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Step aside, boxed mix, because Chickpea Brownies are in town! These gluten- and dairy-free brownies are the perfect vegan treat. They’re a healthy alternative to regular brownies and are so quick to make!
Watch this video to see how I make chickpea brownies!
The most delicious vegan homemade brownies
If you’re an avid baker I’m sure you’ve tried your hand at Internet trends like black bean brownies, sweet potato brownies, or even avocado brownies. But have you tried chickpea brownies?
In my opinion, these are the best of the alternative brownie options. They’re filled with ooey gooey deliciousness and are so easy to make. Plus, they’re perfect for customizing with your favorite toppings. After making my signature chickpea blondies, I knew I had to make a chocolate version!
For me, a daily sweet treat is a must, so I love to keep something chocolate in my pantry at all times. When I realized I could make these just a little bit fudgier and a little bit more chocolate-y, I was in.
Along with my favorite cake, cookies, and muffins, chickpea brownies are on a very frequent rotation in my kitchen.
Ingredients used in this brownie recipe
For this recipe we’re sticking to gluten-free, vegan ingredients while also keeping things as natural as possible. Along with the chickpeas we’ll be using a blend of nut butter, almond flour, and of course lots of chocolate chips!
- Chickpeas
- Nut butter (I like almond or peanut)
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla
- Almond flour
- Cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Chocolate chips
Kitchen tools that you’ll need
This recipe is a quite simple one. You’ll need only a handful of tools including a food processor (or blender), a spatula, and a baking dish. That’s it!
For measuring ingredients, you’ll need these sizes: 1/4 tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, 1/4 cup, and 1/2 cup.
How to make brownies with chickpeas
Chickpea brownies are so simple to whip together! Everything just needs to be mixed, and then you toss the batter in the oven for a little over 20 minutes. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender.
First, preheat the oven to 350F.
In a food processor, blend the chickpeas, nut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla.
Once blended, add the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Continue to process, scraping down the sides as necessary until smooth.
Once creamy and smooth, take off the lid (I also remove the blade) and stir in the chocolate chips. Do not process.
Next, pour the batter into a greased 8×8 pan and sprinkle the top with extra chocolate chips.
Bake for 21-23 minutes, and tada! Your brownies are ready to devour.
Tip: If you’d like, you can bake these in a loaf pan for extra thick brownies. This method will require about 30-35 minutes in the oven.
Tasty add-on options
There are few recipes as versatile as brownies. No matter how they’re made, whether it’s with a box mix or from scratch, brownies can be transformed into anything you’d like. Here are some of the ways that I like to make my brownies extra special.
- Switch up the chips: In addition to chocolate (or instead of), you can add white chocolate, peanut butter, or even butterscotch chips.
- Sprinkles: Add your favorite type of sprinkles for a touch of color!
- Fruit: Like a little fruit with your chocolate? Any type of berry, especially strawberries and blueberries, would taste great in these brownies.
- Pretzels: Salty and sweet go together like peanut butter and jelly! Add crushed pretzels to the top of your brownies for the perfect flavor.
- Oreos: Love Oreos? Mash ’em up and sprinkle them on top! And yes, your brownies will still be vegan!
- Candy: Add your favorite candies like M&Ms or KitKats!
- Drizzle: Finally, take your presentation up a notch by coating your brownies with a tasty chocolate, peanut butter, or caramel drizzle.
Bonus: Serve up warm alongside your favorite vanilla ice cream for an extra satisfying treat!
Optional substitutions
You know how it goes. You read through a recipe, feel a craving coming on, and immediately head to your kitchen to give it a go, only to discover that you’re missing a key ingredient!
Well, in the case of these brownies, there are a number of swaps that will work. So before you head to the store, check this list for substitution options!
- Nut butter: I mentioned that I like to use almond or peanut butter, but any nut butter will work!
- Maple syrup: In place of maple syrup you can use molasses or honey. Start with a smaller measurement and add more as needed.
- Coconut oil: Missing coconut oil? That’s okay! You can use any similar baking oil.
- Cocoa powder: It may sound obvious, but you can actually use chocolate in place of cocoa powder. You’ll want to use 1 1/3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate for this recipe.
