If you’re skeptical about chickpeas in dessert, allow this delicious recipe to change your mind. These healthy chickpea blondies actually taste good! They’re soft and fudgy like cookie bars, naturally sweetened with dates, and have a nutty, sweet flavor that stems from gluten-free almond flour and peanut butter. Once you try them, I promise you’ll be making this vegan dessert on repeat!
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Lizzie’s Notes
I know healthy desserts, especially those that use beans or legumes, aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but these will NOT disappoint! Chickpeas are a fantastic base for blondies, not only providing structure that holds them together and keeps them soft but also a protein and fiber boost. Plus, my rendition of chickpea blondies is primarily sweetened with blended whole dates instead of refined sugar found in most baked goods.
Since they’re made in the food processor, these bars are also very easy to make. They taste delicious chilled or at room temp and get even better the next day! While the process is mostly foolproof, following a few of my expert tips like soaking the dates, blending the almond flour into the batter after the other ingredients, and letting them cool completely will set you up for the best possible results.
There’s a lot to love about this one, but my favorite part is their versatility. Since they’re vegan, gluten-free, and lower in sugar than most desserts, everyone can enjoy them—toddlers, teenagers, your dad watching his blood sugar, and your cousin who eats plant-based. Yay!
Ingredients and Easy Swaps
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): This recipe also works with cannellini beans, navy beans, or great Northern beans. It’s written to use a standard can of chickpeas, but you can substitute cooked chickpeas you made on your own if desired.
- Peanut butter: Use “drippy” natural peanut butter, with one ingredient (peanuts) or two ingredients (peanuts and salt), for best results. This will provide the best texture for the batter, since it is runnier than stiff peanut butters with added oils. You can sub natural almond or cashew butter if needed. If you have a nut allergy/need a nut-free version, use sunflower seed butter or even tahini (sesame seed paste). Tahini can have a slightly bitter flavor, so you may want to add a couple tablespoons of pure maple syrup to the batter if you use it instead of a nut butter.
- Pitted Medjool dates: I prefer Medjool over Deglet Noor dates in chickpea blondies, since they are sweeter, but you can use either. If you don’t have dates and need a sweetener swap, use ⅓ to ½ cup pure maple syrup or honey, and increase the almond flour to ⅓ cup.
- Vanilla extract: Don’t skimp! It adds great flavor.
- Baking soda and powder
- Salt: Use table salt for the batter.
- Almond flour: I recommend blanched superfine almond flour. If you have a nut allergy or don’t have almond flour, substitute the same amount of oat flour or all purpose flour. However, the texture will not be as fudgy if you use those flours.
- Chocolate chunks: I highly recommend dairy-free Enjoy Life semi-sweet mega chocolate chunks. I think they look great in bar recipes. You can also use their morsels. If you don’t need the recipe to be strictly dairy-free, sub another favorite chocolate chip or even roughly chopped dark chocolate.
- Flaky salt: I love to sprinkle this on top after baking. I use Maldon sea salt flakes.
How to Make Chickpea Blondies
The full recipe card is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the super simple steps with photos to guide you in the kitchen.
Combine ingredients, except almond flour and chocolate chunks, in a food processor. If your dates aren’t that soft, soak them in a bowl with hot water for 10 minutes before making the recipe.
Blend until smooth, then add the almond flour and blend again. Adding it later prevents the batter from clumping.
Carefully remove the blade and add the chocolate chunks.
Stir with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
Spread the batter into a square baking dish lined with parchment paper. Use chip clips or binder clips to keep the parchment paper flat in the pan.
Press remaining chocolate chunks into the top of the batter.
Bake until golden brown. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center and see if it comes out clean. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Let the chickpeas cool for 10 minutes in the pan and another 45 minutes on a wire rack or counter.
Slice into 16 blondies once cooled. If you slice them too early, you risk them falling apart. Enjoy one right after slicing for gooey deliciousness.
Tips for the Best Texture
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly. Extra bean juice on the chickpeas may affect the texture.
- Blend thoroughly. Instead of just doing a quick blitz in the food processor, blend for 1 to 2 minutes so the batter is thoroughly mixed and the ingredients evenly distributed. After adding the almond flour, blend for another minute or so to prevent any clumps.
- Wait for the batter to cool before adding chocolate chips. While not always the case, some food processors may cause the batter to get fairly warm during the blending process. If your batter feels overly warm, wait a few minutes for it to cool (or pop it in the refrigerator) before adding the chocolate chunks. If you add them when it’s too warm, they may melt into the batter and cause the final bars to look more like brownies.
