These Fudgy Vegan Gluten-Free Low-Fat Brownies are made with white beans in the food processor with no bowl required! These are the most decadent, rich and fudgy brownies without the guilt! You will truly be amazed that these are so low-fat!
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FUDGY VEGAN LOW-FAT BROWNIES
I get excited about many, many recipes I share on this blog…obviously, or I wouldn’t share them. But today’s recipe has me OMG so excited. While I’m ok with some fat, I know many of my readers simply try to avoid a large amount due to health problems and nut allergies as well. And who in the world wouldn’t want to eat more brownies if they could because they are super low-fat?? *All hands raised* Well, friends, these are LOW-FAT brownies that don’t TASTE low-fat.
These Fudgy Vegan Low-Fat Brownies are only 2.6 g of fat per brownie!! But don’t let that fool you, these are rich, decadent and do not taste low-fat at all.
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO I NEED TO MAKE VEGAN FUDGY BROWNIES?
First, you will need a food processor and to gather these ingredients:
- White Beans
- Cocoa powder
- Oat Flour
- Maple Syrup
- Applesauce
- Vanilla
- Baking Powder
- Chocolate Chips
WHY I LOVE THESE LOW-FAT VEGAN BEAN BROWNIES
Now, I typically am not a fan of low-fat desserts because they tend to taste like crap, sorry. To me, there is no point in eating a dessert if it’s healthy, yet it’s boring, bland and not enjoyable. In fact, why bother? I want to enjoy my dessert! But when my reader Diana wrote me awhile back begging me to recreate a healthier low-fat, oil and nut-free version of my Double Chocolate Sunflower Brownies, I could not let her down. She and her hubby have fallen in love with those brownies and made them regularly. That is until her hubby’s doctor said he needed to avoid nuts and even seeds, and to greatly reduce his fat intake for health reasons.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST VEGAN BEAN BROWNIES
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The secret? Cannellini White Beans!
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Don’t add an alarming amount of beans! Too many beans will obviously be impossible to cover up the detection of beans. I want the beans for fudginess but I don’t want to just be eating beans…
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Add enough cocoa powder! We want our brownies to taste like chocolate, right
I literally had this idea one night while laying in bed and wondered if it would truly work. Now, I know bean desserts are not a new thing, they’ve been around for years. Black beans and chickpeas are a big thing in brownies and bars. The only problem I’ve found with them? I always taste them. Sooo that is why I wondered if the white beans would work. I also don’t like seeing black bean skins in my desserts…I’m such a visual eater, that it doesn’t work for me. Cannellini beans totally worked because they hardly have any taste to them!
Sooooo, if you haven’t had success with bean desserts before, I urge you to try these.
Now, I know that adding ice cream on top defeats the low-fat factor, but that is for those who aren’t concerned with the fat. These brownies are so low-fat that a nice scoop of my Vegan Vanilla Cheesecake Ice Cream with a sprinkle of espresso powder sent me straight to brownie heaven.
Looking for more vegan brownie recipes?
- Zucchini Brownies
- Double Chocolate Sunflower Brownies
- Fudgy Coconut Butter Brownies
- Chocolate Pumpkin Cake Brownies
- Raw “Nutella” Brownies
- No Bake Brownies with Raspberry Glaze
Fudgy Vegan Low-Fat Brownies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (150g) of canned white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well and patted dry
- 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (300g) pure maple syrup (seems like a lot, but there's a high amount of cocoa, so it's necessary for them not to be bitter)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (90g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (72-90g) unsweetened cocoa powder. I really packed mine in to get 90 grams because I like a RICH chocolate taste. If you prefer more sweet, then ONLY DO 72 grams!
- 1 cup (128g) superfine oat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
- Optional: 1 teaspoon dried espresso powder for a richer taste
- 6 heaping tablespoons (95g) dairy-free chocolate chips (the larger ones really work best in these versus the mini ones. I used Trader Joes) DO NOT OMIT or the brownies will be too bitter!
- I use this scale.
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl.
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350°F (177°C) and lightly spray an 8x8 metal square pan with nonstick spray. I found these to cook much better in a metal pan than a stoneware dish.
