Garbanzo Bean Brownies are gluten-free, grain-free and refined sugar-free. This healthy brownie recipe is moist, fudgy and amazing!
Let’s go to brownieville!
I love making treat recipes out of whole foods. Creating something decadent out of something healthful to achieve an outcome that is both mouth-wateringly delicious and nutritious sounds almost too good to be true!
You know what else sounds almost too good to be true?
Brownies made out of beans.
I know, crazy, right? Who would have thought something that is meant to be eaten alongside a plate of tacos could metamophosize into a brownie?
As it turns out, the bean you love to put in your chili makes a fantastic treat when blended up with chocolate. The main ingredient of hummus? Sure, let’s make brownies out of it!
If you are trying to find alternatives to wheat-based recipes, and prefer keeping treats on the nutritious side, this recipe may cater to your needs too. Garbanzo beans are very high in fiber (two cups of the bean give you all the fiber you need for the day) and the type of fiber fuels the cells in your intestinal wall and promotes colon health.
Plus all the antioxidants from the dark chocolate chips and cocoa powder? Smooooooth move!
The consistency of this treat comes out somewhere along the lines of fudge, brownie and holy mother of yum. It’s thick, smooth, and dense and you have no clue, not even a smidge of an idea that you’re eating mooshed up beans.
Not a bean person, you say? That don’t matter none…you can’t taste them, I promise!
Also: mega trick alert – want to fool your friends? Feed them these, and see if they can tell what they’re made out of!
They’ll love the fact that they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and decadent as can be!
More Healthy Brownies Recipes:
- Espresso Keto Brownies
- Flourless Avocado Brownies (Paleo)
- Paleo Sweet Potato Fudge Brownies
- Black Bean Brownies
Garbanzo Bean Brownies
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups dark chocolate chips
- 1 can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract see note
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Confectioner’s sugar for garnish optional
Instructions
- Add the chocolate chips to a small sauce pan and heat over medium low. When the chips begin to melt on the bottom, slowly stir with a spoon until chips are completely melted. Although this may take a couple of minutes, I prefer melting chocolate over the stove as opposed to the microwave to ensure it does not overcook or get burned. Set melted chocolate aside.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Add all ingredients (except chocolate) to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Add the melted chocolate and blend until combined. The batter will be very thick – this is marvelous.
- Line an 8” x 8” baking dish with parchment paper (or lightly oil it with olive/grapeseed oil). Pour the brownie batter into the parchment-lined dish and smooth with a knife. The batter will not change form very much (it won’t rise much or spread out), so make sure it appears the way you want it to.
- Bake brownies for 28 to 30 minutes (28 was the magic number for me) and test the center with a toothpick to be sure they’re cooked all the way through.
- Allow brownies to cool a few minutes then pull the edges of the parchment paper to remove the whole brownie block and set it on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut brownies and garnish with powdered sugar if desired.
- Serve fresh out of the oven and refrigerate any leftovers
Just perfect. I can’t wait to give this updated brownie recipe a try. I’ve heard of this…but usually black beans. I prefer garbanzos, so I’m eager to enjoy these! Thank you for sharing!
My boyfriend’s mom makes a killer black bean brownie – hers turn out fluffier than mine, which I really like. This recipe is more fudge-like and dense, but it definitely hits the spot and I love that they’re wheat free! Let me know when you try the garbanzo kind!!
I have also heard of black bean brownies. Mine never turn out. I am going to have to try these.. they look great!
Hmm…I wonder why they don’t turn out…If you want to compare your recipe for black bean brownies to this one: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/flourless-brownies from Whole Foods, it may give you an idea of what needs to change. My bf’s mom has prepared this recipe a handful of times and it’s always turned out great. Let me know if you make the garbanzo bean brownies, they’re pretty dern amazing! 🙂
Dang these look fudgy and irresistible! I’m so impressed they are completely flourless, a must try.
Genius!! I love garbanzo beans and buy them in bulk. I might make this for Friday night, we have company.
Thanks, Yosef! The flavor and texture turn out wonderfully, so as long as you and your company like chocolate, they’ll definitely please!!
Ooh, I’ve heard about black bean brownies, but never garbanzo bean! I’m intrigued. It’s definitely the time of year for making treats healthier!
Yum! I’m a bean person for sure! I love a dessert with beans 🙂
I’m going gluten-free starting tomorrow…definitely going to keep this recipe around. Thank you!
You’ll love this recipe, then! Black bean brownies are also delicious and I also enjoy making treats out of almond flour and coconut flour. Good luck on your GF quest – it’s not as hard as it may sound and it’s actually really fun to try new recipes! 🙂
Beans in brownies?! I have to try this. Happy new year, love!
Happy New Year to yo too! Let me know if you try the brownies!
Soooooo….I tried the whole black bean brownie route a long time ago and it was a major fail. I NEED to try it with the garbanzo bean. These look so good!!
