NO BEAN TASTE-just rich, fudgy goodness in every bite! These Black Bean Brownies are vegan, gluten-free, fiber-rich, and support balanced blood sugar. Naturally sweetened and incredibly easy to make, this recipe was created by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist to nourish your body without sacrificing flavor.
Top these fudgy brownies with an optional tangy-sweet Raspberry Chia Jam Protein Topping for an extra boost. Made with just a handful of wholesome ingredients- raspberries, chia seeds, and my favorite one-ingredient protein powder (or swap in almond or peanut powder for a nutty twist)-this topping adds a layer of flavor and plant protein without refined sugar. It's creamy, vibrant, and keeps the whole treat diabetic-friendly and satisfying.
Perfect for a post-workout snack or a feel-good dessert that's as nourishing as it is indulgent.
This healthy, fiber-packed Black Bean recipe was inspired by my Sweet Potato Protein Mousse and Baked Berry Oatmeal on my site.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients & Health Benefits
Below are some notes about the ingredients from me as an expert in nutrition.
- Black beans are a powerhouse of plant-based protein and fiber, which help keep you full and support steady blood sugar levels. They're rich in antioxidants, iron, and magnesium, making them great for heart health and energy. Plus, their fiber supports gut health and digestion.
- Almond flour is naturally gluten-free and packed with healthy fats, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E. It's lower in carbs than traditional flour, making it great for blood sugar balance. Its rich, nutty flavor also adds moisture and depth to baked goods without the need for added oils.
- Walnuts are one of the best nuts for brain and heart health. They're rich in ALA, a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid that helps reduce inflammation. Packed with antioxidants, fiber, and essential minerals like magnesium, they support heart health, bone health, and optimal metabolism.
- Dates: Some research indicates that dates can help lower blood glucose levels, reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, and increase beneficial HDL cholesterol. They also appear supportive of a healthy gut microbiome.
- Cocoa powder is packed with flavanols that help support heart health. Regular cocoa flavanol consumption may have positive effects on facial wrinkles and elasticity. I use these tested brands. It adds rich chocolate flavor without added sugar.
See the printable recipe card below for quantities.
🌾 Substitutions
- Dates - Use prunes instead for bone-healthy brownies.
- Walnuts - substitute with bone-healthy pumpkin seeds
- Almond flour - use almond meal or oat flour instead as needed (reduce water to ¾ cup for almond meal, and 1 cup if using oat flour)
- Raspberry Chia Protein Topping - adds a tangy protein boost on top, but is optional
- Chocolate chips - add dark chocolate vegan chocolate chips for a more decadent treat
For more nutritious snacks made with wholesome ingredients, visit my Healthy Vegan Treats page.
📖 How to Make Vegan & Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies
This is an overview. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt (if using).
- In a high-speed blender, add the drained black beans, dates, vanilla, and water.
- Blend on high until completely smooth.
- Pour the blended mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix quickly and thoroughly until fully combined.
- Fold in the walnuts or pumpkin seeds. Add chocolate chips if using.
- Transfer the batter to a greased or parchment-lined 8x8-inch (or similar size) baking dish. Bake at 350ºF for 35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
- Make the Raspberry Chia Protein Topping if using. I use this one-ingredient protein powder.
- Let the brownies cool before adding the chia topping, if using.
Let the black bean brownies cool completely, then slice into individual squares and serve.
✔️ Expert Tips
- Cook your black beans or use no-salt-added canned beans for the best nutrition. Rinse and drain the canned beans well to remove excess sodium and can liquid.
- Drain the beans thoroughly before adding them to the blender to avoid extra liquid.
- Dates with pits tend to have the most flavor. I prefer to pit them myself rather than buying pre-pitted.
- Want a bone-boosting twist? Swap in prunes for the dates-they work beautifully.
- For a nut-free version, use pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts.
- Flour: You can substitute almond flour with another flour, but you may need to adjust the water slightly to get the right texture.
- Work fast: Once the beans are blended, move quickly-mix the wet and dry ingredients and get the batter into the oven right away for the fluffiest results.
- The Raspberry Chia Protein Topping is optional but highly recommended. The tangy raspberries pair perfectly with the rich chocolate for a delicious contrast.
- For sweeter brownies, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or sweetener when blending the beans and dates. Or add maple syrup to the Raspberry Chia Seed Topping.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
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🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
No, when prepared correctly, black bean brownies have a rich, fudgy chocolate flavor without a noticeable bean taste. The beans contribute to the moist texture and add nutritional benefits without compromising the classic brownie taste.
Absolutely. Canned black beans are convenient and work well in brownie recipes. Rinse them thoroughly to remove excess sodium or canning liquid, and drain well to avoid excess moisture in the batter.
Yes, most black bean brownie recipes are naturally gluten-free, as they often replace traditional flour with blended black beans. However, always check the recipe and ensure all other ingredients used are certified gluten-free
👩🏽🍳 Made this recipe?
Let me know your thoughts on these Vegan Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies by leaving a ⭐️ rating below or sharing them on Instagram.
Black Bean Brownies (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup almond flour or oat flour (see note)
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (preferably aluminum-free, sodium-free)
- 1 ½ cups black beans 1 (15-ounce) can or 1 ½ cups cooked, rinsed and drained
- 6 Medjool dates pitted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts or pumpkin seeds (or more to taste)
Optional Raspberry Chia Topping:
- 1 cup raspberries
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon protein powder or almond powder or peanut powder
- Maple syrup or agave to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt (if using). Break up any lumps.
- Blend the wet ingredients: In a high-speed blender, add the drained black beans, dates, vanilla, and water. Blend on high until completely smooth.
