Rich and fudgy Chickpea Brownies with hidden healthy ingredients! These naturally vegan, egg free, and gluten free treats are easy to make and ready in 30 minutes.
Does the concept of making desserts with beans weird you out? Forget all about that because these healthy Chickpea Brownies are as rich and fudgy as any ordinary brownie, but pack every bite with protein and secretly healthy ingredients! Bonus: No bean flavor included.
I’m no stranger to adding out-of-the-ordinary ingredients to desserts. Just look at my Chickpea Cookie Dough, Avocado Brownies, and Sweet Potato Mousse recipes! Mixing in healthy ingredients gives these sweet treats a boost of nutrition while still tasting as crave-able as the classics.
This chickpea brownie recipe begins with a rich and smooth mixture of blended chickpeas, tahini, and maple syrup. Cocoa powder and oat flour bring the brownie batter together before they’re ready to bake. After a quick 15-minute trip in the oven, these fudgy and healthy vegan brownies are ready to enjoy!
Recipe features
- Making brownies with chickpeas, tahini, and a short list of vegan and gluten free baking staples gives this classic dessert a rich and fudgy texture without tasting like beans or hummus.
- It’s like a brownie and chocolate protein bar all in one thanks to the short list of healthy ingredients.
- The batter is easy to make in a food processor and bakes in just 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Chickpeas - Canned chickpeas work well and are ready to go! Just drain, rinse, then blend.
Milk - Use plant milk to make vegan chickpea brownies or regular cow’s milk if that’s what you already have at home.
Maple syrup - To sweeten the chocolate chickpea brownies without needing granulated sugar. You can use honey, agave, or another liquid sweetener instead.
Tahini - Tahini is a smooth paste made from toasted and ground sesame seeds. It’s an essential ingredient in any classic hummus recipe but here, it’s the secret to rich and fudgy brownies without eggs.
Oat flour - If you don’t already have oat flour in your cupboard, it’s easy to make at home using oats and a blender. Almond flour should work as a substitute. Check out the FAQs for instructions on making this recipe with all purpose flour.
Butter - Use regular or vegan butter to make the chocolate brownie glaze.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients. Blend the chickpeas, milk, maple syrup, and tahini in a food processor until smooth.
Step 2: Add the dry mix. Add the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture and blend again until you have a smooth batter.
Step 3: Bake. Pour the brownie batter into a prepared baking dish and bake. Once they’re done, let the brownies cool in the pan while you make the icing.
Step 4: Make the icing. Heat the butter, milk, and chocolate chips in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk frequently until the icing is smooth and chocolatey.
Step 5: Decorate and serve. Spread the icing over the cooled brownies and sprinkle the chopped chocolate on top. Slice into squares, then enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
- These brownies are quite rich, but you can make them a little lighter by reducing the cocoa powder to ⅓ cup and only drizzling melted chocolate overtop (don’t spread it all over like the icing).
- The texture of the brownies is fudgy and not cakey. You’ll know they’re ready to come out of the oven when the edges are set and the top has slightly crackled.
- Always let the brownies cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes! Take them out too early and they may fall apart.
- Swap the icing for buttercream frosting, chocolate mint icing, homemade Nutella, or a drizzle of melted nut butter.
- I used chopped chocolate as a garnish but you could use crushed nuts, sprinkles, chocolate chips, or anything else you like!
Do chickpea brownies taste like chickpeas?
No way! These brownies may be healthy but they don’t taste like it. Any bean flavor is well hidden behind the cocoa powder and maple syrup.
What can I use instead of tahini?
Tahini adds moisture to the batter and helps smooth out the consistency. It also gives the baked brownies an extra fudgy texture. It’s important not to leave it out, but instead replace it with any smooth nut or seed butter (like peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.).
Can you make these with all purpose flour?
Yes, you can make these brownies with all purpose flour if you don’t want to use oat flour. You should only need ¾ cup of all purpose flour because it’s heavier than oat flour.
Storage
Room temperature: Store the cooled brownies in an airtight container on your kitchen counter for 2 to 3 days.
Refrigerator: They keep for about 1 week when stored in the fridge.
More healthy dessert recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Chickpea Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ½ cup milk of choice
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup oat flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the icing:
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ¼ cup milk of choice
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- chopped chocolate for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a 1” overhang for easy removal.
- Add the chickpeas, milk, maple syrup, and tahini to a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds. Then, add the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and pulse for 20 seconds.
- Scoop the batter out into the prepared baking dish, using the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to smooth it out. Bake the brownies for 15 minutes. Leave them in the pan for 5 minutes, then pull on the parchment to remove them. Wait for the brownies to cool completely before icing them.
For the icing:
- Add the butter, milk and chocolate chips to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until smooth.
- Spread the icing over the cooled brownies and sprinkle with chopped chocolate. Slice and enjoy!
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