One of the biggest ways we save money is making things from scratch that I’d ordinarily buy at the store, like hot pockets and instant oatmeal packets.
While developing this recipe for black bean brownies, I had flash backs to my childhood when I would have snack fudge brownies from Little Debbie in my lunchbox. You know, those little thick, fudgy ones with nuts on top?
I couldn’t believe that something so healthy, could taste so sinfully delicious!
Now you’re probably thinking there’s no way that something WITH beans and WITHOUT sugar could even remotely possible be good. Hear me out. I went through rigorous testing to ensure my taste buds weren’t wacked out when I made these:
The first time I made these, they were for the kids and I. Aside from my serving, they ate the whole pan in 2 days.
When I told the kids they had beans in them, they laughed and asked for more.
The second time I made them, they were for the kids and the husband, who ruined dinner two nights in a row by grabbing more than a few of these when he got home from work.
When I told him they had beans in them, he looked at me like I had a third eye.
“Really?” he asked. “Yes, really,” I replied.
“Are you sure?” he asked again.
(Ha! As if I’d be joking about BEANS in BROWNIES!)
I told him, “Yes honey, for real. They really have beans in them. Can you taste them?”
“Nope, not at all. These are really good. You can put these in my lunches,” he told me.
Which by the way, “you can put these in my lunches” is one of the highest compliments you can get in our house.
The third time I made these, they were for company. Two of our three guests had one brownie, another had two and not a single one of them batted an eye.
After I told our guests the brownies had beans in them, the bean-hater (who had two) didn’t even believe me. Like Mr. Crumbs, he kept asking “Really?” and I reassured him repeatedly that yes, there were really beans in these brownies and yes, it is possible to make brownies with brownies taste amazing!
If four batches of brownies and 7 taste testers hasn’t convinced you that these black bean brownies are quite possibly the best thing that will happen to you this year, consider this:
These homemade black bean brownies are made with 9 ingredients that are all 100% real food. Compare to this list of ingredients off the box of Little Debbie snack fudge brownies:
Enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid), corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil with TBHQ to preserve flavor, sugar, dextrose, water, cocoa, walnuts, high fructose corn syrup, whey (milk), eggs, soy lecithin (emulsifier), corn starch, salt, leavening (sodium aluminum phosphate, baking soda), colors (caramel color, red 40), natural and artificial flavors, egg whites, citric acid, sorbic acid (to retain freshness), almonds.
Not only does the homemade version have LESS ingredients, but we’re avoiding the especially harmful ones like hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup.
This recipe is also VERY allergy friendly – no gluten, dairy or eggs. Just double check your chocolate chips and you’re good to go.
As if it can’t get any better than this, let me reiterate the obvious: there are BEANS in these brownies! I don’t know if that means they’re a dessert or breakfast or what, so let’s just make a double batch and just eat them all day, okay?
- 1½ cups cooked black beans (how to make them homemade)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ cup oats
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips, divided
- 2-3 Tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Grease an 8x8 baking dish or line with parchment paper.
- In a high powdered blender OR in a food processor, combine the ingredients in the order listed.
- Process the ingredients until the batter is ultra smooth, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Fold in ¼ cup of the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips and nuts (if using) on top of the batter.
- Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, until the brownies are cooked through and set.
- Allow to cool thoroughly before cutting.
* If you don't want to go through the trouble of folding in the chocolate chips (and dirtying another bowl), you can sprinkle them all on top. Alternatively, you can fold all the chocolate chips in too. My kids liked having the small bits of chocolate on top.
** I've made these with canned beans and dry beans cooked from scratch and we preferred the tasted of dried beans from scratch, although the canned beans came in a close second. If you use canned beans, be sure to rinse them thoroughly (until the water runs clear) before using.
Would you have ever thought to put black beans in brownies before?!
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That s a great recipe, I m going to try it soon!
Do you think I could substitute the maple syrup with honey?
I m a huge fan of your blog and I admire a lot your whole adventure in budgeting and eating healthy ???
Thank you for your posts and even if this is the first time I comment, I m reading “you” every day ?
Hi Andreea! You CAN substitute honey for the maple syrup, but I think the honey flavor would be too pronounced and interfere with the chocolate. I haven’t tried this yet, but go 50/50 maybe and it wouldn’t be so bad.
Thank you for following and taking the time to comment! It’s always encouraging and it makes my day!!
First, I’m definitely pinning this recipe! Second, when I use natural sweeteners for baking, I almost always blend honey and maple 50/50 – it really gives a balanced flavor so neither one of them takes over!
Thanks Dena for chiming in! I’ve used this same 50/50 trick in quick breads and muffins, just not this brownie. I will next time though and update with the results!
