These Vegan Black Bean Brownies are so fudgy and decadent you won’t believe they’re actually healthy and so easy to make! They require just 9 pantry staple ingredients that are gluten free, oil free and refined sugar free!
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Beans in dessert is not a new thing by any means– one of my very first posts on the blog was actually this Chickpea Cookie Dough recipe! Beans really don’t taste like much… they usually end up tasting like however you flavour it. They have a great body and can have a really nice texture to them when blended well.
I’ve made brownies using pumpkin and avocado, and a rich brownie like chocolate cake using tofu… so next up I wanted to tackle some brownies made from beans!
And since I used to make this healthy brownie batter back in university with black beans every single night for dessert, I knew black beans would work really well with chocolate.
And yesss guys, they were a huge success!! Literally, my ideal brownie. Fudgy, rich and decadent. Plus, they don’t dry out at all even after a couple days!
Ingredients in These Healthy Black Bean Brownies
These brownies are made with just 9 wholesome ingredients ya’ll, and I’m guessing you already have these in your pantry too!
- Black Beans: a fiber rich base that replaces flour in brownies and makes them extra moist.
- Flax meal: replaces eggs and holds this brownie together.
- Peanut Butter: replaces butter, makes it richer and also acts as a binder.
- Cocoa Powder: cause they’re brownies!!
- Coconut Sugar: keeps these brownies refined sugar free.
- Dark Chocolate: makes these brownies extra fudgy.
- Nature’s Charm Caramel Sauce: a delicious sweet n’ gooey addition!
How to Make Vegan Black Bean Brownies
My favourite thing about this recipe (other than the fact that they’re freaking delicious) is that they’re so easy to make in just the food processor! No stirring and worrying about over-mixing. Here’s a brief run down:
- Blend all the ingredients together into a food processor except the dark chocolate until combined and smooth.
- Add in the chocolate and pulse the mixture together.
- Transfer brownie batter into a 6×6 inch lined baking pan. Smooth out the top evenly using a spatula. Spoon caramel sauce on top, then spread or swirl it so it melts evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the top begins to get crackly. Cool completely before cutting.
And the Result?
Slightly crispy edges and super fudgy and chocolaty on the inside… oh, and that gooey sweet caramel top just brings it up 10 notches.
Extra Tips to Perfect Vegan Brownies
- Don’t Let the Batter Heat Up: When blending, make sure the batter does not become too warm or the chocolate will melt into the batter and it can get pretty difficult to smooth out the brownie.
- Use a Small Baking Pan: This keeps these brownies thick, moist and gooey. You CAN use a 8×8 inch baking pan but note that they will be thinner and you may want to reduce baking time by 5-10 minutes.
- Use End-of-the-Jar Nut Butter: I’ve used both “runny” nut butter and the stuff at the bottom of a nut butter– I’ve found the dryer stuff to work really well in this recipe. Runny nut butter makes these brownies more moist and melt-y whereas the dryer stuff makes them more dense and truffle like.
How to Store Black Bean Brownies
Since these brownies have beans in them they should be kept in the fridge in an air tight container. Black bean brownies will last in the fridge for 5-7 days or up to 2 months in the freezer. Eat chilled, at room temperature or microwave for 15 seconds to get them warm and gooey.
Helpful Equipment to Make This Recipe
I hope you try and love these vegan black bean brownies as much as I do! They’re a great healthy dessert for when you’re craving something sweet but still a little more nutritious 🙂
Craving More Heathy Vegan Chocolate Desserts? Check Out:
- Salted Pretzel Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies
- No Bake Chocolate Caramel Cookies
- Flourless Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Rum Cake
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you recreate this Vegan Caramel Black Bean Brownies recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Vegan Caramel Black Bean Brownies
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 Servings 1x
Description
These Vegan Black Bean Brownies are so fudgy and decadent you won’t believe they’re actually healthy and so easy to make! They require just 9 pantry staple ingredients that are gluten free, oil free and refined sugar free!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ground flax meal + 6 tbsp water (18g)
- 1.5 cup black beans (258g // 1 15oz can black beans rinsed and drained)
- 1/3 cup peanut butter (83g)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (50g)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (90g)
- 1 tsp vanilla (5g)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda (1g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped (75g)
- 3–4 tbsp Nature’s Charm Caramel Sauce (45g)
- flaky salt for topping, optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line 6×6 inch baking tin or grease with oil.
- Add all the ingredient except the dark chocolate into a food processor and blend until combined ans smooth. Scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed.
- Add in the chopped chocolate and pulse blend a couple times to incorporate the chocolate into the batter.
- Transfer brownie batter into baking pan. Using a spatula, smooth out the top.
- Spoon some caramel sauce on top of the brownie. Spread or swirl the caramel over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes before removing from baking pan. Place on cooling rack and cut into sliced when completely cooled.
Notes
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Sweets
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: vegan, gluten free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 brownie
- Calories: 217
- Sugar: 217g
- Sodium: 260mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.2g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 25.5g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 6.5g
- Cholesterol: 0.23
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
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I’ve been meaning to write this review for so long. When I want something sweet I very rarely go for brownies, but these brownies are to die for. I’ve baked them so many times and they always turn out perfectly, not too fudgy but not too cakey, . Everyone I have served them to absolutely adores them and are shocked they are 1) vegan and 2) have black beans in them. I don’t always have the caramel on hand but they are great either way. Thank you this is my go to brownie recipe!!!
Great recipe! My black beans were a bit dry, so I added some nutmilk. Turned out great!
I absolutely love these brownies. It was different but awesome. This is now my new brownie recipe !
these are so good you can’t even tell they’re made from black beans! so rich and fudgy. I made my own date caramel to slather in top and they were perfect!!!
Date caramel is such a good idea I’ll have to do that next time 🙂
would u mind sharing how to make your own caramel for the top please?
Hi Lisa,
Do I need to soak the black bean in water at least overnight, to make it soft, before blending all toghether with other ingredients?
Hi Hong!
I used canned black beans, but if you’re making black beans from scratch just cook them first and used the cooked black beans 🙂
These brownies are ridiculously simple to make. They require a handful of ingredients you likely have on hand, and all you need is a food processor (or a blender) and a muffin tin. Does clean up get much easier than that? Let me answer that, NO.
Yes, easy to make brownies are the best!
Vegan dark chocolate chips: Look for the highest quality possible. The addition of the chocolate chips to the cacao powder makes these brownies extra chocolatey and full of flavor. Like with the cacao powder, I use the Thrive Market brand because they re healthy and a great price.
Good recipe! They were sooo mushy though. I stuck them in the freezer to firm them up a bit and it was workable.
I think next time I might take out some PB and add flour.
Hi Suri! They should be fudgy but not mushy- did you let them cool on the cooling rack? If they sit in the pan for too long they tend to get a little soggy because the heat kind of “steams” the bottom!
Hello
New test of the week !
My workout snacks are these super soft anf moist brownies. I just skipped the sugar and adapted quantities to my mold but it came out super yummy.
Keep going Lisa
Hi Cheima,
Yay I’m so happy to hear you tried and enjoyed them- thanks so much!
It says 2 flax meal. Is that 2 tablespoons?
Sorry, yes! 2 TBSP. Fixed 🙂