Black Bean Fudgy Brownies

Name: Black Bean Fudgy Brownies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: Latin American
Ingredients: 1 15 oz can (425 g) Canned black beans, drained, rinsed, patted dry; 6 tablespoons (85 g) Unsalted butter; 5 oz (142 g) Dark chocolate (60% cacao), finely chopped; ½ cup (43 g) Unsweetened cocoa powder; ¾ cup (150 g) Granulated sugar; 2 egg (100 g) Large eggs, room temperature; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Vanilla extract; ½ cup (60 g) All-purpose flour; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) Fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon (1 g) Baking powder

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Dense, fudgy brownies made rich with cocoa powder, melted dark chocolate, and puréed black beans for moisture and subtle earthiness. The beans are completely hidden, adding protein and fiber while keeping the texture perfectly chewy and indulgent.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Wait: 30 min
Total: 1 hr 15 min
Makes: 16 brownies (one 9×9-inch pan)

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Steps

Before you start

Let eggs come to room temperature (about 30 minutes ahead)
Line your 9×9-inch pan with parchment paper before starting
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
Gather and measure all ingredients (mise en place)

1
Preheat oven and prepare panOven 350°F / 175°C
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line a 9×9-inch (23×23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, allowing a 2-inch (5 cm) overhang on two opposite sides so you can lift the baked brownies out easily.
- Lightly grease the parchment with cooking spray or butter.
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Tip: The parchment overhang makes lifting and cutting the brownies much easier later.
2
Process black beans until smooth
- Drain the canned black beans in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water.
- Pat completely dry with paper towels—this step is crucial because excess moisture will result in gummy brownies instead of fudgy ones.
- Transfer the dried beans to a food processor and process until completely smooth, about 1–2 minutes, stopping once to scrape down the sides.
- You should have about 1.5 cups (375 g) of smooth black bean purée.
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Ready when: Beans are completely smooth with no visible pieces or graininess
Tip: The purée will initially look grainy; keep processing and scraping until it's silky smooth for the best texture.
3
Melt chocolate and butter together
- Finely chop the dark chocolate into small pieces.
- Fill a large pot with about 2 inches (5 cm) of water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Set a heatproof bowl on top of the pot, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water (this is a double boiler).
- Add the butter and chopped chocolate to the bowl and stir frequently with a rubber spatula until completely melted and smooth, about 2–3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 1–2 minutes.
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Ready when: Chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth with no lumps
Tip: Keep the water at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, to prevent overheating the chocolate. If the chocolate seizes (becomes grainy), remove the bowl from heat immediately.
4
Whisk eggs with sugar
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the sugar and eggs.
- Using a wire whisk, beat them together for about 1–2 minutes until the mixture is slightly pale and well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and whisk for another 30 seconds until fully incorporated.
- The mixture should be smooth and light yellow.
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Ready when: Mixture is pale yellow and slightly increased in volume
Tip: Room-temperature eggs incorporate more evenly into the mixture. If your eggs are cold, let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes first.
5
Add chocolate to egg mixture
- Gently pour the slightly cooled chocolate and butter mixture into the bowl containing the eggs and sugar.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir gently but thoroughly, starting from the bottom of the bowl and folding upward, until no streaks of chocolate remain.
- The batter should be smooth, glossy, and uniformly dark brown with no lighter patches.
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Ready when: No streaks of chocolate remain and mixture is uniform in color
Tip: Avoid using an electric mixer at this point; hand-folding with a spatula keeps the texture tender and fudgy.
6
Fold in black bean purée
- Add the smooth black bean purée to the chocolate-egg mixture.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the two together using a scraping and folding motion, rotating the bowl as you work.
- Continue folding for about 1 minute until no visible streaks of beans remain and the mixture is uniformly dark brown.
- The batter will be quite thick and dense.
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Ready when: No streaks of black bean purée remain and mixture is completely uniform
Tip: The black beans will make the batter very thick. This is normal and correct—the brownies are meant to be dense and fudgy.
7
Whisk together dry ingredients
- In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, sea salt, and baking powder.
- Whisking these together ensures they're evenly distributed and removes any lumps, which helps the brownies bake evenly.
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Tip: If your cocoa powder is very lumpy, sift it separately before whisking with the other dry ingredients.
8
Fold dry ingredients into batter
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredient mixture into the chocolate-bean batter.
- Fold using a scraping motion from the bottom of the bowl upward, rotating the bowl as you work.
- Continue just until no flour streaks are visible—this should take about 30–45 seconds.
- Do not overmix, as this develops gluten and makes the brownies tough and cakey.
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Ready when: No flour streaks remain and mixture is uniformly dark brown
Tip: Stop folding as soon as the flour streaks disappear. A few tiny lumps are better than overmixing!
9
Pour batter into pan and bakeOven 350°F / 175°C
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9×9-inch (23×23 cm) pan.
- Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, smooth the top into an even, level layer.
- Place the pan in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven and bake for 28–32 minutes.
- The brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist, fudgy crumbs—not wet batter, but definitely not clean.
- The edges should look set and firm, but the very center may still jiggle slightly when you gently shake the pan.
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Ready when: Toothpick has a few moist crumbs; edges are set but center jiggles slightly
Tip: It may seem like the brownies are underbaked, but this is what creates the perfect fudgy texture. They will set more as they cool. Overbaking makes them dry and cake-like.
10
Cool in pan and cut into squares
- Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack.
- Let the brownies cool completely in the pan for at least 30 minutes—this cooling time is essential because hot brownies are too soft to cut cleanly.
- As they cool, the fudgy center will continue to set.
- Once completely cooled, use the parchment overhang to gently lift the entire brownie square out of the pan and onto a cutting board.
- Using a sharp, thin-bladed knife, cut the brownies into a 4 × 4 grid, creating 16 equal squares.
- Wipe the knife clean with a damp cloth between cuts for cleaner edges.
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Ready when: Brownies are completely cool to the touch and firm enough to cut without crumbling
Tip: Chilling the brownies in the refrigerator for 2–4 hours before cutting creates even sharper, cleaner edges.

Good to know

Tips

Don't skip patting the black beans dry—excess moisture will make the brownies gummy instead of fudgy.
A few moist crumbs on the toothpick are perfect for fudgy brownies; overbaking makes them dry and cakey, so use a timer and check at 28 minutes.
Room-temperature eggs mix more evenly with the chocolate, creating a smoother, more uniform batter with better texture.
Chilling the cooled brownies in the refrigerator for 2–4 hours before cutting creates the sharpest edges and most fudgy texture.

Make ahead

Yes, these brownies actually improve in flavor after 24 hours. Bake them up to 2 days ahead and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Refrigerator: Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days; brownies will be firmer and fudgier when cold. Freezer: Wrap individual brownies in plastic wrap, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Substitutions

Canned black beans → Equal amount of kidney beans, red beans, or white beans (1.5 cups / 375 g), drained and rinsed. The flavor will be slightly different but the fudgy texture will be the same. Avoid strongly flavored beans like pinto beans.
Dark chocolate (60% cacao) → Milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate in the same amount. Milk chocolate will make the brownies less intense and slightly sweeter; semi-sweet will be very similar in flavor and richness.
Unsweetened cocoa powder → Dutch-process cocoa powder in the same amount. Use 1/3 cup (28 g) instead for a slightly less intense flavor, or keep 1/2 cup for a deeper, more complex chocolate taste.
All-purpose flour → Replace 1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour with 1/3 cup (40 g) almond flour. This creates a nuttier flavor and slightly denser texture. Do not substitute more than 1/4 cup of almond flour, or the brownies will not bind properly.