Oh girl, you MUST try the recipe! I also suggest giving the black bean brownies a go again too…we’ve been using this recipe for black bean brownies quite a bit: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/flourless-brownies Good luck and let me know if you try out either recipes! 🙂
I have heard of this but have never tried it. I love beans, and I love brownies. How bad can it be? Thanks for the recipe!
Definitely give them a go! You’d never be able to tell they are made with beans – they really come out tasting similar to fudge! Let me know if you try them!
Hey! How effectively would these turn out with egg white substitutes? I looooove this idea and I can’t find a vegan version.
Hey there Alexander, thanks for asking. I’ve never used egg white substitutes but if you have ever used it in regular brownies, I’m very confident it would work with garbanzo bean brownies. I read that using 1/2 a banana can replace one egg, so maybe try mushing up a banana or use whatever substitute you are accustomed to using. You can probably also use applesauce to replace the eggs. Try 1/2 cup of applesauce and an additional 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. Let me know if you end up trying it with the substitute and if it works out.
I ALWAYS keep garbanzo beans on hand. They are sort of like the cashew of beans, you can use them in just about any recipe!
We’re the same way! We always have an assortment of beans, which makes throwing bean brownies together a cinch! 🙂 Let me know if you try the recipe!
I made brownies today! THese look yummy, and I love that they’re made with beans!
Brownies are one of my favorite treats on the planet. Glad you like the recipe!
I’ve never heard of this! But if they taste as good as they look, this recipe is a winner! Adding this to my list of things to try in the near future.
Glad to hear you’re interested in trying the recipe! As long as you like chocolate, you’ll love the brownies 😉
I’m loving these recipes for brownies with beans instead of standard ingredients, spiking the nutritional value but no sacrifice in the taste whatsoever! Pretty genius
Perfect! I really love these. I had some black bean brownies a few years ago and loved them, but had never thought to use garbanzo beans! Thanks so much for this recipe.
The texture of those bars looks incredible! I’m all for fudge brownies. I love that you created them with beans! They look delicious!
Oh Annie, you’ve got to try them! I know you’d be able to naturally sweeten the crap out of them and make them the healthiest brownie on the planet! Let me know if you try them!
Yes yes! I want to go to brownieville with you! I’ve tried many variations but garbanzo bean brownies?!?! I am dying to try this! I’ll let you know how it turns out ;). Thank you for sharing! I’m so excited about this
Min, I’m so excited that you’re anxious to try the recipe! I adore using black beans and garbanzo beans in brownies and I think you’ll love them. It’s pretty amazing what you can do without wheat! I look forward to hearing how they turn out!
What a great recipe – so easy, too. I just cooked up a pot of dried garbanzo beans (better than canned) and am adding them to the cheesy sauce for mac’s and cheese. I should have enough leftover to make your brownies. Thanks for sharing!!
These sound awesome! (And congrats on making the DailyBuzz Food Top 9 with them!) I just soaked and boiled a pot of chickpeas this past weekend, so I have more than a can’s worth in my fridge…
Thanks for posting this recipe.
You’re funny–your writing voice reminds me a little of Joy the Baker! Except I love how your recipes have a more nutrition-packed focus to them 🙂 These look gorgeous!
Do you suppose egg substitute would work with these.
I’m competing in our church eat different food festival
in the category of gluten free/vegan brownies.
We have several awesome bakers, and I’ve tried a bunch,
but this looks like it could be a show stopper if it goes vegan.
What size can of chick peas do I use?
Love your statement about brownieville.
Can I quote that?
Nice blog. Jill
Hi Jill, I’ve never used egg substitute before, so I couldn’t say if it would work or how much to use. My assumption would be that an egg substitute would work just fine as long as it works in other baked goods (which I hear it does). Use a 15-ounce can of chick peas 🙂 Thanks for your interest and best of luck!!
Is there a substitute for coconut oil? Can I use any oil? Please help!
Hi Kadee! You can absolutely use a different oil. Canola, olive, or grapeseed oil would work wonderfully. Thanks and hope you enjoy! 🙂
What is the calorie amount of one of these brownies?
I was going to make black bean brownies as I have before, but only had chickpeas and white beans. Looked up chickpeas and found this great recipe. I added a teaspoon of instant coffee as that boosts the chocolate flavor and used coconut sugar. They were awesome! Moist and fudge like. The black bean brownies are cake like and are very good too. Next time I will add some pecans for added protien. My daughter and I have Celiac s and these recipes let us enjoy a full range of delicious foods! Thank you for your recipe.
Oooh, I love the idea of adding pecans. Thanks for the idea, Lynn! xo
light or dark brown sugar? 🙂
Just found your blog; it’s great! I’m new to baking and wondering if the garbanzo beans could be replaced with garbanzo flour? Either way I’m definitely trying this recipe!
