If you're looking for a healthy brownie recipe, these Fudgy Adzuki Bean Brownies are just the thing! Made with sweet red adzuki beans blended with dates, coconut oil, and cocoa powder for chewy, moist, delicious brownies that are ready in a flash.
Let's talk about these brownies
Something you should know about me is that I'm a staunch believer in real desserts. I want my treats to be real treats and enjoy them in moderation—it's one of my core values as a nutrition lady.
Yet, here I am with this healthy brownie recipe, asking you to trust me. I promise you, these Fudgy Adzuki Bean Brownies are legit. Yes, they also happen to be gluten free brownies and dairy free brownies and sugar free brownies, but that's not the point. They're fudgy and chocolately and they're darn delicious.
Much like our community-fave Chickpea Blondies, these brownies come together in the food processor. We're combining sweet red adzuki beans with dates, coconut oil, and cocoa powder for chewy, moist, delicious brownies. I like to throw in a handful of dark chocolate chunks, and urge you to do the same.
Come make some bean brownies with me, and you'll see what the fuss is all about!
Featured Comment 💬
OMG! These brownies are so insanely good!! I followed your recipe perfectly and they turned out amazing. You would never know these brownies were made from beans. Such a perfect sweet treat without all the artificial stuff! This is definitely going in the dessert rotation, thank you so much!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ~ Olivia
Let's make Adzuki Bean Brownies together!
Step 1: Pulse + mix
Put the dates and beans into the bowl of your food processor. Pulse it a few times.
Scrape down the sides, and then run your food processor until you've got a mostly smooth bean and date paste. This will look kind of like the consistency of a weird hummus at this point.
Step 2: Blend baby, blend
Add the eggs, coconut oil, and cocoa powder to the food processor. A pinch of salt is good here too.
Run the food processor until the mixture is completely smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides and run it again to ensure everything is smoothly mixed.
Step 3: Scrape + bake
Scrape the mixture into a parchment-lined pan, and scatter with chopped dark chocolate.
Now we bake! We're looking for that perfectly baked but under-baked point that ensures the brownies are fudgy, not cakey. Because everyone knows that cakey brownies are for chumps.
Now the hardest part is letting them cool before you slice into them.
Healthy Brownies with Adzuki Beans
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cooked adzuki beans
- ¾ cup pitted Medjool dates 100g / 3.5oz pitted dates
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 3 oz dark chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line a 8x8 or 9x5 baking pan with parchment paper, or grease well.
- In the bowl of a food processor combine the pitted dates and adzuki beans. Pulse until they're broken up and well combined.1 ½ cups cooked adzuki beans, ¾ cup pitted Medjool dates
- Add the vanilla, cocoa, oil, and eggs, and run the food processor until the batter is very smooth.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 4 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, 2 large eggs
- Stir half of the chopped dark chocolate into the batter at this point, if desired (I highly recommend this!)3 oz dark chocolate
- Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan, and then scatter the remaining chopped chocolate over the top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle is still just very slightly jiggly. You can bake them a bit less for fudgier brownies if you like.
- Remove from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes before you cut into them.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
- While ordinarily my brownie eating style involves eating them still warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, I do recommend you cool these bean brownies before you eat them. Something about letting them cool and solidify a bit allows them to be fudgy but not taste beany.
- The pan I used in these photos is a 5x9 rectangle. You can also use a 8x8-inch square pan. However, I do NOT recommend going any bigger than that. A 9x9 pan will be too big and the brownies will be thin and just kinda meh.
- If you can't find adzuki beans then you can use black beans in their place. However, black beans aren't quite a sweet as adzuki beans, so the recipe will turn out ever so slightly differently.
Ellicia says
can i use canned anko? the ones that are already sweetened and cooked?
Katie Trant says
You can definitely use canned adzuki beans, however, I would not recommend using ones that have already been sweetened as that would change the sweetness level of this recipe quite a lot. I would use canned beans that are not sweetened.
