These no bake chickpea cookie dough balls are a healthy twist on chocolate chip cookie dough that you can safely eat raw. They’re made with a base of almond butter, oatmeal, and chickpeas and studded with finely shredded coconut and mini chocolate chips. Make a batch of easy these protein-packed treats to satisfy your sweet tooth with something nutritious!
I first heard about chickpea cookie dough balls several years ago during my dietetic internship. Using chickpeas and nut butter as the base for a mock cookie dough seemed brilliant, especially since it allowed you to lick the bowl!
After my internship, in the summer of 2017, I created this recipe. When I redid my website later that year, it somehow got buried under new content and never really found its way out. So earlier this year, I decided to update the original recipe with new photos and a few edits to the ingredients.
I’m pleased to present the new and improved coconut almond chickpea cookie dough balls. They are just as delicious as I remember them and a great way to pack protein and fiber into a healthy dessert. Make a batch for meal prep, afternoon sugar cravings, lunchboxes, or after school snacks! While you’re at it, check out the Cherry Almond Butter Balls and Pumpkin Peanut Butter Balls.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Almond butter: Use a natural creamy almond butter. By natural, I mean almond butter that only has one ingredient (almonds) or two if it’s salted. Trader Joe’s has a great almond butter that’s just almonds. I also really like the Once Again Organic Creamy Almond Butter. If your grocery store has almond butter that you can grind from almonds and buy in bulk available, that’s a great way to get it at a very affordable price (jarred almond butter can be pricey). If you don’t like or have almond butter, substitute peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter (nut-free option).
- Chickpeas: You’ll need a 15-ounce can or roughly 2 cups of cooked chickpeas. You could substitute white beans if needed.
- Old fashioned oats: Also known as rolled oats, these help keep the batter together. If you don’t have oats, sub almond flour or milled flaxseed. If you need the recipe to be gluten free, make sure the oats are certified gluten free.
- Maple syrup: You can sub honey if desired.
- Vanilla extract: Any cookie dough needs this!
- Unsweetened shredded coconut: I like to use the finely shredded kind, but you could use regular shredded or even coconut flakes. Everything gets blended in the food processor anyway.
- Mini chocolate chips: Sub regular chocolate ships or roughly chopped dark chocolate.
Instructions
The full recipe card for chickpea cookie dough balls is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you in the kitchen.
Combine all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips in a food processor.
Pulse until a smooth batter forms.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop out rounded tablespoons of the batter and roll into balls. Place on a tray to freeze for 30 minutes before enjoying.
Storage
I highly recommend freezing chickpea cookie dough balls. First, put them on a tray in the freezer until frozen solid (about 30 to 45 minutes). Then, transfer to a freezer bag or container. You can separate layers of them with parchment paper to prevent sticking if needed. When you’re ready to have a ball, let it warm up for a few minutes at room temperature before taking a bite. You can also keep them in the refrigerator, but I do not recommend keeping them at room temperature.
More Healthy Sweets
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📖 Recipe
Coconut Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas - drained and rinsed; about 2 cups
- ½ cup creamy almond butter - recommend a natural variety made with just almonds
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
- 3 tablespoons old fashioned oats - certified gluten free if needed
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine chickpeas, almond butter, vanilla extract, maple syrup, coconut, and oats in a food processor. If using unsalted almond butter, you may want to add a pinch of salt. Pulse until a smooth batter forms, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Remove the blade from the food processor. Stir the mini chocolate chips into the batter.
- Scoop out a rounded tablespoon of the batter. Roll it into a ball. Place on a lined baking sheet or freezer-safe tray. Repeat with the remaining batter until you have about 12 balls.
- Put the tray in the freezer, somewhere it won't get bumped, for about 30 minutes or until the balls are frozen solid. Transfer the frozen balls to a freezer safe bag or container, separating layers with parchment or wax paper if desired. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When you want to have one, remove from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to warm up. Alternatively, you can keep the balls in the refrigerator, but I like them best frozen. You can also enjoy the cookie dough as a dip.
- 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
- If you don’t have oats, sub almond flour or milled flaxseed. You can also substitute other nut butters, such as peanut or cashew butter, if desired. Lastly, you can use regular chocolate chips or roughly chopped dark chocolate in lieu of mini chips.
Nutrition
Have a happy and healthy day! – Lizzie
This post was originally published in August 2017. It was updated with new photos, tips, and small changes to the ingredients in March 2023.
boowholefoods
These look so good! I love sweet chickpea recipes 🙂
Dena Gershkovich
Congrats on officially becoming an RD! That’s so exciting and such a big accomplishment. I’m an undergrad dietetics major and I can’t wait for the day when I officially can call myself an RD 🙂 Do you have any advice?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Thank you Dena! It is such an awesome feeling! I’m going to write a post about my path to becoming an RD… hopefully sometime soon! So check back for that 🙂 !