Chickpea Blondies

This chickpea blondies recipe yields soft, gooey, and crisp-around-the-edge desserts! You won’t believe they are flourless! No eggs and no butter needed, just one blender or bowl to whip up these amazing treats! 

Chickpea Blondies

Whenever I’m craving a cozy vegan dessert, my favorite recipes to make are brownies, cosmic brownies, and these chickpea blondies.

If there is one food that is extremely versatile and healthy, it would definitely be chickpeas. They are great in savory dishes, like soups, stews, and curries. They taste great in salads or made into a dip. My favorite way to use them though is to hide them in desserts. I’ve made a cookie dough dip and chocolate chip cookies with them, but my favorite use for them is in blondies!

What are chickpea blondies?

Chickpea blondies are essentially a variation of classic blondies, but instead using a combination of chickpeas and peanut butter to replace any need for butter or oil.

The texture is ooey, gooey, and almost fudgy, with crisp edges. They are sweet and with a subtle peanut butter flavor, without being overpowering. And oh, don’t let the chickpeas in the recipe fool you- You will NOT be able to taste them at all!

I brought these to the office the other day and shared them with my colleagues and NO ONE believed me when I said that there were chickpeas in them!

How do you make chickpea blondies?

The Ingredients

• Chickpeas– Also known as garbanzo beans. Use a no added salt variety, if possible.
• Peanut butter– I like smooth peanut butter. You can use any nut butter or seed butter, though, like almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter or tahini as a dairy-free alternative.
• Maple syrup– Gives the blondies extra sweetness, and a gooey center.
• Coconut sugar– Any granulated sweetener can be used. Brown sugar is another fabulous alternative.
• Vanilla extract– A must for any good baked good!
• Oat flour– Either store bought or you can make your own. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you’d like these blondies to be gluten free.
• Baking powder and baking soda– A combination of the two gives the blondies some stability and rise.
• Salt– You can omit this if your chickpeas have a little salt added to them.
• Chocolate chips– Either vegan chocolate chips or a chopped up chocolate bar. I prefer dark chocolate chips for this recipe.

The Instructions

Step 1 – Blend. Start by adding all your ingredients into a food processor. Next, process it very well, until the chickpeas have been broken down and a smooth batter remains. Add in the chocolate/chocolate chips and pulse once more.

Step 2 – Bake. Now, transfer the chickpea cookie dough into a lined 8 x 8-inch pan. Bake the blondies for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer or toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let the blondies cool in the pan completely, before slicing into bars.

Tips to make the best vegan chickpea blondies

• These blondies are extremely gooey. If you’d like them to be thicker and more sturdy, you can bake them for an extra 10 minutes. Alternatively, refrigerate them once they are cooled, and they will thicken even more.
• You can replace the chickpeas with white beans or navy beans. The latter two actually have a milder flavor, and will not change the texture much at all.
• Feel free to fold through some walnuts or pecans for some added crunch.

Storing and freezing flourless chickpea blondies

• To store: Blondies can keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you’d like them to keep longer, store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• To freeze: Place leftovers in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.

More vegan dessert recipes to try

• Tiramisu
• Chocolate cake
• Chocolate cupcakes
• Vanilla cake
• Peanut butter pie

Watch how to make it