Our gluten-free brownies use black beans instead of flour and avocado instead of vegan margarine for a healthier twist.
- These flour-less brownies mean they are also gluten-free. This also makes the texture light and extra fudgy.
- We use avocado as a healthier alternative to vegan butter or vegetable oil. Avocado also contains fats, which are unsaturated so they can help to maintain cholesterol levels.
- Cooking times can vary depending on the oven, but try to avoid over-baking the brownies. They should still be gooey in the middle and they’ll harden the longer you leave them out of the oven.
This one is a classic SO VEGAN recipe! Our Black Bean Brownies. Who’s tried these before? 😍
Posted by So Vegan on Friday, 23 July 2021
Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- coconut oil
- 1 x 400 g (14.1 oz) tin of black beans, drained + rinsed
- 1/2 avocado, flesh only
- 140 g (4.9 oz) light brown sugar, (approx. 1 cup)
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- salt
- 150 g (5.3 oz) dark chocolate, 70%
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 400°F and grease 9 holes of a muffin tray with coconut oil.
- Add the black beans, avocado, sugar, cocoa powder, half the walnuts, baking powder, vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and a pinch of salt to a food processor.
- Melt 120 g (4.2 oz) of the dark chocolate in a double boiler, then transfer to the food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Then evenly distribute the mixture between 9 holes of the muffin tray.
- Roughly chop the remaining chocolate and walnuts and sprinkle over each brownie. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and leave them to cool completely before gently removing each brownie. The longer you leave them to cool, the easier they will be to remove them from the tin. Run a knife around each muffin hole to ease the brownies out.
84 Comments
hello ! i wanted to know the nutritional value of one brownie. Could you help me ?
Please?
Did you get a reply to your inquiry? I would also like to know this. Carb, protein, fat grams.
Nutritional Value Per Brownie
Calories: 189
Fat (g): 5.4
Saturated (g): 0.2
Monounsaturated (g): 2.4
Sodium (mg): 15
Potassium (mg): 67.2
Carbs (g): 21.5
Fiber (g): 3.8
Sugars (g): 16.7
Protein (g): 3.5
Calcium (%): 0.4
Iron (%): 1.7
Hope this is helpful!!
Hey Ella, great work! Thanks for posting this. Roxy (So Vegan)
Was my question also. Thank you, much! Looks yum!!
Do you cook the beans first? Or just drain them out of the can?
The beans in the can are already cooked……
Hey Britt, we just drained and dried the beans straight from the can. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Hmmmm I made these with the measurements required and my batter came our much more liquid-y. Also, when I took them out of the oven, the tops completely separated from the rest of the brownie during removal. So strange. I’m still waiting to taste them! I popped them back into the oven for a couple minutes. Hopefully it helps. 😛
Hey Michelle, how did it go? Oven temperatures can vary so hopefully popping them back in the oven worked for you? Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Could you use other kind of beans? Perhaps adzuki bean?
Hey Maor, we haven’t tried with other types of beans so can’t suggest an alternative. Let us know how it goes if you do try it. Many thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
I have made these with great success several times. As we are a nut free home I simply replaced the walnuts with pumpkin seeds. Also I now use cakes cases as I found trying to remove them from a baking tray made them fall apart. Delicious and I think have a proper gooey brownie texture.
Hi Verna, thanks for sharing the changes you made. Glad you enjoy them as much as we do 🙂 Roxy, So Vegan
Can you use maple syrup instead of Brown sugar?
You could probably use coconut sugar which has half the glycemic index. Or maybe halve with stevia?
I am going to make these and I use Xylitol instead of the sugar. It’s a great way to keep from using any kind of sweetener that can affect blood sugar. Xylitol will not affect your insulin. I use it in all my baking. Try it! 😀
Just be very careful if you have animals…xylitol can kill your dog. I love it and use it often….just be extra careful around your animals if you have any.
Hi Tammy, I think maple syrup will make the mixture too runny. As Susan suggested, you could try substitute with coconut sugar. The substitution is 1:1 so you will need 1 cup of coconut sugar. Let us know how it goes. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
I used sukrin gold Brown sugar substitute. Turned out nice.
