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
Can you shape them into cookies? With the same cooking time? Or will that not work?
They do work as cookies… I don’t remember how long I cooked them, though.
Very Very good. I used Splenda Blend Brown sugar, natural chunky peanut butter, the quick oats, a smashed up 70% Ghiradelli baking bar for the chips, and I used toasted chopped pecans on top. OMG are they awesome!
Shut the front door! These are by far the most delicious thing I have ever baked. The best part was giving them to people, watching them go crazy about how good they were, and then telling them that the secret ingredient is chickpeas. The worst part – trying not to eat the batter, it has been a long time since I licked a bowl with so much vigor.
So funny. I ate loads of the batter too.
Hey Katie,
Quick Q, I am making these as I type :OD and I followed instruction 2 a T (as I always try 2 do 1st time out) but it made me wonder, can u sub out the sugar in the same proportions as u used in the Bean Brownies 2 use Agave, 4 the unfortunate diabetic set? I know baking is chemistry so not sure if u can just interchange some of the same ingredients (proportions).
Thanks in advance!
Can I just omit all the peanut butter? I don’t exactly like PB and my brother is allergic to nuts (like EXTREMELY allergic) so there’s no way we can buy PB. Will omitting it change the texture or make the blondies taste bad or something?
And I agree, some blondies just play the act but some of us non-blondies should keep in mind that not ALL blondies do this so we shouldn’t generalize. (Am I being hypocritical or what?)
~Chocolate Lover
I read a lot of the comments and those who omitted the peanut butter, or substituted apple sauce thought the bars tasted “beany” and not good – though there were some people who loved the applesauce version too. CCK has suggested that the fat is important to the end result so maybe use a combination of coconut butter and coconut oil, or maybe sunbutter, instead of a nut butter. Or heck maybe try regular butter — that wouldn’t be vegan, though.
Kate I’m hooked.
I found your website yesterday after buying a tin of black beans and wanting a black bean brownie recipe..
They were amazing and lasted for about half a minute .
Today I have baked a double amount of the blonde brownies and they too are amazing..
I initially became vegan to lose weight although at this rate I’m going to be putting some back on.
Brilliant recipes and a big thank you from my family x
I love you Katie! You are so kind and gorgeous! I’ve subscribed to your website 😉 thanks for sharing your recipe:)
Recipe Review: I made ’em
I do hope this is helpful but I doubt my review will b found amidst the oodles & noodles of comments ;O)
2 calibrate your taste buds: I have a sweet tooth, I am a bigger fan of vanilla than chocolate though I obviously like both and I am a Peanut Butter PURIST, ie I do NOT like my chocolate in your PB or Vice versa (except 4 the occasional reeses, it’s ok, just don’t crave ’em). PB on J or on crackers is ok with me, but it ruins it 4 me otherwise. That said….
I made them exactly as directed (with regular sugar) with ONE additive per a previous suggetion-1t of Cinnamon. Made it avec PB & I’m pleased 2 say the PB is not obvious or overwhelming as I feared. Could this b due 2 the 1t of Cinnamon I added per another’s suggestion? Not sure. Sorry, I was too ascarEd of the PB not 2 put the cinnamon in!
Taste- I would def make again. Likely with more vanilla flavor as, 4 some reason, I was more expecting. Texture- light and crumbly & very moist. Made them 1 week ago, stored some in fridge some room temp, both in plastic & glass. All had the same texture. I was hoping they would firm up with one of these techniques. Although it’s not bad, I was expecting a more compact texture. It reminds me of baked goods with applesauce subbed 4 the oil.
Again made with Katie’s homemade chips which I love.
Would I recommend making it, heck yeah! Will I make again & share, yes!
Final note: take those calorie/nutritional info things w/ a grain of salt. I’m no expert but it doesn’t look right 2 me these would b lA LOT ess than the bean brownies, esp considering regular sugar.
Hope this is helpful.
Okay. I printed off the recipe and I was so excited to make these (we made the cookie dough dip for a valentine’s day treat for Daycare and it was a huge hit!)… But I don’t understand what happened… They didn’t cook at all. I put them in for DOUBLE the amount of time and they were still like dough. (and yes, I double checked that the oven was working, and since it made my husband’s birthday cake and cooked the lassagne for supper, I know it was working). I used white beans. Unfortunately, we had to scrape them into the compost. Still trying to figure out what I did wrong….
I had the same issue! I baked them for nearly an hour and let them cool completely, but the texture was wrong wrong wrong. Nothing like a brownie. Are these supposed to have eggs or something?
Hi These are delicious!!! I
THESE WERE AMAZING. My husband and I devoured the 8×8 pan in three days! Thanks Katie 🙂
I just made these two nights ago, and jesus, my best friend was so right. She’s been trying to get me to make these forever, and I, an avid anti-hummus person, refused. These do not taste a THING like hummus, they in fact are just like a very moist version of typical blondies. I am so happy to have tried them. To note, I followed the recipe, though I had planned on using cannellini beans instead. I figured they would be a little too starchy for something without cocoa powder to help with the bite. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us, it is an exceptional addition to our repertoire here. Also, I wonder what I would do to make these a little lower in sugar; do you have any recommendations?
Can’t wait to make these this week! I’ve just found your website and think I’m going to be trying out a recipe every week they all look so good! I’ve got a couple of quick questions before I do, I’m from the UK – do you know how many grams or ounces are in 3/4 cup of brown sugar? Also, what type of peanut butter do you suggest is best? And finally, (sorry for all the questions!) will normal rolled oats be fine instead of quick? Thank you!
I absolutely love your blog—and this recipe! I have probably made it 30 times, and almost always as a double recipe! I’ve been making it without a food processor, crushing the chickpeas by hand, so I’m really looking forward to getting a FP and trying even more of your recipes! : ) Thanks for sharing your chocolate-y genius with us!
Would using succanat or turbinado sugar be okay to replace coconut sugar? the same amount?
Thank You!!
Cant wait to try a few of your recipes..
yes. always 🙂
Omigosh. These are magical. I can’t get over how amazingly they turned out! My dad (who is a meat and potatoes, salt and butter, cream and saturated fat kind of guy) went back for seconds and thirds!! I used almond butter, didn’t use as much sugar and salt, and used normal rolled oats and they are MAGICAL. Magical, magical, magical.