Ooey, gooey, rich and chocolaty black bean brownies are naturally vegan and flourless. These baked brownies take less than 30 minutes to make…equal parts simple and satisfying…and are super delish! Everything you’re looking for in a moist fudgy brownie and nothing (no oil or refined sugar) extra!
Jump to:
Rich and decadent chocolate desserts are a must in my healthy comfort food arsenal. You may have already tried my sweet potato brownies, tahini chocolate brownies or the always popular flourless zucchini brownies…and I adore each one of those chocolate recipes for different reasons….texture, taste, ingredients on hand, and let’s not discount mood….after all we are already into the weeds with brownies.
This recipe for moist and fudgy, flourless brownies is a “go to” for me when I’m short on time or ingredients, but still need to satisfy my chocolate cravings. I always have black beans in my pantry, along with the rest of these simple ingredients including cacao powder…and you better believe I’m taking a 5-minute break to get a batch of these delicious and decadent brownies into the oven!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Black Beans: Using canned beans makes this an easy pantry brownie recipe. Use kidney beans or pinto beans as a substitute.
- Cocoa powder: I use raw cacao powder, it’s richer in chocolatey flavor and has more minerals and antioxidants, since it’s processed at a lower temperature. You can swap with cocoa powder in even amounts.
- Ground flax: Grind your own from flax seeds in a spice grinder, or store already ground flax seeds in your freezer.
- Almond butter: No oil brownie recipes still need some fat. I like to use almond butter to keep these brownies moist and fudgy, but you could substitute with peanut butter…or use tahini or sun butter for those with nut allergies. Use crunchy or smooth, but make sure your jar is thoroughly mixed and the almond butter has a uniform drippy consistency.
- Unsweetened applesauce: A vegan and oil-free baking superstar!! It’s so easy to make your own homemade applesauce, but having individual applesauce ½ cups in the pantry is just so so easy for vegan baking.
How to make Brownies in under 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 350 and line a square 8 x 8 brownie pan with unbleached parchment paper.
Place rinsed and drained black beans in bowl of food processor with almond butter, applesauce, cacao powder, flax meal and baking powder.
Process for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides with a silicone spatula and then mix for another 30 seconds, until you have a thick, but smooth batter.
Add chocolate chips to brownie batter and mix by hand until well distributed.
Pour batter into prepared pan and use an offset spatula to spread evenly into the corners. Sprinkle the top with additional mini chocolate chips and flakey sea salt, if desired.
Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. Brownies are done when toothpick inserted into the CENTER comes out clean. I like my fudgy brownies gooey in the center and I take them out at 18 minutes.
Let brownies cool completely before you try to remove from pan and cut them. You should be able to pull on the sides of the parchment and left the entire batch of brownies onto a wire rack or straight onto a cutting board. If you’re in a hurry, then pop the pan into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes for them to set up more quickly.
Flourless Brownie Variations
These baked chocolate brownies are all you really need to satisfy even the fiercest of chocolate cravings….but I’ve discovered a few brownie flavors that are just crazy good too….and they’re easy upgrades!
- Mexican black bean brownies: Stick with me here….a spicy black bean brownies have the same fudgy texture and the little kick of heat is subtly addictive in the best possible way! My new fave!! ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper is all you need, added to this perfect flourless brownie batter.
- Mocha Brownies: Add one teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder to the food processor when mixing up the batter. You’ll get just a bit of a caffeine zing and the coffee totally enhances the rich chocolaty flavor too.
- Peppermint Brownies: 2 teaspoons peppermint extract added to the batter will give you a burst of minty flavor. If you wanna get all fancy on us, then crush a few candy canes on top instead of the flakey sea salt. It’s the fun and fabulous holiday brownie edition!
Debra’s Pro Tips
- To cut smaller brownies….like the rectangle bars shown above and have clean cut edges, pop the brownies in the freezer for 30 minutes before cutting. You’ll get 18 servings….which means seconds all around! YOLO.
- Store brownies in the freezer with parchment paper between layers. You can serve them cold, straight from the freezer.
- Brownies will stay good in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days, in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Mini chocolate chips mean more chips….and it’s easier to cut brownies into squares without a larger chip in the way! No chocolate chips? Take out your favorite dark chocolate bar and chop away.
More Dessert Recipes with Beans
These White Bean Vegan Blondies are decadent and delicious. You’ll also love my chocolate chunk skillet cookie recipe with chickpeas and peanut butter. They’re both fabulous pantry dessert recipes that have no oil and are both vegan and gluten-free.
Did you know commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways to support your favorite food bloggers? If you made this recipe, please consider a five star rating below and leave a comment. Also, please share your photos on instagram by tagging me @dkhealthcoach and using the hashtag #debraklein
📖 Recipe
Fudgy Flourless Black Bean Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can black beans
- ½ cup almond butter
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- ¼ cup ground flax
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8 x 8" square baking pan with unbleached parchment paper.
- Place all ingredients, except for chocolate chips into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides and process for another 30 seconds until brownie batter is smooth.
- Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
- Pour into prepared baking pan and spread evenly toward corners. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips and flakey sea salt on the top, if desired.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Cool completely before attempting to cut into squares.
- Pop into the fridge or freezer if you're in a hurry to dig in!
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
JoAnne
You didn’t include baking instructions in the recipe.
Debra Klein
Oh my! Total oversight on my part. Thank you so much for pointing that out. I just updated it, the instructions are in the recipe card now.
JoAnne
Awesome and thank you so much for all of your recipe’s, I enjoy them so much!
Sydney
Fudgy and so good! I love that these are healthy but still taste like a real treat too!
Debra Klein
Yes!!! Both are true…the ultimate in nutritious and delicious!