- Add the beans, syrup, applesauce, baking powder, vanilla and salt to a food processor and blend for a minute. Scrape the top and sides and then add the cocoa powder and oat flour. Process for a minute or so. Scrape down the sides very well and process again for another 1-2 minutes. Walk away and let it run until completely smooth. It should be smooth and thick, like the consistency of a nut butter. Don't judge the result by the taste of the batter (if you try it) because it tastes slightly beany, but not at all once baked! Add the chocolate chips and give it a good stir around the bowl with a spoon to incorporate them, but don't blend them.
- Spread the batter into the pan, making sure to scrape out ALL of the batter from the processor, including underneath the blade. I used a skinny rubber spatula to get it all out and spread the top of the batter flat and out to the corners of the pan. Dampen the spatula with water to help if necessary, as it will be thick and sticky. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips all over the top and make sure to gently press them into the batter, so they remain in tact while baking.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes when they are slightly puffed up and the top is firm. I removed mine at 27 minutes. Do 25 minutes for a more fudgy brownie and closer to 30 for a more dry/firm brownie. I felt 27 mins was perfect. Fudgy, moist and firm. They will seem a bit undercooked at removal but will continue cooking and firm up as they cool, trust me. Let them cool at least 20 minutes before slicing them. If not avoiding fat intake, then serve with my Vanilla Cheesecake Ice Cream!
- Once they are completely cooled, cover the pan tightly with foil and keep stored at room temperature or transfer to a sealed container. This will keep them moist for a couple of days.
My brand has 170 calories in it does that help?
These are amazing!!!
So glad to hear that, thank you Cyndee!
Hi!
I would like to try this recipe but with a smaller amount of maple syrup and using organic raw stevia instead. What would you recommend the proportion of maple syrup and stevia to be?
Thanks!
Hi Rita, I’m so sorry, but I never use stevia and have no idea how to tell you to adjust the recipe for that and it still turn out right. The maple syrup is part of the liquid ratio, so you can’t just omit or reduce it or it will affect the texture of the brownies. You can try replacing some with milk, but again, they bake up differently (syrup versus milk) so you’ll just have to experiment.
i want to soak my canneli beans and then cook them. and then can i use them in the recipe? you do not say what bean to use, cooked or dried? can we soak them?
Hi! I have made this recipe a few times and love it dearly. However, I am wondering if I can swap the maple syrup for honey? If so, would I use a little less honey due to it being thicker than maple syrup?
Hi Hannah! I’ve never tried it with honey so I can’t say for sure. I do know honey is much thicker and much sweeter, so you could probably use the same amount since the brownies are so dark/bitter, but might need a tablespoon or so of milk to get a similar batter consistency.
I made theses today because Im trying to find recipes that are no oil and vegan. I used canned navy beans because only white bean I had. Accidentally used entire can. Oops. I used dark chocolate chips because, again, it was all I had. However they are really good and not quite as sweet as traditional vegan brownies. I’m sure it’s because I used dark chocolate. Thank you for this great recipe that will be my go to with a few adjustments to chocolate!
So glad you loved them! Yes, using dark chocolate will make them much less sweet/more bitter!
This will be in our regular dessert rotation. I topped it with dandy marshmallows and vegan chips and it was really good. I also reduced the maple syrup to 1/2 cup and made up the liquid with a 1/4 cup of almond milk. Very good.
I’m planning to make this for Thanksgiving. My in-laws follow a WFPB diet and this sounds like a decadent treat for them.
I’m thinking about baking it in a round cake pan, to make it feel a little fancier. Can you forsee any issues with that plan?
Thanks in advance,
Catherine
I think that should be fine, just look for the clean toothpick!
Hi Brandi, I only have access to great northern beans and navy bean. Is one or the other a better substitute for the cannellini beans in this recipe? Thanks!!
Use great northern beans!
Is it possible to make this without the chocolate chips? and if so, would I need to alter the other ingredients.
Hi Sandy! I wouldn’t recommend it unless you like a very dark tasting/more bitter chocolate brownie. The brownies themselves have a lot of cocoa in them, so they are too dark/bitter without the chocolate chips. It’s up to you if you want to try that, keeping it in mind.