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Who says you can’t have brownies that are fudgy & cakey at the same time? These Black Bean Sweet Potato Brownies are delicious proof. They are not only vegan but also gluten-free and nut-free, made with legumes, and wholesomely delicious!
So it’s been a while since I made chocolate brownies (2 weeks is long enough for me), and this time I, someone who always wants to try new things, just made some brownies with black beans and sweet potatoes!
I think many of you might have seen quite a few recipes using either black beans or sweet potatoes, but I personally haven’t seen a single one combining both. So, here we go!
These Black Bean Sweet Potato Brownies are:
- Moist but not too dense
- Super chocolatey but wholesome
- Vegan, no dairy, no eggs, no animal products
- Gluten-free, not even have almond flour or oat flour, which are what I often use
- Made with unexpected legumes & vegetables — black beans and some sweet potatoes!
For those who have doubts about adding vegetables and beans to dessert recipes, I can promise you that you can barely notice them inside, at least for this delicious chocolate brownie recipe!
Oh, by the way, just want to mention the black beans I’m using to avoid any confusion. I’m using the tinned black turtle beans, which are very easy to find in most grocery stores, especially in western countries.
Ingredients You Need
- Cooked black beans: The easiest way is to use tinned black beans. Just remember to drain out the liquid and give them a gentle rinse before using.
- Coconut sugar: I personally love coconut sugar’s unique sweetness and its undertone in baked goods. But if you don’t have it, you can use other types of sugar like brown sugar or demerara sugar.
- Cacao/cocoa powder: Here you can use either cacao powder or cocoa powder. I personally prefer to use cacao powder in most of my recipes because it tastes closer to the original cacao taste.
- Walnuts: I hope you would agree that brownies ain’t brownies without some walnuts inside.
- Baking powder: To make these chocolate brownies more “cakey”, baking powder is a must.
- Salt: A pinch of salt is kind of like a default ingredient in my recipes.
- Vanilla extract: I think we all agree that vanilla makes almost every baked goods taste better.
- Extra-virgin coconut oil: I think many f you should have to know how much I love to use extra-virgin coconut oil in baking. It just gives out such a beautiful and delicate flavour.
- Cooked sweet potatoes: Because I’ve succeeded in making chocolate brownies with potatoes before, I think it’s an interesting idea to add them in again with black beans to see how it turns out. And it works!
- Dark chocolate (chips): I personally like to use dark chocolate with 70% cacao content to create a bittersweet version. But if you prefer them to be sweeter, you can use 50% chocolate instead. We’re going to melt some to mix in and add stir in some as a whole.
How to Make Black Bean Sweet Potato Brownies
- Melt 50 g of dark chocolate with a double boiler or in a microwave. If using a microwave, use medium heat for 30 seconds first and give it a stir. Do it again if it’s not fully melted.
- Add all the ingredients except the left dark chocolate into a food processor. Blend until mostly smooth.
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared tin. Spread it out evenly. The mixture will be very thick, so just do your best.
- Add the rest of the broken chocolate pieces and walnuts on top.
- Bake it in the preheated oven at 17 °C/350 °F for 23~27 minutes. The top should be dry and when you insert a knife into the centre, it should come out without any wet batter attached.
- Transfer the baking tin onto a wire rack to cool down for at least 20 minutes. Then remove the brownies from the tin, slice, and enjoy!
How to Store Black Bean Sweet Potato Chocolate Brownies
Let these chocolate brownies cool down completely first. Then transfer them into airtight containers and store them in the fridge. They should be fine for 4~6 days. If you want to store them for longer, you can pop them into the freezer where they can last for 2 weeks.
Questions You Might Have
I don’t have black beans, can I use other beans?
I specially made these brownies with black beans, so I would say stay with black beans to make sure you got the same texture and flavour in the end. I personally haven’t used other types of beans for this recipe yet.
Are there other substitutions for extra-virgin coconut oil?
I think extra-virgin coconut oil is unique, and there’s nothing that can be used to replace it for 100% similarity. But if you really cannot find it, you can use cooking coconut oil or vegan butter.
What kind of sugar can I use?
Coconut sugar is my first choice, but you literally can use any type of sugar for this recipe, like brown sugar, demerara sugar, and organic cane sugar.
Final Words
These black bean sweet potato brownies are really delicious, not very sweet but satisfying enough to let me call them desserts. And the thought of it containing a vegetable and legume just makes them more special and one of a kind.
I hope you will enjoy these chocolate brownies as much as I do. If you have other questions or ideas, welcome to let me know by commenting down below. Enjoy!
More Vegan Recipes:
- Healthy Fudgy Carrot Cake (Gluten-free, Vegan)
- Vegan Blueberry Lemon Cake (w/ gluten-free option)
- Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-free)
Black Bean Sweet Potato Brownies (Vegan, Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 120 g cooked black beans, drained from 1/2 tin
- 40 g coconut sugar, or other vegan sugar
- 10 g cacao powder, or cocoa powder*
- 50 g walnuts, plus extra for topping
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 8 g extra-virgin coconut oil, melted
- 60 g cooked sweet potatoes, **
- 75 g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces (50 g melted, 25 g mix-in)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Line an 8″ loaf tin with baking paper.
- Melt 50 g of dark chocolate with a double boiler or in a microwave (30 seconds).
- Add all the ingredients except the left dark chocolate into a food processor. Blend until mostly smooth.
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared tin. Spread it out evenly. The mixture will be very thick so just do your best.
- Add the rest broken chocolate pieces and walnuts on top.
- Bake it in the preheated oven at 175°C/350°F for 23~27 minutes. The top should be dry and when you insert a knife into the centre, it should come out without any wet batter attached.
- Transfer the baking tin onto a wire rack to cool down for at least 20 minutes. Then remove the brownies from the tin, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
- *Cacao powder/cocoa powder: I personally prefer to use cacao powder due to its premium cacao flovour. You can just use cocoa powder if that’s what you have. Just make sure you like its taste since it will have a great influence on the final taste.
- **Cooked sweet potatoes: You can use boiled sweet potatoes or steamed ones. Just make sure they still have decent moisture.
- Reminder: If you’re allergic to gluten or nuts, make sure to check the allergens when buying ingredients.
- Storage: Let the brownies cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. They should last 4~6 days in the fridge or 2 weeks in the freezer.
