This amazing gluten-free flourless black bean brownies recipe has ⅔ less sugar than traditional brownies! They have lots of protein and heart-healthy fiber.
My favorite part about cooking for my family is altering indulgent recipes to make them healthy and yet still lovable. I am always tweaking and editing family favorite recipes until they are a healthy and REAL FOOD option for my family.
When we began eating better together, we started eliminating all processed and sugary foods. I quickly realized that my family still needed treats every once in a while and if I wanted these treats to fit our guidelines (healthy, as organic as possible, and inexpensive)- I was going to have to make them myself. Some have failed and some have triumphed. These did not disappoint!
These amazing gluten-free brownies have NO flour and ⅔ less sugar than a traditional recipe! The best part about this recipe is that it is now loaded with protein and heart-healthy fiber.
You may be asking, "How do you make yummy chocolate brownies that are healthy"? I probably will never share the secret of these rich black bean brownies with my family but I will definitely share it with you!
My secret ingredient for today - BLACK BEANS!
Black beans are a super-food in every definition of the word. In just 1 cup of them, you get 15 grams of fiber (over half of your daily value) and 15 grams of protein (1.3 of your daily value).
You get all of these benefits with no cholesterol, no sugar, and only 1 gram of fat! That is why these are actually good for you! Black beans blend together smoothly and can be used in many ways to make healthy sauces, soups, and even desserts!
This recipe with was so simple that my husband made them. I would say it took him about 5 minutes to make them and the kids had them gone in about the same amount of time.
No one ever imagined nor did they find out that there were black beans inside of their new favorite dessert! I honestly tried convincing my son they were inside and he would not believe me - and he is my biggest critic.
To make these your own, you can add anything your family loves! Stir in chopped nuts, peanut butter, chocolate chips, cream cheese, or even candies right before placing the pan into the oven.
These brownies were a shock to both me and my family. They were extremely rich and we tasted no black beans! I decided I wanted to top these off with some caramel sauce that I picked up at the store!
By the time I sat to write this article...they were gone 🙁
Oh well. An empty pan of a protein-packed black bean dessert and smiling kids' faces is what I call a Win-Win scenario.
I hope you will try these amazing black bean brownies and enjoy them as much as we did.
Do you use a zany ingredient to make an indulgent recipe healthier?
I would love to know about it if you do!
Recipe
Gluten-Free Flourless Black Bean Brownies Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Gluten-Free
Description
This gluten-free brownie recipe only calls for 9 simple ingredients, these pull together really fast and are grain-free and gluten-free brownies.
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz Can Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
- 3 Eggs
- ¼ Cup Butter (melted)
- ¾ Cup Sugar
- ½ tsp Real Salt *
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ Cup Cocoa Powder *
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- ½ Cup Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 baking dish.
- Place all ingredients besides the chocolate chips in a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape the batter into the greased baking dish and level the top. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-27 minutes.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing into squares.
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Gail
I have made these many times and everyone loves them. I melt the chocolate chips and stir them into the batter. Sometimes I use dark chocolate chips.
Megan Kellough
Delicious
Jill
They turned out great!
Sara Densmore
Yum!!!
Corey
Just made these and they are better than regular brownies!! Can not believe they are made with beans! Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect. I will be making these again!
Joanna Tan
Halved the sugar and replaced it with coconut sugar... wasn’t too sweet but still yums. Will try with dates the next time!
Jessica
Made this weekend. It's true-you cannot taste the beans! Thanks for posting!
Rebecca
I'm glad you tried them. It's pretty cool how you can't taste the beans but how fudgey they make them, huh?
Yang
It looks so rich and delicious! I can't wait to bake these brownies next week. I will be saving this! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
Santini
What a great recipe! I can't wait to try this one! This looks so delish! Thanks for sharing this!
Rebecca
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting!
Cath
In the oven as I write this. I’ve hit the 27 minute mark and my tester is still quite runny. I’ll keep checking at 5 minute intervals. I added a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of cayenne, and my cocoa was a mixture of Dutch Chocolate and Brazilian Black Pearl. They’ll be darker and richer. My grandson is coming for dinner this evening and guests are coming tomorrow. Guess what they’re all getting??
Rebecca
I hope they all liked the brownies. They sound delish!
Cath
They were a hit with both sets of company. To jazz up the brownies, I placed them on a dollop of warm homemade raspberry jam and topped it with low fat Cool whip. Took them from a hand held brownie ( for the grandson) to an appetizingly fancy looking dessert ( for the second set of friends).
shannon rouzan
Thank you for your reply! Awesome! I will certainly let you know how it works out. I love this site, so I will be in contact for sure.
Rebecca
Glad to help!
shannon rouzan
These look great! Can I use an egg substitute for this recipe?
Thanks!
Rebecca
I haven't tried it in this exact recipe but I've tried it in lots of recipes and it it has worked great and I don't think this would be one of the few where it wouldn't. If you give it a try, will you please come back and comment and let us all know if it worked or not? That would help a lot of people.
Jane B.
Turned out great!
Vicki
This looks like an amazing recipe. What I don’t understand is what gives the brownie the sweetness? There’s no sugar in the recipe and the ingredients don’t seem very sweet. Without the sweet taste, how is it possible to satisfy our friends and family?
Vicki
Oops....now I see the sugar. Sorry I missed it. Could I substitute honey?
