Sugar Free Black Bean Brownies

These simple Black Bean Brownies are rich and fudgy and are sugar free! You wouldn't even know these brownies are made with black beans instead of flour they are that moist and packed with chocolate flavor!

I absolutely love baking with blackbeans because they create a deliciously moist baked good, they much more filling than flour baked goods and a whole lot healthier.  Check out my Black Bean Chocolate Cake here.

Not a fan of Black Beans? You might like my 7 Ingredient Chocolate Banana Brownies, and they are dairy free and sugar free too, or maybe these very decadent fudgy chocolate chickpea brownies.

Ingredient Notes

• Black beans: Use canned black beans that have been drained then rinsed.
• Monkfruit Sweetener: I've used a combination of both white and brown monkfruit sweetener in this recipe as I find it gives a little more more richness. However, you could also use just one or the other. Details on how to do this are included in the recipe card.
• Cocoa powder: Use a good quality unsweetened cocoa powder for best results. Check out my low calorie Peanut Butter Blondies for a chocolate free variation!
• Eggs: 3 large sized eggs were used in this recipe.
• Oil: Use a mild flavored oil such as vegetable or canola oil.  Alternatively, the oil could be replaced with ¼ cup melted butter.
• Vanilla extract: The vanilla extract can be substituted with 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.
• Baking powder: Not to be confused with baking soda.
• Salt: The salt amount can be increased or decreased to suit personal tastes.
• Chocolate chips: Sugar free chocolate chips were used in these brownies, however you could also break a sugar free chocolate bar into chunks to create a similar effect. Or, skip the chocolate chips and check out my 99 calorie chocolate brownies or these Cheesecake Brownies that are under 150 calories

Expert Tips

• Dish: I used a rectangle metal loaf tin 30 cm x 15 cm (12 inch x 6 inch).
• Storage: Store brownies in the fridge in an air tight container for a week.
• Freezing: Freeze for upto 8 weeks. To defrost, microwave for 30 seconds, or let defrost naturally at room temperature.

The Perfect Brownie

To achieve perfectly moist and fudgy brownies, cook for 25 minutes at 350°F/180°c. Slightly undercooking the brownies is better than letting them go longer if you're unsure. Taking them out and letting them rest in the pan for around 30 minutes after removing them from the oven allows for a gooey center while ensuring the edges are set.

I like to do the toothpick test to see if its cooked after it has had time to rest. Pop a toothpick into the center and when you pull it out ideally you you want a few moist crumbs clinging to it the rather than coming out completely clean.

Often recipes for black bean brownies still include sugar or honey, but I wanted to make a black bean brownie that was also sugar free and higher in protein.  My mission with this recipe was to create a delicious rich and fudgy brownie that was sweet (but not too sweet), without using refined sugars.

When I shared these black bean brownies with friends at a recent gathering, I didn't tell them that they were secretly healthy brownies, or that they were sugar free. I was wondering if anyone would guess. They were so popular, several of the people there wanted the recipe!