These shockingly rich and gooey chocolate chip chickpea blondies are one of the most popular recipes I’ve ever posted!
&method=button)
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
Those look amazing. 🙂 I have a gigantic can of garbanzo beans that I was going to make hummus with, but buying it at the store is so much easier. They may be destined for blondies now!
Also, I’m a brunette, but I’ve had so many blonde moments that people used to accuse me of having blonde roots…
cck,do you know if I can a sub another sweetener in place of the brown sugar {i dont have any}was thinking of using a syrup type liquid sweetener but dont know how much to use without screwing up the recipe.thanks!
Hey Beccah,
Other readers have used agave or maple syrup and been just fine! I would’ve thought they’d be too gooey, but apparently it works. I think they just use the same amount. If you try it, let me know how it goes! 🙂
(Oh, you can also sub white sugar)
nope,i just added 1/2 c of soy milk to the batter to thin it out a bit i actually use pancake syrup {ys its unhealthy} b/c we dont have maple and honey is expensive and i thought molasses wouldnt be sweet enough. lol tastes the same as maple,ended up using 1/3 c.they smell amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!youre a genius.
Ooh I hope you love them!
🙂 🙂
i made these as 24 minis using a mini muffin tin!
substitutions i made:
– protein powder instead of flax
– 1/2 cup brown sugar plus 1 tbsp stevia instead of all brown sugar
– 2 tbsp pb plus 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce instead of all pb
worked great!
mine turned out more like very soft choc chip cookies instead of gooey blondies, totally delicious!
my dad who doesn’t like chickpeas couldn’t even tell they were in there!
Oh my gosh, I just made mini muffins a few days ago, too! I love your idea to add protein powder!
oh dear.
i just ate … pretty much the entire batch, save for 3 small square that i have to give to some friends whom i promised. but… WHOOPS!
they were delicious 🙂
🙂 !!! 🙂
Thanks for the blondie recipe! I used white kidney beans instead. Then substituted 1/4 cup agave and used carob chips. I then topped it off with a thin layer of “chocolate frosting”… (which is equal parts of maple syrup and unsweetened cocoa powder)… cut them into small pieces, wrapped up individually and put them into the freezer. When I get a cakey chocolate craving, I grab one from the freezer and it satisfies my cravings… My husband doesn’t like them, so that means more for me!
“More for me” is always a good thing :).
First of all I LOVE chickpeas, probably more than I should. So I couldn’t wait to try these. I finally got some chocolate chips and then it had to be done. I followed your recipe pretty closely accepted I only used half the sugar and found they were sweet enough. These were so good. I may have eaten them all in like two days. Oops. Mine dissent quite look. As great as yours but they aure tasted great. I also only got 12 servings out of it. Not sure how you could 20 (bite size blondes???).
Hmmm… I think I get 16 when I make them… something like that. It’s always hard to tell because people cut different sizes. So glad you liked them! 🙂
Just put these in the oven, hoping everyone likes them! If not I’ll just “have” to eat them all myself! Made quite a small batch anyway as the batter was so good I couldn’t stop eating it off the spoon!! Yum, thanks Katie, fantastic recipe yet again! 😀
Love these & I don’t even like chickpeas, have made them twice. 1st time with the brown sugar and 2nd time with 2 TBSP of brown rice syrup & a little liquid stevia. I didn’t think I’d like it this 2nd time b/c I could taste the stevia in the uncooked version, but once cooked I liked it just as well. My kids loved them too. I’m eager to try some of your other recipes! 🙂
Aww! I’m so excited y’all liked them! 🙂
I just tried these and might be in love! I have a sweet tooth, so I may add a little more sugar next time, but these are delicious! I’m not vegan, but I love eating healthy. Your recipes seem so exciting because they are real foods, not imitation foods. Thanks for all your hard work. This 40-something loves learning from a 20-something, it makes me feel hip!
Aww :).
Some of the best advice I ever got came last year, from a 14-year-old! I guess different generations have such different experiences that we can all teach each other!
Hey Katie,
You’re right, these ARE genius, that’s for sure! I made them for a friend’s birthday, she is newly vegan and I knew she would just love vegan blondies. I didn’t expect them to be this good! I mean, I trust you, but they’re AMAZING.
