Chickpea Blondies

These flourless Chickpea Blondies are the healthy treat you need in your life! This recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, and totally vegan. And the best part is they're freezer-friendly for a delicious snack you can have on hand anytime. 

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These Chickpea Blondies are the easy, healthy, TASTY treat that you need to get into your rotation immediately! 

Yes friends, I'm telling you to put BEANS in your blondies, and I'm 100% serious about it. 

Regular readers know that I have strong opinions about treats being treats, so you better believe that if I'm telling you to make blondies out of chickpeas that I've come up with a healthy dessert recipe that will knock your socks off. Seriously.

If you're looking for a treat that's:

• Gluten-free
• Nut-free
• Refined sugar-free
• Totally vegan
• Totally delicious!

Then look no further!

I mean, just look at that texture and the soft, gooey, caramelly inside. Look at those dark chocolate chunks. What a dream! 

Much like our Fudgy Adzuki Bean Brownies recipe, these Chickpea Blondies come together in a matter of minutes using easy to find, whole-food ingredients. 

Do chickpea blondies taste like beans? If you're really looking for it, you'll find the faintest hint of bean taste. But I fed these to my kids without them questioning anything at all, and to plenty of other unsuspecting people who didn't notice even a whiff of bean.

If you've got a can of chickpeas in your cupboard (or a batch of Instant Pot Chickpeas in your freezer) you're just 30 minutes or so away from these delicious, snackable, moorish vegan blondies. Perfect for after school snacks (related: 18 Healthy Snacks for After School) or a little something sweet in the evening along with a cup of tea. 

Try them alongside a soothing Turmeric Latte or an Oat Milk Matcha Latte to mix things up. 

Ingredients:

Here's a quick look at what you'll need to make your Chickpea Blondies:

• Chickpeas --> The star of the show! 
• Oats --> We're using rolled oats today.
• Tahini --> I prefer a runny, unsalted tahini paste.
• Coconut oil --> For that blondie sheen on top.
• Maple syrup --> For a touch of sweetness.
• Vanilla extract --> I use homemade vanilla extract! 
• Cinnamon --> For a little magic.
• Baking powder and baking soda --> For a bit of lift.
• Salt --> For balance.
• Dark chocolate --> Chocolate chunks or chocolate chips are both fine!

Equipment: 

There are no two ways about it, you're going to need some machinery to make your bean blondies. I use my trusty food processor to bring the whole thing together, including grinding the oats into flour. 

I haven't tried making these blondies in the blender, but I'm willing to bet that a high-speed blender (I have this one) would also work just fine. 

You will also need a 8x8 inch pan for baking the blondies in. If you only have a 9x9 that's fine, but the blondies will be thinner, and not as chewy. 

Method:

This Chickpea Blondies recipe is so, so, so easy to make, especially because you bring the entire thing together in your food processor, which essentially means it's a one-bowl recipe. You will find step-by-step instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but let's take a quick look together now. 

First up, put your oats into the food processor and blitz them until finely ground, like oat flour. 

Then, add your chickpeas, maple syrup, coconut oil, tahini, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the food processor.

Pulse a few times to break it up, and then run until the mixture is very smooth. You'll need to stop and scrape the bottom and sides a few times to ensure everything is evenly mixed. 

Now stir in most of the chocolate chunks, reserving some to sprinkle on top. Note! If the chickpea mixture is quite warm from the food processor, you may want to let it cool for a few minutes before stirring the chocolate through.

Pro tips / recipe notes:

Can I substitute the tahini? If you don't have tahini on hand or can't eat sesame seeds, you can absolutely substitute almond butter (try our Vanilla Almond Butter!), peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or another nut butter of your choice for the tahini. 

How to store blondies? You can keep your blondies at room temperature for a day or two, or keep them in the refrigerator for up to five days. 

Can you freeze blondies? You sure can! Just make sure they're completely cooled, then throw them in an airtight freezer bag and you're good to go. Your Chickpea Blondies will last for up to three months in the freezer.

Are chickpeas healthy?

You bet they are! Chickpeas are a super food, with about 12.5 grams of fiber per cup. That’s 50% of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber! 

About two-thirds of the fiber in chickpeas is insoluble, which is great for digestive health, particularly in the colon. The remaining third is soluble fiber, which can help lower our LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides; important for cardiovascular health.

The protein-fiber combination in chickpeas is key for stabilizing blood sugar levels, as both protein and fiber move through our digestive systems at a moderate pace. This protein-fiber combination is also beneficial for improving our sense of satiety.

Other recipes you might enjoy

Wholegrain Cast Iron Skillet Cookie 
Peanut Butter Oat Bars
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Apple Crumble Bars

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5 from 6 votes

Chickpea Blondies

These flourless Chickpea Blondies are the healthy treat you need in your life! This recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, and totally vegan. And the best part is they're freezer-friendly for a delicious snack you can have on hand anytime. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Chickpea Blondies

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 9 squares

Calories 239kcal

Author Katie Trant

Equipment

• Food Processor

Ingredients

• ½ cup rolled oats
• 14 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• ½ cup tahini paste I use quite a runny tahini
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 ounces dark chocolate chopped

US Customary - Metric

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Line an 8x8-inch baking tin with parchment paper and grease any unlined sides.
• Place ½ cup rolled oats into your food processor and let it run until they are ground into a fine flour.
• Add 1-14oz can of well-drained chickpeas (or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas), ½ cup tahini paste, ⅓ cup maple syrup, 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
• Run the food processor, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides a few times, until the mixture is completely smooth.
• Add ¾ of the chocolate chunks, reserving the rest to sprinkle on the top. If the mixture is quite warm from the food processor, you might want to let it cool a bit before adding the chocolate.
• Spread the mixture into the prepared baking tin. It is quite thick, so I find that wet hands are best for smoothing the top out.
• Sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chunks.
• Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. The edges should be golden and the top shiny, but the middle still quite soft.
• Allow the blondies to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

• Nutrition values are an estimate only and also depend on the size of the blondies. 
• Can I substitute the tahini? If you don't have tahini on hand or can't eat sesame seeds, you can absolutely substitute almond butter (try our Vanilla Almond Butter!), peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or another nut butter of your choice for the tahini. 
• How to store blondies? You can keep your blondies at room temperature for a day or two, or keep them in the refrigerator for up to five days. 
• Can you freeze blondies? You sure can! Just make sure they're completely cooled, then throw them in an airtight freezer bag and you're good to go. Your Chickpea Blondies will last for up to three months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 2mg