I made these tonight and the batter was super thick and hard to blend in my food processor. Still tasted good though, just not mixed enough and the oats didn’t process as well as I would have liked. I used the honey. They could have been sweeter. I had to add two eggs just to get them to process a little better. Any helpful suggestions?
Hi Niffa! Next time I’d process the oats by themselves first, and then add everything else. This is definitely a thick batter. Instead of adding another egg, I’d increase the sweetener by 2 tablespoons, especially if you prefer it to be sweeter.
I made it with honey and it turned out delicious!
Yay! So glad you liked it Joey!
I put honey in mine….If I didn’t exhibit self control, I could eat the whole thing….all of it~~~ right by myself.
Haha!! I love this! ♥
These were awesome. I had to go 50/50 due to what I had on my shelf and the honey/syrup combo was great. I’m too busy too cook and these took no time. Thank you so much!!
You’re most welcome Kim!
These look good. Do you think I could substitute butter for the coconut oil and carob powder/chips for the cocoa? I’ve recently found out I have severe food allergies.
Diana – you could probably sub the butter without any issues. As for the carob powder/chips, I haven’t tried those personally. If you use them in lieu of cocoa/chocolate chips in other recipes and haven’t noticed a difference in flavor, then I say go for it!
I’ve used carob powder and chips in other recipes. The carob has a less powerful chocolate flavor but it’s still delicious. Plus, carob doesn’t have the caffeine that cocoa has. So if you’re caffeine free, it’s a bonus.
Thanks for the tip Liz!
Hey! I have used carob powder in mine, sometimes mixing cocoa and carob with a bit of ( decaf ) coffee for a stronger chocolate flavor.
Do you know the nutritional info per serving? And the number of servings? Looking forward to making these ASAP
I don’t know the nutritional value Margota, but I cut these into 12 servings. I’ll update the post to reflect this!
I’m sure this is not a smart question but if I use canned black beans do I drain rinse and cook prior to making the brownies? I’m assuming I cook them just to soften them up?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Erin! Canned beans are already cooked, but I would definitely rinse them multiple times – until the water runs clear. 🙂
These look outdtanding! But we have an oat allergy at out house. Any suggestions as to what would be a good substitute? Love your blog!!
Thanks Miriam! I’d suggest either almond flour or even regular all-purpose flour. It seems to act as a binder more than anything.
Five minutes after reading through this post, I was in my kitchen making a batch of these. Just as you wrote, they taste incredible and have no hint of the black beans at all – just a delicious chocolate brownie flavor. My husband was amazed when I told him the ingredients. He then asked if these could be renamed “Breakfast Brownies” and served for breakfast since they included oats. Hmmm…
That’s awesome news Anneliese! So glad your family liked them, and I think the re-name is very appropriate! 😉
I’ve been craving brownies lately. These are on the agenda for TODAY!
Enjoy!
Do you think these could be doubled and if they could be frozen? Id love to make these and stock them up in my freezer as summer is coming and I dont like to turn on my oven once it hits the 70s.
I am reporting back and found that I had no trouble doubling the recipe and they taste fine after frozen, so itll be great to have to pack in future lunches! Love this recipe!
Thanks for the follow up. We really liked these brownies and they’ll make a great freezer treat this summer.
Made these today and they are great! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re absolutely welcome Hannah!
Have made these multiple times and they are wonderful. For those asking you can substitute honey and they are still delightful. Thanks so much for this recipe.
These are all great recipes. I can’t wait to try them on my ceoliac wife and diabetic friends who continue to eat shop bought muck despite their health problems. Thank you for these.
Thanks for the kudos Tony!
I don’t know if anyone else has had this experience, but my batch was only pretty good until I covered them. They were completely cooled before cutting and sampling. Then I put them in a cookie tin and they became squishy and very beany. My tasters didn’t taste beans on the first taste, though I did, but after putting them away, no one wanted to have any more. Very disappointing! What do you think the problem was?
Did you store them in the fridge BF? That would be my only guess as to what the problem was. I also don’t know about other readers, but I personally don’t cut them all at once. I lightly score them, then keep them in together covered, still in the parchment paper, in the fridge. It’s hard to say which one of those methods would contribute to success – if any – but if you make them again, I’d definitely give this a try. 🙂
Hello there. Can I substitute sucanat instead of maple syrup? Thanks
I haven’t tried it myself Sofia, but I bet you could. 🙂
My family LOVES these. After the 4th batch I revealed the recipe to my husband, but the kids still don’t know. 😉
I won’t tell if you won’t! 😉
Will steel cut oats work? I’m putting ingredients together for this, and chocolate hummus. Whizzy whiz whiz, bake, eat.
Definitely worth a shot Sangeetha! I’d blend that up first though, to ensure it’s a super fine powder. Do that and you should be good to go!! Enjoy! 🙂
Blending them separately? Yeah, it wasn’t going to happen. I was going to use the same blender that I made the chocolate hummus in, without washing, because I couldn’t get all the hummus out with a screaming toddler at my legs! Plus, I couldn’t remember if the steel cut oats are gluten-free, while the rolled oats I have are. My guest has a wheat allergy. So, I went with the rolled oats. She loved it and upon hearing that it was made of beans, she wanted the recipe.
I haven’t eaten brownies a whole lot but I remember those being crunchier. These have a softer texture. If one doesn’t have a wheat issue, subbing with wheat flour might make those crunchier, perhaps? Or rice flour? Indian savory crepes use rice flour for crispness. So, I’m guessing.
Also, I mixed the chocolate chips right into the batter in the baking pan. Gooey, sticky, licky stuff! Thanks for the recipes!!
I didn’t use any nuts. I wanted to keep the option of sending it as a school snack open.
Not entirely separately, just first so that you can make sure they’re a powder before adding the other ingredients. I wouldn’t wash either! 😉
The Little Debbie brownies are a treat.. A healthy version, with natural, easy to find ingredients is especially is nice to see. Kudos on your “blind taste test” results! Let’s face it, black beans in dessert just doesn’t go- or so we thought! I love the mildness of black beans but never would’ve imagined them being desert-worthy. Thank you for this recipe & the picture of these beautiful brownies, Tiffany. I’m looking forward to making these very soon!
I am preparing for life after birth 🙂 with baby no. six…… So, do they freeze well? Also, your bean blondes?
I haven’t tried freezing them yet Tara, but I think they would. They hold up very well in the fridge. Congrats on the new baby!!!
I’m attempting to eat healthier, and these sound fabulous! That being said, I’m not a fan of maple syrup, and neither is my son. Is there any maple syrup taste to these? My son can detect maple at 50 paces, lol. Thanks!!
I don’t think there is Lorrie, but you can reduce or sub entirely with honey if you’d like. I couldn’t taste the maple syrup, but I definitely tasted the honey. 🙂
I just made these and they are coming out of the oven the batter was awesome tasting have to wait for them to cool off thanks for this recipe!
You’re very welcome Carla!!
I’m boing to make you black been braunes. Right now I’m cooking the beans will make the brownies tomorrow.
Will give you heads up after every one has tried them.
Made the brownies today. Thay are great my Son loves them , all you taste is chocolate.
My Husband sase if it tastes like beans he wont eat it all ready brushed his teeth will
trye them tomarow its 11:30PM . I made a double batch my Son and I allreddy ate have of it.
My Husband hade it today and does not like it bud he doesn’t like brawnies any way
I’m sorry he didn’t like it Erika, but if he doesn’t like brownies, I can see why. These are definitely for brownie-lovers only. 🙂
Have you tried adding eggs to this recipe? We here LOVE a fudgy gooey brownie!
I haven’t Joni, but you’re welcome to! I’ve found that if you undercook the brownies a bit, they’re fudgy, but they also don’t hold together well. Maybe adding an egg would do the trick!
I’m surprised how many of these comments are people asking if they can sub their favorite sugar for the type you used. Substituting sweetener is not the complicated.
Sometimes subbing a different sweetener can effect the outcome, especially when baking and even more so if the sweetener is a different texture (i.e. granulated sugar vs. a liquid sweetener). They’re also asking because sometimes using one sweetener actually tastes significantly better than another (like maple syrup does instead of honey in this recipe, I think anyway). It’s not hard to sub, but if you’re not sure of the outcome and don’t want to waste ingredients, it never hurts to ask! 🙂
Is there a substitute for the oil? I am eating oil free but would love to be able to make something like this just without the oil. I was wondering if a nut butter would work instead of the oil?
Hi Heather! The oil acts like a binder in this recipe, so I’d go along the lines of applesauce or pumpkin puree. I’d also reduce it slightly – coconut oil solidifies at room temperature, but applesauce and pumpkin won’t, so you want to use slightly less so they don’t “melt” apart on the counter. 🙂
I have made these 2x. Both times tast great but don’t ever get beyond “fudgey”. Like really fudgey. Too fudgey. not like a brownie at all. I am putting back into oven. I did 5 minutes, let cool, a little tiny bit better. Trying for another 6 minutes. I can’t even cut they they are so gooey.
Anyone else have this? I followed recipe exactly.
