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: ¼ tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, ¼ cup, and ½ 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 8x8 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 ⅓ 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
Ingredients
Method
- 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 8x8 pan and sprinkle with extra chocolate chips if desired. ** see note for extra thickness
- Bake for 21-23 minutes.
Tim says
should they bake a crusty top like a regular brownie? Have baked for 30 minutes and don’t look much different now than when I placed into oven to bake. follow directions exactly. letting them cool down before cutting
Erin says
hm, not quite like a regular brownie but they still look baked. Remember, even oven bakes differently and I suggest doing oven heat tests every other month to ensure proper heat. Hope they turned out!
Jessica Pericchi says
Great recipe! I had to add a bit of almond milk since it turned out a bit drier than I like, but I seriously cant stop eating them! So good..
Erin says
Sometimes that happens! I've found that different brands of chickpeas have different levels of moisture - interesting right? So glad you like them!
Hannah O’Rourke says
The BEST brownies I’ve ever had!! I made them last night and didn’t tell my husband until he finished eating that they were made out of chickpeas. He didn’t believe me!! He loved them so much, he went for a second one (and he usually doesn’t like sweets that much). Thank you Erin for sharing all those amazing recipes.
Erin says
Hannah - this comment cracks me up!! Thanks for sharing and the nice review 🙂
Dana says
Just finished making these, and their on the counter cooling (not sure how long I can last before I dive in), and I’m wondering if I should store these in the fridge or if they’d store better on the counter? Thank you for helping bless my house with this beautiful smell btw
Erin says
YAY! Enjoy them 🙂 I like to store them on the counter for 24 hours and then in the fridge after that! They also freeze well.
Crystal Knox says
Looks delicious! I only have peanut butter on hand, but don't want it to have a peanut butter taste. Do you think subbing coconut oil for the nut butter would work??
Erin says
I think you may be able to add more oil, but I believe that the nut butter really brings a richness to these brownies that you would be missing!
Courtney Riel Owens says
Love this recipe! I have a daughter with some crazy allergies so I had to make a few changes. We swapped the almond flour for gluten free oat flour, used honey instead of maple syrup and I added more cocoa powder, a little cinnamon, coffee and cayenne for a richer flavor with a kick. I nixed the chocolate chips (allergens). I had to add water to the batter so it would blend better in the food processor. At 350 for 22min in a silicon mini muffin tray we have delicious treats that we can all have "just one more" without any negative reactions. Thank you so much!
Erin says
I love all those swaps and am so into the cayenne addition!!
Thank you for sharing!!
Amanda says
I am officially obsessed with using chickpeas for desserts. I was kind of expecting it to taste like hummus at first... but you don't taste the chickpea flavor at all. So good!!
Erin says
Isn't it crazy how they can actually not taste like chickpeas at all?! So happy you're liking them!
Jennifer says
Super easy AND delicious! I had to make it 3 times this month (ya know, just to make sure lol) and it came out so good each time. My boyfriend and I killed the whole pan within 3 days each time I made it. Terrible and satisfying ?
This will be my go to dessert from now on. I’m going to make it for my gluten and meat eating family for Memorial Day! I already know it’s going to be approved by them!
Erin says
This comment made my day!! I love how much you love them...honestly we can put them down at the same rate over here. They are just TOO good!! Enjoy your long weekend!
Jan says
Can you make this in a cookie form? If so, how would you do it?
Joe says
Also, How do you heat them up again from the freezer?
Joe says
The flavor was really good, but my brownies broke as I was cutting it. A little too mushy? I baked it for 30 minutes too and just kept it in for longer. I
Erin says
Sorry to hear that Joe!! Maybe had to do with the heat of your oven?! I haven't had anyone else mention that before. Also - I would just let them thaw out to room temperature after being in the freezer!
Ashmitha says
These were sooo good! I’ve tried various “healthy brownie” recipes before, but none ever came out this good. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Erin says
I'm so glad you love this one!! Thanks for sharing!
Emily says
I almost didn't bake this. The batter tasted too good! But I love these brownies. Amazing!
Erin says
Haha!! I love that...its vegan so totally safe to eat 😉 So glad you like them!!
Melissa says
I don't even like chickpeas and found this recipe to be amazing!!
Erin says
Thanks Melissa!! One of my favorites too!
Maxjaxmom says
Mine tasted delicious but were a mushy mess. I used a 9" square pan and baked for 21 minutes.took them out because they smelled like they were on the verve of burning. The tops and edges were set but the middle was still batter like. You couldn't pick them up once cut into squrares. I followed the recipe exactly.
Erin says
Sorry to hear that! It could possibly be because your oven is too hot. I haven't heard of anyone else with that issue.
Brooke says
These are AMAZING!! My 7 yr old loves them as well. Thanks for giving us such a great heathy alternative!
Erin says
YAY! Thanks for sharing Brooke!! That makes me so happy that your 7-year-old likes them, too 🙂
Becca says
Hi, can you replace the melted coconut oil with MCT oil? Thanks in advance!
Erin says
Yes! Should work just fine!
Angela says
Hands down - the best brownie recipe EVER!!!! Even my kids loved them! A million thanks!
Erin says
Makes me so happy Angela!!!
EF says
Hi, I made this tonight and used too big a pan so the brownies were flat. But they were oh sooooo good. The 4 of us polished off the lot, even my super fussy 11 year old who can sniff out any hidden ingredient. I halved the maple syrup and used olive oil instead of coconut oil. I will definitely make these again. My fussy 11 year old has already requested I make another batch!
Erin says
I love to hear that!!! Glad that your 11 year old liked them too 🙂
Lauren says
5 stars for taste!!
I’ve really been wanting to try these and finally made them last night. Only modification I made was oat for almond flour... was so sad to see how thick the batter was. Tried adding more syrup and not much of a difference. Baking was a fail lol.
Any tricks??
Erin says
Aw no Lauren!! So sorry to hear that..I would definitely add more coconut oil next time, or honestly even a little almond milk just to get it thinned out. Give them another try!!
Sára says
So good!