In pursuit of converting my favourite recipes vegan, I made a healthy but delicious vegan brownie recipe for my vegan and health-minded friends. This brownie is still indulgent and I only make once in a while, but it’s still a healthier step from the traditional brownies. My secret ingredient? Black beans!

Black beans act as flour and egg in this vegan black bean brownie recipe. When you mush it down, it becomes very soft. When it bakes, it solidifies slightly, just like in brownie recipes. In the house, I also had some leftover beets so I decided to just add them (to up the health factor). If you don’t have beets, you can definitely exclude them.

For those who are hesitant to try vegan desserts, please don’t be! These vegan black bean brownies are very easy to make: just gather all your ingredients, put it in a blender, then bake in a pan. It’s easier than traditional brownies! I didn’t have a food processor, so I just used my blender.

The vegan lifestyle

When I first decided to go vegan, many people told me I was crazy. Honestly, even here in Alberta (beef capital of Canada), I don’t find it difficult at all! Fresh fruits, vegetables, spices and international food are available year-round, and restaurants are becoming more and more accommodating to vegetarians and vegans. Becoming vegan also exposed me to prepare and experiment with my own food, so I’m very more adventurous in the food I eat.

Since I transitioned to veganism, I also exposed my family to more vegan recipes. My older sister, who is hesitant about trying anything vegan, likes these vegan black bean brownies! I swear, if I didn’t tell you it was vegan, or it had black beans & beets, you would not even know!

These brownies are the bomb! If you’re wary about vegan recipes, I suggest trying desserts first, because who doesn’t love desserts, eh? If you’re a new vegan or just want to be a bit healthier, these vegan black bean brownies will knock your socks off!

Vegan Black Bean Brownies with Beets

An easy and delicious (but secretly healthy) recipe to feed your chocolate brownie cravings!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Vegan

Servings 1 9x9 pan

Ingredients

  

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (unsalted)
• 1 1/4 cups cooked beets (or 200 grams)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 6 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or other vegetable oil)
• 4 tbsp agave syrup
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup peanuts, or your nut of choice (optional)
• almond milk (optional)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease a square 9x9 pan with vegetable oil or coconut oil.
• Mix the ground flax seed and water in a small bowl, and allow to sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
• Add all the ingredients (including the flax egg) in a blender or food processor, and blend until everything is well-mixed and smooth.
• If you are using a blender and the mixture is too thick, add one tablespoon of almond milk to thin it. Make sure to mix it with a spoon
• Once mixed, add the nuts to the batter, and transfer to the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the brownies will still be soft, but allow it to cool to room temperature.
• Once cooled, chill it in the refrigerator overnight and serve the next day.

Notes

This type of brownie is the soft, gooey, chewy type. It's not your standard non-vegan brownie.

If you don't want to chill it overnight and eat it the same day it's baked, I suggest adding 1/2 cup of flour (whole wheat or all-purpose) to the batter. This will make the brownie set better while baking. Bake until there is only a few crumbs when you insert a toothpick in the middle, approximate 20 minutes.

Also, if you like it sweeter, I suggest to add 5-6 tbsp of agave instead of 4 tbsp; however, don't go overboard on the agave because it is MUCH sweeter than sugar.

Substitutions:

• You can use store-bought egg replacer instead of flax egg.
• On the other hand, the flax egg is optional if you don't have it.
• If you don't have agave syrup, substitute 2 tbsp of sugar for every tablespoon of agave syrup.

This recipe is very lenient. If you don’t like peanuts, you don’t need to add them. If you want to add walnuts instead, you do you. You want chocolate chips in there? You go on ahead! Peanut butter? Sure!

One thing that should stay in here though is the black beans. Chickpeas wouldn’t work because it doesn’t get as mushy as black beans, nor does red beans, white beans, black eyed peas, or navy beans.