This edible healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough recipe is dotted with mini chocolate chips. Made with all-natural plant-based ingredients, it’s low in sugar, high in protein, and full of nutrients. It’s safe to eat raw and a real treat!

Who doesn’t love a spoonful of cookie dough? It’s one of those decadent treats that are just so satisfying when your sweet tooth comes calling. When I was a kid baking chocolate chip cookies with my mom sneaking a spoonful of cookie dough was my favorite part!
Cookie dough is a favorite for many of us, maybe even preferred over chocolate chip cookies! But the problem is that traditional cookie dough has raw eggs and raw flour.
With raw eggs you risk salmonella poisoning. The chance of getting salmonella poisoning from raw eggs is small, but it’s still a risk. Especially if you are very young, older, pregnant, or have a compromised immune system.
The problem with raw flour is that it could be contaminated with E. coli. While most of us likely have not gotten sick from eating regular raw cookie dough, why take the chance when you can have healthy vegan cookie dough and eat all you want without any risk!
This recipe is made with chickpeas as the main ingredient! I know! Who would have thought that chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) could be used to make a sweet and healthy dessert? The first time I made this recipe, I was shocked at how amazing it turned out!
The easy vegan dessert tastes slightly sweet, creamy, and chocolatey. The maple syrup and nut butter mask the flavor of the chickpeas, making the taste and texture on point!
Why This Recipe Works
- Safe, Edible Cookie Dough
- 6 Simple Ingredients
- Vegan Friendly
- Gluten-Free
- High in Protein
- High in Fiber
- Naturally Sweetened
- Use as a healthy cookie dough dip!
Ingredients and Notes
Chickpeas: One 15 ounce can of chickpeas drained and rinsed. The chickpeas add protein and give the cookie dough some thickness and substance.
Almond Flour: Blanched almond flour is a safe flour to eat raw. It’s made from ground almonds, and adds more protein to this recipe, as well as helps to thicken the dough, and bind the ingredients.
Almond Butter: Adds some fat and creaminess. If possible, use raw almond butter. You could also use peanut butter or cashew butter if you prefer.
Maple Syrup: Provides natural sweetness.
Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract to help bring out the flavor of the chocolate.
Vegan Mini Chocolate Chips: You could also use regular chocolate chips. To keep it vegan use a dairy-free chocolate chip.
Tools and Equipment
Instructions
Step 1: Drain and rinse chickpeas. If you’d like to, you can take the extra step of removing the chickpea skin. This will give it a more creamy texture but isn’t necessary.
Step 2: In a food processor add chickpeas, almond flour, almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
Step 3: Process for 2-3 minutes or until completely smooth.
Step 4: Add the mixture to a mixing bowl. Fold in the chocolate chips. Enjoy immediately, or chill for an hour.
FAQS
High in Protein: One serving has 11 grams of protein. The protein comes from chickpeas, almond flour, and almond butter. As a plant-based vegan, it’s always important to make sure you’re getting enough plant protein. This dessert not only quenches your sweet tooth but gives you a good dose of your daily recommended protein intake.
High in Fiber: There are 8 grams of fiber per serving. Women should have at least 21-25 grams of fiber per day, so one serving of cookie dough gives you about a third of your recommended daily value. Fiber helps you feel fuller longer and helps with healthy digestion.
Healthy Fats: While this cookie dough has 14 grams of fat per serving, it is monounsaturated fat from almond flour and nut butter. This type of fat helps reduce the risk of heart disease and helps to control blood sugar levels reducing the risk of diabetes.
Yes, you could bake this cookie dough, but you would need to add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to help them rise. Bake at 350 F, for 8 minutes or until golden brown.
Yes, after it is mixed, store the cookie dough in the refrigerator. After the chickpeas have been opened from the can the chickpeas need to be kept in the refrigerator to keep them from spoiling.
Scoop a few tablespoons into a small bowl, and eat with a spoon! Top with a drizzle of nut butter, vegan chocolate sauce, or even vegan caramel sauce.
Transfer the cookie dough to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Expert Tips
- For a less chickpea like taste to your cookie dough, use dried chickpeas. You’ll need to cook and prepare them prior to making this recipe.
- For best results, be sure to process your chickpeas and other ingredients for at least 2 minutes. While the ingredients will be combined in about 30 seconds, to get a really nice creamy texture you need to process them longer.
- Don’t add the chocolate chips or any additional add-ins to the food processor. Fold these ingredients together in a mixing bowl as the last step.
- If dough seems too thick, add one tablespoon of almond milk.
- Make these into chickpea cookie dough bites, but scooping one tablespoon of dough, and rolling into balls. Store in an airtight container lined with parchment paper between each layer to keep the bites from sticking to one another.
- Keep refrigerated to avoid melted chocolate.
- This recipe calls for ¼ cup of chocolate chips, but feel free to add a bit more or less depending on how much you like.
Variations and Substitutions
Nut Butters: I stuck with almond butter for this recipe. It’s important to use a nut butter to add some fat, which helps to give this cookie dough a creamy texture. You don’t have to use almond butter however, you could use cashew butter, or natural peanut butter. Really, whatever you have on hand will work. Do be aware that natural raw nut butter have a thinner consistency, so you may need to add a bit more almond flour to help balance the texture.
Nut-Free Version: Use sunflower seed butter, and oat flour.
Flours: When it comes to choosing flour to add to your cookie dough, you don’t want to add a simple all-purpose flour, but you do need flour. This helps to thicken the dough. I recommend using oat flour, if you don’t have almond flour. Oat flour is safe to eat raw. If you don’t have either, you can use whole wheat flour, or white whole wheat flour, but you’ll need to bake it in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350 F.
Sweetener: I opted for maple syrup to naturally sweeten the dough, but other unrefined sweeteners you could add include coconut sugar, or dates. Just be sure to soak the dates in hot water for a minimum of 10 minutes before draining and adding them to the food processor.
More Mix-Ins: Add chopped nuts or dried fruit pieces such as raisins.
More healthy chickpea dessert recipes!
If you made this recipe, please comment below and leave a ⭐️ rating. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more family-friendly vegan recipes!
Recipe
Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 oz can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips dairy-free
Instructions
- Drain and rinse chickpeas.
- In a food processor add chickpeas, almond flour, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Process for 2-3 minutes or until completely smooth.
- Add the mixture to a mixing bowl. Fold in chocolate chips. Enjoy immediately, or chill for an hour.
Video
Notes
- For a less chickpea like taste to your cookie dough, make your chickpeas from dried.
- Be sure to process your chickpeas and other ingredients for a long enough period of time. While the ingredients will be combined in about 30 seconds, to get a really nice creamy texture, process for 2-3 minutes.
- Don’t add the chocolate chips or any additional add-ins to the food processor. Fold these ingredients as the last step.
- Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Cherri
Can this be baked for cookies?
Alison Corey
No, these aren’t good for baking. They are only good for cookie dough. However, I have a chickpea cookie recipe you can add chocolate chips to. Here’s the link: https://www.keepingthepeas.com/chickpea-cookies/
Biana
Looks great! This cookie dough is such a simple dessert idea, and I love that you use chickpeas for it.
Maria
A healthy snack for my kids. I never knew chickpea can be used for cookie dough! Recipe is superb, I’ll bake this with my kids.
Heather Johnson
this cookie dough was really good- i had tried others but not with chickpeas – loved it!
Mirlene
A great and yummy alternative for cookie dough! I hope I can suprise my kids with the hidden chickpeas but I’m sure the chocolate chips will be the hit!
Seema
These cookies will keep me going from next week when I am back at my desk. They are the perfect work snack.
Serena
Chickpeas in cookie dough, I would have never thought to try that! I love how easy this is!