These vegan black bean brownies are the perfect dessert for fans of mint and chocolate! These brownies are gooey, decadent and delicious with a rich chocolate flavor. The best part is that no one will know that there are black beans in this recipe...or that they're vegan.
These brownies are amazing - full of gooey chocolate and minty flavor. And while they are definitely a dessert, they are also made with black beans so it's easy to convince ourselves that they're healthy. Maybe.
Ok, they aren't a health food. But they do have a good amount of fiber (4 grams per serving). And there's no better way to get fiber than in a brownie!
These brownies are super chocolatey. For more decadent chocolate recipes, try out my vegan chocolate bundt cake, no-bake chocolate coconut bars, vegan chocolate bread and Oreo truffles.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Beans? What beans? If you haven't made brownies with black beans before, you are going to be pleasantly surprised that you absolutely can not taste them.
- Kid-friendly: My kids think these are the best brownies and they even know that they contain black beans.
- Mint + chocolate: A perfect flavor combination.
If you love mint, you'll love my double chocolate peppermint cookies with candy canes, vegan mint chocolate cupcakes, and my mint chocolate chip cookies.
Ingredient Notes
- All purpose flour - Do not substitute with whole wheat flour or any other alternative flour. It won't work.
- Flax meal - You can substitute chia seeds for flax meal if you need to. I like using the ground flax more as it helps give the brownies a fudge-like texture.
- Black beans - Do not substitute with any other kind of bean. Only black beans work in this recipe.
- Vegetable oil - You can also use canola oil.
Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and amounts needed.
Variations
- If you don't want the minty flavor, substitute vanilla extract for peppermint extract.
- Add some chopped nuts, especially if you are using vanilla extract.
- Top with vegan vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. They make some great non-dairy whipped cream made from coconut milk and almond milk.
How To Make Vegan Black Bean Brownies
Step 1: To start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8" x 8" baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. I like to cut two pieces of parchment paper and cross them in the pan. It's super easy to just lift the finished brownies out of the dish by using the parchment paper.
Step 2: Blend up the can of black beans (drained and rinsed), pure maple syrup, vegetable oil, and peppermint extract. You want to make sure there aren't any pieces of black beans left.
The best option is to use a food processor but you can also use a high-speed blender.
Step 3: Next, add the flour, cocoa powder, ground flax, salt and baking powder to the wet ingredients and blend until smooth.
Step 4: Stir in the vegan chocolate chips.
Step 5: With a rubber scraper, spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish and level it out. If you are adding the optional chocolate chips on top, sprinkle them on.
Step 6: Bake the vegan brownies for 19 - 21 minutes. Remove the fudgy black bean brownies from the oven and let them rest in the baking pan for 10 minutes.
Step 7: Then, using the parchment paper, lift them out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. Set aside the baking dish for the next step. Let cool for another 10 minutes.
Step 8: Lastly, put them in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to fully set. I like to put the brownies back into the baking dish while they're in the fridge. Cut and enjoy!
Although it might seem like a lot of cooling time, it's really important for the recipe.
Love brownies? Try my vegan s'mores brownies and my vegan Oreo peanut butter brownies!
Expert Tips
- While making the brownie batter you may want to stop the food processor and scrape down the sides as the dry ingredients can stick a bit. The batter will be thick...especially if you use the blender.
- Although there are several cooling steps, don't skip them. You really need it to make sure the brownies firm up.
- Make sure the beans are completely blended. You don't want to have pieces of bean in the brownies.
- Make sure you add all of the ⅔ cup of dairy-free chocolate chips that are mixed in the batter. The chocolate chips sprinkled on top are optional although my family definitely thinks the more chocolate, the better.
Storage and Recipe FAQs
100% no! You can not taste any beans in this. Just chocolate and mint!
Sure! I use regular vegetable or canola oil because they are neutral oils. But coconut oil would work out as well. Normally it would leave a coconut flavor but in this case the peppermint oil should cover that up.
These brownies can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Black Bean Brownies Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Fudgy Vegan Black Bean Brownies with Mint
Equipment
- 8" x 8" baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon flaxseed meal
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅔ cup non-dairy chocolate chips (optional: more for sprinkling on top)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare an 8" x 8" baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. I like to cut two pieces of parchment paper and put them in like a "t" so the brownies are easy to remove.
- To make the batter, for best results use a food processor. You can also use a high speed blender. In the food processor, combine the beans, maple syrup, oil and peppermint extract and mix until there aren't any bean pieces.
- Add in the flour, cocoa powder, flaxseed meal, salt, and baking powder and process until smooth.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Optional: Sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 19 - 21 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the brownies from the pan and cool on a wire rack for at least 10 more minutes.
- To fully set the brownies, place in the fridge for an additional 15-20 minutes. Don't skip this cooling process or the texture won't be right.
- Slice, serve and enjoy.
- Leftover brownies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.
Notes
- My favorite brand of chocolate chips is Trader Joe's brand which are "accidentally vegan".
- While sprinkling additional chocolate chips on top is optional, for our family the more chocolate the better!
- Make sure you don't skip the cooling time in the fridge. The brownies need that time to firm up.
Jen says
These are delicious and you can’t taste beans at all. My husband doesn’t like mint but he was eating plenty of these brownies.