Ali says
Made this and loved it! It has a strong coconut flavor. Would a mix of coconut and olive oil work?
Katie Trant says
Hi Ali! That would probably work just fine. Alternatively, you could get a neutral flavoured coconut oil rather than virgin, which has a stronger coconut taste.
Olivia says
OMG! These brownies are so insanely good!! I followed your recipe perfectly and they turned out amazing. You would never know these brownies were made from beans. Such a perfect sweet treat without all the artificial stuff! This is definitely going in the dessert rotation, thank you so much!
Katie Trant says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed these, Olivia!!
Linda says
I just made these brownies in my instant pot. Used a 6” springform cake pan lined with parchment paper and rubbed a little butter to coat the parchment. I poured the batter in, then covered the cake pan tightly with foil to keep moisture out of the mixture. Put 1 cup of water in the POT, placed a metal steam basket into the water. made a 3” WIDE sling of folded foil to lift the pan safely out for when it was done. Make sure the foil is long enough to grasp and lift the cake. Place the cake pan in the POT resting it on the basket. Press MANUAL high pressure for 35 minutes. Release pressure IMMEDIATELY. Get the cake pan out of the POT and cool it like you say. My husband kept saying this was like cheese cake! So moist. Thank you.
Katie Trant says
Wow, never thought of making them in the instant pot! Thanks for the comment and instruction.
Voramast says
This brownie tastes so soft and just the right level of sweetness. However, the adzuki bean and date are very difficult to chopped in the food processor? What can I do to make them more easier to blend?
Katie Trant says
If they're difficult to chop it probably means either your dates or your beans (or both!) are too firm. You can soak the dates in some hot water to soften them up, and cook your beans a little on the mushy side.
Voramast says
Can I add baking soda to rise them up?
Katie Trant says
I have never tried that so can't really say how it would turn out. This is intended to be a fudgey brownie, not cakey. If you do try it, please let us know how it turns out!
Voramast says
I added 1/2 tsp of baking soda. It rose a little, and it tasted more like chocolate cake.
JLab says
Loved these! Made with canned black beans, egg white only, and then mixed a couple tablespoons of unsweetened coconut into it, and sprinkled some on top, as well. Will be my main source of “treat” when one is necessary! Thanks!
Debbie says
I love it! Sometimes I actually take it for lunch when I'm out. It's much healthier than a granola bar.
xristi gibson says
Reading through the comments clarified the amount of adzuki beans needed - I thought it was 1 1/2 cups before cooking which meant I got more than I bargained for - despite being so delicious they still lasted a whole week of lunch boxes so double bonus
Added chopped pepitas for some crunch and also cayenne pepper as chocolate is lost without its chilli mate!
Passed the recipe onto friend it is so good 😛
Harris says
Turned out really good. I used flax eggs and glutinous rice flour to bind for Vegan. A bit of orange zest to brighten the nutty, slightly bitter taste.
Jehanne says
I made these the other day using a Japanese-style method for preparing the beans (soaking overnight, discarding the water, then boiling for about an hour in clean water, pouring off the water, and boiling for a second hour in clean water), and I think this may very well be my favorite snack/dessert item right now. The only substitution I made was using butter instead of coconut oil (I thought it might work better with the chocolate-adzuki flavor in this recipe). Wonderful recipe!
Katie Trant says
Wow, that's quite the bean cooking method!
Jessica Triggs says
Such a fun way to use things in my pantry 🙂 Corona virus pantry clean out! 🙂 I didn’t have eggs, so I just made a “flax egg” and it turned out totally fine!
Jennifer says
I don’t have a food processor, but I do have a Vita-a-Mix high speed blender. Will that work for this recipe?
I made a pound of fresh adzuki beans for the 1st time yesterday, and I really didn’t like their flavor. I do love most other beans. However, I couldn’t/wouldn’t waste food. I stumbled upon this recipe which sounds like a lovely way to repurpose them. I have so many beans maybe I could make about 6 batches of Coronavirus quarantine, adzuki bean brownies the world would feel a little less grim.
