These brownies are fudgy, rich, and totally plant-based… but with a twist: black beans! Don’t let that scare you—once you try them, you’ll never guess the secret ingredient.

And because I’m still in The Summer I Turned Pretty world 🌊☀️… if these brownies were characters, they’d be Conrad—a little dark, a little intense, and completely worth it. If you’re more of a Jeremiah fan, well, that’s blondie energy. (Team brownie vs. Team blondie, anyone?)

✨ Recipe Info

⏱ Prep time: 10 minutes
🔥 Cook time: 25–30 minutes
🍫 Total time: ~40 minutes
🍴 Servings: 12 brownies

🛒 Ingredients

1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 5 tbsp water, set aside to gel)
½ cup maple syrup or agave
⅓ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup almond butter (or peanut butter)
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
½ cup dark chocolate chips

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
In a food processor or blender, combine black beans, flax eggs, maple syrup, cocoa powder, almond butter, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend until smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, until edges are firm and a toothpick comes out mostly clean (a little fudgy is okay!).
Let cool completely before slicing into squares.

🌸 Serving Notes

These brownies are rich enough to stand on their own, but they’re next-level with:

A sprinkle of flaky sea salt
A scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream
Fresh summer berries on top

Whether you’re Team Conrad (intense + chocolatey) or Team Jeremiah (light + golden), this recipe proves plant-based baking can surprise you in the sweetest ways.

💌 Save this recipe to shock your friends with “you’ll never believe what’s in these” brownies.