These shockingly rich and gooey chocolate chip chickpea blondies are one of the most popular recipes I’ve ever posted!
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Even readers who don’t normally like healthy desserts LOVE these blondies!
Have you tried them yet???
In the years since first coming up with the recipe, I’ve served it probably over a hundred times to both strangers and friends, always with rave reviews.
No one can ever believe the ingredients or resist the charms of the moist and fudgy secretly healthy blondies.
Also try these Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
No dairy
No butter
No eggs!
White Bean Blondies
The recipe works with either chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or white beans like cannellini (white kidney beans) or great northern beans.
I like both versions equally, but many readers say they prefer using white beans because the resulting batter is smoother.
*Sugar note: You can use regular sugar, coconut sugar or date sugar, brown sugar, evaporated cane juice, or xylitol or granulated erythritol for sugar free blondies.
I once made a batch using stevia, which I thought were delicious. But my friends informed me they tasted like bars of soap. So make that substitution at your own risk!
For refined-sugar-free blondies, try these Sweet Potato Blondies
Above, watch the chickpea blondie recipe video
How to make chickpea blondies
Start by gathering all of the required ingredients.
If using canned beans instead of cooked, be sure to rinse and drain them very well.
(The drained liquid can actually be used to make Vegan Marshmallow Fluff!)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend everything together except the chocolate chips until it resembles cookie dough.
I use and recommend a food processor for smoothest blending and best texture, but some readers say they’ve used a blender (making sure to stop the machine and stir the contents occasionally) with good results.
Stir the chocolate chips into the batter, and smooth into a greased or parchment-lined 8-inch pan. Add a few chocolate chips to the top if desired.
Bake 30 minutes on the oven’s center rack, then remove while they’re still a bit gooey, because they will firm up as they cool.
Chickpea Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas or white beans, or 1 1/2 cups cooked
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp each: salt and baking soda
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar of choice (Substitutions are listed above)
- 1/3 cup flour (white, oat, spelt, sorghum, or 1/2 cup almond flour)
- 1/4 cup applesauce, mashed banana, or yogurt
- 3 tbsp oil or 1/4 cup nut butter
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, or more if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain and rinse beans very well. Blend all ingredients (except chips) until very smooth in a good food processor (see not above about using a blender). Mix in chips, and scoop into a greased or parchment-lined 8×8 pan. Optional: you can stick some chocolate chips on top of the batter as well. Bake for 30 minutes. They'll look a little undercooked when you take them out, but they firm up as they cool.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Healthy Chickpea Desserts
Flourless Banana Blender Muffins
A) These are amazing. You could just add cocoa powder and have a healthy PB brownie too!
B) I definitely agree the these famously dumb blondes are smart. They have to be to have made a fortune by being dumb! 🙂 Those girls in HS drove me nuts. My reunion is next month and I cannot wait to see what they’re doing now. Watch them be aerospace engineers or something. LOL!
Haha either that or divorced with ten kids from three different husbands and wrinkled from tanning beds (not that I’m judging. I went through the bad tanning bed phase in hs too embarrassingly enough).
Adding cocoa powder sounds great to me…
Those blondies are really genius!! I love chickpeas, I love healthy sweets, so you really made my day:)
I´ve met many “not-that-bright” blonde girls, who were actually pretty clever, but they realized something I never got right – that men have a weak spot for naive, airheaded and a little dumb, but attractive girls. They make them feel more like the strong, protective huntsmen they want to be:)
You are a genius! I might make these today!
Me too! 🙂
Quick question – do just throw in the can of drained/rinsed chickpeas or should I blend them up in the food processor first?
Thanks for the great recipe – on my “to bake” list this weekend.
I don’t bother blending them first. Just throw all the ingredients in at the same time and then blend :). But perhaps if you blend the chickpeas separately first, it’ll speed up the time it takes to get the mixture smooth? So really, you can do it either way!
Do you mean blend with a blender or hand mixer?
Are you a blonde??? 😉
The recipe states “blend in a FOOD PROCESSOR.”
That’s rude! How disgusting- get off Katie’s blog, you bully! You have some nerve!
Angie, I actually thought your comment was funny. Some people don’t have a sense of humor ; )
I actually blended mine in the Vitamix to get the batter really smooth. They came out beautifully! I would say, blend or process. Either way works! All of CCK’s recipes are awesome!
Mmmmmmmm!!! I’ve used chickpea flour in brownies but never chickpeas! I bet these are so much more moist. And uh, blondies have more fun! If I make them I’m calling them Lady GaGarbanzo Bean Blondies.
I love your name!
I RECENTLY Was introduced to ur blog and i love it! ur awesome making these today
I’ve fallen into the ditzy trap… 🙁 I was always pretty smart but I was so insecure about it because it really set me apart from all my friends. I remember when we were just learning about exponents in school the question was what is 5 to the power of 2. Everyone wrote 10, except me who wrote 25 but I ended up being so shy about being the only one with the right answer that I erased it and wrote 10…….
Now that I’m more mature I’ve learned to embrace my brain 🙂 And smart girls can be cute too!! I wish I knew that in 6th grade though!
Did you ever try using Palm Sugar (coconut sugar) as a sugar substitute? I keep reading about the health benefits.
No, I haven’t tried it.
I used palm sugar today (and coconut butter instead of PB) and they turned out ready crumbly. Do they stay together better with brown sugar and PB… or stevia and PB?
