A rich and indulgent Black Bean Chocolate Protein Cake with the perfect flavor and texture, but flourless, sugar free and oil free. This healthy black bean chocolate cake uses canned beans, is sweetened with protein powder and monk fruit, and tastes like a decadent brownie. Vegan option too!

Okay ya’all I was beyond impressed with how this chocolate black bean cake cake turned out.

No black bean taste at all, and so low calorie and low fat that even ¼ cake had too few carbs for a post workout meal. Such a great dessert for breakfast here.

Ingredients for Black Bean Chocolate Protein Cake Recipe:

This high protein healthy black bean chocolate cake is made with just a few simple and clean ingredients – no flour, no sugar, no oil and no butter – but still has that moist texture you want from a cake.

Black Beans – Either canned or cooked from fresh (I recommend the low sodium canned)
Chocolate Protein Powder – this replaces the sugar in this recipe and is the key to what makes it a high protein cake. I used the Quest Nutrition Chocolate protein powder – it’s a whey-caesin blend that works best for baking and is sugar free too.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or Cacao Powder
Egg Whites – another protein packed ingredient
Almond Milk for a slightly low calorie and healthy recipe; No buttermilk needed here
Unsweetened Applesauce (see the alternatives below)
1:1 Zero Calorie Sugar Substitute – I use Lakanto, to keep this recipe sugar free; (code HAYLSKITCHEN gets you a discount here)
Some Sugar free Maple Syrup for low calorie recipe with no sugar! I use the sugar free monk fruit maple syrup from Lakanto (code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount here too)
Pure Vanilla Extract
Instant Coffee; This is optional, but it really complements the chocolate flavor in this raw brownie batter
Baking Powder and Baking Soda

Tips for this Flourless Black Bean Chocolate Cake

Process black beans first so they break down and form a smoother mixture

Don’t over-mix the batter!
Process until just smooth and combined; The protein powder might make the cake tough, dense and gummy.

Taste the batter and see if you need some extra sweetener. I’d recommend using stevia powder to maintain the consistency of the batter and have sugar free protein chocolate cake.

Let the black bean chocolate cake cool before removing from pan, and cool completely before slicing; It’s quite delicate.

Make ahead and Store Black Bean Protein Cake:

Another great part about this black bean protein cake recipe is that you can make in advance for a party, and even store leftovers!

You can keep the protein powder black bean cake out at room temperature (on the countertop) for 1-2 days.

Store any leftover flourless protein cake in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

To freeze his protein black bean cake, slice it, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and place the pieces in a freezer-safe zipper bag. They keep in the freezer for a few months.
You can even store the whole cake itself!

Alternate ingredients for Healthy Black Bean Chocolate Cake

I recommend making this healthy protein powder black bean cake using the ingredients and products listed – especially the since it gives the best results with a low calorie number too.

If you need other options for the flours and such, here’s some alternatives:

Black Beans: Chickpeas aka garbanzo beans work well too
Chocolate Protein Powder: Use a vanilla; I recommend Quest Nutrition here as well
Applesauce: Mashed banana or pumpkin puree
Almond Milk: Regular non-dairy milk
1:1 Zero Calorie Sugar Replacement: Regular confectioners sugar or coconut sugar (this won’t be sugar free though)
Sugar free Maple Syrup: Regular maple syrup or honey, but again this won’t be sugar free

For a Vegan Black Bean Cake:

For a Vegan protein black bean cake, make sure you use a plant based protein powder and replace the egg whites with aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid).

ProteinWorld has a Vegan protein blend that might work here (code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount here too).

More Healthy Protein Chocolate Cake Recipes:

More Black Bean Protein Powder Desserts Recipes: