Naturally sweet and fudgy Gluten Free Sugar Free Black Bean Brownies are the answer to indulging your chocolate cravings without a sugar crash.
You can see my own blood glucose response to them charted below!
They're made from a combination of medjool dates, applesauce, unsweetened cocoa and a secret ingredient for enhancing the chocolatey flavor.
The Inspiration for This Recipe
One of our close family members was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, inspiring me to dig deeper into the world of blood glucose and metabolic health. It's led me to read some super helpful (and eye-opening) books. However, as a food and flavor-obsessed person, I was coming up short in finding solid recipes that were both healthy and tasty, particularly when it comes to sweets.
One of our neighbors, who is coincidentally on their own journey of eliminating processed foods and refined sugar, attempted a batch of sugar-free brownies from a recipe she found which were comedically terrible. Cardboard would have been more satisfying.
I saw this as a personal challenge to come up with a refined sugar-free, fiber-rich brownie recipe that I could share with my neighbors and that our family could enjoy together.
8 rounds of testing later, I landed on this gem of a recipe that I'm so happy to get to share with you!
That said, I do want to temper expectations. Living in a sugar-filled world, our palates tend to be tuned to to overly sweet desserts. As you venture into living with less sugar, your tastes will change and suddenly things like strawberries and other fruits will taste so much sweeter. This recipe is tuned to the tastes of someone who hasn't been eating refined sugars regularly for a few weeks and can appreciate the natural sweetness of dates, applesauce and the robust flavors of natural cocoa powder.
If you're looking for something a bit sweeter and more of a crowd pleaser while still being blood sugar friendly, check out my Paleo Brownies recipe.
Special Equipment
8 inch square baking pan - This one from USA is my favorite because it distributes heat evenly while the brownies bake and the ridges help prevent the brownies from sticking to the pan.
Food Processor - If you don't have a food processor, you can absolutely do without. Just use a fork to mash everything up well. A great way to use your muscles!
The Different Varieties of Dates
There are different types of dates out there, just like there are different varieties of apples.
For this particular recipe I used medjool dates which are known as the "king of dates." Medjools are large, soft, and sweet with a caramel-like flavor and provide the primary source of sweetness for this recipe. Using smaller varieties will result in a less sweet and less fudgy final brownie.
Substitutions for Ingredients in Black Bean Brownies
Coconut Milk - My youngest is NOT a fan of coconut anything so if you're not a coconut fan, never fear, these don't have any coconut flavor to them. Take note that the recipe calls for full-fat coconut milk, not coconut milk beverage. The full fat coconut milk provides the helpful richness that makes these brownies nice and fudgy.
Black Beans - The color of the beans helps to contribute to dark and chocolatey colored brownies. You could just as easily substitute kidney or any other beans in this recipe and it will still work. But, the color will be different.
Allulose - Allulose is a low-calorie, naturally occurring sugar found in small amounts in fruits like figs and raisins, with about 90% fewer calories than regular sugar. It's popular because it has a similar taste and texture to sugar but doesn't cause a significant rise in blood glucose, making it ideal for low-carb and keto diets. If you don't have allulose, you could substitute in your favorite sugar alternative like monkfruit.
Coffee - One of my favorite baking hacks is to add hot coffee to chocolate cakes and brownie batters. The coffee flavor isn't prounounced and it simply adds depth and richness to the chocolate flavor. The hot liquid also helps to "bloom" the cocoa powder, maximizing the chocolate flavor as well. That said, coffee isn't required. Feel free to substitute boiling hot water instead.
How to Make Gluten Free Sugar Free Brownies
Time needed: 50 minutes
It's easy, I promise!
- Combine the Wet Ingredients
steIn a small bowl, mix the flax and almond flour with allulose, coconut milk, applesauce, egg, vanilla, and salt, then set aside.
- Chop the Dates
Just a few pulses will get them into smaller pieces. Be sure the dates are pitted!
- Add the Beans and Cocoa Powder
Blend the two main ingredients, black beans and cocoa powder, with the dates to get a gravely mixture.
- Add the Wet to the Dry
Pulse for a bit until everything's smooth and starting to look like brownies.
- Add Hot Coffee
Then let it sit for 30 seconds before blending everything together.
- Into the Pan
I like to smooth the top of the brownies with an offset spatula.
- Bake at 350F for 30 minutes
You know they're done with the top of the brownies is dry and cracked and they slighly pull away in spots at the edges of the pan.
- Let Them Cool
This is a recipe that gets better the longer it sits (up to a point). I cover them after they've cooled so that they retain the extra moisture and the top starts to look much more appealing. I find they're even richer when enjoyed the day after they're baked. They'll be good for up to 4 days (if they last that long).
Make It a Naturally Sweet Sundae
Want to take these brownies to the next level and absolutely irresistible? Make 'em a sundae!
I used no-sugar added coconut milk ice cream from So Delicious, date sweetened chocolate chips, chopped peanuts and a drizzle of warmed peanut butter.
Just microwave you favorite natural peanut butter for 30 seconds and it will be drizzle-able.
Testing My Blood Sugar with Brownies
I have been wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) paired with the Levels app in the interest of supporting my hormonal regulation during perimenopause. I ate one serving of these brownies while I was in a fasted state and didn't eat anything else with it.
You can see the stable response in my blood sugar with a small increase of +23 mg/DL change. A sweet treat without the spike and crash! Of course, everyone's blood glucose response will be unique so your results will vary.
And yes, if you look at that chart, you can see I support eating brownies (at least these ones!) for breakfast.
Print
Gluten Free Sugar Free Brownies with Black Beans
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Naturally sweet and fudgy Gluten Free Sugar Free Black Bean Brownies are the healthy answer to indulging your chocolate cravings.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 2 Tbs ground flax seeds
- 2 Tbs almond flour
- ½ cup allulose (or your favorite sugar substitute)
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup apple sauce, unsweetened
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 8 medjool dates, pitted
- 1-15oz can drained black beans
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup coffee or water, boiling hot
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8 inch square metal baking pan with 2 teaspoon coconut oil, then set aside.
- In a small bowl combine the flax, almond flour, allulose, coconut milk, apple sauce, egg, vanilla and salt and stir to combine, then set aside.
- Add the pitted dates to your food processor and pulse a few times until they're all chopped up. Then add the black beans and unsweetened cocoa powder to the food processor and pulse for 20 or so seconds until everything's incorporated and you get a dry crumbly cocoa mixture.
- Add the combined wet ingredients to the food processor and pulse until you get a smooth brownie batter, the scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything's at the bottom of the food processor.
- Next, pour ¼ cup boiling hot coffee on top of the batter and let it sit for 30 seconds, then pulse until smooth.
- Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared metal baking pan and smooth the top.
- Bake the brownies for 35 minutes at 350F. You'll know the brownies are done when they're dry and cracked on top and have slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool in the pan uncovered for an hour then cover the pan with plastic wrap or foil until ready to serve. Covering the brownies will help them retain their moisture and soften the top crust of the brownies.
- Slice into 16 pieces and enjoy as is or topped with ice cream, peanut butter and mini chocolate chips as a sundae.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 83
- Sugar: 8.6 g
- Sodium: 71 mg
- Fat: 2.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.4 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 2.8 g
- Cholesterol: 11.6 mg
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