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    Home » Dessert

    Butter Bean Blondies! {Flourless, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}

    January 6, 2016 by Chrissy Carroll 22 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    I’m realizing that a lot of my recipes revolve around experimenting with beans and/or the liquid within a can of beans, haha.  What can I say – I’m a lover of legumes.

    I saw a post about flourless chickpea brownies on the Ambitious Kitchen blog recently and knew that I wanted to attempt some version of that.  When Devon refused to nap yesterday, it gave me a perfect excuse to let him crawl around my feet in the kitchen while I whipped up these bad boys.

    There were no chickpeas in my pantry, but I did have some butter beans – so I figured, what the heck?!  These should work.  And they did, beautifully.

    These butter bean blondies are the ultimate in healthy desserts! They’re flourless, gluten free, and vegan friendly. Easy to make with just 8 simple ingredients.| Healthy Dessert Recipes | Clean Dessert Recipe | Blondies Recipe | Blondies Bars | Dairy Free Dessert

    These butter bean blondies are the ultimate in healthy desserts! They’re flourless, gluten free, and vegan friendly. Easy to make with just 8 simple ingredients.| Healthy Dessert Recipes | Clean Dessert Recipe | Blondies Recipe | Blondies Bars | Dairy Free Dessert

    Speaking of which:  am I the only one that didn’t know that butter beans are a version of lima beans?  I feel like my only experience with lima beans was growing them in 3rd grade in a plastic cup by the windowsill, and of course I remember them as green.  While I was googling them to compare their nutrition info to chickpeas, I found out they are just a large, flat, whitish type of lima bean.  Who knew?!

    Anyhoo, I really liked these.  Terry said they weren’t his favorite, but still ate some right outta the pan, so I’m going to venture to say he meant “not my favorite when compared to super sugary calorie laden blondies.”  I seriously thought they came out great.

    Admittedly, they’re not like a super sweet blondie like you’ll get for dessert out at a restaurant (being real with you here) – but they’re still rich and chewy.  They’ve got a nice peanut butter flavor to them, but not too overpowering.  I feel like they’re a perfect sweet treat to indulge in guilt-free (4 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein in one?  Woohoo!). 

    And they are SO easy to make.  Just 8 simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, mixed up in the food processor and baked for 20-25 min.  That’s it!  

    A note on the cooking time – if you prefer more gooey blondies, go on the 20 min end of cooking time.  If you prefer firmer, go a little longer for around 25 minutes.  

    Give ’em a try and let me know how you like them!

    These butter bean blondies are the ultimate in healthy desserts! They’re flourless, gluten free, and vegan friendly. Easy to make with just 8 simple ingredients.| Healthy Dessert Recipes | Clean Dessert Recipe | Blondies Recipe | Blondies Bars | Dairy Free Dessert

    These butter bean blondies are the ultimate in healthy desserts! They’re flourless, gluten free, and vegan friendly. Easy to make with just 8 simple ingredients.| Healthy Dessert Recipes | Clean Dessert Recipe | Blondies Recipe | Blondies Bars | Dairy Free Dessert

    These butter bean blondies are the ultimate in healthy desserts! They’re flourless, gluten free, and vegan friendly. Easy to make with just 8 simple ingredients.| Healthy Dessert Recipes | Clean Dessert Recipe | Blondies Recipe | Blondies Bars | Dairy Free Dessert

    *2017 Update – I’ve made these for a ton of people and they’re always a hit.  In fact, I’ve cooked them the last few semesters with my students for guests at the college where I teach.  They’ve become so popular that they’ve been added to the regular recipe repertoire for our hospitality department!  I think that says something about this delish treat. 🙂

     

    These butter bean blondies are the ultimate in healthy desserts! They’re flourless, gluten free, and vegan friendly. Easy to make with just 8 simple ingredients.| Healthy Dessert Recipes | Clean Dessert Recipe | Blondies Recipe | Blondies Bars | Dairy Free Dessert

    Butter Bean Blondies

    Snacking in Sneakers
    These butter bean blondies are the ultimate healthy dessert! They’re flourless, gluten free, and vegan friendly - but still rich and delicious. Easy to make with just 8 simple ingredients.
    4.34 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 9
    Calories 221 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Ingredients:

    • 1 15-ounce can of butter beans, drained
    • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
    • 1/3 cup maple syrup OR honey (note honey is not vegan)
    • 2 tsp vanilla
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp baking powder
    • 1/4 tsp baking soda
    • 1/3 + 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (double check label if diet restrictions; Enjoy Life chocolate chips are dairy free/vegan)

    Instructions
     

    Directions:

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 baking dish or a pie plate.
    • In a food processor, puree butter beans until they form a smooth paste. 
    • Add peanut butter, maple syrup (or honey), vanilla, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the bean mixture in the processor. Turn on processor for about 5-10 seconds until everything is well combined. Fold in 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips.
    • Place batter in baking dish and top with remaining chocolate chips.
    • Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until a knife/toothpick comes out clean. {If you prefer more gooey blondies, go on the lower end; for firmer blondies go on the higher end.}

    Notes

    Nutrition Analysis (approximate per serving):
    221 calories, 10 g fat (4 g sat fat), 311 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 6 g fiber

    Nutrition

    Calories: 221kcal
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

     

    Share with me:  Have you ever made butter bean blondies or chickpea blondies?  Are you a fan of bean desserts like me?!