Rebecca
I'm trying to remember what I've done, cause I rarely use sugar in my desserts. Regardless, you could use honey. Just follow these guidelines - https://www.thekitchn.com/4-rules-for-successfully-swapping-honey-for-sugar-in-any-baked-goods-230156
Vicki
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll try the substitution.
Christy Williams
Delicious! Ran out of chocolate chips and used M&M’s instead. Made another batch the very next day because they were so good.
Samantha
I've been making this recipe for over a year now an my husband just realised I was Not using flour because he watched me make them for the first time! His face was priceless and he was convinced I was trying to trick him till he ate them and realised it was the same brownies he has been eating!! ? My kids love them too!!
Rebecca
I wish I could have been there when he found out the trick to these brownies! I love that they are healthy AND easy AND good. A winning combo!
COCO SHORTBREAD
Just made these brownies with unsweetened cocoa powder (Droste), didn't quite use 3/4 c of sugar and totally forgot to put the chocolate chips on it before baking...within less than an hour 1/3 of the pan is empty already. I am doing grain free and this is a simple and very affordable recipe. I will try with some applesauce next time. It's nice and cake-y and not overly sweet which is fine with me. GREAT RECIPE !!! Thanks
Rebecca
Oh! I'm glad you like the brownies. My daughter loves to make them too.
JDAllinder
I made these a few weeks ago for my family, and they were a huge hit. They've been asking for more ever since.
Shannon
Love this recipe! So delicious, satisfying, and easy. When I told my husband they were made with black beans he couldn't believe it - win!
Rebecca
So good to hear. Thanks for your comment!
Amanda
Omg these are so good! I put raw peanuts on top instead of chocolate chips so yummy ?
Rebecca
That sounds soo good! What a great suggestion. I'm sure others will want to try that now!
Lynne Gray
This was so good. I used turbinado cane sugar, as that was all we had and 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder to make myself feel a little better. Cook for 40min instead of 25 and it was perfect! My 3 year old quite enjoyed it too!! Thanks for the great recipe, keep 'em coming 🙂
Rebecca
I'm glad you liked them. My children love them too!
Patty
I made these today using stevia. They were delicious! This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Rebecca
Thanks for commenting so other users know what works. I'm glad you liked the brownies.
Amie
22 gram carbs, 10 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein. I made it with stevia instead of sugar. We will see if the kids like them
Jasmine
These came out really good next time I plan to stir in the chocolate chips and some walnuts for crunch.
Rebecca
Good idea. Thanks for the tip!
cristina
These look great. I've hit the 27 min mark, but not sure if they're done as they are still a little runny in the middle.
Jess
These were so delicious and so easy to prepare! Our guests enjoyed them so much and could not believe they have beans and no flour! They are so rich and moist! Thank you!
Rebecca Baron
Thanks for your comment. My daughter loves to make these and surprise people when they tell her how good they are.
Pat Miner
Thank you for the brownie recipe . I was wondering if honey or another sweetener could be used in place of sugar? My husband is diabetic.
Rebecca
You can use honey or maple syrup, but the amount needed will likely be different than the amount of sugar called for. You may have to experiment to find the correct amount as I haven't made these with honey myself.
Pat Miner
Thank you for the honey of answer. . I hope I can figure it out. Pat
Stef
I've used truvia and had a great deal of success!
melanie
Can't wait to make these brownies--been craving chocolate and cannot get the recommended amt of protein in my diet while trying to lose weight! I signed up for essential oils last spring, but unfortunately, the team was not very dedicated and I just fell away from it. I had questions with my web page I got access to. I am going to wait until my membership expires, and maybe start over with you.
patricia
These really look good, I am going to have to try these.
Rebecca
Please let me know if you try them. I would love your review.
Chrissie
Do you know if I could substitute applesauce instead of the butter?
Rebecca
I haven't tried it, but I'll often substitute about half the fat with applesauce in my recipes. It can make them a bit more moist and dense, but that's not always a bad thing with brownies. . .
Stephanie
This sounds amazing I definitely want to try this. I do have a question does anyone know if you can use the unsweetened cocoa power?
Kim
I used unsweetened and they turned out delicious.
Karren Haller
Hi Rebecca, I keep seeing these flourless brownies recipes, I really need to try them.
Anna @ Sunny Side Ups
I hate to admit it, but I've been afraid to try black bean brownies up until now! But yours look so delicious, I've gotta jump in and give them a shot! I'm excited! 🙂 Pinned!
Lysa from Welcome to My Circus
This is an interesting recipe as I have never heard of using black beans to make brownies! They sound rather good though! 😉
Wishing you a fabulous week!
Much love,
Lysa xx
Natashalh
I haven't tried black bean brownies yet, but I made some black bean chocolate dessert dip last fall and fed it to a bunch of people who never guessed it was healthy! Ha! I'm always looking for ways to reduce our sugar intake - everything in the store has so darn much of it.
Jillian Hudson
This is a great recipe!
tara siudy
This recipe looks amazing! Can't wait to try it! I am just starting out in the blogging world, and aspire to post great things like this! Thanks! http://www.littlemissdexterous.com
Jana
I LOVE using beans in chocolate cakes! But I haven't made brownies with them before. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
I am constantly modifying SAD recipes into Healthy recipes. 🙂 It is so appealing to have a recipe already use the ingredients I have grown used to substituting (and subsequently having to adjust the liquid, etc to get the texture just right)
Thanks again!
Jessica
These look delicious!