Anyways, please let me know if the high-speed blender will work fine- I do use it for hummus and pesto successfully.
Katie Trant says
Hey Jennifer, I haven't tried bringing this mix together in the vitamix but I don't see why it wouldn't work. You may have to get in there with the tamper and help things move around a bit, but once everything is in you should be ok. But did you know you can freeze cooked beans? If you can't get through them all at once I recommend packing them up in one-cup servings and tossing them into the freezer. Also, this may sound weird but I bet your adzuki beans would be great in this chocolate black bean smoothie recipe: https://www.heynutritionlady.com/chocolate-black-bean-brownie-smoothie/
Juliane says
Greetings from Brazil. I followed 100% of the directions and ingredients. It is perfect! Have you tried any version with nuts???
Katie Trant says
Hej from Sweden! Glad you enjoyed this. I have never tried this recipe with nuts, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be delightful! Walnuts are my favourite in brownies.
Sarah says
I made this with my 14 mths old son for a sugar free treat. So easy and sooooo good! That was exactly the recipe I needed. We left the chocolate bits out and it turned out perfect! Thanks so much for this.
We will make it again very soon.
Marke Jennings-Temple says
Just made this tonight, following the recipe to the letter....it's a soggy, oily mess that is inedible and I can't even take it off the baking paper. So much oil! It's like it needs some flour of some sort.... Not sure what I've done differently to others. Strange.
Katie Trant says
Hey Marke, sorry this didn't work out for you. It's so hard to know what went wrong without having actually been there in the kitchen with you. I wish I knew!
Hannah says
Yes!!! Another commenter named Linda has very detailed instructions for cooking in an instapot, and I have done it more than 10 times already. Basically you make the batter the same way, and then pressure cook it on high in an instapot for 35 minutes. Absolutely love the result.
Deb says
Do you think there would be a way to make these aduki brownies without baking them? Having an issue with gas in my building so can’t use stove.
Katie Trant says
I don't think so, but I'd recommend you try making these Chocolate Energy Balls instead. Many similar ingredients, and super tasty. https://www.heynutritionlady.com/chocolate-date-truffles/
Victoria says
I used canned beans instead. Worked well!
Sophie says
Wonderful recipe! So good that I had to comment :). I made a few tiny tweaks - added about half a cup of almond flour for a bit more bulk and solidity, added cacao nibs for more crunchiness. This seems like a recipe that copes well with small content and flavour changes. No surprise that you have so much positive feedback on this recipe, it is really good, tastes like a classic brownie but better!
Katie Trant says
Hey Sophie! I love the idea of adding almond flour and cacao nibs! So glad you enjoyed this one as much as we do 🙂
Cedar says
I have a random question, as exciting as this recipe sounds, there’s not much mention of how much dry adzuki we need to leave overnight before cooking them? Like what amount of dried adzuki beans I need to measure out the night before?
Katie Trant says
Hey Cedar, this recipe calls for adzuki beans that have been either cooked from dried or canned.There is a link to a tutorial for how to cook dried beans (https://www.heynutritionlady.com/how-to-cook-dried-beans-2/) which should be helpful. Generally dried beans will double their size on soaking and cooking, but I always cook a bit more than I think I need just to make sure I'm not short.
Luke says
Just gave this a try, and enjoyed it a lot. I really like azuki beans as an ingredient in Japanese desserts, so pairing that up with chocolate was fun. I tried a sous vide recipe for I initially cooking the azuki beans themselves.
When cooking the azuki beans for making a dessert like this, I’m always impressed at how something that tastes so... beany at first can develop the flavor that it does when you make it into a dessert like this one or like anko. (Anko admittedly involves a lot of sugar) You mention that black beans can work in this recipe as well. Do azuki beans just have a higher natural sugar content, or some other flavor that makes them work well in desserts? Could other bean types like pinto beans be coaxed into desserts as well?
