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.
KareninStLouis says
Made these for dessert to serve after dinner last night. I doubled the recipe and used a 9 x 13 pan. Added 4 or 5 minutes to the baking time. They were delicious and fudgy as promised. Only thing I would change is adding more chocolate chips next time. So good. Can’t stop eating them. I am storing them in the fridge. Thank you for a fantastic recipe.
Erin says
So glad you love them!!! Thanks for sharing.
Jimena says
I always Made this! Is delicious!! I just traied makin IT Like cacao bars,I use rice or outmeal fluor and today I used dates,IT was excelent. Thank You so much Erin!
Greets from Uruguay ?
Erin says
That sounds absolutely delicious! You are so creative! Thanks for sharing and sending greetings!!
Cheryl says
Can I use Cacao powder instead of cocoa powder ? And would it still be the same
measurement ?
Erin says
Yes! May be a little more bitter but will still be delicious.
Tate says
Substituted almond flour for oat flour (bc almond flour is more expensive) and they turned out great! Even my non-vegan mom and boyfriend loved them
Erin says
YAY! I love to hear it! Oat flour is a great replacement.
Katlyn says
Delish! I followed exactly except added a ton more chocolate chips. 😉 Batter was thick and it challenged my food processor a bit. They were soft out of the oven but firmed up on the counter. Thanks for the recipe!!
Erin says
Hi Katlyn, I am so happy you enjoyed them and more chocolate is always a good idea!! 🙂
ishwariya karthik says
Hello, just going to try this recipe. Wanted to know if I can use fresh chick peas instead of canned .. should I soak it and use?
Erin says
I have never used fresh chickpeas, but I would assume after you cook them it would be the same!
Beth says
Absolutely fantastic! I used honey. Halfway through making them I realized that I didn’t have almond flour so used quinoa flour instead. I will make these again!
Erin says
What a great swap!! So glad you like them 🙂
Gigi says
Hi there!
No idea why, but my batter was SUPER THICK. I did sub oat flour, if that's why, but I've used it in other recipes 1:1 and not had this happen. Anyway, I added coconut milk until it looked somewhere between soft-serve ice cream and batter. I was afraid of making it too liquid-y since there's no egg or gluten. Just curious if you have any advice? And how thick should the batter be? I couldn't quite tell from your video, but it looks like yours was pretty thick too? I'm a total newbie to baking if you couldn't tell 🙂
Erin says
Hope they turned out ok! Thick is ok - and you did the right thing to add more milk!
Natalie says
WOW, this recipe is absolutely perfect. Super moist and fudgy...tasted like a true brownie!!
Erin says
So glad you like it Natalie!! Thanks for sharing!
Claire says
Looks great! Is there anyway to make these firmer more like a protein bar? I like things with a little more ‘chew’
Erin says
Maybe some protein powder?! I'm not too sure!
Linda Adkins says
Wow what can I say , this is now my go to brownies. The texture is great and so is the taste. Thanks Erin for this great recipe.
Erin says
SO glad you like them!!! 🙂
Zip says
Made this last night & it was amazing! It was so yum that my fiance & I finished half of the pan.. Oops! Will half the amount of sweetener next time so would be more guilt-free. ?
*didn't have enough almond butter so added a bit of butter
*didn't have maple syrup so used raw sugar
*used ground almond instead of almond flour
Erin says
Thank you for sharing!!! So glad you guys liked them - we always devour the entire pan 🙂
Karen says
I just made them, and they are to die for. So mouthwatering, and oh so fudge. Since I am vegan, I prefer carob powder to cocoa powder, and carob chips to chocolate chips. Needless to say, they turned out perfect, and I will definitely make them again. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Erin says
So glad that you loved them!!! Thanks for the review!!
Julia says
Could I use cacao instead of cocoa? Or would that be too bitter ?
Erin says
I think they will be okay with cacao! Maybe add a touch more sweetener.
Lexi says
Hi I just had a few questions. I am allergic to peanuts and tree nuts so I have a nut free "peanut butter" I often use for recipes that require nut butters so I am not around the nuts. However, I typically use it for recipes I will not eat because I also hate the taste/thought of nuts. Do you think you can taste the nut butter in this recipe? Also can you actively taste the maple flavor from the maple syrup (if so I will use agave or honey). Thanks!!
Erin says
You can taste it a little bit, but I think the cocoa overpowers it. You could also use tahini or sunflower seed butter. Honey will work as a great replacement.
Tikvah Gelb says
Big hit!! In love with this recipe!
Erin says
Great to hear! Thank you so much!!
Zoei says
This happened to me too-- nowadays I just soak the chickpeas in water overnight and then use a potato masher to get them super soft
Zoei says
I've been using this recipe for months now. Made these brownies countless times and they always go down well with my sisters-- and they hate chickpeas. These brownies have become a household staple. Sometimes I grate dark chocolate on top or I add sliced almonds into the mix. Just wanted to say thank you for your recipe because now I'm known for making these!
Erin says
YAY! This made me smile so big. So glad you are loving them and thank you for sharing!!
Alyssa says
I was skeptical at first because I have had chickpea desserts go really badly in the past, but these came out AMAZING! I made them for a potluck, but after I tried them I almost didn't want to bring them, because I wanted to keep them for myself. I did end up bringing them anyway, and they were a hit! The only downside: it's harder to restrain yourself from eating the whole pan when you can convince yourself they're healthy.
Erin says
Alyssa!! This comment made me laugh. I'm so glad you liked them. It can be scary at first baking with chickpeas, but makes them so fudgy!!
Amanda says
Tried this recipe yesterday and failed hardcore. Turns out our food processor was not large enough, so the combination of chickpeas, PB, and flour caused the motor to burn out! I didn't realize until it started smoking and had to unplug it haha.
My husband helped me mix the rest by hand but they did not turn out as "brownies." It was just a heap of mess in a pan because it wasn't processed together enough. We had to bake it for longer and it never really cooked through. Luckily we don't have to worry about raw eggs! Fortunately, the taste wasn't compromised and my husband still had a "brownie bowl" for dessert. He's the one with the sweet tooth in our family and said it was delicious!
If you have a smaller food processor (I think ours is 4c), I would skip this recipe or cut it in half (although you'd need a smaller pan I imagine). We are now out a food processor, which is kind of a shame but also a great excuse to finally invest in a large one.
Izzy says
Could I used agave instead of maple syrup
Erin says
Yes!