I didn’t have flax so I ground some oats and subbed 1/4 cup for the flax. They were perfect. I experimented with some changes in a second batch and will post the recipe on my blog next week. And of course I will sing your praises and link back. :o)
Thanks for the great recipe!
Aly
Weird, awkward smiley up there?! 🙂
Aw so excited y’all liked them!
I just made these, the boyfriend wanted something sweet, but I accidently put dark brown sugar in so they’re not really blonde anymore!! I haven’t tried them yet but I’ll let you know if I haven’t ruined them!
Dirty blondies? 🙂 🙂
I AM FINALLY GETTING A CHANCE TO MAKE THESE.
My friends are coming around on Sunday, and as three are vegan I’m getting my vegan on. I am determined that these will be the thing people remember.
I just have a few questions if that’s okay?
What kind of peanut butter do you use, smooth or crunchy?
This is going to make me sound ridiculous… I’ve never even heard of ground flax. I’m from the UK, maybe that’s it? *is ashamed* Is it like flaxseed? If I sub it with flour, do you think I could use gluten free (possible coeliac friend)?
Again, being British and annoying… what’s the difference between baking powder and soda? Is baking soda bicarbonate of soda?
Thank you if you reply- I am realy excited to make this recipe. HURRY UP AND BE SATURDAY, I WANT TO BAKE.
xxx
Hey girl!
I use smooth pb (make sure it’s not unsalted). Flaxmeal is just ground flaxseeds, but you can sub quick oats (if you use gluten-free oats or flaxmeal, the bars are gluten-free). And the recipe calls for BOTH baking soda and baking powder, so you’ll need to use both. Bicarbonate of soda is baking soda. Happy baking! 🙂
Woooo I’m making these tomorrow! I bought smooth unsalted peanut butter, ground flaxseed and both of the baking things.
Although there is one slightly odd thing I’m doing- using carob chips instead of chocolate? Have you ever tried carob? Will it work? If they’re disgusting I’ll bin them and chop up dark divine chocolate instead, but I’ve had carob-y stuff before and it seemed okay.
I AM ACTUALLY SO EXCITED. xx
I’m sure carob chips will work fine in the recipe… if you like the taste of carob, you’ll be fine. So, taste the chips first.
I have tried carob… it’s ok, but not as good as chocolate ;).
*UPDATE*
Mine look absolutely nothing like yours 😀
Well okay, they do a bit- I think they’re darker because of the peanut butter I used. Plus I had to alternate between a stick blender and a liquidiser (-.-) because of our lack of equipment :L
However, the fact that they taste absolutely amazing makes up for it. My parents who are devoted to meat and equate vegan food with grass made me take the tray away so they would stop eating them. I am so happy- having one for dessert tonight and am looking forward to it!
You are a genius Katie, hehe. I keep meaning to ask- on average, how many ‘goes’ does it take you to reach a final product? Do you end up with fifty batches of cookies sitting around or do you just do it once and go “Damn, I like that a LOT”?
Thank you for the amazing recipe! xx
Oh it definitely depends! I think these blondies came together on the first try, as well as the cookie pie and snickerdoodle blondies and dips. Same for the single-serving cupcakes… but the healthy chocolate chip cookies took three or four tries, and the brownies took about a million!
Usully I can get it in two: I’ll taste the first batch and say, “This needs ______ and _____ to taste good.” Then, for the second batch, I’ll add those :).
This is exactly right Katie! Girls do that when they think people expect them to act dumb. It’s like they’re afraid to sound as intelligent as they really are. I’m on vacation and came across your website through stumble upon. I can’t WAIT to try all your recipes. I’m always trying to make healthy choices. You are too cute!
I’m so glad you found me, Ali! 🙂
Chocolate hugs!!
I just made these using whole wheat flour and they turned out wonderful! I can definitely taste the nutty-ness of the whole wheat but I love it! Thanks for a great recipe! I’m gonna go cut myself another BIG piece! 🙂
Question: How do you do your nutritional information calculations? I have used Spark People’s recipe calculator but I feel like it is not accurate most of the time….any suggestions?
LOL sorry I can’t be more helpful… but I just use the old fashioned calculator! I don’t have a special website or software.
I made these and the raw dough was so delicious I couldnt stop eating it, yummm!!!!