Can I cook my own black beans instead of using the canned one? Do you know how cups of beans that would amount to? Thanks
Please I grow my own black beans and I am keen to try this recipe can you give me any idea what weight of beans I should use to make up 240 grams of cooked beans. Many thanks
240 grams is the cooked bean weight.
Hi Uche, yes you can use your own black beans as long as you have cooked them. I think around 80g of dried beans should equate to 240g cooked beans. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Fab recipe thank you and they are lovely served slightly warm with some soya cream 🙂
Thanks Joanna! Roxy (So Vegan)
Do you think I could substitute cocoa powder and some coconut oil mixed up for the 150 grams of dark chocolate melted?
Hi Terri, I haven’t tried this but I think it should work well. Let me know how it goes. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
What weight is a cup?
In the U.K. we do everything in grams or ounces for non-liquids and in millilitres for liquid. What weight of walnuts did you use and what weight of brown sugar?
Many thanks 🙂
Hi Katie, a cup of brown sugar is 200g and 1/2 a cup of walnuts is around 65grams. Hope this helps. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
What can I substitute for walnuts in a home with nut allergies?
Hi Bella, you could try desiccated coconut or just leave out the nuts completely. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Hey there
I don’t have walnuts so can I use another nut? Also, I only have coconut sugar on hand, can I use this and if so, what quantity do you reckon?
Thank you
Hi Anina, for sure you can substitute the walnuts for any nuts you have in your cupboard. Also, you can substitute with coconut sugar just use the same amount as the recipe calls for which in this case is 1 cup. All the best. Roxy (So Vegan?
Hi can you tell me do you store these in the fridge or freezer and how long do they last? I’m the only one in my house that can eat them and I want to make the most of them! Thank you for this, I’m just started by my journey with a vegan diet so this is a lovely alternative!
Hi Ramona, we haven’t tried freezing the brownies so not sure about that. We keep ours in the fridge and they last 3-4 days. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
OMG these brownies are amazing! Thank you for the recipe! I’ve made them twice now and they worked perfectly. I even forgot the salt in the second batch and they still taste great. I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar both times ,works perfectly. I also used a silicone muffin pan and they slide right out. These brownies are delicious warm and cold from the fridge. Such an easy healthy dessert! Thanks again!
Hi Sara, glad you are enjoying the brownies as much as we are 🙂 Take care, Roxy (So Vegan)
Hi folks. I love to soak my beans on my own. Do you have any idea how much dry beans I would need to soak to get 240g of soaked ones? Thanks so much!!!
OMG! These brownies are AMAZING!!!! Just LOVE them and know they will be made again and again! I was wondering if you had a calorie count on them and their nutritional information?
Yum !!!! Just made them. Used1/2 cup of Splenda brown sugar & they were sweet enough. Cannot tell that there are black beans in the brownies. Thx for a great recipe!
So yummy. Made then today. Outside was good texture, inside a bit gooy, is this normal?
Because I had my own cooked black beans ready in 2 cup portions, and 240g is a cup, I made two batches of this recipe to use up the avocado. The first batch I made exactly as directed, letting them cook for 22 minutes and allowing them to cool at least an hour before we tried to remove them from the muffin tin, and they turned out perfect. I mean really perfect. They came out of the pan intact with little effort. This is an excellent recipe that anyone can enjoy, vegan or not.
The second batch I made in a 6×9 brownie pan, just to see if that might be easier. It might have been a tiny bit easier, and the cut brownies were yummy too, but softer, almost like soft fudge. I’d consider making them in the pan again for a quick treat, but cooking them in the muffin tins really makes them perfect.
Thank you for this excellent recipe!
I made these 6 times in the last ten days, everyone is absolutely in love with them! I used coconut sugar, and bake it for 33 minutes instead of 25 so it won’t fall apart! This recipe is perfect! I love making it, and it’s always a hit!!!❤️
Hi Virag, that’s amazing! Thanks so much for getting in touch. All the best, Roxy (So Vegan)
I am really craving these right now but I don’t have any avocados at hand. Any chance I could replace it for something else? Thank you for a great recipe, I’ve already made it a couple of times and it’s absolutely delicious!
Hi Eve, you could try using vegan margarine instead. Let us know how it goes. Many thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
How much vegan marge would you use? Thanks.
