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Flourless Chocolate Black Bean Banana Bread

Flourless Chocolate Black Bean Banana Bread made with everyone’s favorite magical fruit! Naturally sweetened, gluten-free, grain-free, moist and fluffy!

loaf of black bean banana bread on a wooden cutting board with a blue striped napkin

If you’ve been following along my site for a number of years, you may be familiar with my classic bean-infused dessert recipes. Just take for instance, my Black Bean Brownies, Vegan Garbanzo Bean Blondies, Dark Chocolate Chickpea Brownies  or my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chickpea Bars. My mouth is watering just typing the words.

Suffice it to say, we are not strangers to treats made with the magical fruit.

I had it in my head for many moons to develop a Black Bean Banana Bread recipe, and finally got around to actioning it. The end result? Ultra moist, fluffy, AMAZING chocolate-y rich banana bread that you’d never in a zillion years guess is made with black beans.

Because I have a ton of dry black beans in my pantry, I cooked a big batch and used 1 and ¾ cup in this recipe. You can easily use a 15-ounce can of black beans (or garbanzo beans) instead!

close up black bean banana bread with slices and chocolate chips visible

My favorite part about this black bean banana bread, aside from the fact that it’s a melt-in-your-face depiction of wildly delicious dreams, is that the batter comes together in seconds in the blender. It’s just so easy to prepare!

Some Recipe Highlights:

  • Gluten-Free
  • Flourless
  • Refined Sugar-Free
  • Grain-Free
  • Chocolatey, moist, rich, delicious!

How about we cut right to it??

How to Make Chocolate Black Bean Banana Bread:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.

Drain and rinse the black beans of any liquid and pat them dry with a paper towel (they don’t need to be perfectly dry, just not overly saturated). Whether you’re using a can of black beans or beans that you cooked from dry, simply dump them into a colander and rinse with cold water in the sink, then give them a once over with a paper towel. 

Transfer the black beans to a blender along with the rest of the ingredients (except chocolate chips) and blend until smooth. 

Ingredients for Black Bean Banana Bread in a blender

If adding chocolate chips, stir them into the batter.

black bean banana bread batter in a blender with chocolate chips

Transfer the batter to the parchment-lined loaf pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the bread feels firm when gently poked in the center.

Black bean banana bread batter in a loaf pan with chocolate chips sprinkled on top

Allow bread to cool at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Top down photo of chocolate black bean banana bread on parchment paper with slices cut

Recipe Adaptations:

  • Use garbanzo beans instead of black beans.
  • Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract if desired.
  • If you have instant espresso or instant coffee, add 1 tablespoon! It makes the bread richer in flavor.
  • Replace the coconut sugar with granulated cane sugar or brown sugar.
  • Add white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips to change up the flavor.
  • Although I suspect you can replace the chicken eggs with flax “eggs” to make the recipe vegan, I haven’t had a chance to test it yet. If you try it, please leave a comment and let us know how it works out!
  • Sprinkle bread with unsweetened shredded coconut if desired.
  • Add ⅔ cup chopped walnuts or pecans for nutty texture.

 

Can I Use Dry Black Beans Instead of Canned?:

Yes! In fact, that’s what I did. Simply cook a batch of dry black beans and measure out 1 ¾ cups. I make my Instant Pot Black Beans using just black beans and water (omitting the oil, onion, jalapeno, seasonings, etc).

More Delicious Gluten-Free Quick Bread Recipes:

Horizontal photo of black bean banana bread on a cutting board with sprinkles of cocoa powder around

Get your bean bread on!

My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!

If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag me at @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!

Top down photo of chocolate black bean banana bread on parchment paper with slices cut

Flourless Black Bean Banana Bread

Yield: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Grain-free, gluten-free black bean banana bread with chocolate chips. Moist, fluffy, AMAZING!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
  2. Drain and rinse the black beans of any liquid and pat them dry with a paper towel (they don’t need to be perfectly dry, just not overly saturated).
  3. Transfer the black beans to a blender along with the rest of the ingredients (except chocolate chips) and blend until smooth. If adding chocolate chips, stir them into the batter.
  4. Transfer the batter to the parchment-lined loaf pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the bread feels firm when gently poked in the center.
  5. Allow bread to cool at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Nutrition facts calculated without chocolate chips

Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1 of 9
Amount Per Serving Calories 202Total Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 0gCarbohydrates 39gFiber 7gSugar 13gProtein 10g
collage of two photos of black bean banana bread

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Melissa

Thursday 20th of April 2023

I used carob powder and no sweetener. It is great!

Julia

Sunday 23rd of April 2023

Wahoo! I'm so thrilled to hear it! Thanks so much for reporting back, Melissa! xo

Jennifer

Sunday 8th of May 2022

Hello! I just made this and it's so good. How do you recommend storing this?

Julia

Monday 9th of May 2022

Hi Jennifer! I cover it with plastic wrap and store it on the counter for up to 3 days. Any amount of time after that, I move it to the refrigerator or the freezer. If you keep it in the refrigerator, put it in an airtight container so that it doesn't dry out, and for the freezer, wrap it in plastic wrap, then store it to a zip lock bag. So happy you enjoy the recipe! xo

sue

Friday 22nd of April 2022

can regular granulated sugar be used?

Julia

Monday 25th of April 2022

Hi Sue! Yes, absolutely! Simply replace the coconut sugar with 1/3 cup of regular cane sugar. Hope you enjoy!

Karmen

Wednesday 26th of May 2021

Julia I think your site is my new favorite playground. I’ve made the Blondies, black bean pumpkin brownies and this banana bread. I love them all. I made the wise decision to add instant espresso powder and espresso chips to banana bread and guess what? Delicious and didn’t have to share with the kids as they don’t like coffee:). I did share with my neighbor! 😊

Julia

Wednesday 26th of May 2021

That's so great to hear! Thank you for the sweet words and feedback, Karmen! Love that you added espresso chips - that sounds amazing! xoxox

Linda

Thursday 22nd of April 2021

Can I leave out the lemon juice, vinegar and sea salt?

Julia

Friday 23rd of April 2021

Hi Linda,

You can, but the acid reacts with the leavening agent and the sea salt enhances the flavor. They will still turn out great, though! xo

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