This chickpea blondies recipe is flourless, gluten-free, and most importantly, so good! Peppered white chocolate chunks, these blondies are gooey, chocolate-y, chewy, and protein packed — you’ll want to make these again and again!
You may notice a deficit in the amount of baked goods here at Live Eat Learn. This is certainly not because I don’t appreciate a good carbs + sugar combo, because let me tell you, I do. And it’s also not for health reasons…because all things in moderation, including baked goods.
No, this probably narrows down to my impatience. Impatience in waiting an hour for my cake experiment to bake, only to open the oven to pitiful failure. Impatience in starting the whole thing over, figuring out exactly where I went wrong, trying again, failing.
While cooking is a flavor game that’s more lenient to mistakes, baking is a science, of which I’m not yet a master. (Do I have a literal Master in Food Science? Yes, but I digress).
Well I figured since I somehow nailed the whole Black Bean Brownie thing, Chickpea Blondies seemed like the natural next step in legume experimentation. And it’s safe to say we found another winner! This healthier dessert recipe is easy, delicious, and one of my favorite chickpea recipes!
Gooey and chocolatey and deceivingly full of protein-packed and nutritious chickpeas (while being totally gluten-free)! In the world of legume recipes, this one is an all-star. Let’s do this.
Chickpea Blondies Ingredients
These garbanzo blondies are gluten-free, but that doesn’t mean the ingredients are heard to find! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chickpeas: We’re packing a full can of chickpeas into these flourless blondies! If you have the time, starting from dried chickpeas (and soaking/boiling them yourself) will make the chickpea flavor more neutral (and even less detectable).
- Almond Butter: Almond butter (or your favorite nut butter) makes these blondies gooey and moist. You can make them nut-free by replacing the almond butter with 1 additional egg.
- Eggs: Egg are important for helping these blondies to rise. Vegan alternatives (like flax eggs) won’t do well here.
- Sugar: We’re going with both white and brown sugar for a nice caramel taste.
- White Chocolate: My favorite part of this recipe are the white chocolate morsels sprinkled throughout the blondies!
- Baking Necessities: Finally you’ll need a few basics, like salt, baking powder, oil, and vanilla extract.
Chickpea tip
Chickpeas are a great source of fiber and plant-based protein, as well as load of nutrients, like folate and iron! Learn more about the health benefits of chickpeas here.
How to make chickpea blondies
To make these Chickpea Blondies, you’ll start off by pulsing your drained and rinsed chickpeas in a food processor until finely ground.
Add your almond butter, oil, and vanilla extract, then continue to pulse until smooth. Finally, add the eggs!
Then you’ll mix together your dry ingredients – the sugars, salt, and baking powder. I like to do this separately from the wet ingredients to ensure the baking powder is thoroughly mixed (without accidentally over mixing the eggs).
Line an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then our in your batter! Bake until the top begins to brown and the sides are firm (a toothpick may still come out sticky – that’s fine!)
Love this Chickpea Blondie recipe? Try our other chickpea recipes, like this Chickpea Cookie Dough Hummus, or these Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Chickpeas!
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas* drained and rinsed, 425 g
- ¼ cup almond butter** 60 g
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 45 mL
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract 5 mL
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup white sugar 65 g
- ⅓ cup brown sugar 65 g
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup white chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- Wets: In a food processor, puree chickpeas into a fine powder consistency. Pulse in the almond butter, oil, and vanilla util smooth. Add eggs and pulse a few times to combine
- Dries: In a separate bowl, mix together the sugars, salt, and baking powder.
- Mix: Mix the wets and the dries, then stir in white chocolate. Preheat oven to 375°F (175°C).
- Bake: Pour into a parchment-lined pan (8 x 8 in -ish), and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until sides are firm and beginning to brown (a toothpick may still come out sticky). Allow to cool before cutting.
Alicia says
Excited to try this!
I have tried black bean brownies and am liking the gluten free idea’s!
Praise Yahshua for good idea’s!
Jewsforjesus.org!
Sarah says
Let me know how it goes, Alicia! 🙂
Viviane says
Trying it right now! It’s in the oven 😉
The preparation on the spoon was good so my expectations are high hehe!
Dee says
Do not try to make these into vegan brownies. I used flax “eggs” and butterscotch chips. It all held together, but it’s also an oily, soupy mess. Sweet and tasty, and delicious in a bowl with ice cream, but not really a blondie with chips.
Sarah says
Thanks for the tip Dee! Indeed, the egg is pretty important in binding everything together in this recipe.
Kim says
Does anyone know how coconut sugar would fare as a substitute instead of white/brown sugar combo for this recipe?
Alicia…I’m also praising the Lord for yummy desserts using chickpeas/beans!
Sarah says
Hi Kim! While I haven’t had the chance to try it, the ratio should be about 1:1 (so 2/3 cup coconut sugar to replace both sugars). Perhaps have a little taste of the batter and add more sugar as needed if it’s not sweet enough with that.
Melanie says
I used Coconut Manna instead of the almond butter, and it’s delicious! The coconut taste isn’t noticeable – I think it blends really well with the white chocolate flavor. And texturally, it came out perfect!!
