Mix up healthy 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!
Black Bean Brownie Bites
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 these 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.
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Ingredients You Need
To make this easy dessert, 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 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 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 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.
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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.
Can you use dried beans (softened and cooked) instead of canned?
Sure, just use a little less than 2 cups
My daughter liked them! She is usually a little adverse to the “healthier” version of something. Used red kidney beans because that’s what I had. Thanks for the recipe!
Instead of canned black beans, how much of dried black beans can I take for boiling them at home?
A little less than 2 cups
These were amazing! Everyone loved them and were surprised how we couldn’t taste the beans! My toddler loves these which I am so happy about because I can never get him to eat any beans. Thank you for this recipe! We will be making these many times.
So yummy! I know my 4 year old will love them. I’ll probably give my 18 month old one with dinner. I used a regular glass baking dish and I also used a high speed blender instead of a food processor. I added about a tablespoon of milk to help everything mix in the blender. They turned out amazing! I had to adjust the time for a glass dish, but I just kept checking on them. Sprinkles are definitely a must!
Hi, How long would you suggest baking for in a regular size muffin tin?
I think 14-16 minutes would be the timing for that.
yummy recipe…just made…I think next time I will definitely pick up cupcake liners because mine fell apart taking them out of the muffin pan…not sure if I made them too big or if I didn’t let them cool enough…still they are really yummy and just what I needed for my chocolate fix while still maintaining healthy habits. I did add the extra 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, and that was perfect.
These are a winner in our house. I think I like them more than my daughter does haha. So easy to make, I make a batch, let them cool, then freeze some to take out another day for an easy snack that I don’t feel bad about.
I make them gluten free so they can be a little crumbly to eat but that’s just the way it is with gluten free most of the time. They are delicious though.
These turned out amazing! Thanks for sharing(:
I love these! I bought a mini muffin tin just for them! Love that they’re egg-free for my daughter and the rest of the ingredients are simple. I was able to use my blender instead of a food processor with no problems and I used a half cup of mini chips. Thanks!
Both tot & dad loved it and didn’t know it had beans!! Very yummy. I’m impressed.
I’m so glad!
Thanks Amy, your recopies are always so helpful for busy Mums! Just checking, I don’t have a food processor but do have a blender, would that work? Could I just blend the beans then mix the rest? Thanks! X
Yes, if you can get the beans smooth or mostly smooth, that should work. You may have to stop and start the blender a few times!
I made these yesterday and had success without using muffin liners. My 22 month old really enjoyed the “chawcolette” treat!
I did use light brown sugar in place of honey and stirred in those extra chocolate chips (prob not quite 1/4 cup though). And sprinkles of course .
I also prefer them cold. Good tip.
Thanks so much
Really enjoying your site
I’m so glad to hear that and thanks so much for letting me know!
Huge hit with my toddler AND daddy!! LOL. I used spelt in place of whole wheat, and adzuki beans in place of the black beans as I didn’t have black beans on hand. She absolutely loved them!! Thank you for your great recipes and all your helpful tips!
I’m so glad!
Looks great! How much would you recommend adjusting the cocoa & sweetener if I don’t have any chocolate chips?
I think the cocoa would be the same but I think I’d use 1/2 cup honey and consider adding a little granulated sugar too. They’re really not very sweet even with the chocolate and I’d want to be sure they are sweet enough! (That is my best guess since I haven’t tried it without the chocolate.)
Hi Amy,
Thank you for your site and all the great tips and recipes. Can I substitute adzuki beans in place of the black beans and spelt in place of whole wheat?
I haven’t tried them that way but I think they should work!