These Black Bean Cookies are simple, egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and oil-free cookies with a delicious brownie texture and 4 grams of protein.
While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!
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Black Bean Cookies
These Black Bean Cookies are simple, egg-free, dairy-free, and oil-free cookies with a delicious brownie texture and 4 grams of protein.
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Servings: 8 cookies
Calories: 179.6 kcal
Ingredients
Liquid ingredients
- 1 can Black Beans - 15-ounce/425g can (drained over a sieve, rinsed (note 2)
- ½ cup Maple Syrup - (note 2)
- ¼ cup Peanut Butter (Unsalted) - (note 3)
- ½ cup Homemade Oat Flour - (note 4)
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ⅓ cup Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips - (note 5)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Light oil with cooking oil spray. Set it aside.
- In a food processor, add the drained, rinsed, canned black beans, peanut butter, maple syrup, oat flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.
- Blend on medium/high speed for 45 seconds or until it forms a consistent batter. I did stop the food processor a few times, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and repeat until evenly combined. You will still notice some pieces. The cookie dough won't be super smooth, and that is OK.
- Add chocolate chips, pulse 2-3 times to incorporate.
- Scoop out batter about 2 tablespoons per cookie and release on the baking sheet. It's sticky, that's normal.
- Leave an inch of space between each cookie, and press down the top a little using your lightly oiled fingers to prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers. The more you press the dryer they get, so keep a little height for a fudgy brownie texture.
- Bake for about 15-18 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until dry on top.
- Remove from the oven and cool down for 15 minutes on the baking sheet. This step is crucial to firm up the cookies.
- Press a few extra chocolate chips on top. They will melt as the cookies cool down.
- Cool down again on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
Notes
Note 1: Other canned beans work, like chickpeas or kidney beans.
Note 2: Or agave syrup or coconut nectar.
Note 3: Or almond butter or sunflower seed butter.
Note 4: If you use store-bought oat flour, you will need less, or the cookies will be dry. For almond flour, you will need more, or the cookies will be fragile.
Note 5: optional. You can also use chopped walnuts or pecans.
Storage: Store the cookies in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Oven Mode: I use the fan-forced (convection) mode. If you have to use conventional mode, I recommend increasing the temperature by 25°F (15 °C). The baking time should be the same, but it might take a few more minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 179.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.1g | Protein: 4.1g | Fat: 7.5g | Saturated Fat: 3.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.4g | Sodium: 114.8mg | Potassium: 207.3mg | Fiber: 2.2g | Sugar: 15.6g | Vitamin A: 0.8IU | Vitamin B12: 0.02µg | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 56.2mg | Iron: 0.9mg | Magnesium: 44.9mg | Phosphorus: 90.6mg | Zinc: 1mg
Ingredients and Substitutions
This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. Here’s how to pick and swap them.
- Black Beans – This is the star ingredient. It provides a dense, fudgy texture and a lot of fiber and protein without adding any bean flavor. You can also use other canned legumes, such as chickpeas or kidney beans.
- Maple Syrup – This provides the perfect amount of sweetness and moisture to the cookies. Agave syrup or coconut nectar also works well in this recipe.
- Peanut Butter – This acts as a binder and adds a rich flavor and creaminess to the cookie dough. Almond butter or sunflower seed butter are fine substitutions.
- Homemade Oat Flour – This is a fantastic gluten-free flour option that gives the cookies their structure. Using store-bought oat flour or almond flour will change the texture of the cookies, so it’s a good idea to explain how that will impact the final product.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – This gives the cookies their deep, chocolatey flavor and brownie-like appearance. You can use cacao powder if you prefer.
- Baking Soda – This is the leavening agent that helps the cookies rise slightly and achieve a lighter, softer texture.
- Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips – These add pockets of melted chocolate for an extra gooey and rich chocolatey flavor. You can also use chopped walnuts or pecans for a different texture.
How to Make Black Bean Cookies
These cookies are super easy to whip up. Here’s how in pictures.
Carine’s Baking Tips
Let me share a few more tips for a perfect cookies.
- Clean Ingredients – I always recommend using all-natural peanut butter and maple syrup to avoid unwanted processed ingredients, which can change the texture and flavor of your cookies.
- Make Your Own Oat Flour – To make homemade oat flour, add rolled oats to a high-speed blender and blend until a fine flour forms. This is a great, affordable way to get the exact texture you need for this recipe.
- Avoid Dry Cookies – If you’re using store-bought oat flour, start with slightly less than the recipe calls for, as it’s often more finely ground. You can always add more a little at a time if the dough seems too wet.
- Don’t Over-Bake – The cookies may look a little underdone when you first take them out of the oven, but they will continue to firm up as they cool. This is the key to keeping that fudgy, brownie-like texture.
- Sticky Dough Solution – If the cookie dough is sticking to your hands when you’re forming the cookies, lightly oil your fingertips with cooking spray or a little coconut oil.
- Fudge Factor – The cookies won’t spread much, so you need to press them down yourself. If you want a denser, fudgier texture, press them down less. For a drier, more cake-like cookie, press them down more.
I’m always trying new recipes, especially healthy ones. I couldn’t believe how yummy these are. Thank you for sharing.
I am so happy to read your comment thank you!
I made a mudcake with this recipe and it was the best mudcake ever! So satisfying! As usual, I forgot to follow the how-to and the blackbeans were not fully mushed but nevertheless the taste was so good. I love to have my mudcakes with natural yogurt/greek yogurt.
That’s such a great idea!
Has anyone done this with regular all purpose flour?
If you do, expect a dense and packed cookie.
Hello. Can I make these gluten free and use the measure for measure flour?
You must use my gluten-free converter to make my recipe gluten-free. My recipe doesn’t work by swapping all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour, you need to do a few more adjustment.
I can use 1/2 cup of King Arthur measure for measure
which is gluten free, in place of the oat flour. The Black Beans are already gluten free along with the organic maple syrup, Hershey’s cocoa powder, Peter pan peanut butter, and nestle dark chocolate chips And as long as the other ingredients are too all set. thanks
You can, but it won’t create the same cookie texture as the oat fiber contains more fiber. Let me know how it goes!
in the notes you state the use of almond flour, but no measurements are mentioned. please elaborate.
The note is very clear, it says for almond flour, you will need more, and it will be fragile. It means I didn’t test almond flour, I know it’s possible, but you will have to play with amount, and definitely add more.
Never can have enough of these !
Thank you !
I made the black bean cookies. They were simple to make. They satisfied my desire for chocolate and something sweet without affecting my sugar levels. I actually felt full and nourished after eating a few. When I eat store bought cookies, I usually regret eating them.
You should definitely give this recipe a try.
Thank you so much for this lovely review!
First time baking from your recipes and first time with black beans and I’m really pleasantly surprised!
I used 50g instant oats and since I didn’t have the exact same ingredients 1 cookie for me is 223cals which still is pretty descent for a yummy treat 🙂
I had chopped dark chili chocolate on top and some sea salt.
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe and I’ll definitely make them again!
Best regards from Sweden
Thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
My pleasure! i am glad you like the recipe.
Hi! I am going to make these and I will let you know how they come out. I wanted to take a min and tell you how much I enjoy watching you and your recipes. I have saved many, but not cooked yet. Recently retired due to a disability, I have all kinds of plans, and one of them baking & cooking. Thank you for what you fo Carinne (I think I spelled that right). ☺️. Susan
Thank you so much Susan! Thank you so much for this lovely, kind message. I hope the cookies goes as planned. Let me know, Carine.