Chickpea Blondies
Soft and fudgy chickpea blondies made from healthier ingredients. These blondies are easy to make and are naturally vegan, refined sugar-free and can easily be made gluten-free, just like my chickpea cookie dough!
Why You’ll Love These Blondies
INCREDIBLE TEXTURE AND FLAVOR: Soft, fudgy, sweet yet wholesome! This recipe uses more maple syrup and nut butter than most chickpea blondie recipes, in order to minimize any possible chickpea flavor. Chickpea blondies will never taste exactly like conventional blondies but the textures and flavors are similar!
EASY TO MAKE: The batter comes together in just a food processor (or blender) to prepare the blondie batter. You don’t even need a mixing bowl! And the blondies are made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes About the Ingredients and Substitutions
Cooked chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) or white beans, straight from a can! Alternatively, soft home-cooked chickpeas will work well.
Nut butter of choice. I used a natural cashew butter as its flavor is reminiscent of cookies. Peanut butter or almond butter will also work, though they leave a stronger flavor in the blondies. Just a heads up that if you use sunflower seed butter, your blondies will turn green! This is just a natural reaction between the chlorophyll in sunflower seeds and the baking soda, but don’t worry, your blondies will still be delicious.
Pure maple syrup for sweetness and to make these blondies extra fudgy. Alternatively, you can use any other liquid sweetener in the same amount.
Oat flour for structure. Alternatively, you can use almond flour or all-purpose flour (with slightly different results). I don’t recommend coconut flour as it’s too absorbent.
Note: If you’re strictly gluten-free, make sure you use uncontaminated gluten-free oats. In Australia and New Zealand, all oats contain traces of gluten, so you’ll need to use almond flour to make these celiac-friendly.
How to Make Chickpea Blondies
The process is super simple! Just add all your ingredients except the chocolate chips to a food processor and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a stand blender or stick blender! The consistency of your batter will depend on what nut butter you used and how thoroughly you blended it.
Note: If you’re making your own oat flour, blitz them in your food processor first. If you add the oats with all the other ingredients, the oats won’t fully break down and your blondies will be grainy.
Then, remove the blade of your food processor and mix in your chocolate chips (or other add-ins). After a few minutes, your batter will thicken as the oat flour absorbs moisture from the chickpeas.
Baking the Blondies
These vegan blondies take about 22-28 minutes to bake, depending on your oven. For fudgier blondies, bake them for less time. For sturdier brownies, bake them for longer.
Your chickpea blondies are ready when they puff up, and the surface is golden brown. When you let the blondies cool, they will deflate a little – don’t worry, this is completely normal!
Tips for Cutting Chickpea Blondies
Chickpea blondies are fudgier and stickier than classic brownies and blondies, so they can be tricky to cut neatly. Here are my top tips for cutting the blondies:
- Wait for the chickpea blondies to completely cool down before slicing. This can take 1-2 hours.
- Use the sharpest knife that you own!
- Run your knife under hot water and cut the blondies while the knife is still warm. The heat from the knife will help cut through the chocolate chips and blondies.
- If your blondies are still sticking to your knife, spray or brush your warm knife with oil.
- Cut the blondies in one motion. Don’t move the knife back and forth.
- Wipe your knife clean between each cut.
Optional Add-Ins
I love adding vegan dark chocolate chips to my blondies for extra sweetness, but feel free to customize your blondies to your tastes. You can also add:
- Dairy-free white chocolate chips
- Chopped walnuts, pecans, or any other nuts
- Cinnamon and nutmeg for blondies that are reminiscent of donuts
I haven’t tried adapting this recipe to make chickpea brownies. However, you may like my black bean brownie recipe or no-bake vegan brownies. Cocoa powder is more drying than oat flour so we can’t simply swap them.
Customizing Chickpea Blondies
You can use any liquid sweetener (such as agave nectar) in the same amount. Keep in mind that if you use a darker sweetener, like date syrup, your blondies will be darker in color!
Granulated sweeteners will also work but I suggest adding a dash of milk to help it dissolve. Keep in mind that granulated sweeteners weigh differently than maple syrup, so you may need to adjust the amount.
If you prefer less sweet desserts, you’re welcome to reduce the sweetener, to taste. However, your batter will be thicker and I recommend baking your blondies for less time so they don’t dry out. Your final blondies will also be thinner.
These blondies will also work in a 7-inch square pan. However, you’ll need to bake them for a little longer. A 9-inch square pan will work too, and produce thinner blondies.
You can also halve the recipe and bake it in an 8-inch loaf pan. They’ll take about 20-23 minutes to bake.
