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Secretly Healthy Chocolate Fudge Balls

Secretly Healthy Chocolate Fudge Balls! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2014/08/25/secretly-healthy-chocolate-fudge-balls/

These little chocolate fudge balls are so fudgy it’s unreal! And NO butter, corn syrup, or heavy cream are needed to achieve the rich and fudgy texture.

Can you guess the secret healthy ingredient?

black bean desserts

If you’ve tried and enjoyed the recipe for Black Bean Brownies posted on my site almost 2 years ago, there’s a good chance you will love this recipe too. I know beans in desserts might still weird some people out… but keep in mind they’ve been making bean-based desserts in Asia for centuries!

And with that, I guess I gave the secret ingredient away. I really am lousy at keeping secrets. 😕

black bean truffles

Black Bean Dessert

Black Bean Chocolate Fudge Balls

(Makes 10-12… feel free to double the recipe!)

Adapted from my Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

  • 2/3 cup cooked or canned black beans (120g)
  • 2 1/2 tsp virgin coconut oil (See below for a substitution)
  • 2 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1/16 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • pinch pure stevia, or 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • chocolate coating (recipe below)

Drain beans and rinse VERY well. This is important! Then combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate so the coconut oil hardens and the mixture is firm enough to roll into balls with your hands. Once rolled, return to the fridge. (See chocolate coating recipe below.) Store in a covered container for up to a week. Or freeze, being sure to fully thaw before eating.

Chocolate Coating: Either carefully melt chocolate chips with a tiny bit of oil to make a sauce OR combine equal parts pure maple syrup, cocoa powder, and virgin coconut oil to form a thin sauce (about 2 tbsp of each). If the sauce is too thick, very gently heat until it thins out. Line a plate with parchment, dip chilled balls into the chocolate, then place on the parchment and immediately return to the refrigerator to allow the coating to set.

—> View Black Bean Chocolate Fudge Balls Nutrition Facts <—

*I’ve not tried the following substitution, but two commenters reported success in substituting peanut butter (or an allergy-friendly alternative to peanut butter) for the coconut oil.

pumpkin stuffed cinnamon rolls

Link of the Day: Homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Published on August 25, 2014

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94 Comments

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  1. Medha @ Whisk & Shout says

    This sounds amazing! I’ve never had black bean brownies because I’m too stubborn to deviate from my classic favorite recipe, but these fudgey balls look like the dessert to get me to start baking with beans!

  2. Karen says

    These look delish! I love fudge and fudgy things! However, I have a couple questions: How long should you refrigerate the mixture before rolling into balls? and if you’re using chocolate chips for the coating, roughly how much should you melt? I’m not that great at eyeballing.

    • Karen says

      I didn’t have the patience to wait for your reply and went ahead and made these a few hours ago. My parents and I just ate them for dessert, and they were even better than I had anticipated! They were so rich and chocolatey and my dad even said that they tasted like they came from a pastry shop!

      • Karen says

        one thing I just wanted to add: when you coat the truffles with melted chocolate, it would be a really good idea to grease the plate first because I didn’t and then the bottoms of the chocolates stuck to the plate.

  3. Bianca says

    I still don’t think I’ve tried black bean brownies. Maybe. I can’t remember. But if so, I think someone else made them. I need to give it a shot!

  4. kirsten says

    i have a recipe similar to this one that i just posted on my instagram a few weeks ago (@f00dventures) but i made what i’m calling a raw frozen turtle brownie. uses black beans in the base and you can’t even tell the black beans are there. great way to sneak some protein and fiber into desserts!

  5. Kyla @ Two Cups Cacao says

    These look fantastic! I love black bean brownies, so I’m pretty sure I’ll love this one when I make it. I’m happy to say I’ve got all these ingredients on hand, so I’ll be sure to make them pretty soon. Thanks for posting!

  6. Alexis says

    This may be a silly question, but why must they be fully thawed before eating? I’m just curious! I think they’d be delicious frozen, like little fudge pop bites! Is there a reason?

  7. Linda @ Fit Fed and Happy says

    I should have known it was going to be beans! You have so many bean recipes 🙂 They do replace the flour nicely, I have to admit.

  8. Kyra says

    I’ve always been too scared to use beans in a dessert/sweet dish but it totally makes sense in this recipe – I can totally see how the texture of the blended beans can become decadent chocolate fudge balls! I think I will try this (plus it will make a quick dessert with ingredients I usually always have!) – thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂

    • Kittykat says

      WOW !!!! These are GOOD !!!! Almost kinda like a hedge hog in texture on the inside. I didn’t have sugar so threw in a few dried apricots into the food processer. The longer you have the food processer on the smoother in texture they turn out. I threw abit of coconut inside the filling too. I’ll makes these for ever now.. They were quick to make and satisfies your chocolate craving. No one would ever be able to detect these were made from black beans. I saw this recipe and about 1/2 later hubby says he wanted a chocolate bar treat so I made these… Thank you so very much for posting this recipe.

  9. EVA says

    Whelp, the first recipe I ever tried of yours was the critically acclaimed black bean brownies and DIED WITH LOVE at every bite, so I’m sure these are the bomb! (and actually “the bomb” since they’re round lil’ balls). Loving the nut butter option too as I keep NO coconut products in the house. I’m sorry, I hate it….

  10. Deanna says

    TRIPLE the RECIPE!!!!!!!!!
    Seriously!!!
    I just made them and most of the batter didn’t make it to the refrigeration process because I kept eating them! So so good!
    If you use a 540ml / 19 fl oz can of black beans, the tripled recipe uses the full can 🙂

  11. melissa says

    When I try to search for recipes, I can’t get past double ad banner. Not enjoying the new advertising. So sad. I’m a big fan.

    • anonymous says

      You do realize that having ads on the site is what enables Katie to keep these recipes free so people like you do not have to pay anything for them, right? I’m sorry to say your comment comes off sounding rather self-centered to me 🙁

  12. Steph says

    I never think of using black beans in stuff like this, I always just think of savoury dishes, but they really are so versatile! These truffles look soooo fudgey and good- definitely going to try them 🙂 I even have all the ingredients at home. Do you think subbing in a little banana for sweetness instead of the other sugars would work?
    Thanks so much for the recipe! 😀

  13. Lina says

    Yummie! Honestly, this looks so super delicious I couldn’t resist grabbing a glass of beans and starting to mix. 😉
    Anyways, I didn’t exactly follow the recipe cause I wanted a pudding-like dessert for today. I left out the coconut oil and extra sugar and instead added a banana to the mix – and it turned out wonderful. Super rich and dark and only a pinch of sweetness… Thank you so much, Katie!

  14. Tess says

    I’m in the middle of cooking these – the truffle part tastes SOO GOOOD and is currently setting in the fridge and I just realized I don’t have any chocolate chips. Do you think these would be ok without the chocolate coating?

  15. Sprinkles says

    I think I made these wrong. Mine didn’t blend smoothly, or even really at all… I just ended up with a salty bean lump that crumbled and fell apart. I covered it with melted chocolate and it tasted like beans covered in chocolate… I used homemade black beans instead of canned (no salt added to the cooking liquid) but I followed the recipe to a T. Any suggestions?!

    • Chocolate Covered Katie says

      Did you read through the Recipe FAQ page? There’s a troubleshooting section on there. If you read through it and still can’t figure out what went wrong, please do report back with as many specific details about what specific ingredients you used as you can (type of food processor, sweetener, etc.).

      • Sprinkles says

        The only thing I used that was a variant really was that I used home-cooked beans (water only). I have a Black and Decker Food Processor, which is what I use when I make bean brownies and I’ve not really ever had a clumping problem before. The way it all lumped I just have to wonder if there wasn’t enough moisture in the beans…? I used the same brand stevia you do. I used sea salt as my salt and a bulk dutch cocoa powder from a Mennonite store nearby. Used a pure maple syrup from a local source.

        • Rosie's Mom says

          I hope it’s ok if I chime in. We also used homemade beans and did not have a problem. Possibly yours were undercooked or just naturally more dry. Try adding a little extra liwuod next time. These are worth giving another shot, trust me!

          • Sprinkles says

            Thanks! I was sort of wondering if maybe my beans were too dry. I’ve always liked using beans in place of flour and never had a problem until this recipe… looking forward to trying again.

          • dia says

            I made these today. I used dry beans that had been cooked and frozen. I thawed them out and added water to rinse. Did u rinse your beans? I also mashed them with a fork after using the food processor. My processor is big so the little mix just went to the edges so i mashed them until there were no whole beans visible and it was mostly a paste. If it felt a part i would suggest up the coconut oil and /or the liquid sweetener, just a bit. These were amazing and i cant believe the beans are so undetectable. Good luck!

  16. Susan Brinkley says

    I need an intervention! I literally cannot stop eating these!
    It started when I tasted the “dough” before I even made them into balls, and it hasn’t stopped since!
    They are so good and you’d never know there were beans in there. I want to try these in my boyfriend but am not sure they’ll last that long! 🙂

  17. Alissa says

    I am in heaven. I had everything in my pantry… made them tonight and they are AMAZING! I am not very good with the coating part of it…but its not about looks, right?! 😉 Now to try your BB Brownies this weekend. My previous attempts at bean brownies weren’t tasty at all.