Katie Trant says
I don't think that adzuki beans contain a whole lot more carbohydrate (sugar) than black beans, but they definitely have a sweeter flavour. Some people use chickpeas in desserts, like chickpea blondies or even dessert hummus (which to me sounds disgusting, but some people love it), so I'm sure there is the potential for using other kinds of beans in desserts. I have a chocolate black bean smoothie recipe on the site (https://www.heynutritionlady.com/chocolate-black-bean-brownie-smoothie/) which was inspired by another blogger putting canellini beans in her own smoothie, so I suppose that anything is possible, really!
Ines says
Recipe went straight to my all time favourite! It's super easy to make, healthy and most importantly delicious. Even my 10 month twins liked them (minus chocolate chips).
Katie Trant says
Yay! I'm so glad they were a hit with the whole family!
Hannah Nedrow says
I think I'll be making these for the rest of my life. I followed another commenters instructions for baking these in the instapot, And I also tried baking a batch in a preheated air fryer. Both batches turned out excellent. Because I love these so much and grinding the beans and dates is the majority of the work, I pre-made a whole bunch of food processor beans and dates, and then I froze them in 400 gram packages in the freezer. When I want to make these brownies, I just take one of the packages out of the freezer and let it sauce and then proceed with the recipe. it only takes 5 to 7 minutes to get a batch of brownies in the instapot that way.
Katie Trant says
Wow, pre-making the dates and beans is such a good idea! I still haven't tried these in the IP or the air fryer, but I'm happy to hear that both ways turn out so well!
TiffanY says
Hi! Any idea how to substitute maple syrup for dates?
Katie Trant says
Hey Tiffany! I have never tried this recipe with maple syrup, so unfortunately I can't advise on a substitution.
Claire says
Hello : )
Would it be possible to have the ingredients in gram instead of cup? I tried to look at it online but I probably found the wrong converter as the batter was very condensed. Thank you very much in advance!!
Katie Trant says
Hi Claire, I'm actually posting an update to this recipe very soon and will be including a conversion to grams then.
GLENNA HAUPT says
Not ever having used a recipe with grams, I'm hoping my conversion to cups and ounces is accurate - This recipe looks awesome.
SuE says
Oops forgot to leave a rating! These are great. They were actually better a full day after baking. When fresh out of the oven they were good but they got better after being in the refrigerator for a while. So good! Added two tbsp of maple syrup as per someone’s suggestion. Also used semi sweet chocolate because that’s all I had. Great taste. I’m going to have these on rotation.
Sue says
These were tasty! They hit the spot for a sweet chocolate treat and I felt virtuous eating them. I did add 2 tbsp of maple syrup per someone else’s suggestion. Also I only had semi sweet chocolate around so I used that instead of the higher percentage cocoa content the recipe calls for.
Katie Trant says
Thanks Sue! This is a good reminder that I need to make this recipe again one of these days. It's been far too long!
Nom Nom Nom says
I had a bunch of adzuki beans left over and this was the perfect recipe! Unfortunately, I didn't have dates and used cane sugar instead, so the brownie came out pretty hard 🙁 Will definitely try again with dates!
Katie Trant says
Oh, that's a bummer! I've never tested this recipe with cane sugar so I have no idea how it would turn out. The dates add a lot of moisture in addition to sweetness, so it would definitely be different. I hope you'll try again with dates!
Jacquelyn Schaefer says
Can you use an egg substitute in this recipe? My son is allergic to eggs, but likes the idea of bean & date brownies (he's also gluten intolerant). Any recommendation would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Katie Trant says
HI Jacquelyn, try using a flax or chia egg. 1 Tablespoon ground flax in 3 Tablespoons of water, let sit for 10 mins to thicken and then use to replace one egg. Good luck!
Sara says
These tasted great! I was skeptical because I've had so many horrible date or prune & carob based healthy desserts, but these were really awesome.
Katie Trant says
Glad to hear it!