More Healthy Vegan Desserts
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Chickpea Blondies
Ingredients
- ~1 ½ cups (250g) chickpeas, canned or fresh and drained well (I got this amount from one 15oz or 440g can)
- ½ cup (125g) cashew butter, or nut butter of choice (note 1 for alternatives)
- ½ cup (45g) oat flour, (note 2 for alternatives and gluten-free note)
- ½ cup (170g) maple syrup, (note 3 for alternatives)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ cup (85g) mini dairy-free chocolate chips, plus extra to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan with parchment paper.
Prepare the blondie batter:
- Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips to a food processor or blender. Blend until the mixture is as smooth as possible. It should be slightly runny.
- Remove the blade of your food processor. Add the chocolate chips and fold them through the batter with a spoon or spatula. Make sure your blondie batter isn't warm otherwise the chocolate will melt.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan. Smooth the surface with a spoon or spatula. If desired, sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top of the batter and press them in.
Bake the chickpea blondies:
- Bake the chickpea blondies for 23-28 minutes. The blondies are ready when they have puffed up and the surface is golden brown. If you insert a toothpick in the middle, it should come out clean (a few moist crumbs are fine, but there shouldn't be any wet batter).
- Place the square baking pan on a wire rack. Allow the blondies to cool completely in the baking pan for at least 1 hour. The blondies are very soft when they're warm.
- When the blondies have completely cooled, remove them from the baking pan and cut them with a sharp knife. The blondies are very fudgy, so it may help to run your knife under hot water before cutting them (see the blog post above for more tips for cutting). If desired, sprinkle the blondies with flaky sea salt or enjoy with vegan ice cream.
- Store leftover blondies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Natural peanut butter or almond butter will also work. Sunflower seed butter will make your blondies turn green, although they will still be delicious! My cashew butter was quite thick so if your nut butter is runny, your final batter will be a different consistency. The blondies will bake similarly.
- To make oat flour, blend ~1/3 cup (45g) of traditional rolled oats in a food processor or blender until they’re as fine as possible. Alternatively, you can use the same amount of all-purpose flour or almond flour (blondies made with almond flour will be more fudgy and moist). If you’re strictly gluten-free, make sure you use uncontaminated gluten-free oat flour. Note that oats in Australia and New Zealand contain traces of gluten.
- Alternatively, you can use any other liquid sweetener in the same amount. Granulated sweeteners work too, though I suggest adding a dash of milk to help it dissolve. Since they differ in weight and sweetness levels than maple syrup, you may need to adjust the quantity. Also, feel free to reduce the amount of sweetener but I recommend baking your blondies for less time. Your final blondies will also be thinner.
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Hi, do I need to cook the chickpeas?
Hi, I used chickpeas from a can which are already cooked and don’t need to be cooked again. If you use raw chickpeas, you will need to cook them.
I made these two days in a row! They are sooooo good!
I was drawn by the 5 stars review. I made my own cashew butter which was easier than I thought because at least I can reuse the food processor for the rest of the recipe.
They are so good and healthy! We are a family of 5 and half were gone yesterday. So after lunch today, I had to make another batch. I had no chickpeas left, so I’m trying white beans, and the batter tasted good. So fingers crossed!
Hi Julz, I’m thrilled that you’ve made these blondies a couple of times! That’s a great idea about making your own cashew butter, and I’m always up for using less dishes too. White bean blondies also sound delicious! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Delish! The “cookie dough” is even better! Since there is no egg you don’t even need to bake it you can just roll into balls and keep in the fridge!
So glad that you enjoyed these, and the cookie dough too! I’m a big fan of the dough as well (and it means one less step with the prep haha)
After being diagnosed with an allergy to wheat, cows milk, eggs, and flaxseed (a common egg replacement in baking)… well I never thought I’d taste the satisfying sensation of biting into a baked good ever again. I am so grateful I stumbled upon your website. This recipe was delicious! Even my kids (who enjoy typical processed food) loved these bars. They were easy to make and everyone was shocked there was no refined sugar either. I’m adding this to the permanent treat rotation.
Hi Deanna, aw this makes me really happy to hear! I’m so glad that you were able to enjoy these blondies with your allergies, and that the recipe will be a keeper for you. And I love that your kids enjoyed them too! Thanks so much for letting me know and I hope you’re able to find other recipes on my website (or elsewhere) that you can enjoy 🙂
Well, my picky toddler is eating them, so this is a chickpea win! I did one brown banana and 1/4 cup of maple syrup to cut back on the added sugar component.I subbed raisins for chocolate chips. I used the Mix Nut Butter from COSTCO. It all turned out great!