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Chrissy Carroll
    Chrissy Carroll
    Chrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. She specializes in sharing nutrition and fitness tips, as well as recipes, for runners, triathletes, and active women.Chrissy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition, a Masters Degree in Public Health, and is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer.
    Chrissy Carroll
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    Comments

    1. Carla

      January 6, 2016 at 9:59 am

      Sharing but had to let you know first I think this is brilliant. I was raised on the black bean brownies and never would have thought of this!!!!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        January 8, 2016 at 7:09 am

        Thank you Carla!! I hope you enjoy them 🙂

        Reply
      • DeAnn

        August 3, 2021 at 3:40 pm

        5 stars
        These are fabulous!! Made this recipe twice. I love black bean brownies and was looking for some way to use up a can of butter beans. Made a slight modification by adding 2 tablespoons of water to achieve a creamy puree. Second time, I reduced maple syrup to three tablespoons and added Stevia, 3 packets or the equivalent of two tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of milled flaxseed and coconut oil. Very delicious! Toddler approved!

        Reply
        • Chrissy Carroll

          August 5, 2021 at 10:15 am

          Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed them and it sounds like you found some great modifications to suit your tastes, which is awesome.

          Reply
    2. Sarah @ BucketListTummy

      January 6, 2016 at 10:16 am

      I’m going to make these asap. They look delicious! I’ve done the black bean brownies before, but never blondies 🙂

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        January 8, 2016 at 7:10 am

        Awesome – Let me know how you like ’em Sarah!

        Reply
    3. Kalee

      January 6, 2016 at 12:00 pm

      Maybe it’s a Southern thing but my grandmother calls lima beans butter beans all the time. I had no idea they were comparable to chickpeas though!

      These blondies look so good. The restaurant ones you talked about are a weakness of mine!! Maybe this would keep me in check and still get in something sweet.

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        January 8, 2016 at 7:51 am

        My favorite dessert of all time at restaurants is the Applebees maple butter blondie. It is this super sweet blondie topped with ice cream and then drizzled with warm butter mixed with maple syrup. It is pretty much the unhealthiest thing ever, hahaha, but I like to get it once a year because it is so good.

        Reply
    4. GiGi Eats

      January 6, 2016 at 12:24 pm

      I need to try baking with chickpeas… Mmm! Beans will be incorporated a bit this year into some of my recipes…. But not tooooo much because I totally over eat them and no one wants to see me….. GASSY lol!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        January 8, 2016 at 7:52 am

        Hahaha! Very true Gigi. Sometimes people who are sensitive too them can build up their tolerance to beans so that they become less gassy eating them over time. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Liz @ The Clean Eating Couple

      January 6, 2016 at 2:40 pm

      LOVE baking desserts with beans!! So yummy 🙂

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        January 8, 2016 at 7:53 am

        I hope you give them a try Liz!

        Reply
    6. Rachel @ RachelMcMichael.com

      January 7, 2016 at 10:45 am

      I cannot wait to try this recipe!!! YUM!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        January 8, 2016 at 7:54 am

        I hope you like them Rachel!! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Cailee

      January 13, 2016 at 4:00 pm

      Oh my gosh these look amazing! What a great recipe and I just love how healthy they are! Thanks for sharing! I’m definitely about to pin them now 🙂 Love it!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        January 21, 2016 at 7:27 pm

        You’re so welcome Cailee! I hope you like ’em – after you make them be sure to shoot me a message or tweet and let me know if you did. 🙂

        Reply
    8. angel

      March 3, 2024 at 4:17 pm

      how essential is the peanut butter ? can i reduce the amount / sub with eggs or something else ?

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        March 4, 2024 at 10:25 am

        It’s pretty integral to the recipe – I haven’t tried subbing it out with anything else. I would think another nut/seed butter (cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, etc) would be a better sub than something else. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Deanna

      March 4, 2024 at 10:20 am

      3 stars
      Hi! I made these this morning and for some reason mine would not set. Even cooking for 10-15 mins longer than said. They were just a bunch of mush! Help what did I do wrong? I followed the directions exactly.

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        March 4, 2024 at 10:31 am

        Hi Deanna! Thanks for commenting. The texture of these are more on the “fudgy” side than the “cake-like” side, so they’ll be soft in the center but should still set after cooking and cooling to be able to cut into squares. A few troubleshooting thoughts – I know you said you followed exactly but just trying to think through anything that could have happened!
        1. Was the can of butter beans the correct size, and did you drain them completely before pureeing the beans?
        2. Did you use natural PB (just peanuts and salt)? Sometimes the oils added to regular peanut butter can throw things off.
        3. Have you confirmed your oven doesn’t run low? (I use an oven thermometer to check this).

        I definitely want to figure out what went on so I can help give you and others any helpful tips on how to get the right results. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Katie

      January 19, 2025 at 10:46 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! I made these using 13.5 oz carton of cannellini beans (the only way I can get them organic and salt free). I also swapped out the sweetener for homemade date paste (just pitted dates blended with water) to make them naturally no sugar added! I put the chocolate chips on top so that I wouldn’t have to try to stir them into the batter in my food processor or use an extra bowl. I cannot stop eating these. They are so sweet!

      Reply
      • Chrissy Carroll

        January 23, 2025 at 8:28 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Nice idea using date paste to make them with no added sugar. 🙂

        Reply

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