Who would have known that black beans were the secret ingredient to perfectly rich and fudgy brownies? These make for the PERFECT dessert as they are oil-free, gluten-free, flourless, rich in fiber AND ready in about 40 minutes. Everyone will love these, especially kids!

Have some black beans in the house that you don’t know what to do with? Make brownies!

I remember when I first went vegan, I was OBSESSED with bean desserts. From black bean brownies to white bean cookies, I thought it was so freaking cool that something like a bean could taste amazing in a dessert. My family, well…. not so much. They were not vegan at the time and were SO weirded out by the concept of bean desserts. There are definitely still people out there who are skeptical about the whole thing, so my recommendation is to just not tell them and let them realize that it is delicious regardless.

Not only is this recipe easy, but it also only requires simple and easy to find ingredients. Black beans, sugar, cacao (or cocoa) powder, organic cane sugar, flaxseed meal, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. The walnuts and chocolate chips are optional but HIGHLY recommended 😉

This recipe is a part of our Leftovers Series on our blog. Each month, we are going to take common leftovers and show you how to repurpose them. Last month we showed you what to do with leftover rice, and this month we are showing you what to do with leftover black beans! We figured “beans” can be a broad topic (depending on how you look at it), so we are going to cover different kinds of beans in the future 🙂

Also, we just wanted to share a quick disclaimer that our pup did not eat any of these. He just popped in during the photo shoot and we thought it was the cutest so we wanted to include the shot 🙂

Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!

Easy Black Bean Brownies (Vegan + Oil and Gluten-free)

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★★★★★

4.7 from 7 reviews

• Author: Jasmine @ Sweet Simple Vegan
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 16 small brownies

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Description

Who would have known that black beans were the secret ingredient to perfectly rich and fudgy brownies? These easy black bean brownies make for the PERFECT dessert as they are oil-free, gluten-free, flourless, rich in fiber AND ready in about 40 minutes. They are delicious and everyone will love these, especially kids!

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Ingredients

• 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 6 tablespoons water)*
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (we used raw but it is not necessary)
• 1 (15 oz.) can (1 3/4 cups) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup unsalted peanut or almond butter*
• 3/4 cup cacao (or cocoa) powder
• 2 tablespoons brewed espresso (or strong brewed coffee; optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Optional

• 2 tablespoons crushed walnuts
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chunks

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Instructions

1. Prepare the flax eggs by mixing the flaxseed meal with the water in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken for about 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. You can oil the baking pan instead as well. 
3. In a food processor, add in the sugar and process it enough to bring it to a finer texture. Whether you are using raw or not, the sugar should be broken down for better brownies. Add in the black beans and almond butter, and process until smooth.
4. Add in the prepared flax eggs, cacao powder, espresso, vanilla extract, baking powder, and sea salt, and process smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides.
5. Add 1/4 cup of the chocolate chunks and mix them in by hand. Pour the batter into the lined baking dish and use a spatula to smooth out the top. Top with 2 tablespoons of walnuts and the remaining to tablespoons chocolate chunks as desired.
6. Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick runs clean. remove the brownies from the oven and cool completely before digging in.

Notes

• You can also use 2 tablespoons chia seeds in place of the 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal.
• To make this recipe nut-free, avoid the optional walnuts and use sunflower butter in place of the peanut or almond butter. We have not yet tested the sunflower butter and cannot guarantee the results will be the same, but it is what we would do to make it nut-free!
• Store the brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. 
• The nutrition facts take into account the use of almond butter + all of the optional toppings.
• This recipe is adapted from Minimalist Baker.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Dessert, Leftovers
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free

Keywords: Dessert, Leftovers, Black Bean, Brownies, Baking, Vegan, Gluten-free

Nutrition facts label provided by Nutri Fox.

Need more ideas for using up black beans? Check out more below!

Easy Vegan Black Bean Dip (Oil-free + 7-Ingredients)

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Breakfast Hash (Gluten- and Oil-Free)

Vegan Enchilada Casserole With Homemade Sauce (Oil & Gluten-Free)

Vegan High-Protein Teriyaki Mushroom Burgers

Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (Vegan + 30-Minutes or Less)

Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!