A healthier brownie treat
I always aim to make recipes as whole and healthy as possible, which is why I used a number of ingredient alternatives in these brownies.
First up, I used chickpeas! This ingredient serves as the base of this recipe and is a great way to fill the brownies with protein. They contribute to the texture and fudginess too. Plus, it tastes great.
I used coconut oil rather than vegetable or canola oil because it has a better nutritional makeup and is a slightly healthier option.
Next, I used almond flour in place of white all-purpose flour because it provides more nutrients and works so well in baked goods.
Finally, I used maple syrup to sweeten this recipe because it’s an all-natural option that tastes fantastic and doesn’t add any harsh chemicals or preservatives to the recipe!
How to store chickpea brownies
These chickpea treats can be kept in either the refrigerator or at room temperature. Just place them in a securely sealed container to prevent air from drying them out.
More chocolate desserts to ease your sweet tooth
There’s more chocolate where these brownies came from! And lots of it, to be honest. Here are some more of my favorite sweet recipes that do wonders for smashing those cravings!
- Healthy Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
- Walnut Stuffed Chocolate Covered Dates
- Healthy Chocolate Granola Recipe
- Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes (Gluten-Free)
Chocolate Chickpea Brownies
Step aside, boxed mix, because Chickpea Brownies are in town! These gluten- and dairy-free brownies are the perfect vegan treat. They’re a healthy alternative to regular brownies and are so quick to make!
Ingredients
- 1 – 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
- 1/2 cup nut butter (I like almond or peanut)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips and more for sprinkling on top!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a food processor, blend chickpeas, nut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla,
- Once blended, add in almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Continue to process, scraping down sides as necessary until smooth.
- Once creamy and smooth, take off lid (I also remove blade) and stir in chocolate chips.
- Do not process the chips.
- Pour into greased 8×8 pan and sprinkle with extra chocolate chips if desired. ** see note for extra thickness
- Bake for 21-23 minutes.
Notes
I’ve also baked them in a loaf pan for extra thick brownies. This took about 30-35 minutes to bake, but they were really good this way!
There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂
Misses Smith says
These were AMAZING! I had to wait about an hour. I almost put them back in the oven because they seemed undone but I’m so glad I didn’t. I love a fudgy texture brownie. Sooooo good, the perfect level of sweetness & chocolate combination.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi! So happy you loved them so much!!
Brianna Nielsen says
Hello! I’m going to try these but I only have peanut butter. Do you think that using peanut butter instead of almond will take away from the chocolate heaven I keep reading about?
Erin says
Hi Brianna, that’s okay! It will still be great! Let me know how they come out!
Tascha says
I made these today. I used tahini and tiger nut flour as that’s what I had on hand. They turned out perfectly
Tascha 😀😀
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Tascha, so glad you loved the brownies so much!!
Katia says
My go-to brownie recipe now! Everyone I’ve made it for has loved it and expressed their surprise that there are chickpeas in it- you really can’t taste them! My favorite aspect of this brownie is how protein-packed and filling it is; if you’re looking for a sweet yet healthy snack, this is one of my favorites!
It is easy to make nut-free and gluten free as well. To make it nut-free, you can use tahini or sunflower seed butter instead of nut butter and use regular flour or oat flour (if I want to make it GF) instead of almond flour.
Pro Tip: mix the tahini or sunflower seed butter in the jar thoroughly so that the liquid on top is fully incorporated, making the substance in the jar becomes smoother- this will ease the blending process later! This brownie recipe creates quite a thick mixture, which sometimes gets stuck in the blender, so this can actually make the difference between getting the batter mixed all the way in the blender or not. If it can’t be fully mixed in the blender, I just scoop it out and finish mixing it in the container that I will be baking it in.
★★★★★
Katia says
whoops I realized I commented twice by accident! I guess it just proves that this recipe is so good, I really wanted to make sure it got the 5 star reviews it deserves!
Erin says
Love it!!
