I’ve never been really into sweets. I like a dessert or sweet treat here and there, but I wasn’t someone who had a big sweet tooth. Everything changed during my pregnancy and post-partem. I was the cliche pregnant woman walking down the supermarket aisle at 11 pm on a Tuesday with 3 pints of ice cream. I don’t know if was the hormones or if I needed a substitute for alcohol, but the addiction was BAD. I needed some healthy alternatives and I got hooked on making a healthy twist on my favorite desserts.
These brownies have no flour or refined sugar. Adzuki beans (also known as red beans) replace all the flour you would ordinarily find in brownies. You would never know it. As dense as beans sound, they offer a fluffy texture that lightens the brownie batter, much like wheat flour does. I absolutely love adzuki beans and they are so nutritious but if you can’t find any or don’t want to go through the hassle of cooking them from dried beans, you can substitute with canned black beans. These are decadent, fudgey and rich in chocolate that you crave and expect from a brownie!
(images by HonestlyYUM)
INGREDIENTS
- 250 grams cooked adzuki beans (about 1 1/2 cups) (if starting from dry beans cook about 2 cups of beans)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup agave syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
INSTRUCTIONS
- If starting with dry adzuki beans, simmer the beans in enough water to cover the beans until they are tender and fall apart easily. Drain the beans well.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients, except eggs, until smooth in a food processor. Then add eggs and pulse until combined.
- Line a small pan (for example, 8 inch square pan) with parchment paper and grease with coconut oil. Bake for about 25 minutes until the middle is firm and springs back.
- Allow the brownies to cool before slicing into squares.
NOTES
If using black beans, use a 16-ounce can of black beans.
Absolutely loved your post on adzuki bean brownies! I never thought of using beans in desserts, but your recipe sounds both delicious and healthy. The tips you provided make it so easy to follow, and I can’t wait to try it out. Thank you for sharing such a creative twist on a classic treat! Keep up the amazing work.
Omg it turns out surprisingly amazing! I also used adzuki paste left over from mid autumn, omitted the sweetener & add some more milk. Crazy good for such a simple recipe, thank you so much!
This came out wonderful. I used an anko paste that I made previously, so I didn’t add anymore sweetener. Instead, I added 1/2 cup of coffee + almond milk that was leftover from my breakfast. I had slightly not enough cocoa powder too. I’m looking forward to experimenting with this further!
Just made these and they are scrumptious!!! Have you ever frozen them? I have to freeze these, otherwise they’d be GONE by tonight! I’m experimenting with freezing (only 1 piece!), and will let you know how it turns out. Thank you!
that was a really yummy recipe, thank you… 🙂 i added some almond flour to the mix cos my beans were a tiny bit too watery… still worked however and will be making some more shortly 🙂
Hey,
Great recipe, i am in love with it!
Hello, if i want to sub coconut, will melted and cooled butter be alright?
(coconut oil of course)
I did a little experiments and just made these with a can of chickpeas, 1/4c maple syrup, two flax eggs, and an extra 1/2tsp baking powder, and they came out great! Amazing recipe. Veganizable and so yummy!
recipe looks great, have tried a few others but all with almond meal etc. just skipping flour looks ideal! is the coconut oil to be room temp (can be solid) or melted here?
These are AMAZING! I used maple syrup 1:1 instead of agave and they turned out fantastic!!!! Making them again today.
I just made these and was blown away by how amazing the texture was! Love that they are dairy free. I didn’t have any liquid sweeteners on hand, so I used .25c cane sugar mixed with .25c warm water and it worked out great–I love dark chocolate 🙂 So glad I stumbled upon this recipe. I can’t wait to experiment more with it! And so easy, with the blender. Thank you!!
I made these and they were awesome! I subbed 1/2 honey 1/2 maple syrup and used a can of black beans. My second batch I added a bit of cinnamon which my family loved. About to make another batch now! Thank you!
So glad you liked them! I love the idea of adding cinnamon!
Hi, do you mean that you subbed 1/4 C maple + 1/4 C honey for the 1/2 C agave syrup?
I love these beans! They make Chinese desserts so good, so it makes sense they’d make these brownies amazing too. Can’t wait to try!
Yes! I love them in Chinese desserts!
I loved adzuki bean! Saving this recipe because I just finished Whole30 and want to find healthier (indulgent) options 🙂
Yes, you deserve it after Whole30!