Black Bean Brownies – Vegan
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
These fudgy black bean brownies made with oats, dates and maple syrup will become your favorite healthy brownies ever. They are naturally vegan, packed with good for you ingredients, flourless and refined sugar free with an indulgent option of butterscotch sauce + Video Tutorial!
Black Bean Brownies
If you are after a delicious good for you healthier brownie recipe that checks all the boxes and then some – these simple protein packed black bean brownies are the Best! No dairy, no eggs, no gluten, the batter comes together in your food processor in no time and bakes in 20 minutes. The hardest part is waiting for them to set and chill properly.
Unless I told you ahead of time, you’d never know the batter was made with beans because there’s no bean flavor at all, trust me! All you’ll think about is getting another morsel in your mouth and enjoying every little crumb. I like to have a couple of bite size squares with my morning coffee, like a guilt-free chocolate version of an oatmeal breakfast bar.
Healthy Oil-Free Variation
To make this recipe oil free and whole food plant based complaint you’ll want to swap the olive oil in the batter (albeit a small amount) with mashed avocado or sweet potato, with my favorite swap being the avocado. Alternatively peanut butter or tahini could be used but I find this alters the flavor profile a little too much for what I want here. For WFPB compliance make sure to also serve your brownies with just a dusting of espresso or cocoa powder and omit the butterscotch or caramel.
Add Ins
I added a touch of instant coffee as flavor booster + a chopped 3 oz dark chocolate bar into my brownie batter which results in extra fudgy pockets of chocolate throughout. If desired one could add chopped nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts and even pistachios, personally wouldn’t go too wild with the add ins especially if you plan on serving with butterscotch, you don’t want too much of a good thing. All things considered flavors like orange zest, mint and candied ginger compliment chocolate beautifully and could work nice in a variation of this recipe.
The Butterscotch Sauce
I included a simple vegan butterscotch option here as an indulgence for a special occasion like Christmas or birthdays. The sauce is known to elevate a lot of desserts, from muffins to baked apples, pies, eclairs and ice cream just like caramel. Make it while your brownies are chilling and serve it a little warm. The contrast between cold and warm makes all the flavors so special and even more delicious!
On Storage
Keep your brownies refrigerated in a lidded container or covered with parchment paper to prevent the top from drying out. They also freeze well for longer term up to 6 months. Thaw out in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.
Vegan Desserts
- Chocolate Sweet Potato Bread
- Vegan Lemon Loaf
- Apple Salted Caramel Cheesecake
- Vegan Christmas Cookies
- Best Vegan Brownies
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Vegan Ricotta Apple Pie
- No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
How to Make Vegan Black Bean Brownies
Black Bean Brownies - Vegan
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cooked black beans drained + rinsed well
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 2.5 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 4 medjool dates pitted
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder optional
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup olive oil avocado or coconut oil
- 3 oz dark chocolate bar roughly chopped
Butterscotch Sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup cashew pieces
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your own to 350”F. Line an 8x8 inch cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- To the bowl of a food processor add all the brownie ingredients except the chocolate bar. Using the pulse button process until creamy. Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl.1.5 cups cooked black beans, 1/2 cup quick oats, 2.5 Tbsp cocoa powder, 4 medjool dates, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp instant coffee powder, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cup olive oil
- Fold the chopped chocolate into the brownie dough and transfer to the prepared cake pan. Bake for 20 minutes.3 oz dark chocolate bar
- Transfer the brownie pan to a cooling rack and allow two cool off completely. Move the cooled pan into the fridge and chill for a couple of hours before slicing. Using a serrated knife cut the brownies into 4 or 5 sections to create bite size brownies. (I made 36 but you can make them larger and get 18 pieces instead).
Prepare the Butterscotch Sauce
- In a powerful blender such as a Vitamix process the water with the cashews until silky smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and whisk in the butter, sugar and vanilla. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Allow to cool off a little before spooning some over the chilled brownies when serving. (Optional to stir in 3-4 Tbsp of dark rum).1 cup water, 1/3 cup cashew pieces, 1/2 cup vegan butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract
Video
Notes
- Oil-free brownie variation: Replace the olive oil with mashed avocado or sweet potato.
- on Storage - Keep your brownies refrigerated in a lidded container or covered with parchment paper to prevent the top from drying out. They also freeze well for longer term up to 6 months. Thaw out in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.
Brownies you can feel good about eating ? The recipe I’ll be making forever and ever, the perfect snack to keep in the fridge and basically snack on beans and oatmeal. Obsessed ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️