney beans should work well too.
Great recipe! I made them gluten free and with dark vegan chocolate. Delicious!
Awesome! Thanks JaMelle!
Cool beans! Joking aside though these brownies were fantastic! I used cacao powder instead of cocoa, and brown sugar instead of white granulated sugar; I already had these two on hand from previous recipes, and they turned out great! Of course, your mileage may vary but they tasted fantastic to me! Thanks a lot for these great recipes Alison; I can enjoy brownies now and not feel (too) guilty about it!
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing Shirley!
Mine did not come out shiny. I used chia eggs. Could it be because of that?
Hi Rosanna, I’m not sure if that would have caused it, but if the taste was good then being shiny doesn’t matter.
Can you half the recipe? I only have one can of black beans
I think you could, but you’d need to use a smaller dish. You could try it in an 8×8 square dish but they would still be thinner so the baking time may also be shorter.
Hi, is it ok to omit the chocolate chips/chunks?
Yes definitely! 🙂
Gorgeous! Gooey and fudgey – just the way I like my brownies!
Awesome! So glad they worked out well!
These were delicious and didnt taste “beany” at all (as I thought it may). I used 2/3 of the sugar and it was just the right amount of sweet. My grown up non-vegan kids loved it.
Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing Lydia!
This is a yummy recipe. I substituted the oil with applesauce and half of the chocolate with bakers chocolate (it’s what I had on hand) and doubled the recipe for a 9″ x 12.5″ pan. They turned out great. Will definitely make them again. Thank you 🙂
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing Patricia!
Again you knocked it right out of the Park!!!!
These Brownies were the BEST EVER!!!
Thanks so much Bob!
Can you use almond flour instead of all purpose?
Thank you!
I don’t think so, you could try it but I don’t know if it would hold together as well, though it’s in a small quantity so maybe!
I substituted the flour for almond flour, used coconut sugar instead of cane and didn’t add the chocolate chips and it was great. Thank you.
Awesome! So glad it worked out. 🙂
Wonderful recipe, my grandson who is dairy and gluten free loved it. We haven’t had sugar in a long long time so this was a special treat. Have you tried it with less sugar?
Hi Connie, so glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t tried reducing the sugar but I think you could without any negative impact.
Yes you can, I used about 2/3 of what the recipe said for the sugar, it came out great! It’s not too sweet and you get some of that bitterness from the dark chocolate as well (if you use). I probably wouldn’t go for more sugar next time either. 1 cup is enough.
Hi Connie, I just made them with 1 cup of sugar, love the recipe but will reduce sugar to maybe 1/2 cup next time. It’s still too sweet for me, other than that great recipe!!!
what substitute/alternative could I use for flaxseed? Im allergic to flaxseed / flaxseed meal?
You can make chia eggs the same way as a flax egg using chia seeds, if that works for you. Otherwise you can replace the flax eggs with 6 Tbsp of applesauce.
Gosh! A recipe for a sweet that’s healthy as well! How awesome is that! Definitely trying this one!
Hope you enjoy it Anna! 🙂
Loved it!
I had all ingredients apart from chocolate chips so I ended up adding cacao nibs which was delicious too. Thank you for all your amazing recipes!
So happy to hear that Evelien! Thanks for the great review!