Plant Based Juniors

Two Registered Dietitian Nutritionist helping you raise your plant-based babies, toddlers, children and teens.

Black Bean Walnut Brownie Balls

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You know we love beans in our no-bake balls! This Black Bean Walnut Brownie Balls recipe comes from our Learning Center Co-Director and Pediatrician Dr. Reshma Shah and is part of our brand-new course, Plant-Based Nutrition for Kids: Your A to Z Guide.

We are SO excited about finally being able to offer this course! In addition to being the most comprehensive course on plant-based diets for kids out there, it also includes a 30-recipe ebook featuring recipes like this one. The feedback from those who have started it has been great. You can learn more about the course here.

Why We Love This Recipe

These Black Bean Walnut Brownie Balls are a tasty way to incorporate beans into your little one’s diet. Beans are a superb source of plant-based protein and iron. Just 1/2 cup of black beans contains 6 grams of protein and 25% of the Daily Value (DV) of iron. They are also a good source of folate, calcium, potassium, and fiber.

We also love these no-bake balls as a make-ahead snack to keep in the fridge or freezer. We get a lot of questions about how to make healthy homemade snacks for plant-based babes, and this recipe is a great one for so many reasons. It combines the nutritional power-packed punch of beans, with the additional satiation and fiber from the oats, and the healthy fats from the walnuts and almond flour. Plus, what kid doesn’t love chocolate!

Tips for Success

  • Create your own oat flour by grinding up rolled oats in a high-powered blender. You will need to grind up slightly more than 1 cup of rolled oats in order to yield 1 cup of oat flour.
  • Since this is a no-bake recipe, alcohol-free vanilla is preferable. You can find this in some grocery stores as either a liquid or a powder.
  • Get your kids involved in making these! They can add ingredients to the food processor (as long as you teach them to keep their little hands away from the blade!), press the button to grind everything up, and then help roll the dough into balls. While having kids help in the kitchen does make the process take longer than doing it alone, the rewards are great. Kids are more likely to try foods they had a hand in making. Likewise, instilling a love of making healthy treats is always a win!

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Black Bean Walnut Brownie Balls

You know we love beans in our no-bake balls! This Black Bean Walnut Brownie Balls recipe comes from our Learning Center Co-Director and Pediatrician Dr. Reshma Shah and is part of our brand-new course, Plant-Based Nutrition for Kids: Your A to Z Guide.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup almond butter
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • mini chocolate chips (optional)
  • dried coconut (optional)
  • hemp seeds (optional)

Instructions

  • Place oats in a food processor and process until they are the consistency of flour. Empty into a bowl and fold in cocoa powder. Set aside.
    1 cup oats, 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • Place drained and rinsed black beans into the food processor with maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond butter, and a pinch of salt. Puree until smooth. Add to the oat flour along with chopped walnuts and almond flour.
    1 can black beans,, 1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup almond butter, pinch of salt, 1/2 cup walnuts,, 1/4 cup almond flour
  • Roll into small balls. Enjoy as is, or rolled into garnishes like mini chocolate chips, dried coconut or hemp seeds. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  • Store in air-tight container in fridge or in freezer.

Notes

  • Create your own oat flour by grinding rolled oats in a high powered blender.  You will need to grind up slightly more than 1 cup rolled oats to yield 1 cup of oat flour.
  • Because of the maple syrup in this recipe, we would recommend it for kiddos over age 2.

If you liked this bean ball recipe, check out these others:

If you’re looking for a nut-free bean ball that also checks all the boxes on the PB3 plate, check out our Raspberry Tahini Chickpea Balls. They make a great addition to a school lunchbox.

Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Love how easy these are to make – I sub the maple syrup and almond flour for 8 medjool dates (like your other ball recipes) and they turn out great

5 from 1 vote

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