  18. Camille says

    I don’t know if this has been asked before (it probably has!) but have you thought about making baking videos? I would L O V E to watch them!

  19. Destiny says

    It looks really good 😀 and I really love your recipes, they’re amazing !!
    I was wondering since I ran out of black beans can i substitute by using brown fava beans? crazy idea I know but just wondering & Thanks .

  20. Rosie's Mom says

    Hi Katie! My daughter is your biggest fan, and she chose this recipe to make with me yesterday. She is ten yrs old. We both loved it!

  21. Kittykat says

    Just got these in the freezer now… I ended up having the balls all sitting on a plate and dumping the chocolate coating on top of them all and rolling them around. I dumped them onto a plate that had coconut on it that was in the freezer to combat any sticking problems. I did have to scrape up extra chocolate sauce left on plate and just plopped it on top of the balls…put them into freezer for few mins then took them out and put alittle bit more coconut on the tops … I was going to roll them in coconut but didn’t have enought

    • Kittykat says

      I used a small food proceeded and had to keep emptying it out as it did clump all together only blending the bottom inch ( I did put apricots in for sugar replacement and they kinda clumped up… I probably should have used a bigger food processer… Next time I’ll do it in smaller batches as I did just over double the recipe to use the whole can of beans up. Next time I’ll put coconut in first to make it powder to add for a different flavor and hubby suggested throwing some peanuts in too for a peanut butter chocolate taste… Endless options with bits of dried fruit in them … There are delicious on their own. IIIIII loveeeee theseeeee lol

  22. Lizbeth says

    These are soooo addicting. I noticed they tasted better after sitting in the fridge for a bit. I tried a little cinnamon on them and it was great, so I think I might try to make them Mexican hot chocolate flavored next time. 😀

  23. Aashna says

    I love love LOVE!! I am literally a chocoholic and I can’t wait to try this out!! By the way Katie, I am a new blogger looking for tips- please check out my website and comment!

  24. Ettjen says

    I also tried these with homecooked beans. I didn’t know how much of the dried beans would be 2/3 cup cooked beans. FORTUNATELY i took 2/3 dried beans, which adds 3 times the recipe when cooked :-))
    BUT, how to get the chocolatesauce so nice and evenly over the balls? Nobody seems to have a problem with that? I tought of putting the dough in a pan and cover them with the sauce, then cutting out squares. Would be nice also eh?

  25. Gina says

    Oh my gosh. I’ve been following your blog for a while, but didn’t have the guts (or full ingredient list) to try to make anything. Just made these fudge balls…and I have to say they are absolutely AMAZING. I doubled the recipe to make enough for my big blender to smooth out the ingredients, but I am definitely going to be making more of your recipes!!! Wonderful!!! 😀

  26. Shaindel says

    I make these every so often, but I changed the recipe a bit. Thought maybe other people would want to know:
    First of all, it doubles very well. I usually make 5x (2 cans of beans) the recipe at once so I don’t have to wash the food processor as often. More than that doesn’t fit in my food processor.
    Also, instead of stevia or granulated sugar, I add either more maple syrup or coconut sugar or honey in a 1-to-1 ratio. When I make a lot at a time, though, I usually need to add extra sweetener. I think it doesn’t blend in as well for some reason.

  27. Emily says

    Everything I have made from this website I have loved! Which is why I am sad to say that I made these **with the peanut butter substitution noted at the end of the recipe** and they were terrible. Like, inedible. I should have made them strictly with coconut oil as the original recipe states. I believe they came out way too salty and the peanut butter just added a really negative flavor, I can’t figure out why. Anyway, just wanted to warn others who may be inclined to try the peanut butter! I may try the original recipe in the next day or so..

  28. Devorah says

    Thank you so much for all your recipes!!! I use your website TOO often lol! Just made those chocolate balls and this is something amazing! I changed it little bit though, added soy butter in stead of coconut oil and walnuts inside the “dough” and on top, oh yeah also some cognac! Tastes like HEAVEN!!! Just one question: how were you able to dip them in chocolate sauce? I couldnt figure out… So i just purred some on top…

    • Unofficial CCK Helper says

      Put it on a spoon or pierce it with a fork and dip into the chocolate. Pouring on top works too though 🙂

  29. Christine says

    Hi Katie, I just came across your website and saw this recipe….made these today with my son and I can’t BELIEVE how good they are! I’m trying to cut out refined sugar, wheat and junk foods but it’s tough when the “healthy” treats just don’t come close to the unhealthy ones you are used to. But with these this is not the case! They are the best healthy treat I have ever made and they will be one of my sweet treats for the foreseeable future. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!

