Mix up these Black Bean Brownies with extra nutrients from black beans. They are just sweet enough, bake in about 10 minutes, and are so yummy to share with the kids!
I’m all about easy, yummy recipes with extra nutrition, and these brownie bites totally fill the bill. I’ve made them a few times recently with my girls and they love pressing the button on the food processor and covering the kitchen with sprinkles.
They think it’s so interesting that we can add beans to brownies and can’t really taste them. Though full disclosure: My girls love black beans in almost any form, so they may be predisposed to loving these!
You can use canned beans or beans that you’ve cooked from scratch. When mixed with a few other pantry staples, you get an easy dessert or snack that stores so well.
I am partial to storing healthy brownies in the fridge so they are super-duper cold. And I like to use a mini muffin pan, rather than a baking pan, to make bite-size brownies. They’re fun and bake up quickly.
(You may also like Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, No-Bake Snacks, Baby Cookies, and Salmon Bites.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
To make this easy black bean brownie recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients on hand. Most can be stored in the pantry so you can keep them on hand to make this whenever the mood strikes.
- Coconut oil: I usually use coconut oil (refined or unrefined both work) and it’s an easy dairy-free option, or you can use melted unsalted butter.
- Chocolate chips: I use semi-sweet, but dark chocolate chips would also work. Having these in the mix helps to balance the black bean flavor.
- Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup is my sweetener of choice in this recipe, though you can also trade in honey if you prefer for kids over age 1 or agave nectar.
- Vanilla extract: This adds flavor and balances out the cocoa powder for that classic brownie flavor you expect.
- Black beans: If you use canned black beans, rinse and drain them before adding them to the recipe. This will remove the liquid from the can (which sometimes includes salt.)
- Cocoa powder: I typically use Hershey’s Special Dark or SACO brand cocoa powder as I like their flavor.
- Baking powder: A little baking powder helps the brownie recipe rise just enough.
- Whole wheat flour
TIP: To make these gluten-free, use cup for cup gluten-free flour. If you can’t find flour, you can use oat flour.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the simple process involved in making these black bean brownies so you know what to expect. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Melt the oil and chocolate together.
- Add with the rest of the ingredients, except the flour, to a food processor.
- Grind to blend well. Pulse in the flour.
- Divide into a 24-cup mini muffin tin lined with paper liners. Bake!
TIP: Sprinkles are optional but my kids love them!
What’s the texture of these healthy brownies like?
These are fudgy and moist rather than cakey. They hold together well even though they don’t have eggs! (And no, you totally can’t taste the beans.)
We love them so much when served cold straight out of the fridge.
How to Store
I like to store these black bean brownies in the fridge and we prefer to eat them cold. Store in an airtight container or bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let cool fully first. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight or thaw at room temperature.
Best Tips for Success
- These black bean brownies are not crazy sweet, so stir in an extra ¼ cup chocolate chips before baking if desired.
- Sprinkles are optional but recommended.
- To make these gluten-free, use cup for cup gluten-free flour.
- You can use canned black beans, just drain them and rinse them first, or beans that you cook at home from dry.
- The batter is fairly thick, so press it down a little when you portion out the batter into the muffin tin.
- Let cool fully before eating if you can.
Related Recipes
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So Good Chickpea Blondies
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Healthy Chocolate Cake
Please comment below if you try the recipe, as I’d love to hear your feedback!
Black Bean Brownie Bites
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (or melted butter)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 14.5- ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners.
- Add the oil and chocolate chips to a heat-safe bowl. Warm in the microwave for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir together until the chocolate and oil are blended together.
- Add the chocolate-oil mixture to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients except the flour. Blend well.
- Pulse in the flour.
- Divide the batter among the muffin cups, using a heaping tablespoon in each. Flatten a bit with a spoon and add sprinkles if desired.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until firm to the touch. Let cool fully before serving.
Video
Notes
- These are not crazy sweet, so stir in an extra ¼ cup chocolate chips before baking if desired. (We don’t typically do that and my kids like them just fine, but just to manage you own expectations about the sweetness level.)
- I like to store these in the fridge and we prefer to eat them cold.
- Store in an airtight container or bag in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let cool fully first and to thaw, place into the fridge overnight or thaw at room temperature.
- Sprinkles are optional but recommended.
- Gluten-free: Use cup for cup gluten-free flour.
- To make without flour, you can grind rolled oats in a food processor or blender until it resembles a coarse meal.
- The batter is fairly thick, so press it down a little when you portion out the batter into the muffin tin.
- Let cool fully before eating if you can!
Nutrition
This post was first published April 2020.
I made these and they taste really good, even something I’d heat up and serve with ice cream for an adult lol. However I saw on Facebook a video of you making these as standard size muffins and that’s so preferable honestly, however it doesn’t say here how long to bake them for if you want that size. So how would you change the baking time?
I also wonder if the batter can just be baked in an 8×8 dish as normal brownies. Do you think that’d work? I’m still somewhat a beginner to baking.
I have tried these several times now and they are super yummy, my 3 yo loves them as well, thanks!
I struggle a little to get the batter in the muffin tin, as it is thick and it is hard to shape it sometimes. I am now thinking of adding an egg to it, any tips if you have tried that? Or reasons why it is made without eggs?
Hi Amy,
I love your recipes and want to make these brownie bites, but I’m wondering if I can use chickpeas instead of black beans because that’s all I have on hand?
Thank you so much!
Melissa
Hi-
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure but I think it might work similarly!
These are AMAZING. My kids love them and so do I. I didn’t realize I ran out of cocoa so I subbed in chocolate protein powder. They turned out great! Thanks so much for this!
These are so good. I reduce the melted chocolate chips to 1/4 cup and increase the cocoa powder to 3 tablespoons. My kids love them with sprinkles on top. Perfect lunchbox snack.