Chickpea Brownies | Vegan and Gluten-Free

Fudgy Vegan Chickpea Brownies are a healthy and decadent treat made with whole food plant-based ingredients. They’re refined sugar free, oil-free, and gluten-free making them an irresistible treat for all!

The other night my husband and I were watching a baking show on Netflix. Even though they rarely make vegan baked goods, I enjoy watching the baking shows and getting inspiration for how I can turn traditional cakes, cookies, and brownies into healthy vegan versions.

My husband turned to me and asked what my favorite all time dessert is, and without flinching I declared BROWNIES!

Sweet, chocolatey, decadent brownies are the absolute best! Topped with a scoop of coconut vanilla ice cream and I’m in heaven!

The mere thought of brownies had me in the kitchen the next day whipping up this healthy version of chickpea brownies.

Chickpeas and brownies in the same recipe? I know it might seem like it won’t work, but you don’t taste the chickpeas at all. Instead they add a nice texture and richness to the recipe. Nobody will be the wiser.

My kids ate them up for dessert after dinner and didn’t flinch.

I love this recipe because it’s not cloyingly sweet. It has a rich chocolate flavor, and when it comes to brownies, they’re on the healthier side. High in protein, refined sugar free, oil-free, and gluten-free, they’re absolute perfection in every bite!

Why You’ll Love these Chickpea Brownies…

• Fudgy and Chewy
• Chocolatey goodness
• High in Protein
• Low in Sugar
• Whole Food Plant-Based Ingredients
• Oil-Free
• Refined Sugar Free
• Gluten-Free
• Quick and Easy Recipe
• Done in under 30 minutes

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 15 oz can of organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup nut butter, I prefer almond or peanut butter
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

I used almond butter because I had an abundance of it, but I’ve made these with peanut butter too and they turn out amazing!

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need

• Food Processor
• 8 x 8 inch baking pan
• Parchment Paper
• Spatula

You need a food processor with this recipe to combine the ingredients and completely incorporate the chickpeas. The last thing you want are chunks of chickpeas in your brownies.

Be sure to use parchment paper to line your pan. This eliminates the need to grease or oil your pan, and also makes it much easier to lift the brownies from the pan.

I used an 8 x 8 inch pan, but you can also use a loaf pan if you prefer a thicker brownie.

How to Make Chickpea Brownies – Step by Step

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 F. Add chickpeas, nut butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut sugar, almond flour, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt in a food processor.

Step 2: Process in food processor until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape the sides down to combine completely.

Note: If you’d like to add chocolate chips to the batter add about half of the 1/4 cup of chocolate chips at this time. Pulse 2 or three times to combine. Don’t over pulse or the chocolate chips will be broken into smaller pieces.

Step 3: Line 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Scoop batter out of food processor. It will be a thick consistency. Evenly spread the batter over the baking pan using a spatula.Sprinkle chocolate chips over top. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 20-25 minutes.

Step 4: Remove from oven. Allow to cool completely in pan. When cool, gently pull sides of parchment paper to remove the brownies from the pan. Cut into about 2 1/2 inch squares.

Variations

• Nut-Free-Use Sunbutter instead of nut butter, and sub oat flour for the almond flour.
• Fudgier-If you’d like an even fudgier brownie use 1/2 cup of maple syrup, and don’t use the coconut sugar.
• Thicker Brownies-Use a loaf pan instead of an 8 x 8 inch pan. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Top Tips for Making

• Rinse and drain chickpeas before adding to the food processor.
• Be sure to pulse the food processor until all the chickpeas are completely combined.
• If adding chocolate chips to the batter add after all other ingredients are completely combined. Then pulse a few times to incorporate but not too much that the chocolate chips bread into pieces.
• The batter will be thick. Use parchment paper to keep the brownies from sticking.

How to Serve and Keep

Cut into 9 equal squares. Serve plan and simple or with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream. I like coconut based ice creams best. You could also make your own chocolate nice cream using frozen bananas.

Check out these other plant-based chocolate desserts!

• Healthy Vegan Brownies
• Chocolate Chia Pudding
• Vegan Mug Brownie
• Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberries
• Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes

If you’ve tried these Chickpea Brownies, please rate the recipe and let me know how they turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!