I still don’t mind eating them though 🙂
Maybe the coconut butter made it crumbly? I’ve never tried them with palm sugar, so I don’t know 😕
I’ve made these multiple times with coconut sugar and peanut butter and they were delicious and not at all crumbly!
It’s probably the coconut butter. When you bake with coconut flour, you have to increase the liquid as the coconut flour absorbs A LOT. If you want to keep using the coconut based products, I’d up your liquid by maybe half again as much.
Made these for the second time this week. My daughter is dairy free and really liked them. The second time I added about 3 TBS of cacao powder to make more of a chocolate brownie and they were also really great! Next I’m going to try applesauce instead of the banana to try a different flavor. Thanks for the great recipe!
I use coconut (palm) sugar in everything.
LOL at hummus blondies!!!
Katie, YOU’RE a genius, and I’m making these today! 🙂
AHH this is possibly one of my FAV recipes ever on CCK!!
YES i do know those dumb blondes… I can only think of one.. and Im actually really good friends with her and shes REALLY smart and An amazing person! idk why she acts dumb sometimes- it used to be worse!
I hate that stereotype! And I get so mad when girls perpetuate it by acting so dumb. I AM a blonde, and I’ve struggled to prove that we can be smart and to be taken seriously my WHOLE life!
Oh, and I agree with everyone else. These blondies are gorgeous and I am going to have to make them! And your photography gets better by the MINUTE!
Oooooh these look delicious… and they’re gluten free? Well, I’ll be making these then!
I honestly can’t stand girls and women who behave that way. I have to argue though, that there are plenty of men who are looking for women of the same intellect level as them. Especially those who want a serious relationship, it’s no fun if you can’t discuss current events or world issues with your significant other! In my opinions at least. 🙂
Anyway, those blondies look great! I’m a little skeptical to be honest but I’m intrigued enough that I will probably make them! This is the same way I felt about cookie dough hummus and that turned out well. 😀
I’ve called the “dumb blonde” act since it started. Especially when Jessica Simpson coined it. I’d think anyone that successful couldn’t be that dumb. However, as I’ve gone through my college career, I have noticed that legitimately bright people seem to be few and far between :/
Love your blog!
Aww thank you so much, Lauren!
Hmm… I’d debate if these “blonde moments” are put on. I have a PhD in Chemistry and I still sometimes find the simplest of tasks such as constructing coherent sentences, crossing roads and simple mental arithmetic a little tricky.
Brilliant recipe though – can’t wait to get out of the lab to try it!
These are delicious! I added a whole teaspoon of cinnamon to mine. I also found that the texture and flavor only get better after sitting out for a day (and up to three so far), especially if they seem underbaked at first. I tried modifying to make brownies, and accidentally overbaked them; definitely err on the side of underdone as Katie suggested.
I am in the same boat as you. I’m about to start a PhD in Biology but everyone always makes fun of how I talk. I’m always smashing sentences together or flipping nouns around or (worse yet) talking like I’m from Missour-ah.
I usually just tell people my brain works faster than my mouth. 🙂
Do they need to be kept in the refrigerator?
They’re fine to leave out a few hours if you’re serving to guests. Longer term, we do recommend refrigeration for freshness because of some of the perishable ingredients.
I agree; we all have our dumb moments. I have a graduate degree, earned straight As, but when I’m just not thinking along certain lines, the obvious is NOT so obvious! And by the way, I was about 30 years old before I understood that you had to peel an onion. I never cooked with them until then (very picky eater until later in life; now I eat everything and can cook much better) so how would I know!
However, most of the time I am quite brilliant in my creative problem-solving skills. Einstein was a social idiot, ya know…We all have our moments. Let’s embrace them and use them for a good laugh!
LOL! I love this comment! I totally agree, I’m a civil engineer, graduated 7th in my class, and some things just fly right over my head :-/ Not dumb, but I’ve definitely fallen victim to “dumb blonde” comments and remarks. (Which by the way blonde haters, are hurtful!) I’m willing to bet that females of every hair color can be just as air-headed. Women should support women, no matter what hair color, body type, ethnicity, or whatever you are!
I admit to sometimes having “dumb blonde” moments. And when I was younger I definitely did use my blondness to get attention. But I’m trying to learn that the types of guys who pay attention to my “dumbness” aren’t even the types of guys I WANT to attract!
Now those smart blondies of yours, I could really get on board with those. All I need are the flaxseeds, and I just put them on my grocery list! 🙂
Can I double the recipe and put in a 9 X 13 pan to bake?
That should be fine!
These looks amazing! Have you ever thought about writing a cookbook?
There is a cookbook in the works ;). I haven’t publicly announced it yet, but I’ve told so many people that it isn’t really a secret anymore. I am so bad at keeping a secret! 😕
WHAAAAAAAT aaaah I am so so so so so so so so excited EXCITED!!! I did NOT know this!! Seriously Katie I am actually bursting with excitement right now you have NO IDEA!! I think I need to lie down! AAAAAH SO EXCITING I can’t wait to hear more!!! 😀
You are too sweet, Emma. Of course you will be getting a free copy. You’re my #1 taste-tester!!!
Aww you are SUCH a sweetie, but honestly you don’t need to because I want to pay and support you! You deserve it and you’re gonna be a MILLIONAIRE 🙂
I agree with Emma. So far made 2 recipes and loved them both. You’re amazing Katie!
Do these get stored on the counter or the fridge? Thanks