Fudgy Lentil Brownies. High Protein Brownies that dont taste beany! Just process and bake. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe. Can be Nut-free
I love my Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookie Pie (you all do too, so many remakes!!). Currently, 1. I am on a break from chickpeas, 2. Chickpeas can tend to dry out. 3. I know black bean brownies are the rage, but the texture hasn’t worked for me. Enter lentils. Red Lentils.
The Quick cooking Lentils that dont have a skin, hence will not add the skin texture like beans. Cook the lentils, melt some chocolate, Process together with a bit of nut butter and the rest of the ingredients to make a batter. Pour into a pan and bake! Super Fudgy, Super Delicious!
These are not the usual brownie texture when they are just baked, but settle into a more fudgy state after cooling, esp chilling. For the regular super gooey, super chocolatey, super brownie Brownies, See the version in my book! There is a gluten-free option too.
There brownies are higher in protein with the lentils and nut butter, are gooey and chocolatey and perfect for the chocolate craving! Lets get to these.
More Fun Bakes from the blog
- No Bake Hazelnut Walnut Brownies. GF
- Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
- Brownie Cookie Dough bars. GF
- Gluten-free Brownies and Brownie Mix. GF
- Vegan Almond Butter Blondies with Chocolate Chips , GF
- Bleuberry Brownies!
- Coconut Flour Brownies GF
You can use cooked chickpeas in these brownies. Just bake them until set at the edges. If you make these brownies, do let me know how they turned out! 7+ gm of Protein per serve!
Cook the lentils.
Recipe Card
Lentil Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (90 g) red lentils
- 3 tbsp oil
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (90 g) vegan semi sweet chocolate chips ( or a mix of semi sweet and dark)
- 4 tbsp sugar (1 tbsp more for sweeter)
- 1/3 cup (83.33 g) nut butter (heaping cup) (I like cashew butter), Use sunflower seed butter for Nutfree
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (31.25 g) flour of choice All purpose, oat or glutenfree blend for gluten-free (add a tbsp starch if using gf flour and not a blend)
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) baking powder
- 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) vegan chocolate chips to top and mix in.
Instructions
- Line a brownie pan with parchment paper ( I use 8 by 8 inch). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180ºc . 9 by 5 loaf also works
- Rinse the red lentils. Drain and add to a saucepan. Add 1.5 cups of water and cook partially covered over medium heat. Cook for 12 to 13 minutes or until the lentils are cooked (total time including coming to a boil). Stir once in between. Cool for a few minutes, then drain any excess water from the saucepan (there should be hardly any). Add to a food processor or blender. (For instant pot, pressure cook for 2 minutes then quick release after 5 minutes, drain well and use)
- Heat maple syrup and oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add chocolate and sugar and mix. Take off heat. Continue to mix until chocolate is melted and well combined
- Add the melted chocolate and the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until a smooth batter. Add 1 tbsp Dutch processed Cocoa powder for chocolatey brownies (highly recommended as chocolate chips vary in flavor). ***
- Pour into prepared brownie pan. Sprinkle 2 tbsp chocolate chips on top and mix them in. Sprinkle more to top. (I like to use mini chocolate chips to top). Bake for 32to 35minutes. Bake them a bit longer for more set and crispier edges. Check with a toothpick from the center if too soft/wet.
- Cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Refrigerate for upto 4 days, freeze for later. The brownie texture improves after refrigeration for a bit.
Video
Notes
Add spices such as cinnamon if you like , or fold in chopped walnuts in the batter for variation. *** You want to process or blend while the melted chocolate is still warm so that the batter is flowy and easy to pour out into the pan. Blending with a blender is also easier when ingredients are warm. Nutrition is 1 of 8 serves (2 pieces)
Nutrition
Amber
Well, it is bonkers how well this turned out considering all of my alterations. Epic.
Flour: I used garbanzo bean flour + 1 Tbl corn starch
Sugar: I used 4 Tbl coconut sugar + 4 Tbl monk fruit + 1 dropper liquid stevia
Nutbutter: I used peanut butter, natural, not sweetened but salted and cut down on salt a bit.
I didn’t have parchment paper so I did cupcake cups, made 12 at 25 mins. Kind of a pain to pour the batter into the cups, I’d like to pour it into dish next time. SERIOUSLY SO GOOD.
Vegan Richa Support
🙂 bonkers sounds good! so glad you enjoyed
Stephanie
Could I use green lentils for this recipe?
Vegan Richa Support
yes but it may add a few minutes to the cook time so be mindful.
Lizzie
Hello all. The cocoa powder is in the directions and the video but not on the ingredients list. Here is the amount from the directions “Add 1 tbsp Dutch processed Cocoa powder for chocolatey brownies”
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you, Lizzie! We’ll add it to the ingredients as well. Appreciate you!
Daniela
Hi. I love this recipe, I have already made a couple of times when graving for a chocolate dessert.
Even so, this last time I forgot to put the cocoa powder and I really missed it. Maybe it may help other as well if you could add this to the ingredients list?! I always check the ingredient’s list when recipe says “put the rest of the ingredients”, but never read that carefully the instructions after (my bad, I know).
Richa
Sure!
Lizzie
The cocoa powder is in the directions and the video but not on the ingredients list. Here is the amount from the directions “Add 1 tbsp Dutch processed Cocoa powder for chocolatey brownies”