Chickpea Blondies
You will love these soft, warm, and chocolately chickpea blondies! This is a healthier, guilt-free dessert with no refined sugars or oils and made with chickpeas, oats, peanut butter, and more. I know what you’re thinking… it sounds weird to have chickpeas in a dessert, BUT they make for the BEST texture in blondies. My husband was SHOCKED when I told him the secret ingredient!
Ingredients
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) – You need just one can of chickpeas. Make sure to drain and rinse before use.
- Oats – I love old fashioned oats. You will blend these in a food processor, but not until a flour. Some oat pieces will give these bars some texture!
- Peanut butter – Adds a rich flavor to these bars.
- Maple syrup – Our sweetener we will use.
- Baking powder – Helps the bars rise.
- Vanilla extract– Adds a little extra flavor.
- Dark chocolate chips – I use 60% cocoa chips but you can also use semi-sweet. If you want a vegan version make sure to check no milk added.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Instead of peanut butter, try another nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter for a different flavor. For a nut free option, you can use sunflower butter.
- Don’t have old fashioned oats? You can try quick oats. Do not use steel cut oats.
- Swap chickpeas with some white beans (like Cannellini or Great Northern).
How to Make Chickpea Blondies
Blend Oats
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a food processor, add your oats. Blend for 30 seconds. I don’t like to blend it to a flour because the bars taste great with a little texture.
Add Chickpeas and Other Ingredients
Add the rest of your ingredients except the dark chocolate chips. Blend for 1-2 minutes, scraping down a few times in between.
Add in your chocolate chips (I usually just take the blade out of the food processor and add them straight to that bowl). Gently mix the chips in. Feel free to add more chocolate chips for your own taste – Remember you can add some on top too!
Bake
Bake at 350 F for 20-22 minutes. They will be soft, but should be golden brown in the edges. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into 9 squares.
How to Store Leftovers
I think these chickpea blondies taste best when fresh out of the oven! My husband and I usually have one or two with a scoop or ice cream on top.
If you have leftovers, store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
These chickpea blondies freeze great for up to 3 months in a sealed container!
What else can I add to chickpea blondies?
You can add in lots of other delicious fillings such as…
- Nuts – pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and more
- Other chips – butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips
- Dried fruit – Dried cranberries
How do I prevent these from sticking to the pan?
I recommend greasing with some butter (I use a vegan butter from Earth Balance) or using parchment paper.
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Chickpea Blondies
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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
- 15 oz can of chickpeas 15 oz
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips* See note
- coarse salt optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a food processor, add your oats. Blend for 30 second. I prefer not to blend it to a flour because I like a little texture of the oats in the bars.1/3 cup old fashioned oats
- Add the rest of your ingredients except the dark chocolate chips. Blend for 1-2 minutes, scraping down a few times in between.15 oz can of chickpeas, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder
- Add in your chocolate chips (I usually just take the blade out of the food processor and add them straight to that bowl). Gently mix the chips in. Feel free to add more chocolate chips for your own taste – Remember you can add some on top too!1/3-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips*
- Grease an 8×8 glass pan (or line with parchment paper). Press your chickpea blondie mix into the pan with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula. Spread evenly.Top with more chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes. The bars will still be a little soft, but should be turning golden on the edges. They will firm up as they cool. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into 9 even squares.Optional – top with a little coarse salt.
- Store in a airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
My kids loved these chickpea blondies! Too bad I made a small batch as I was skeptical whether they’d eat them. And I love that there is no sugar or oil. THanks for the recipe
Thanks Megan!! Glad the kids enjoyed them!
These chickpea blondies are so good! Just made them last night – They’re surprisingly moist, perfectly sweet, and packed with protein. You’d never guess they’re made from chickpeas – totally satisfying my dessert cravings in a healthy way!
Thanks Regina!! Yes they’re SO good !!