Bean Brownie Muffins

These bean brownie muffins are one of my favorite muffins because I love to snack on them myself. I can’t resist eating a few with black coffee whenever I bake them. I first created this recipe to make healthier and more filling snacks for my kids, but they truly feel like an indulgent fudgy brownie. The added protein, fiber, and goodness from beans are a bonus.

My kids gobble up these bean brownie muffins, although they wouldn’t touch beans on their own. They are great for school snacks, especially since you can grab them straight out of the fridge. They actually taste better when chilled.

What kind of beans to use

My preferred choice is canned cannellini beans, also called white kidney beans. They blend in smooth and creamy, and the bean flavor is mild. Once you add cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, you won’t notice that beans are there.

I’ve made this recipe using canned black beans a few times when I ran out of cannellini beans, and they worked out fine. My kids couldn’t tell the difference so I may be the only one noticing subtle differences.

Steer clear of any seasoned beans. Even when I rinsed them multiple times, I couldn’t eliminate all the seasoning. I ended up with herbed seasoned brownie muffins once, and they went straight to the trash can.

Thoroughly rinse the canned beans and process them in a food processor with oil. Process until the beans are completely smooth with no chunks left.

Sweeten them up if you’d like

These bean brownie muffins are mildly sweet. My youngest was under two years old when I first made them, so I kept them just sweet enough to be palatable. For my older kiddo, I added semi-sweet chocolate chips on top to make them a bit sweeter. If you’d like to sweeten these brownie muffins, use 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp maple syrup and omit the water.

Store these bean brownie muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Also, check out Naturally Pink Beetroot Muffins.

If you tried this recipe, I would love to hear from you!

5 from 3 votes

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Bean Brownie Muffins

These bean brownie muffins are a healthier, more filling snack that truly feels like an indulgent fudgy brownie.

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Author whiteblankspace

Ingredients

• 1 (15 oz) can white kidney beans or black beans, no-salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil or avocado oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup raw cacao or cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• optional semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Position rack in the middle and preheat oven to 350F.

2. Thoroughly rinse beans and drain. Add beans and oil to a food processor. Process until smooth.

3. Add eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp of water to the food processor. Process until well combined.

4. In a bowl, mix flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt.

5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mix. Mix with a rubber spatula until just combined.
6. Line a muffin pan with paper or silicone muffin cups. Evenly distribute the batter into cups.
7. (optional) Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
8. Bake for about 17 minutes. The middle part will be a little soft when pressed. They will firm up while cooling.
9. Cool muffins on a wire rack, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. These muffins taste best when chilled.

Recipe Notes

• These bean brownie muffins are mildly sweet. If you’d like to sweeten these brownie muffins, use 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp maple syrup and omit the water.
• If you don’t have a food processor, add beans, oil, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and water to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. 

Let’s Test Out This Recipe

I am happy to have an eager recipe tester, Kalya, on board, who tried out this recipe and shared her feedback. Kayla is a rookie home cook, understandably, still attending high school. I’m excited to have Kalya’s feedback, as I’m sure some of the readers here are also just learning to cook. I hope you find this section helpful and relatable.

Kayla: “First and foremost, I would like to say that I accidentally added the ingredient picture including baking soda, but had actually used baking powder after looking at the ingredient list once more. Oops! Reminder to self: don’t mix up baking soda and baking powder…

Beans… and brownies… and muffins… oh my! If you want to cut down on your sugar intake or if you have little ones, it’s a great way of adding veggies into their diet. I enjoyed this recipe because it’s low in sugar, yet it has enough pizazz to satisfy your sweet tooth. Or maybe you want to help your kids like beans? This can certainly be a good place to start! This bean recipe can certainly help anyone enjoy vegetables more and it also makes a great muffin.

Instead of using a food processor, I used a blender. I consider this a success because after blending, the mixture of the beans and oil was really smooth even when using a different kitchen tool. As a result, if you don’t have access to a food processor, you can always use a blender! The texture after the muffin was cooked was so smooth, you would not be able to guess that it had beans in it.  I would make sure that your mixture is really well blended to prevent your muffins from turning clumpy. I mixed it in the blender for around 2 minutes.

Even after I used salted beans, it tasted like a normal brownie. Because I couldn’t find any unsalted beans, I just rinsed the salted beans with water. For the wet mixture, I also substituted the 2 tablespoons of water for two tablespoons of maple syrup (for those who have a sweet tooth…). I would recommend this because the bean brownie muffins turn out less sweet than your regular brownie or muffin. However, this is perfect if you have kids or need to cut down on sugar.

Instead of using silicon molds, I used a non-stick pan along with non-stick spray which worked wonders! I would also recommend cupcake liners if you don’t have non-stick spray.

These bean brownie muffins had a really smooth texture, just like that of a regular brownie! Personally, I liked the taste better when cold for some reason, but my mom argues otherwise. Whether fresh from the oven or at room temperature, this snack tasted pretty good! I can definitely see myself eating one after school. (Or maybe three…) I also really liked how you can add maple syrup to your liking. Even if you don’t have a food processor or muffin molds, this recipe can be easily replicated with a blender and non-stick muffin pan! 

Reviews: My mom loved it and couldn’t believe there were beans in it. She also recommended that it would be perfect with coffee or tea. My dad liked it as well! He even took two to work with him…”