[…] This surprisingly decadent recipes is courtesy of So Vegan […]
Amazing and almost healthy. Everybody was thrilled that these were vegan plus made with beans. I was super happy
[…] to wearesovegan.com whose recipe I modified for the purpose of this […]
Hi, I would like to use whole leaf stevia extract, which for this recipe works out to 1/2 tsp (equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar). Do you have any suggestions as to how I may adjust the recipe to account for this lower volume of sweetener? Thank you.
If I can’t get any walnuts, is there anything else I could exchange with?
Hi Yussie, you can replace the walnuts with any other type of nut. All the best, Roxy (So Vegan)
I would like to bake them in a muffinpan with 24 small cups, does anybody know if I should reduce the baking time?
Hi Anita, try checking the muffins after 10 minutes and bake longer if needed. Thanks, Roxy (So Vegan)
Can I use chocholate syrup instead of melted chocholate ?
Every time I make these I get asked to share the recipe. They are that good. They are so delicious and easy to make. My friends and co-workers can not believe that black beans and avocados yield such a delicious and moist brownie, and that they are vegan & gluten free. Thank you, So Vegan, for this awesome recipe.
Hi Karen! So glad your colleagues and friends love this recipe! Agree that it’s super delicious 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind words. All the best, Roxy & Ben
Hello. Can we add honey instead of sugar? Can you please tell me honey quantity?
Hi Saba, you can try substituting honey instead but we have never made it with honey as it’s not vegan so I can’t say exactly the quantity that you will need. Add a little at a time until you get to the desired consistency. Hope this helps. Best, Roxy
My husband is celiac so finding gluten free walnuts (nuts and seeds in general) is almost impossible – do you have to substitute or can you simply omit the nuts without changing the consistency drastically?
H Genny, you could try adding desiccated coconut instead. Hope this helps. Best, Roxy
Hi Roxy! Is the dark chocolate sweetened?
Hi Brenda, yes we use sweetened dark chocolate with 70% + cocoa content. You could try with unsweetened chocolate if you prefer. Best, Roxy
Thank you for your quick reply! I got all the ingredients today! I will let you know how taste! 🙂
Hi, sounds yummy, but any way we could make these sugar free? Swerve or stevia?
These were literally the best brownies I have ever made! I just left out the nuts because I prefer brownies without nuts. They were the perfect amount of gooey and SO delicious. My non-vegan husband said they are the best brownies he’s ever had too! Thank you for this!
Hi Varie, so glad you like the recipe 🙂 All the best, Roxy
I’m trying to figure out how many chocolate chips in cups would equal 150 g. Does anyone know?
Hi, it’s 3/4 cup, or 6ounces if using a chocolate bar.
These are amazing and easy to make. I used pinto beans and they turned out great. I also only used 3l4 c sugar and they were plenty sweet. I used 24 mini silicone cups (ungreased) and it was a perfect batch size. My family loved them!
Hi Carmen, sounds great 🙂 Roxy
Making these right now. When they come out of the oven are they firm or still soft on top? They look good just not sure if they are so posed to be firmer.
Hey Nicky, how did it go? Thanks 🙂 Roxy
Just made them and they’re delicious, thank you!!
Yey so glad you enjoyed them 🙂 Roxy
What’s up everyone, it’s my first visit at this site, and article is in fact fruitful in support of me,
keep up posting such articles or reviews.
Is there a way to go around melting the dark chocolate? Using an alternative perhaps?
Can we use other plant oil in the place of coconut oil? Please! I have everything else ready to go and really want to try this asap.
We haven’t tested this using a different oil so we can’t be sure, sorry
Hi, just wonduring if these are freezer friendly? thanks
I’m not Vegan by any means but made these today, WOW, they are really good. Not sure if the Trader Joe’s 72% Chocolate is vegan but they are really good. The recipe ended up make 8 for me, I have a silicone muffin form, I also used Veg spray to coat the silicone but followed the recipe other than that. Super Good and Super Moist, they can out of the silicone nicely after cooling them on the counter for 30 minutes and then chilling them in the fridge for another 30 minutes. Definitely will be making these again, probably tonight to use the other half of my avacado.