Katie says
Sweet Buttery Babies! These Aduki Bean Brownies were the best I've ever made. I have made brownies from aduki beans scads of times, but none like these. I love that there are only a few ingredients. I love that they are not too sweet (I raise bees, so I HAD to add a couple of tablespoons of homespun honey, but that just made them a tiny bit more special) And the finished product is a soft satiny texture that makes one feel as though they are eating a chocolatey cloud made by angels. I used Belgium chocolate chips on top and sprinkled coarse sea salt (and for the second batch...yes second batch...same day!) I added a layer of unsweetened shredded coconut. I made one batch with coconut oil and the second with grapeseed oil, (because it was handier), both batches were amazing. I have a feeling that I am going to have a bunch of new best friends once I start sharing these!!! Thank You. Thank You. Thank You, for sharing your knowledge. 😀
Katie Trant says
Wow, such high praise for a humble bean brownie! I haven't made these in a while but you've reminded me of how good they are, must whip up a batch very soon 🙂
Katie says
Amazing recipe! I have made them three times now, this last time is a double batch because well, because the first batch always goes in a heartbeat. Everyone I share them with falls in love. I'd say you're on to something. Delicious and fudgy, not too sweet, although I did add a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup because I like maple syrup. Dense but not overwhelming texture. These need no tweeking. Perfection.... Thank you!
Katie Trant says
Glad you like them! I haven't made these in quite a while, so will have to dust off the food processor and make some again. Yum!
Yvonne says
This looks delicious!I only have dried dates. How many should I use?
Katie Trant says
Hi Yvonne,
I've never made this recipe using dried dates so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. They're typically a bit smaller than medjool dates, so I would guess that increasing by about 25% might do the trick. If you try it out please let us know what works for you!
Charlotte says
Hi, these look delish but i'm not very good with cup measures, so I was just wondering roughly how many grams of the black beans and cocoa powder to use?
Thanks x
Katie Trant says
Hi Charlotte - unfortunately I made this recipe with cups so I have no idea what the grams might be! But there are some good converter tools online you could try. And if you figure out the grams, please let us know!
V says
These turned out great! Although maybe a bit too moist - but I added the whole can of beans, not just the cup and a quarter that the recipe called for! Regardless, it still turned out great! I liked that they weren't too sweet - just a nice cocoa-y flavour. I also added some coarse celtic sea salt to the batter, as well a bit sprinkled on top and it was a really great addition!! I will definitely make these again, and try using the right amount of beans next time (or upping the cocoa to counter the moisture of the beans...) 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!!!
Hana says
I made those yesterday without seeing your recipy that is funny enough almost the same. I used pecan nuts and fresh apples and dates. My son enjoyed it to the point that none was left for me by the evening
Katie Trant says
Great minds think alike! They must have been really good if your son ate them all!
Tina says
I find these to be quite bitter,so i think next time I might try a not so dark chocolate with orange. yum yum. My 21month old really like it thou, so that makes me happy.
I always have canned beans. rarely have to to cook and soak as i usually don't plan my meals ahead. I can find all sorts of beans at my local supermarket, organic with beans and water only so don't see why I would cook them anyway. I don't think it would turn out much cheaper if you think about the cost of electricity...
Katie Trant says
If you've got a brand of canned beans you like and there aren't issues with the liner, that's great! I prefer to soak and cook mine, but always cook up a big batch and freeze the leftovers so I've got beans ready at a moments notice. Orange chocolate sounds lovely!
Shikha la mode says
I am totally with you about things in moderation - unless it's cheesecake, in which case give me everything. I like this recipe a lot!
themuffinmyth says
I hear ya on cheesecake! I rarely make it because I just can't have it around!
Dean Sarnowski says
Tried this recipe tonight. Wasn't able to find adzuki beans, so I used black beans. For the sake of time, I used canned (less sodium version), but rinsed/drained well (don't hate me!). Upped the date qty slightly though. Also, threw in some of the chopped chocolate into the food processor with the batter.
