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If you need some dessert ideas using black beans, this easy sweet black bean tart satisfies that craving for sweet, yet not overly indulgence and it’s delicious! It doesn’t taste like beans in case you are wondering!
I know the first thing that people think when they know a dessert is made with black beans! “It’s gonna taste too “healthy” LOL. Not that healthy is bad, but you know what I mean. This easy sweet black bean tart was created because I wanted to use up some boiled black beans.
Why you’ll like this recipe
1. It tastes great
Yes, this is important of course. It doesn’t taste like beans. If you don’t tell anyone, they won’t know. I asked my kids to guess and they said ” Is it chocolate?” LOL! Well, the dark color kind of made them think that direction!
2. It’s easy to make
You can use homemade cooked beans or store-bought canned beans. The crust and filling are easy to whip up
Easy Sweet Black Bean Tart
Ingredients
Easy Nila wafers crust:
- 311 g Nila wafers
- 143 g unsalted butter melted
- Pinch of salt
Sweet bean filling:
- 217 g cooked black beans or use canned black beans. See notes
- 84 g canned coconut milk
- 50 g sugar
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 30 g oil
- 50 g egg
- 5 g cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
If you choose to use homecooked black beans:
- Get about 150 grams (about 3/4 cup) of dried black beans. You may have a bit of leftover. Rinse them in water to get rid of any impurities
- If you are going to cook this on the stove, soak the beans for at least 4 hours or overnight. Discard the soaking liquid. Prepare a big pot and add water, about 2-inches above the beans. Bring the water to a boil and then lower to medium heat and boil the beans until they are soft and you can easily mash it with your fingers, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or so. You may need to top off with some water along the way
- If you plan to cook with pressure cooker like Instant Pot, you don't need to soak the beans. Place the beans in the insert of the instant pot. Add water about 1 inch above the beans. Cover the lid. Turn the steam release handle to seal. Press pressure cooker and set timer to 45 minutes if you did not soak the beans. If you choose to soak the beans, set the timer to 25 minutes
- Once the beans are cooked, drain off the cooking liquid
If you use canned beans:
- Drain off the liquid and give it a good rinse with water, especially if they are salted.
Process the beans into a paste:
- Put the cooked beans in a food processor and process into a smooth paste. Do not add any water. Get the amount you need for this recipe, which is 217 grams (about 1 1/4 cups)
Easy crust:
- I use a rectangle tart pan, but you can also use 9-inch round tart pan with removable base
- I use Nila wafers for this crust because I think it pairs very well with the sweet bean filling. You can also use graham crackers or other biscuits of your choice instead.
- Put the wafers in a food processor and process into very fine crumbs. You can also put them in a zipper bag, push all the air out and seal. Use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. The crumbs must be fine. The crust crumbles easily if the crumbs are not fine enough
- Add the melted butter and pinch of salt into the food processor and give it a few pulses. The mixture should resembles wet sands. Alternatively, just combine the melted butter, salt and the fine crumbs and make sure they are mixed evenly
- Press the crumbs into the bottom and the sides of the tart pan. Spend time to really press the crumbs into the tart pan. This is important so the crust won't fall apart later. I use the bottom of a measuring cup to really press the crumbs. Use your fingers to help press the crumbs along the sides of the tart pan too.
- Chill the crust in the fridge while the oven is preheating
Prebake the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven, 330 F (165 C) for convection oven. Place the tart pan on top of a baking sheet and put inside the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. It may still look wet, but it will crisp up as it cools down. Let it cool down completely before filling it
Prepare the filling:
- Place all the ingredients for the filling in a food processor. Process into a fine mixture.
- It turns a bit "watery" now. If you don't have a food processor, just whisk everything in a bowl and then strain the mixture to smooth out any lumps
- Pour this mixture into the pre-baked crust.
Baking:
- Place the baking pan in the middle rack and bake for about 50-60 minutes or until the filling is set. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let it cook down completely on the baking sheet
Serve:
- Cut into serving sizes and serve as is. You can also serve it with some whipped cream, but we eat it as is
Storage:
- Once the tart has cooled down completely, cover with a cling wrap and it can be stored at room temperature for a day or two
RECOMMEDED TOOLS
Marv’s Recipe Notes
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Substitute for black beans
If you don’t like black beans, you can use small red beans/adzuki beans, kidney beans, navy beans, or other beans of your choice
How to store leftovers
1. Let the tart cool down completely at room temperature. This helps prevent condensation and sogginess
2. Once the pie is cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Alternatively, you can place it in an airtight container
3. Store the wrapped pie in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days.
4. For longer storage, you can freeze them. They freeze well. Follow the same initial steps of cooling the pie and wrapping it tightly. Place the wrapped pie in a large, resealable freezer bag or wrap it in a layer of aluminum foil for extra protection. Label it with the date. Lay the pie flat in the freezer to maintain its shape. They can be kept frozen for up to one month
5. When ready to serve, transfer the frozen pumpkin pie to the refrigerator and let it thaw slowly overnight or for at least 8 hours, or let it thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes to one hour before serving