It might be a matter of preference Alexandra. My husband prefers “cakey” brownies, but these aren’t cakey at all. If you want them to be more “done” in the middle (although, they will still be fudgey), you can use a 9×11 pan instead of an 8×8. That will make for thinner brownies, but they should cook all the way through. I’m not sure why yours are gooey – I literally just made these last week and they’re not gooey at all – even in the center pieces!
Bummer, mine are gooey too. Will NOT hold together, more like a chocolate sauce after about 40 minutes in the oven LOL, I guess I’ll just poor them onto ice cream and say “Have at it kids!” tastes great though!
SS – try refrigerating them. These are best when they cool COMPLETELY, as they will be somewhat soft fresh out of the oven!
Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to try this Friday while I have the oven on. I finally get to use the home canned black beans I’ve done. I’m just not a bean person so they’ve been waiting patiently. Now we’ll probably love these and I’ll want to can more. 🙂
Do you have other recipe suggestions using beans for non-bean people?
Yay! I hope you love these Joy! I do have several bean recipes for non-bean people. Here are some reader favs:
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2017/10/pumpkin-swirl-black-bean-brownie-recipe/
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2016/08/cookie-dough-hummus/
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2016/07/chocolate-hummus/
I did try the recipe and… I would make it again. Admittedly, I’m not that much of a brownie person. I know 😮 (and you already know I’m not a bean person. lol …BUT give me LEMON and you’ve got a winner. Hmmm, wonder if there’s a white bean and lemon recipe somewhere….
My husband knew what they were the first day and, although he’s game to try a bite of most things, he didn’t seem thrilled. I forgot about them in the garage (my big winter refrigerator) about a week, tried them again and… yeah they were quit good. Gave my husband a small piece not saying what they were and he went back for more! PS mine did take longer to bake but I can certainly handle that.
Ho no! I forgot the oats … sily me.
Silly question – do you measure the 1/4 cup of coconut oil before or after you melt it?
After 🙂
Awesome thanks! Extra question since you respond so quickly 🙂 – the internet has informed me that when a recipe calls for only baking powder, to use dutch processed cocoa powder. I have no idea if that applies to black bean brownies – did you use dutch processed, or regular?
Hey Jill! My coca is plain ol’ regular cocoa. I’m sure the difference is important if you’re making a super light and airy cake, but when you’re make fudgey brownies, I think you’re safe. 😉
Thanks! I made them and they were delicious. Both my husband and I could tell that there were beans in them, but I love them anyway!
Can I use quinoa flakes instead of oats??
I’m not sure Kaneez, I’ve never used quinoa flakes before. But if you’ve subbed them in other recipes using oats, I’m sure you’ll be okay!
what about almond flour instead of oats?
That would work!
Hi Tiffany – just made these brownies and they taste very good ! I wanted to clarify how you store them though , so mine don’t end up tasting “”beany” – do you keep your batch in the fridge the entire time , only taking them out when you want to eat one ? Or do you just keep in fridge until ready to serve and then bring to
Room temperature ,say when serving toncompany ? Would you then put the leftovers back in the fridge ?
Hey Bess! I store mine in the fridge after baking and take one serving out at a time to eat. If you’re serving company, I recommend room temperature to slightly warmed!
Thank you ! I kept them in fridge , although they didn’t last long; they were very good !! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes 😀
These are amazing! I usually never rate recipes online, but this one truly deserves it! Not only are they a healthy alternative to traditional brownies, they taste great and are SO EASY! I even messed up and ended up putting all of the chocolate chips in the blender and they still came out perfect. My husband had no idea they even had beans – these are now my go to brownie recipe.
YAY! I’m so glad you came back to review and rate, and more importantly, that you loved them!! ♥
I making this recipe for the first time – I prepared dried beans from the homemade bean recipe that you linked – and thank you for that.
Do you skip the last step of seasoning the beans with salt and pepper?
Yes! Skip the seasoning and use plain. Glad that homemade bean recipe helped!
In my household, we call these “beanies.” I’ve been making them for a few years. I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free baking mix instead of oats, and they always turn out great. One tip I have is they taste better cold. My husband won’t eat them warm, because he can taste the beans in them while they are warm. I have to agree that they are better cold, although I’ll eat them no matter their temp! They freeze very well. Sometimes I eat them before defrosting them, as I like the flavor and texture of them frozen. Plus, I don’t tend to overeat them when they’re frozen. Try a little cayenne and cinnamon in them, if you like Mexican hot chocolate. It’s a fun flavor variation! Especially when they are served with a little whipped coconut cream on top.
Ooh – I like the idea of cayenne and cinnamon, and I bet the texture of them frozen is DELISH!!