Hi Suzanne! So glad you like the idea of the brownies. I’m sure it’s possible to make brownies using garbanzo flour instead of beans, but the portion of the wet mixture would need to change based on the amount of flour used, so you would need to do some experimenting. Let me know if you try the brownies!
I did bake the brownies and they came out delicious! Even my husband was surprised that a garbanzo bean brownie could be so tasty. I cooked up a batch of garbanzos; I didn’t use canned. I eat these beans a lot so I always have dried ones available. The only thing I found was my bake time was longer; 48 minutes to be exact. No big deal, they were still yummy!
Yaaaaaaaay! I’m so glad! When I make bean-filled brownies, I never alert the people who are eating them what they’re made out of…always wait until after they’ve tried a bite, because I love to see the shock and amazement. Thanks so much for your feedback – I’ll have to make another batch and test the cook time (i.e. gorge myself on brownies and use the cook time change as an excuse 😉
I used garbanzo beans I had cooked up myself also, and found I had to increase the cooking time as well. they wre delicious.
When you put “1 can garbanzo beans”, is this a large can, a medium can, or a small can? My local green grocer has several different sizes.
Or would it be possible for you to give the drained weight/amount? That would be so very helpful, since I can just soak and cook dried chickpeas as usual.
Hi Camilla, my apologies. I used a 14-ounce can of chickpeas, which is just under 2 cups. I wish I had a scale, but I don’t 🙁 This is a perfect investment for my kitchen. Hope you try them and let me know how they turn out 🙂
Am I blind or is there no recipe on this page? I can’t find it anywhere and these look amazing….thanks for the help/
Michael
Hi Michael, it’s totally not you…it’s me 😉 I just disabled my recipe plugin momentarily in order to do some website maintenance, but it’s up and running again 🙂 Go ahead and refresh the page, and you should be able to see the recipe. Hope you enjoy the brownies!
Can you replace sugar with coconut sugar or raw honey? Thanks
Hi Louiza! You could try replacing the sugar with coconut sugar, but you may need to add a little extra liquid because coconut sugar can absorb more moisture than regular cane sugar. I’d test it out and see if the batter consistency looks the way it should..if it seems too thick/dry before going in the oven, simply add some coconut milk. I’d honestly avoid using honey because it will drastically change the consistency and flavor of the recipe. Let me know how the brownies turn out!
Oh I tried to make black bean brownies today and they were an epic fail… all I could taste was beans. But I am determined to make this bean brownie things work so this recipe is next on my list! Wish me luck.
The same thing happened to me> I made them before from a different recipe and they were great. I’m not sure what happened
Ah bummer! Have you tried this recipe for black bean brownies?: https://www.theroastedroot.net/black-bean-brownies/ Let me know if you give bean brownies another shot!
Yum! I actually substituted the chickpeas for a can of kidney beans. I followed the rest of your recipe and it was sooo good. Kids loved them. Thanks!
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Just want to know if I can use egg replacer or flax seed as an egg and I’m sure it’s ok to use the vegan chocolate chips?? and I missed what is the difference between cocoa and cacao?
Hi Michelle,
I haven’t had a huge amount of luck using flax eggs in bean-based brownies, as they turn out fairly flat. Perhaps an aquafaba egg would work? I’ve never tested the brownies using any other replacer than flax seed, so I couldn’t tell you exactly how they would turn out. You may want to google a vegan garbanzo bean brownie recipe to see what others have done 🙂 You can definitely use vegan chocolate chips, no problem. The difference between cocoa and cacao is cacao is raw and cocoa has been heat treated and processed. You can still use cocoa powder for the recipe if it’s all you have on hand. Hope this helps, and let me know how the brownies turn out with your changes.
dang these were so good, way better than black bean brownies. I added a tablespoon of almond butter and about a 1/4 cup of oats for extra protein and fiber 🙂
I’m so glad you liked them, Jill! Your adaptations sound amazing…I’ll have to try this, myself! Thanks!! Xo
Do you realize that brown sugar is just refined white sugar with added molasses? These are surely healthier than typical brownies, but definitely not refined sugar free.
My apologies for the confusion, Kira. I re-made the recipe a few months after posting this using coconut sugar and they turned out great – so I changed the copy in the post, but apparently forgot to change the ingredients list, woops! So it should be coconut sugar, rather than brown sugar. Hope you enjoy!
I don’t have any coconut sugar, and I see your note in the comments about sugar retention differences. If I substitute brown sugar, what adjustments would the liquids require?
Thanks!
These were awesome! My kids loved them and we are using the recipe for the brownie part of the “brownie cake” for my daughter’s birthday tomorrow. I didn’t have coconut sugar but used regular white sugar. The second time I made it, I used less sugar since they were so sweet the first. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Jennifer! I’m happy to hear they turned out nicely! I love the idea of using this recipe as a birthday cake. xoxo