Oooh yay, that’s amazing!! Good to know that it works well with reduced maple syrup and a banana instead. Thanks so much for your lovely review!
I just baked these, My kitchen smells amazing, I used almond flour and a combination of almond butter and peanut butter, and used honey. These are sooo delicious. It is definitely a keeper. Will be making these often. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
That’s wonderful to hear, Marian! Thanks so much for leaving your feedback here :).
Incredible !!! Finally a recipe worthy of making again and again. What a delicious treat. I subbed the peanut butter with half cup PB2 and soy milk to get “butter” like consistency. I also use 1/4 maple and 1/4 lakanto sugar free maple. With these subs I still hit my macro goals even if I eat half the pan. Which I usually do!!! Thank youuyyyy
Aw, I’m thrilled that this recipe is a keeper for you! Glad to know that it works with PB2 and half Lakanto too – I know other readers will appreciate knowing this!! Thanks soo much for coming back to leave a comment! x
My first attempt at making these. They taste delicious, but mine are very crumbly! Not sure where I went wrong. I did not weight all ingredients, so I may start there next time. My chickpeas were the same size can, I weighed the flour and measured everything else. Baked 23 min and let cool several hours before cutting. They looked great, until I cut them.
Hi Vickie, I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! Crumbly blondies can be from undermeasuring the maple syrup or baking them in an oven that’s slightly too hot. All the temperatures on my page are for conventional ovens, so if you have an oven with a fan, the temperature should be lower. And some ovens naturally run hotter, so that could be the culprit as well. Hope that helps!
Finally came back to read your comments and yes, I have an oven with a fan, so that could be it. I feel like I measured the maple syrup well! Thank you!
My husband & I love these. Delicious & healthy, thank you so much 🫶🏼
Aw that’s great to hear, thanks so much Chrissy!
Can you use a sugar substitute like Swerve or a sugar free maple syrup?
Hi Dean, a granulated sugar replacer won’t work as it’s a different texture. A sugar free maple syrup should work but may have slightly different results. Hope that helps!
This recipe is amazing 🤗 I have made these now 4 times in past two weeks. I soaked a whole heap of chickpeas instead of canned ones and the batter was so smooth. Absolutely delicious ❤️
Hi Chenae, aw you’re amazing! I’m so glad that you’ve enjoyed these on repeat. Thanks so much for your lovely feedback!
These were so easy and delicious!! I used almond flour, which made the texture not as firm but I keep them in the fridge to stay more firm! So tasty and my kid would never know there’s chickpeas in them!! Yum!! (Trying the black bean brownies next 🙂 thank you for the recipe! Xo
Hi Lyndsay! Aw I’m so glad that you enjoyed these – thanks for the heads up about the almond flour too :). Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment here. I appreciate it so much! x
Have you tried subbing tahini for nut butter?
Hi Cee, technically tahini would work, but it tends to taste quite strong so it would be very noticeable in the final blondies.
Hi, can i sub the nut butter, or part of it, for normal butter? Nut butter is extremely expensive where i live.
Cheers, Linda
Hi Linda, sorry I don’t know if it will work with butter as it has a very different texture and composition to nut butter. I suspect it won’t work.
Fun fact, if you sub the cashew butter with sunflower seed butter, the chlorogenic acid will react with the baking soda during the baking process, turning your blondies a distinct, but harmless shade of green! I found that out today while baking them! lol delicious though!
That’s so interesting!! And explains why some of my bakes turned green in the past haha. Green-dies, not blondies, then?! So glad that you enjoyed them though!
super yummy! not overly sweet, so good for us, but if you need more sweetness add a bit of sugar along with the maple syrup.
So glad you enjoyed these and thanks for the feedback too!
I used sunflower butter, made my own oat flour, and the batter turned out thick but delicious tasting. I can’t wait to try the final result! These might be the best healthy treat ever!! Thank you!
Oh that’s great to hear!! It always helps to have a delicious batter :). I hope your baked blondies turned out well!
My first (but it will not be the last!) attempt last night and they worked and were delicious. I used a rectangular pan of different dimensions so I assume this was why mine were not as high as yours, Anthea. My 400g can of chickpeas yeilded only 230g of chickpeas so I add the remaining weight as cashews. I made my own oat flour, used crunchy peanut butter and non vegan dark choc chips.
Aw, I’m so so happy that you loved these, Meg! Thanks for letting me know how they worked for you :).