These fudgy chocolate Lima bean brownies eliminate flour and eggs by using a can of butter beans (lima beans). Warm and right out of the oven, these are perfection with every bite. Plus the beans add a well-rounded source of nutrition with a boost of fiber, protein, iron and more!
You will not believe how good brownies made with lima beans (butter beans) can be! Seriously, people, these brownies are SO fudgy, chocolaty and oh-so-satisfying to your sweet tooth. It's amazing that they're made with beans and NO flour and NO eggs. The texture is perfect and they keep for days for you to graze.
You've seen black bean brownies. I have a recipe I like for them, but it's important to use good chocolate chips when making them or they turn out bitter tasting. These butter bean brownies are a different story. The butter beans have a more creamy and buttery taste than the black beans, which automatically contributes a better flavor.
These are very easy to make when you use your food processor. I just toss all of the ingredients in, except the chocolate chips, process until smooth then stir in the chocolate chips. Spread in the pan and bake. That's it! (You can use your blender if your don't have a food processor.)
Ben and both of our boys loved these. I didn't tell them they were made with Lima beans. I've also served these warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 🙂
Try making them gluten free with your favorite nut butter and GF chocolate chips. If you do, come back and let us know how it turned out!
Two years ago: Angel Food Cake French Toast
Three years ago: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Four years ago: Falafel with Spicy Yogurt Sauce
Five years ago: Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
Recipe Card
Chocolate Butter Bean Brownies (Fudgy, Flourless and No Eggs!)
Ingredients
- 1 can (15.5 oz.) butter beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (reduce or omit if peanut butter is salty)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips , more or less to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8x8-inch baking pan with non-grease spray. (I recommend Baker's Joy.)
- Place all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the chocolate chips and pulse about 5 times.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges are just browned and center is still fudgy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before slicing into squares. Serve immediately. Store covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Lea says
Just made this, instead of using honey (as I only have raw local honey and I dont like to cook it) I used monk fruit sweetener (slightly less than 1/4 cup), I also added a teaspoon of ginger powder. What I did forget tho was to add chocolate chips 😉 so I melted them down and drizzled on the top. Very happy with the result. Thank you for sharing, you should tag this as keto also as I am sure many of the keto community would appreciate it. I would also love to take this opportunity to ask if its possible for you to consider offering a conversion calculator on your recipes, as I really dont like using cups to measure, I feel that its not quite accurate enough and is likely why theres a few people that couldn't get the result they wanted. personally, as I am in Europe I would use grams, always as a preference. 😉 thanks again.
LT says
Delicious, I used dried lima beans, soaked the night before. I shared with a few people who had no idea they where made from beans and vegan.
Any try Great Notthern Beans, or any feedback on using them instead.
Thanks
Nikki Gladd says
Love that you shared with your friends when they had no idea! 🙂 I haven't used Great Northern Beans, but maybe another reader might have experience with them and can chime in.
Gina says
Hi,
I have raw, dry butter beans. Can I use them if I leave them soaking for over night?
Thank you for your help ❤️
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Gina,
I can't answer for sure since I haven't tested it, but I don't see why not. You would probably use about 3/4 cup dried beans.
JL says
If your old fashioned peanut butter is salted, DON'T ADD THE 1/2 teaspoon of SALT. Only add 1/4 teaspoon. Then, taste your batter before adding more.
Batter is too dry as written so I added a little coconut milk. End result is delicious for brownies that have lima beans in them. Very good! Texture is perfect also.
Emma says
I made these today, but unfortunately I was really disappointed with how they turned out. There was way too much peanut butter and that was pretty much all I could taste.
I added slightly more maple syrup and didn’t add salt (I don’t usually add salt when baking cakes, etc). I didn’t change anything else in the recipe.
Pamela says
I made these today for a graduation party. Everyone loved them. Made another batch for batch for mother’s da.
Nikki Gladd says
I'm so glad! Thanks, Pamela!
Marvin Thomas says
This recipe is amazing! Initially the thought of chocolate with butter beans gave me the heebie jeebies but thought I'd give it a try as i had all of the ingredients to hand.
I am now a convert and shared this website link with a number of people.
Nikki Gladd says
Ha! Thanks for the feedback, Marvin! So glad you liked these and shared the recipe. 🙂 It's seems like a strange one, even I admit, but they really are good!
Sandra says
My best friend and I made these today because the pictures of yours looked so fudgy and dense, which we love in a brownie. We've both made black bean brownies before (I liked mine, but she didn't like hers) and wanted to give this a shot. We probably overbaked them though (23 min) because they turned out a little dry, and very thin. Additionally, I found them to be a bit too salty even though we rinsed the can of beans well. Perhaps the salt in the peanut butter was adequate without the addition of the extra half teaspoon of salt? We also added slightly less than the requested amount of sugars, and used agave instead of honey. Not sure if our choice to use agave made a difference in the level of sweetness. Thanks for sharing the recipe---we're always looking for new and easy healthy recipes. 🙂
MoonStar says
I made these today, and they turned out great! I used crunchy peanut butter as I didn't have smooth. I omitted the maple syrup as I didn't have any, and didn't compensate. I used vanilla pod seeds, instead of extract, and only quarter cup of choc chips (all I had) and quarter tsp salt. I used metric cups as I don't have American cups.
My mixture was quite firm, so I had to push it into the corners of the baking tin with my fingers. I cooked it for 25 mins, and the texture was perfect, as you said. Lovely thin crust on the top, but soft and fudgy underneath. I ate them as is, and also served them with a dollop of ricotta on top, as I didn't have ice cream or creme fraiche. Yummm. So moreish and enjoyed by all. Not many left now! And not much to distinguish it from a traditional brownie! Thank you.
Nikki Gladd says
Thank you, MoonStar! I'm glad you were able to make your tweaks with success! Love that you served with a dollop of ricotta. Yum!
Amy says
This look so tasty! Going to try these very soon.
Sheena @ Noshtastic says
They look awesome and I love that they are gluten free too, I'll be right over! 🙂
Diane says
This is so creative. I am just starting to dabble in GF recipes, so I will have to give it a try. I went online and found out that my favorite chocolate chips, Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet, are gluten-free, so that's great. Thanks!
Nikki Gladd says
Good to know about the Ghirardelli chips! Those are one of my faves, too!!