- Don’t over-bake. Chickpea blondies need enough time in the oven to firmly come together, but over-baking will cause them to dry out and lose some of their fudginess. Use the toothpick test described above to assess doneness if you aren’t sure. They also firm up more as they cool, so it’s better to slightly under-bake than overdo it.
- Use parchment paper. Just greasing your baking pan will probably not be enough to prevent sticking.
- Chill before slicing. Allowing them to cool completely before slicing will prevent them from falling apart, but putting them in the fridge for another hour will make them even denser and more fudgy if that’s what you want.
Easy Variations
- Birthday cake bars. If you want these to look like cake bars, sub rainbow sprinkles for, or add them in addition to, the chocolate chunks. You can mix them into the batter or just press them on top before baking.
- Nutty twist. Add ¼ to ½ cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter at the same time as the chocolate chunks.
- Fruity flecks. Add ¼ to ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries (or dried cranberries) and sub white chocolate chips for the chocolate chunks.
Storage and Freezing Tips
Chickpea blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. I recommend keeping them in the refrigerator so that they stay fudgy and chewy. They will get softer and may spoil more quickly at room temp.
To freeze, let them cool completely then wrap each one individually in plastic wrap or foil to prevent freezer burn. Keep them in a tightly sealed bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Enjoy straight from the freezer or let them thaw in the fridge or on the counter first.
More Healthy Dessert Recipes
- Coconut Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls
- Healthy Freezer S’mores Balls
- Oatmeal Date Almond Butter Bar Recipe
- Healthy Date Cookies
- Healthy Dirt Cups
- Veggie Brownies
FAQs
- Are chickpea blondies healthy? This dessert is more nutritious and lower in carbs than standard sweet treats. Dates are the primary sweetener, with some added sugar coming from the chocolate chunks. Chickpeas and peanut butter provide protein and fiber that help buffer increases in blood sugar, in addition to vitamins, minerals, and beneficial compounds.
- What can I use if I don’t have a food processor? A blender, preferably a high-powered blender, will also work. If you don’t have a very strong blender, make sure to soak the dates until almost mushy so that they are able to be broken down.
- Do chickpea blondies taste like chickpeas? No, since chickpeas have a fairly neutral taste and the peanut butter and dates mask any chickpea flavor. They taste nutty and chocolatey.
📖 Recipe
Chickpea Blondies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates - weighing 160 grams, about 8 large dates
- 15 ounce chickpeas - drained and rinsed, 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
- ½ cup natural peanut butter - can be salted or unsalted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup almond flour - blanched, superfine; mine weighed 25 grams
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons dairy-free chocolate chunks or chips - I used Enjoy Life semi-sweet mega chocolate chunks
- Flaky salt - (like Maldon) for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.
- Soak the dates in a bowl with very hot water for 5 to 10 minutes while you gather the other ingredients. It doesn’t need to be boiling in my experience…you can just use the hottest setting from your tap. Drain after soaking.
- In a food processor fitted with the S-blade, combine the soaked and drained dates, chickpeas, peanut butter, vanilla, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Don’t add the almond flour yet. Blend thoroughly until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides if needed.
- Add the almond flour to the mixture. Blend again until smooth and well-incorporated.
- Carefully remove the blade from the food processor. Stir ⅓ cup chocolate chunks into the batter. If the batter is hot from pulsing in the food processor for a while, it could melt the chocolate and cause the blondies to look darker. Let the batter cool before adding the chocolate if desired.
- Line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper, using chip clips or binder clips to keep the paper in place if needed. Spread the batter out in the pan, smoothing it out in an even layer as much as possible. It will be sticky.
- Press the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chunks on top.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Sprinkle with flaky salt after removing from the oven. Let the blondies cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then, carefully lift the parchment paper up to transfer them to a counter or wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Let them cool for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Transfer the parchment paper to a cutting board and cut the blondies into 16 squares. Enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Storage: Keep leftover blondies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. They get a little firmer and more fudgy as they chill. Storing them at room temperature will cause them to soften and spoil more quickly.
- Freezing: Let them cool completely then transfer to an airtight container or tightly sealed freezer bag. If you are concerned about freezer burn, wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap or foil before putting in a container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Enjoy straight from the freezer or let it thaw in the fridge or on the counter.
- Swaps: You can use other white beans, such as cannellini or navy, in lieu of chickpeas if that’s what you have.
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