Smells good. We'll see how they taste tomorrow..fingers crossed! : )
themuffinmyth says
I'd never hate you for using canned beans! I use them from time to time - don't always have the time to soak and cook dried ones. However, adzuki beans are pretty quick cooking compared to some others, and I usually make extra and stash some in the freezer for next time. How did the brownies turn out for you? I assume with extra dates they'd be extra sweet and fudgy. Yum!
Dean Sarnowski says
They turned great. Really fudgy too! Just curious..instead of the oil, have you ever considered using plain applesauce/unsweetened apple puree? I've used this replacement in cakes, and still turn out moist, and you can't taste the apples.
themuffinmyth says
I've also done that with cakes and muffins. Truthfully I haven't considered it with these brownies because with the beans and dates I think they're already 'healthy' enough, and a little fat probably does wonders for the texture. And 4 Tbsp isn't very much oil for 12 brownies - only 1 tsp each!
Jenny @ BAKE says
These brownies look incredible, you would never guess they were made from none treat ingredients!
themuffinmyth says
And yet they are! Though those dates are a pretty good treat if you ask me.
Lauren says
Oh my, these look delicious! I am all about the bean desserts lately. They seem to keep my blood sugar more stable. I can't wait to give these a try! 🙂
themuffinmyth says
I know what you mean about the blood sugar - the dates help with that as well. What other bean desserts have you got up your sleeve?
janet @ the taste space says
Oh yum! These remind me of a black bean cookie I've made but I bet these were be better as fudgy brownies. Can't wait to try them out. 🙂
themuffinmyth says
Black bean cookies, you say? That sounds intriguing. The fudginess really works well in these brownies, I imagine the cookies would be on the cakey side? Anyways, yum!
janet @ the taste space says
Yes, they are more on the cakey side of cookies but very good 🙂
londonbakes says
I'm definitely in that first camp too (in case it's not obvious!) but I think it's always worth sneaking in a couple of better-for-you ingredients if you can do it without compromising on taste. What's the downside? Definitely going to try these!
themuffinmyth says
I'd say, based on your blog, you span the first two camps. You do so much whole grain and a lot on the naturally sweetened side. But yes, only if you can do it without compromising taste. I hope you try these and let me know what you think!
Cammy says
Oh I could feel every which kind of reply brewing to this post! And then I read your shout-out to our tendency to debate this subject and I broke into laughter instead. There is one thing we can agree on, if it's delicious, lets eat some. 🙂
themuffinmyth says
Ah yes, one of our two favourite topics of debate. I'll definitely agree with you, if it's delicious, let's eat it! And these are definitely delicious. Give them a try!
Antonia U. (@health_inspirer) says
These look so good and fudgy....also slightly healthier than the brownies I posted last month 😉 Can't wait to try them. I'm always up for healthier alternatives to my favorite treats x
themuffinmyth says
Slightly healthier indeed, but still a treat. They are delish and fudgy though, and I hope you give them a try.
Patty smith says
I made them. Oh soooooo good
Sandra says
oooooo...bean brownies. This are quite possibly the best looking ones I have ever seen as well as being made with adzuki beans...awesome! I really to make some of these!
themuffinmyth says
Thanks Sandra! The adzuki beans are really lovely in these. They add another layer of sweetness, and you'd never guess they're made from beans and dates. I hope you make them! Let me know how they turn out.
Deena Kakaya says
How can something this enticing be made of beans and dates? Clearly it's possible, I NEED to try this out x
themuffinmyth says
Definitely try it! I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised 🙂
Charlotte says
Wow these are just cooking, but even before I try them I know they'll be delicious based on how amazing the batter tasted! And I was dubious about how bean and date brownies would turn out!
Katie Trant says
I hope the cooked brownies were as good as the batter!
Charlotte says
They were great cooked too! I was so impressed I've made them three times now for family and friends, who also really liked them. Thanks for the healthy brownie inspiration!
Katie Trant says
Yay! So glad they're such a hit!