Black Bean Brownies

Who among you doesn’t like a good brownie? And what if your brownie recipe substituted beans and oatmeal for flour, resulting in a high protein, high fiber treat? And what if they were soft and fudgy and didn’t taste at all like the main ingredient was a vegetable? You in? Me too.

This recipe is also great if you are transitioning to clean eating, or are in need of something gluten-free. And of course it is a perfect fit for the second recipe in our Sneaking in Veggies series this month! I can even guarantee kid-approval, because I shared a batch with my children’s church kids a few weeks ago and they were a hit. Try them for yourself and let me know what you think and how many people you fool.

Start by putting all ingredients except chocolate chips in the blender or food processor and give it a good grind.

It should be pretty smooth when you are done. Then you mix in 3/4 cup chocolate chips and transfer to a prepared baking pan.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top and bake at 350F for about 15 minutes.

Let them cool for a few minutes, then lift them out and slice them. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream for dessert or by itself for a guilt free snack.

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Black Bean Brownies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 15 – 18 minutes
Serves 9

15oz can black beans, drained and well rinsed
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup canola, vegetable, or coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa (I always use my favorite Hershey’s Dark)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup chocolate chips + 1/4 cup for the top

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare an 8×8 baking pan by lining with parchment paper. Place all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a blender or food processor and combine until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice to eliminate any chunks. Stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips and spread into prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top and bake for 15-18 minutes. Allow them to cool for about 20 minutes, then lift the brownies out of the pan by grasping the edges of the parchment and slice into 9 equal pieces. Serve warm  or store in an airtight container.

*Recipe adapted from this recipe from the Chocolate Covered Katie blog.

34 Comments

  1. I am so excited to try this recipe. I’m currently in transition to gluten free and this would be an excellent recipe to substitute my current high sugar one.

    • Absolutely. I’ve been trying to make more healthy substitutions here lately and these don’t taste like a sacrifice at all 🙂

  2. Wow, I would have never thought of this. What a great alternative. My husband would go nuts over these so will have to try them. Thank you for sharing!

  3. My best friend has made these and they tasted amazing! I’ve always been afraid to make them though, so I might use your recipe to try it for the first time!

  4. I’ve seen avocado brownies, but never bean brownies. I love it! Yet another way to hide healthy foods for my picky eater 🙂

    • That’s the idea! I’ve been thinking about trying to sub avocado or applesauce for the oil in the recipe to make it even healthier, but I haven’t tried it yet.

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