  30. Amy says

    These are without a doubt the best thing i have ever eaten! I’ve made them twice and they didn’t last more than 2 days and that’s with doubling the recipe! My husband and daughter absolutely love them too. They are sooo addictive!

  31. Maria says

    This recipe is amazing! I added almond butter and I can’t stop thinking about them. Gosh, you’re an amazing baker Katie! Love your work pretty lady. xx

  32. Hana says

    Just did these fudge balls! Omg they are just super delicious! I put some walden farms pancake syrup instead of pure maple syrup so it is even healthier! My blender doesn’t work so well, so they’re still some pieces of beans in the balls but nevermind – i like it even better! Thank you for this and every other recipe! Love from france xx

  33. Teresa says

    I made these today, and they are wonderful!! My mom said that they were “heavenly”, and I agree. I used a little four-cup Cuisinart, which worked well. I would say that to use a bigger food processor than that, you’d definitely want to double the recipe… Which is not a bad thing, it’s just more chocolate for you! and I followed the recipe exactly, using the sugar option and the coconut-maple syrup-cocoa powder option for the coating. I think these are even better than your black bean brownies, and trust me, I am quite devoted to those as well thanks for the recipe, Katie!

  34. bethany says

    hey these sound awesome i was just hoping there might be another substitute as the people i want to feed them to have high allergies for peanuts and coconut any ideas?

  35. Michelle says

    I’ve made these several times and they are divine! Everyone loves them too! Today I’m going to try going with carob powder rather than cocoa, I think it will come out fine if I use the same exact measurements right?

  36. Anisah Sultana says

    I used chickpeas because I can rarely find black beans here and I happened to have some chickpeas cooked in the fridge. I also gave homemade almond butter in place of the coconut oil because I was just too lazy to get it out of the jar, because the climate where I am means that my coconut oil is hard at room temp. They were delicious. There is only one left which will no doubtedly not last the rest till tomorrow. I also made the coating with date syrup and it was awesome!

  37. Robin says

    I was a little hesitant to try this just because every other time I’ve tried vegetable-based desserts they’ve tasted a little… vegetable-y lol (avocado pudding I’m looking at you). But I just made these and they’re really good! No bean taste at all. I added a few drops of peppermint extract to mine and they taste just like Thin Mints. Thanks for sharing this 🙂

  38. Marni says

    HELP! I am making these for a large party TONIGHT and doubling the recipe, and I don’t have enough coconut oil. Can I add olive oil?

    • A H says

      You can try it, but be prepared for a result that may not be what you expected. Let us know how it works, if you do experiment.

  39. Natasha says

    Don’t be scared of the term ” bean dessert ” guys! There are wonderful, and I recommend them to anyone who likes chocolate.

  40. kara in indiana says

    these ARE amazing! thank you for a great recipe that i will share and use over and over. my children and i think these are the best! (one child doesn’t even like brownies, but he devoured these).

  41. Amy says

    I loved making the brownies I actually went back to my bookmark for them and started looking around and seen the fudge balls ! I didn’t have any coconut oil left so I opted for the PB since my fiance’ is a huge fan of it , they turned out awesome ! Thank you !

  42. Niki says

    These were so so yummy! I had the intention of making them for a work potluck, but instead ate the entire batch of batter. Hmm. Better luck next time? On a side note, this makes a FABULOUS chocolate ice cream base once it’s thinned down with milk (I used almond). Dang. This is my new go-to chocolate ice cream recipe. My husband loved it, and he doesn’t like chocolate, or any of my other healthy dessert attempts. Thanks for the awesome recipe!

  43. Christina says

    I freaking love these things and have given this recipe to at least 10 friends. I always triple or quadruple the recipe so I can give some away and freeze some. I’ve tried several add ins / ons with great success, such as: pecans, chopped and mixed inside the fudge and/or rolled on the outside, rolled them in coconut, rolled them in cacao, sprinkled a tiny bit of sea salt on top of the coating, and NEXT I’m gonna do crushed candy cane on the outside. The skies the limit with these babies and Noone can ever believe they’re made of beans. <3

  44. Amy says

    I’ve been making these for years and they always perfection, always hit the spot. Kids love them so they’re brilliant for birthday parties and if I’m too lazy to make them into balls, I triple the recipe and put it in a tin and make a slice instead. Sooo good!

  45. Nicole says

    Love this! It was exactly what I wanted with some leftover blackbeans. I tried the sub of peanut butter for olive oil and they turned out great, but can’t compare it to the original. I also subbed one medjool date for the sugar and added in a few mini chocolate chips. I only got 7 balls with my cookie scoop so will double up next time. Will share with my toddler, that will be the true test. Thanks for the recipe!

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