Erin says
Hi Katia, I am so so happy you love them so much! Thank you for your support and tips!! 🙂
Jen says
I’ve made these brownies so many times I’ve honestly lost count, so I would be doing every a disservice by not reviewing them. I did a test and made them for myself first and was just really glad I had no one to share them with. Everyone I’ve made them for since is honestly just for the reaction of how ridiculously fudgey and delicious they are and they fact they’re made from chickpeas. My dad said they’re the best brownies he’s ever had. And he said that sitting next to my mom. You will not be disappointed.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jen, so happy you and your family have loved them so much!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Shelise says
Absolutely loved these!! I’ve made other “healthy” brownies before and none taste as good as these! It’s like the real thing!! One question should I refrigerate leftovers?
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Shelise, thank you!! SO happy you loved them and yep, refrigerate!
Keisha says
These are surprisingly tasty! I don’t taste the chickpea at all. I used cashew butter and substituted the almond flour with regular gluten free baking flour, cacao powder for cocoa powder, and cacao nibs for chocolate chips. My batter was very thick and not “pourable”. Perhaps because I used a thicker flour??? All in all I love the recipe.
I’m curious how to store it…counter or fridge?
★★★★
Erin says
Hi Keisha, so happy you liked them and hmm maybe. Fridge or counter works! Longer lasting in the fridge!
Crystal says
My friends and I loved these the first time I made them, so now I’m baking second, bigger batch. I’m wondering how these keep in the freezer? Thanks!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Crystal, so happy everyone loves them!! I recommend 3 months.
Kas says
These are Fantastic! I have numerous allergies and try to avoid Refined Sugars.. These are fudgy, chocolately and a healthy alternative for traditional brownies.. Thank you for sharing..
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kas, so happy you loved them!!
Steph says
Amazing! Super yummy and healthy. Erin always tests her recipes until they’re perfect, so I know I can trust them.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Steph, so glad you loved them!!
Taylor Campos says
I just made these brownies last night and I’m OBSESSED!! My brownies did not turn out like the photo but the taste was a 10/10!! I’m trying to eat healthier and cutting out processed food, and these brownies were my first treat after two weeks of dieting. They’re creamy, fudgy, and so so flavorful!! My husband who loathes healthy food admitted they they tasted exactly like “normal” brownies. Highly recommend!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Taylor, so glad you both loved them!! 🙂
Leah D says
Made for a dinner last night and they were a hit!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Leah, so glad you loved them so much!!
Kaycii says
These brownies are sooo goodd! I make them almost weekly to satisfy my nightly sweet tooth! The only thing I’ve found is I find myself needing to bake them 3-5 minutes longer than the recipe says, but that may just be my oven! LOVE THESE!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kaycii, so glad you loved them!!
Maddy says
These are the BEST brownies I have ever had. 11/10 recommend!! They are so much better than boxed, non-vegan, and gluten filled brownies… and I don’t feel sick after I eat them!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Maddy, so so happy you loved them so much!
Christine says
Made these last night & they are delicious! I definitely will be making them again!😍
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Christine, so happy you loved them!
Andrea says
I need to be honest, I was extremely skeptical of these and honestly a little freaked out! I always bake with the standard butter, sugar flour but I was looking for something gluten-free and healthy and also yummy. These delivered! Really really good! I added a few peanut butter chips too just for fun. Thanks for this recipe! I will absolutely be making them again.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Andrea, I am so glad you tried and loved them!! 🙂
Maggie Reiff says
Get yourself some chickpeas and makes these beauties- highly recommend. Perfect treat when you want something with some healthier ingredients! I subbed lankato maple syrup and worked great.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Maggie, so happy you loved the brownies and made them your own!
Asia says
Just turned 30 and trying to eat healthy. I have the biggest sweet tooth! Made these brownies and I am so happy how they turned out I like mine chewy. The chocolate chips definitely helped but you can’t even taste the chickpeas !!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Asia, I am so glad you liked them! Happy belated birthday!!
Miranda says
These are amazing!!
Last week was my dog’s 9th birthday. I got her a birthday treat and wanted to make a treat for the fam to celebrate with her, so this is what we had! Seriously so fudgy and amazing. Will make these so much now. Love!
Erin says
Hi Miranda, so glad you loved them and happy belated birthday to your pup!!!
Emily says
My husband asks me to make these brownies almost every week! We absolutely love them- perfect dessert without the guilt 😍 10/10!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Emily, so glad you both love them!!