These brownies are moist, fudgy, and irresistibly delicious! You wouldn’t even know they’re made with vegies! A more nourishing alternative without compromising on flavour, these Sweet Potato and Black Bean Brownies will leave you feeling guilt-free and completely satisfied.
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Brownies
When it comes to brownies, I think of a rich chocolatey flavour and a super fudgy centre. These brownies are just that! At first, the idea of using sweet potato and black beans might seem strange, but trust me, it totally works! Not only do these brownies taste fantastic, but they are also loaded with benefits such as dietary fibre and nutrients! Whether enjoyed as a dessert or a guilt-free snack, these brownies will surely impress and satisfy those sweet cravings!
Nutrition
Store made or packet brownies often use refined sugar, white flour, and vegetable oils, making them high in excess fat and sugar, which are not favourable to our health. On the other hand, these brownies have a moderate amount of dietary fibre at 5g per serve, which is beneficial for gut health. Although this recipe is not low in fat (off by 1g!), they are mostly healthy fats, such as those found in extra virgin olive oil. These brownies are also low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, which means they’re heart friendly. The recipe is vegetarian and can be made gluten free.
What you need for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Brownies
KEY INGREDIENTS
- Sweet potato – Is ideally suited for brownies due to its sweetness. Sweet potatoes are a great source of beta-carotene, which our body breaks down into vitamin A for eye health. They also have a good amount of potassium for blood pressure regulation and vitamin C, which is used for skin and tissue health and as part of the wound healing process.
- Black beans – I used the ‘no added salt’ black beans from Woolworths, as they contain less sodium (8mg vs 170mg per 100g). Black beans are loaded with protein, which is essential for maintaining our muscles, and dietary fibre for our digestive health and keeping us regular.
- Medjool dates – Adds sweetness without using refined sugar. Medjool dates have a good amount of dietary fibre but also contain several antioxidants, which help reduce inflammation and prevent cell damage. However, they are high in sugar, so beat eaten in moderation.
- Extra virgin olive oil – I used a light (in flavour only) extra virgin olive olive, as it does not give a strong olive oil flavour. Extra virgin olive oil is an excellent substitute for butter, as it’s rich in monounsaturated fats which may help reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease and stroke. It also contains vitamin E, an essential nutrient that doubles as an antioxidant.
- Cocoa powder – Adds a rich chocolatey flavour to the brownies. Cocoa powder is a fantastic source of dietary fibre (27g per 100g) and protein (22g per 100g), both of which help keep us fuller for longer! It also has a lot of magnesium, which is essential for nerve and muscle function and helps maintain bone health.
- Wholemeal flour – A great substitute for white flour, as it is higher in protein and dietary fibre. I used ‘The Healthy Baker’ wholemeal flour, which has more dietary fibre than regular wholemeal flour.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
- Vanilla – Extract is much better than essence as it is a natural product with a stronger flavour.
- Milk – Preferably low fat.
- Egg – Use a large egg (as labelled on the carton), which are 55-60g as per industry standard.
- Psyllium Husk Powder – A great way to add more dietary fibre!
How to make Sweet Potato & Black Bean Brownies
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Line a medium baking tray with baking paper. Coat the sweet potato pieces with 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and place on the baking tray. Roast the sweet potato in the oven for about 25 minutes, turning half way, or until the pieces become soft and a knife can be easily inserted. Once cooked, set aside to cool. Cut away any burnt edges, as this will add bitterness to the brownies.
- While the sweet potato is cooling, place the Medjool dates into a bowl and cover with hot water for 10 minutes or until they are soft. Older Medjool dates may need to soak a little longer if they have become quite firm. Once soft, cut the Medjool dates down the centre, remove the pits and put them to the side.
- Open the tin of black beans, pour them into a fine sieve, and rinse under cold water until the liquid runs clear.
- Place the cooled sweet potato pieces, black beans, Medjool dates, egg, remaining 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, vanilla extract, and milk into a food processor. Blitz the contents until they form a smooth paste.
- Add the wholemeal flour, cocoa powder and psyllium husk powder to the food processor. Blitz the mixture just until it is smooth.