I just made these and they are really good! I cut the maple syrup in half and added a few drops of liquid stevia. I like to experiment with lowering the sugar content on recipes for health reasons, and I think these still game out great, though I wouldn’t know the difference since I haven’t tried them with the full amount of maple syrup. I added a 1/4 cup of water to sub for the other 1/4 cup of maple syrup I left out. I think I almost liked the batter better than the final product lol, it was delish! I can’t wait to see what they are like tomorrow after they’ve chilled in the fridge. I recently bought chocolate hummus at the store and loved it and searched for more recipes to hide beans in sweet dishes. Thanks for your recipe!!
Great substitutions Natalie, and I’m so glad you liked these! (and yes the batter IS good!)
Looks like a good recipe!! Do you have to use pure maple syrup or can you use light table syrup? Only because that’s what I have on hand!
I’d recommend pure maple syrup, but you can substitute. You might not need as much since table syrup had added sugar. Start with half the amount, and go from there!
Wow I made these brownies and thought how they possibly taste good. Was I wrong or what????Ii did pre process the oats and I found that it made a difference with the texture of the mix. I have a husband who is not a brownie fan. … but he fell in love with these and woofed down 3/4 of the pan in two days. Because they have low fat, low sugar, and are gluten free that makes it so much better to justify eating them….so the calorie count is so much better. At least that’s what he thinks… thanks for sharing I will be making them again real soon !
I’m so glad you liked them Donna! My husband was a skeptic too, but these are now a staple in our meal plan!
These look amazing! Could I use granulated Pyure stevia sweetner instead of the maple syrup for glycemic index reasons? How would I substitute that?
You probably can Malitha, but I don’t use stevia so I’m not sure how to substitute. Perhaps start with a teaspoon and taste along the way?
I love Pyure stevia, and I’ve used it plenty of times in this recipe. I can’t say exactly how much I use- I just go by taste.
WHAT?!?!?! These are AMAZING! I made these thinking that maybe I’d have a whole pan of brownies to eat if the kids didn’t like them… was I wrong!! The 3 kids LOVED them! One said it was fudgy, another agreed that it was like a Little Debbie brownie and the last just happily ate the chocolate treat! (Beans are a treat! Ha!) I haven’t told them yet! Can’t wait to see their reactions!
A few notes… I used unrefined coconut oil. It left a stronger coconut taste (which I LOVE) It made me think of adding some shredded coconut next time! And also, I had to cook these for 21 minutes. I tried 15 and it was SO liquidy still, so I added 3 minutes, then 3 more.
But so what!!!! We’ve got amazing, delicious brownies!
Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!
You’re so very welcome Elizabeth!! ♥
I tried this recipe tonight and I don’t feel like I have the same amazing results. Are these brownies supposed to rise? They were very flat. I feel like I cooked them enough and had a few cracks on the top. Maybe I have bad baking powder.
They don’t rise too much Erica – they’re going to be more fudgy than cakey. But you should get some rise. Definitely test the baking powder!
Hi Tiffany,
Finally made your Black Bean Brownies and true to testimony, they’re very good. Since I knew the ingredients up front, I tasted the black bean, but my husband and his friend didn’t, so I imagine I probably wouldn’t have either. I prefer lighter brownies. Do you think I could just add 1/2 c of A/P flour to accomplish this? Also, you mentioned in your fun write up that they don’t have any sugar. Since maple syrup is a form of sugar, did you mean refined white sugar? I love finally having a gluten-free recipe that doesn’t taste weird. Thank you!
Hi Linda! Technically maple syrup is a sweetener, not “sugar,” so that’s why I made that comment about the sugar. If you want to try to make them lighter, I’d switch the oats for flour and add 1/2 cup like you suggested. I’m not entirely sure they’ll actually get lighter because of the beans, but it’s worth a shot!
OH. MY. WORD!! Made these last night and they were amazing! My husband even loved them so you just passed a very hard test!! 😂 I didn’t tell him they were black beans before I asked how he liked them! Thanks for working to help us eat better but still delicious! Love your blog!!
Thanks for the high praises Bronni! I’m so glad you all enjoyed them! ♥
Just wanted to say thank you for this awesome recipe…I can make a pan of brownies now and eat half the pan myself without feeling guilty. It has the perfect moist fudgy yum brownies need but you know you your actually eating real food. I cannot thank you enough for your genuis with this combination!
You’re most welcome Liz!
Do you think I could use olive oil instead of coconut oil? It’s what I usually bake with and am not the biggest fan of coconut. I even omit it from Anzac biscuits :/
If you have extra light olive oil, that would be okay. You could sub butter as well!