- Combine wet and dry: Pour the blended mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix quickly and thoroughly until fully combined.
- Fold in the walnuts or pumpkin seeds. Add chocolate chips if using.
- Bake: Transfer the batter to a greased or parchment-lined 8x8-inch (or similar size) baking dish. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the top springs back slightly when pressed. They will firm up when left to cool.
- Make the Raspberry ChiaProtein Topping (optional):Cook the berries: In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the raspberries and water until simmering (about 3 minutes), mashing the berries as they cook.Stir in the chia seeds and cook for 1 minute.Remove from heat and let cool. Once slightly cooled, stir in the protein powder until fully dissolved, adding more water as needed. Set aside to thicken. Add optional maple syrup to taste.
- Let the brownies cool before adding the chia topping (if using) or slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
Jasper says
Replaced cocoa powder with carob powder and it was sooo good. Healthy, very tasty, and satisfying, can’t be better. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes 🙏
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for making them! So glad you enjoyed these.
Mehak says
What can I use to replace the protein powder in the topping?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Any thickener such as arrowroot or cornstarch could also work.
Carol says
These brownies are delicious!!! I make them weekly and vary the chia jam (raspberry, strawberry and cherry). For my oven 1 cup of water is sufficient. I appreciate all of your healthy recipes Nisha thank you! ❤️
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for making them and leaving a comment. I appreciate it so much! Love the cherry chia jam addition!
Reem says
Can i replace flour with buckwheat? What are the measurements?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Try with the same amount.
Amy R says
You really don’t taste the beans. Great texture too. I’m in Austin TX and had to cook a little longer than the instructed cook time—we might have more humidity than NY. It does firm up once you let it sit.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Letting it rest is key! So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
charles solano says
Have you or would you try cutting in buckwheat flour for half of the almond flour ?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I think that would work.
aru says
This may sound a little cursed, but I purposely left some of the black beans slightly chunky/less puréed than the rest of the wet ingredients because I wanted to have a bit more of a bean flavor (sort of like red bean paste, but with black beans? haha). I'm very happy with how it turned out, the puréed beans did not have any bean flavor at all, and the partly intact beans had a hint of bean flavor, which was exactly what I wanted. These were super easy to make too, I don't have almond flour so I blended some steel-cut oats to make oat flour instead. I got impatient and took them out a little too early but thankfully they firmed up pretty well once they cooled off. My only complaint is that they were so delicious that I made my way through one third of the pan in one sitting(!!!!) Well... I don't feel THAT guilty about it because the ingredients are all healthy, LOL
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Awww! I love your comment and tip for leaving the beans partially pureed! Thank you.
Gigi says
Great recipe! I have made these 3 times in 3 weeks. They are so good. I used almond meal instead of flour and needed only 3/4 cup of water. I added 2 tablespoons of maple syrup for a bit more sweetness.
With thanks from Australia.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you are enjoying these brownies so much! Thank you for sharing your adjustments.
Marcelina says
Could i use chickpea flour?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yes!
KT says
These are really good. Super fudgy. I didn't have medjool dates, so I used deglet. If you're also using deglet dates, use like 1.5 per one medjool date. The first time I made them, I used the same number and it wasn't sweet enough.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for the suggestion. Good point!
Lucia says
Perfect sweet treat which is also healty, not those “fake healthy” options - here these brownies are packed with flavor and nutritional benefits.
Only thing that could make these amazing recipes better would be having the measurements in metric system (grams, ml… ) - other than that, I usually use these recipes every single day 🙂 thank you! Greetings from Switzerland 🇨🇭
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Fake healthy is not my thing! I hear you! Thank you for commenting.
Nina says
When do you add the walnuts?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
After combining the wet and dry ingredients.
C-ko says
I made this on the weekend and it was absolutely incredible. The healthy chocolaty thing I didn’t know I needed. I didn’t make the sauce that goes with it, but I will try it next time. I ate these for breakfast and for snacks over the next two days they didn’t last long. My husband didn’t like that they weren’t especially sweet(and of course,“I didn’t make them for you!”), but I actually thought that’s what made them taste so good. Really great when you’re trying not to eat too much junk food, but you’re also craving something ‘more’.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
That is exactly my experience with these brownies! So glad you enjoyed them as much as me! Thank you.
Linda says
Would date paste or syrup work instead of the dates?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yes! Date paste would work.
Bec says
Can this be made with chickpea flour? Worried about it being too savoury if I use chickpea
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I'm not sure how it would taste. You can test it if you like.
Erin Pelosi says
Hi, I found this recipe this morning and made them for breakfast. They are delicious…sweet enough for me. I made a strawberry compote instead of raspberry because it’s what I had. It was really good combo.
They took a while to cook. I baked them for the 35 mins and they were still mostly liquidy so I added an additional 20 minutes and they were still not done. But they were more firm just not set per instructions. I had to go to work so I turned off oven and left them in there. Hopefully they will be more firm later. Otherwise very delicious recipe and very easy to make. I love Nishas recipe ideas. ❤️😊
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. Did you use oat or almond flour? You could remove them after 35 minutes with the almond flour as they firm up once they cool! They will still be slightly moist though as no flour here! The next day they are even better!
Lauren says
Hi! I made these today and really liked them but I think I’d like them a little sweeter. Would you add anymore dates, coconut sugar, or something else? I didn’t make the chia topping but did sprinkle a few chocolate chips on them ☺️
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. You can add some maple syrup when blending, or make the chia topping and add a drizzle of maple to that. I have not tested it with more dates but adding one more should work too.
Maureen says
I am always looking for a healthy brownie recipe. Can’t wait to make these. Love your recipes. Very healthy 😊
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you.