- Grease and line a brownie tray (I used the Wiltshire brownie tray, which is 27.5cm x 17.5cm), pour the brownie mixture into the tray and push it into the corners with a spatula. If you want your brownies to have a flat top, lightly coat an angled cake palate knife in extra virgin olive oil and gently drag it across the surface until it is smooth.
- Place the tray into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with crumbs clinging to it. Cooking the brownies for longer risks them becoming more cakey (unless that’s what you’re after). However, I have not tried this.
- Once cooked, put the pan to the side and cool for roughly 30 minutes. Remove the brownies from the tray and cool fully on a cake rack. Cut into 15 squares.
Storage
These brownies should last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Otherwise, store the brownies in the freezer in an airtight container; they should keep for up to three months.
Tips & Substitutes
Please note that this brownie mixture may be quite thick compared to other recipes, but it is still manageable. Brownie batter should be thick and smooth but not so thick that you find it challenging to mix or get into the tray. However, if the brownie mixture is too thick, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is the right consistency.
Black beans are ideal for this recipe as they don’t have an overly strong flavour. However, other legumes like chickpeas or cannellini beans may also work. You can also experiment with different vegetables instead of sweet potatoes. I’ve tried this recipe with beetroot and found the flavour enjoyable.
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Ingredients
- 350 g sweet potato, unpeeled & cut into 1 inch pieces (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp light extra virgin olive oil (Note 2)
- 1 tin black beans
- 1 large egg
- 8 medjool dates
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk, low fat
- 1/2 cup wholemeal flour (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp psyllium husk powder (Note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Line a medium baking tray with baking paper. Coat the sweet potato with 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and place onto the baking tray. Roast the sweet potato into the oven for 25 minutes or until cooked, turning half way to prevent burning. Once cooked, remove from the oven and place to the side to cool. Cut away any burnt pieces.
- Put medjool dates into a small bowl and cover with hot water for 10 minutes or until they are soft. Cut the Medjool dates down the centre, remove the pits and put them to the side.
- Open the tin of black beans and empty the contents into a fine sieve, rinse under cold water until the liquid runs clear.
- Place the cooled sweet potato, black beans, Medjool dates, egg, remaining 1.5 tablespoons of light extra virgin olive oil, vanilla extract and milk into a food processor. Blitz until smooth.
- Add the wholemeal flour, cocoa powder and psyllium husk powder to the food processor and blitz until combined.
- Grease and line a brownie tray (I used the Wiltshire brownie tray, which is 27.5cm x 17.5cm), pour the brownie mixture into the tray and push it into the corners with a spatula. If you want your brownies to have a flat top, lightly coat an angled cake palate knife in extra virgin olive oil and gently drag it across the surface until it is smooth.
- Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or under a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with crumbs clinging.
- Put the pan to the side and cool for roughly 30 minutes. Remove the brownies from the tray and cool fully on a cake rack. Cut into 15 squares
Notes
- Sweet Potato - The skin of the sweet potato has a lot of dietary fibre and other nutrients, and removing it means we miss out on those benefits. As the sweet potato gets blitzed in the food processor, you won't be able to tell the skin was left on.
- Extra virgin olive oil - You want to use extra virgin olive oil that is light in flavour only, that way you get all the benefits without the flavour impacting the brownies. I used Cobram Estate's light extra virgin olive oil.
- Wholemeal Flour - I used ‘The Healthy Baker’ wholemeal flour as it has more dietary fibre than other brands of wholemeal flour. This recipe would work regular wholemeal flour, but the amount of dietary fibre would decrease to about 4.7g per serve.
- Psyllium Husk Powder – Is a great way to boost the amount of dietary fibre, particularly for baking recipes. Psyllium husk powder is not the cheapest at $16 for 450g from Coles, but if you're only using 1 tablespoon in a recipe, it works out 30 serves at 53 cents per recipe. However, this recipe works fine if you want to leave it out, but the brownies will drop down to 4.1g of dietary fibre per serve.
- Storage - Should last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Otherwise, store the brownies in the freezer in an airtight container; they should keep for up to three months.
- Nutrition - Calculated per serve, assuming 15 serves.
2 comments
These sound absolutely delicious and the best part is they’re healthy, I can’t wait to try out this recipe 🙂😃 I’m looking forward to your future recipes on this blog.
Thanks Jayde. Feel free to let me know what you think after you’ve made them! 🙂