Flourless Black Bean Brownies

Flourless Black Bean Brownies are a healthy, nutritious, and gluten-free dessert . For those times when you want something sweet or you need to bring a dessert to a party that you can actually eat, these are perfect! And you never have to divulge your little secret that they are made with black beans, unless you want to. No one will ever know!

I love occasionally enjoying a decadent, chocolate treat. Specifically, warmed up brownies. They are my favorite! Being gluten-free makes that challenging as most chocolate treats at restaurants are not friendly to my dietary choices. So, when I came across this recipe for Flourless Black Bean Brownies in Tracy Hill’s cookbook, “Delightfully Free,” it was safe to say I found my new guilt-free kryptonite. 

These brownies have quickly become a staple dessert in my home. They’re high in nutrients and fiber, while low in sugar. They’re also gluten and dairy-free and can easily be made vegan. Flourless Black Bean Brownies are a winner in my book for many reasons:

1. They’re made without refined flours or oils and are free of inflammatory ingredients.

2. They’re packed with nutrient-rich ingredients, such as black beans, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, nuts, and more.

3. They’re so simple and easy to make.

4. People who are not gluten or dairy free love them! They would never know they aren’t regular brownies.

Health Benefits of Black Beans

Black beans are technically a type of legume. They’re packed with the winning combination of carbohydrates and protein. More so, these beans contain high amounts of fiber, antioxidants, and various vitamins and minerals. And, that’s really just the start! 

Antioxidants

The antioxidant content in black beans is surprisingly high. These antioxidants fight inflammation in the body and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. Antioxidants are also essential for fertility and healthy sperm and eggs when trying to conceive.

Fiber

Black beans are rich in soluble fiber, which is great for digestive health. Fiber also aids the body in excreting toxins, protecting the heart, regulating bowel movements, and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Minimally, you should aim to eat 30g of fiber daily.

Vitamins

Black beans provide many vitamins and minerals, including folate (B9), magnesium, copper, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. This wide variety of vitamins and minerals helps keep you healthy by strengthening your immune system, regulating hormones, and so much more. 

Protein

You might be surprised to learn that black beans are high in protein. A one cup serving of beans contains a whopping 15g of protein. I guess you could technically call these brownies “protein brownies” with that impressive protein content. 

What You Need to Make Flourless Black Bean Brownies

To make these black bean brownies, you need your basic baking ingredients, such as eggs (option to substitute if vegan), oil (grapeseed or avocado, to be exact), vanilla extract, sea salt, and baking powder and soda. You’ll also need the following ingredients to make this nutrient-rich, recipe:

Black Beans - as the base of the recipe, instead of flour

Stevia (optional), Coconut Palm Sugar, and Coconut Nectar - for natural sweetness

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - to provide a rich and chocolatey flavor (cocoa is rich in magnesium which is very important for your hormone and overall health)

Xanthan Gum- to bind and thicken the batter (optional)

Chopped Nuts + Dark Chocolate Chips - for extra flavor, crunch, and nutrients

Egg Substitutes:

• If you don’t eat eggs, you can use these substitutes: The following equal 1 egg so double whatever you see below to equal the 2 eggs in the recipe.

  • 3 tbsp of peanut butter

  • 1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water whisked together until gelatinous

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water whisked together and let sit for 15 min to become thick

  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

How to Make Flourless Black Bean Brownies

As previously mentioned, this recipe is so easy to make. The key however is a high speed blender or immersion blender. It isn’t essential but it makes the finished product smooth without the chunks from the beans.

To make this recipe, start by prepping your baking dish and pre-heating your oven to 350F. Blend the first 5 ingredients in a blender. Then, add your beans. Finally, add the remaining ingredients - except the nuts and chocolate chips. Blend well, then manually stir in the nuts and chocolate chips. Bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack and serve.

Note:

I personally choose not to use stevia or xantham gum in my recipe. I don’t love the taste of stevia and I find it sweet enough without it, The xantham gum isn’t essential for this recipe and I prefer to limit it in my baking whenever I can.

Recipe for Flourless Black Bean Brownies:

Makes 24 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs (substitute if need to, see above)

• 1 tbs water

• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil or avocado oil

• 1 ½ tsp vanilla 

• 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 ¼ cup coconut palm sugar

• 2 tbs coconut nectar 

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• ¾ tsp xanthan gum (option to remove)

• ¾ tsp liquid stevia (option to remove)

• ½ cup chopped nuts, almonds or walnuts, optional

• ½ cup dark chocolate chips, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a glass 9x13 baking dish with oil/spray (I use avocado oil). 

2. In a food processor or blender, combine the eggs, water, oil, and optional stevia. Add the beans and blend for 30 seconds. 

3. Add the remaining ingredients, except the nuts and chocolate chips. Blend for about 1-2 minutes.

4. Stir in the chopped nuts and chocolate chips. 

5. Pour the batter into the glass dish and bake for 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

6. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this amazing dessert! Be sure to share it with friends and spread the brownie love!