These Black Bean Brownies are simple low-carb, healthy, vegan brownies sweetened with applesauce and with a delicious fudgy texture.
I love making simple healthy brownies that taste like the classic recipe, but loaded with surprising wholesome ingredients, like I did with my Flourless Yogurt Mousse Brownies, Fudgy Date Brownies, or Sweet Potato Brownies.
These Black Bean Brownies are a simple dessert or snack where most of the batter is made with black beans to use less flour than classic brownies. As a result, black bean brownies are low in carbs and high in protein and fiber.
Why You’ll Love These Brownies
These Vegan Black Bean Brownies are a delicious fudgy treat that everyone in your family and friends will love. They are:
- Healthy
- Dairy-Free
- Low-Carb
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- No Eggs
Their fudgy texture and rich chocolate taste make them unmistakably brownies but one of their slices contains only 5 grams of net carbs and 3 grams of protein per serving to keep you full for longer.
Ingredients and Substitutions
It’s very easy to make this black bean brownies recipe. There are only a handful of basic ingredients needed!
- Black Beans – I used canned organic black beans, rinsed and drained. Any brand would be just fine.
- Almond Flour – also known as ground almond, it’s a low-carb flour that brings very few carbs. Prefer ultra-fine almond flour to avoid a gritty texture.
- Unsweetened Applesauce – I used organic apple sauce but it works with homemade applesauce as well. make sure there’s no added sugar. Organic unsweetened applesauce contains about 8 grams of net carbs per 100 grams. Given how little we use in this recipe, it doesn’t bring many carbs!
- Dark Chocolate – I made this recipe with sugar-free stevia chocolate, and I also tested 85% cocoa or 70% cocoa. Everything works perfectly. The darker chocolate you use, the bitter the brownie will be.
- Coconut Oil – prefer unrefined coconut oil.
- Baking Powder – for a slightly fluffier crumb.
- Pecan Nuts – or chopped walnuts if you prefer.
How To Make Black Bean Brownies
- Start this recipe by rinsing and draining the black beans. You can do that in a sieve or in their can.
- Then, melt the dark chocolate with the coconut oil in a mixing bowl.
- To get them to melt you can either place them in the microwave for 30 seconds or put them in a bain-marie for 2 minutes.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor or blender and add the drained black beans, baking powder, almond flour, and unsweetened applesauce. You can also include some of the chopped pecans or walnuts. Add a pinch of salt.
- Blend the brownie batter until it’s consistent and sticky.
- Line a square 8-inch x 8-inch brownie pan with lightly oiled parchment paper.
- Pour the black bean brownie batter into the baking dish. It is optional, but you can also add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter, it brings a delicious flavor. You can also add some dark chocolate chips or a touch of cocoa powder if you like your brownies ultra-chocolatey.
- Flatten the top with a silicone spatula.
- Bake the black bean brownies for 25 to 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 300°F (150°C).
- Let the brownies cool down for 5 minutes in the pan. It’s essential to get the bottom of the dessert to cook fully.
- Then, pull the overhanging pieces of parchment paper to transfer the brownies onto a cooling rack to let them cool down.
- To make the gooey caramelized pecan drizzle, start by melting the coconut oil in a small frying pan over low heat.
- Add the chopped pecans or walnuts and maple syrup.
- Cook them for 2 to 3 minutes until the maple syrup has caramelized.
- Use a spoon to drizzle the caramelized pecan topping on the cooked brownies.
- For ultimate decadence, add a drizzle of peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or any nut butter to the black bean brownies and serve with a scoop of plant-based ice cream.
Storage Instructions
These black bean brownies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. You can also freeze them in individual containers and thaw them at room temperature. Or pop them in the oven for 5 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
These vegan black beans brownies make 16 squares, one slice contains only 5 grams of net carbs and a tiny amount of 1.4 g of sugar – it is a quarter of a teaspoon of natural sugar from apples.
You can use a liquid sweetener such as coconut nectar, agave syrup, or sugar-free maple syrup, but the taste won’t be as perfectly balanced.
No, there is no need for an egg, or flax egg in this recipe. The applesauce provides the binding.
No, ground flax or flax seed flour has too much fiber compared to almond flour. It would make the batter very dry and gritty as it would absorb too much moisture.
No, these brownies have no black bean flavor at all, all you can taste is their rich chocolate flavor!
More Healthy Brownie Recipes
If you like healthy brownies like this black bean brownies recipe, you’ll love these recipes:
Prevent your screen from going dark
Black Bean Brownies
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Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
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Line an 8-inch x 8-inch square brownie pan with parchment paper. Rub a little coconut oil on it to make sure it does not stick. Set aside.
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In a small mixing bowl, add dark chocolate and coconut oil, microwave in 30-second bursts, stir and repeat until fully melted. If you don’t have a microwave use a saucepan and melt under low heat until fully melted. Set aside.
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In a food processor, with the S blade attachment, add all the ingredients: melted oil/chocolate mixture, black beans, baking powder, almond meal, and unsweetened applesauce
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Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes max.
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Cool them down for 5 minutes in the pan, then lift out the parchment paper to unmold the brownie.
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Place the brownie on a rack, and drizzle extra melted chocolate on top if you like. I melted my chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave. Go with 30-second bursts, stir, repeat until melted, and drizzle over the brownie!
Caramelized Pecan Nuts
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Melt coconut oil in a small frying pan over low heat.
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Add roughly chopped pecan nuts and maple syrup.
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Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, constantly stirring until it caramelizes.
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Spread out on parchment paper to cool.
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Sprinkle over the brownie after drizzling the melted chocolate.
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These brownies are getting super fudgy when stored in the fridge. I recommend storing them in an airtight plastic box in the fridge for up to 3 days or in a cookie jar in the pantry.
Sugar-free/low carb: don’t use maple syrup to caramelize the nuts. Use the same amount of sugar-free crystal sweetener as Swerve.
Serving: 1 brownie squareCalories: 115.8 kcal (6%)Carbohydrates: 8.7 g (3%)Fiber: 3.5 g (15%)Net Carbs: 5.2 gProtein: 3 g (6%)Fat: 8.8 g (14%)Saturated Fat: 3.7 g (23%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4 gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.8 gSodium: 30.2 mg (1%)Potassium: 70.4 mg (2%)Sugar: 2 g (2%)Vitamin A: 5.1 IUVitamin C: 0.1 mgCalcium: 35.3 mg (4%)Iron: 0.7 mg (4%)Magnesium: 13.3 mg (3%)Zinc: 0.3 mg (2%)
About The Author
Carine Claudepierre
Hi, I’m Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I’m passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I’m also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!