Sarah says
YUM! Coconut with white chocolate is one of my favorite combos! Thanks for letting us know how it worked out!
Douglas says
The chickpea blondies are really good. I didn’t have white chocolate morsels, so I used chopped dates and walnuts instead. Sensational! At last a decent gluten free sweet for my coeliac clients.
As for the black bean brownies, process the beans until smooth—-the “rough paste” indicated in the directions has me uncomfortably aware of biting into fragments of bean, which conflicts with the generally decent flavor.
Sarah says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Douglas! And happy you could find a recipe to recommend to your clients! 😀
Tara says
Can I omit the refined sugar and add either maple syrup or honey? What amount to use? Thank you
Sarah says
I haven’t personally tried this so I can’t say for sure, but I would probably use 1:1 😀
Melissa says
Do you think this egg substitute would work with this recipe? https://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-vegan-egg-replacer.html
Sarah says
I haven’t tried this so I can’t say for sure, but I know a few people used something similar in our black bean brownies recipe and had success! 😀
Lucinda Butler says
Just made these and oh my they are good!! I made one substitute and that was I traded white chips for a mix of milk chocolate and peanut butter chips. They came mixed together. I also left out the salt because I bought lower sodium chick peas and thought that would be enough. I need to work on my cooking skills a bit. They stuck to the parchment and all the chips ended up in the bottom, which is why they stuck. I wonder if I could add them part of the way through? Hmm, anyone have a suggestion? I will also work on lowering the sugar content a bit. I love this! Thank you for sharing!!
Sarah says
Thanks for letting us know how all those substitutions went, Lucinda! You could definitely try sprinkling on the ships after 5 or 10 minutes of baking, may help prevent sinking!
sara says
Thanks for this recipe! My kid is on a low FODMAP diet and I’ve been struggling to meet her iron requirements, so these blondies are a nice little contribution. I substituted the white chocolate with dark chocolate and macadamias for extra iron, and the almond butter with peanut butter to make it lower FODMAP (and cheaper!). Came out great! The batter tasted very much like sweetened chickpeas (I used canned – lower FODMAP) so we were a bit concerned as it went into the oven. I also wondered about whether the ratio of chickpeas was going to be okay as the drained weight was only 246g. However, it came out delicious – texture is fine and it doesn’t taste chickpea-ish at all. The littlie thought two thumbs up was insufficient, so she gave it all her fingers and toes up, too. Now I just need to try reducing the sugar a little to make it an everyday treat…after I’ve given your black bean brownies a go!
Sarah says
Aw this is so sweet, I’m thrilled that she liked them so much! Thanks for letting me know how all those substitutions turned out!
Yitta Dermer says
Question: how do you puree chickpeas into powder consistency? Mine just comes out as puree consistency. Any leads are greatly appreciated!
Sarah Bond says
Yours probably just had a bit more water left in them! It’ll still work just fine 😀
Debbie says
So my question is, you say grind to a powder, are you using dried CP without soaking them? or are you cooking them first?
Sarah Bond says
Just using canned chickpeas that have been drained well! They sort of crumble into a damp powder consistency when blitzed in the food processor.
Sonya burkheimer says
Is there any way I could substitute honey or maple syrup for sugar?
Sarah Bond says
I haven’t tried so I can’t say for sure, but I think maple syrup would be delicious!
Mira says
Thank you for creating this recipe.
Sarah you inspired me with so many ideas, and the app is always go to.
I made the Blondies, and it turns amazing.
I need it gluten free desert and this Blondies are my favorite.
I will try with half the sugar next time, and adding dry cranberries and walnuts.
Terri says
I’m always looking for ways to add protein, fiber, & “good” carbs to treats so I was excited to try this recipe. Being a diet controlled diabetic, I substituted Stevia in place of the sugar( substitution ratio as the Stevia package directed). I used canned chickpeas–rinsed, drained, & blotted dry. The batter came together wonderfully. I admit that I feared the 1/2 tsp. of salt may be a bit much for a 8 X 8 recipe. My other (butter free) blondie recipes call for 1/4 tsp. I did reduce the salt to 1/4. I had some white chocolate morsels on hand to mix in. I gave the morsels a rough chop in my nut chopper to to make them smaller, lighter, & less likely to sink to the bottom. I dusted the top with some finely chopped roasted almonds before baking to add a little extra nutty flavor. They were ready to come out of the oven at 45 minutes. They baked to a fantastic consistency with a nice slightly cakey/brownie mouth feel. I really enjoyed them. My guinea pig/taste tester/family liked them too. They knew I used some sort of mystery ingredient by taste but no one suspected it was chickpeas. This is a great recipe and will be featured at my next office covered dish!
Sarah Bond says
I’m so happy to hear it, Terri! Enjoy! 😀
Barbara says
Do you think using chickpea flour instead of grinding up whole chickpeas would work? It would likely be drier than using whole chickpeas, though, and I’m not sure what the proper ratio might be.
Sarah Bond says
I think it would work, but I’m not sure what the ratios would be.