I mean… just look at the picture. Don’t these vegan chickpea brownies look delicious? Well, they don’t only look this way, they are actually super tasty and fudgy.
Also, the fact that they are made out of chickpeas, with no refined sugar and no gluten is mind-blowing. You should definitely give them a try!
If you have some guests over and make these chickpea brownies, I am sure that they won’t even think that they are sugar-free and made out of chickpeas.
Why making these vegan chickpea brownies?
- They are extremely healthy due to the chickpeas, but also because there is no sugar or gluten flour in them! You can eat as many brownies as you wish without feeling guilty. If you want to know more about the benefits of chickpeas, check out this article, where everything is very nicely explained.
- The brownies are easy to make. The recipe requires only a blender where all the ingredients are combined. No extra bowl so wash!
- We’ll use unprocessed, whole ingredients to make them. Yep, couldn’t be more wholesome!
- Perfect for kids, guests, or as a daily treat!
Needed ingredients for the brownie
- Chickpeas. They can be either canned or home boiled. The most important thing is that you should rinse and drain them well before using in this recipe. We don’t want them to be salty or with other add ins while making the chickpea brownies. Another important part is that if you cook them yourself, you should let them cool down completely before making the brownie.
- Dates. Choose the dates that are very soft and juicy. Medjool dates are the best, but they are not the only one. However, if the dates that you bought are dry, soak them in hot water for at least an hour. After soaking, drain the remain water. Moreover, make sure to take the seeds out of there are any.
- Oat flour. I love using oat flour in the brownies, because it makes them so fudgy and delicious. It is very easy to make it yourself. Just place your old-fashioned rolled oats into a food processor and blend until you obtain flour consistency. Voila!
- Cacao powder. Cacao powder or cocoa powder, raw or not. It all depends on your preferences, but I would suggest using as least processed cacao powder as possible. Here is a good one.
- Peanut butter. I used smooth, organic peanut butter. But if you have the crunchy version, that is totally fine.
- Plant-based milk. It doesn’t sound like me, but I used rice milk for this recipe, just because I had it in my fridge (I was curious about its taste). But of course, oat milk, soymilk, hemp milk, or any other kinds of plant-based milk will do its job.
- Baking powder.
- Salt. Omit this ingredient if you wish. I just like that it gives a nice salty twist to the brownies.
- Almond flakes. These are actually better on the brownies than chopped almonds. They become crunchy when bakes, which is perfect. I love the combination of fudgy brownies and crunchy almond flakes.
Ingredient’s substitutions
- Substitute the oat flour with another gluten-free flour, such as buckwheat flour or almond flour. If not gluten-free, you can use all-purpose flour for the recipe.
- Peanut butter can be substituted with almond butter or cashew butter. Not the nut-free version, use sunflower seeds butter.
How to make the vegan chickpea brownies?
- First of all, make sure that the chickpeas are rinsed and drained well.
- In a food processor or in a blender, add all the ingredients except almond flakes: the chickpeas, dates, oat flour, cacao powder, peanut butter, milk, baking powder, and salt.
- Process until smooth, for 2-3 minutes, scrubbing on the sides of the food processor as needed.
- Next, brush a baking pan with some oil. Add the chickpea batter into the pan and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the almond flakes (or your favorite topping) on the top.
- Bake for about 35 minutes at 175 C/350 F.
- Let the brownie cool completely before serving. It is best if the brownies are stored in the fridge. Enjoy!
How to store the chickpea brownie?
If outside is not too hot, you can leave them at room temperature for about 2 days. However, I have come to the conclusion that they stay in the fridge the best. They become even fudgier and tastier. So, make sure to place them in an air-tight container before popping them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Another option is to freeze them. How I like to do it, is to place them on a shallow plate before placing them in the freezer for 2-3 hours. After they have frozen for a little bit, I transfer them into a zipper bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. However, you can also place them directly into a container, separating each brownie with parchment paper.
Take them out of the freezer 2-3 hours before serving.
Toppings for the brownies
- Classic chocolate chips. Choose chocolate chips that have a higher concentration of cacao (70% or above) because they have less sugar.
- Chopped nuts: almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts.
- Seeds: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, even chia seeds.
- Shredded coconut or coconut flakes.
- Dried fruits like apricots, raisins, figs, dates.
- Even marshmallows or jelly, because why not?
I went for a healthy version and added almond flakes, which work so well for these brownies!
Want more delicious recipes?
–vegan chickpea cookies
–sweet potato brownies
What size the pan should be?
For this amount of brownie batter, a pan of 8×8 inches (20×20 cm) would be perfect. My pan wasn’t designed for brownies, but it worked fine.
If you want to make the double amount of brownies, use a 9×13 inches (23×33 cm) brownie pan, like this one.
Vegan chickpea brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas canned or home cooked
- 1 cup dates seeds removed
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1/2 cup peanut butter crunchy or creamy
- 3/4 cup plant-based milk I used rice milk
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp salt
- almond flakes or another topping of choice, like chocolate chips
Instructions
- Rinse and drain well the chickpeas to eliminate the salt and other flavors.
- Add into a food processor all the ingredients except the almond flakes: the chickpeas, dates, oat flour, cacao powder, peanut butter, plant-based milk, baking powder, and salt.
- Blend for a couple of minutes until the batter is smooth and creamy. Scrab on the sides of the food processor if needed.
- Brush a brownie pan with the dimensions 8×8 or something similar with oil (I used coconut oil). Otherwise, use parchment paper. Add the batter into the pan and spread it evenly.
- Add your favorite toppings (I used almond flakes).
- Into a preheated oven to 175 C/350 F, insert the brownie and bake for about 35 minutes.
- Let the brownie cool completely before serving. For the best result, place it in the fridge and serve the next day. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Substitute the peanut butter with another nut/seed butter of choice.
- Use another gluten-free flour instead of oat flour, like buckwheat flour or almond flour.
- Sprinkle the brownie with chocolate chips, almond flakes, chopped nuts, seeds.
- Add more dates (1 1/3 cup) if you like very sweet desserts.
Vegan chickpea brownies
Per brownie
Protein: 3,75% of your daily dose
Net Carbs: 6% of your daily dose
Fat: 7% of your daily dose
Fiber: 12% of your daily dose
Iron: 6% of your daily dose
Calcium: 8% of your daily dose
Vitamin A: 1,1% of your daily dose
Vitamin C: 0,3% of your daily dose
Folate: 4,5% of your daily dose
Potassium: 7% of your daily dose
*please note that these numbers are estimated
*Please note that I may earn a small commission from Amazon and iHerb in case you decide to buy products from these sites.
**If you liked the recipe, share the result in the comment section below, I would be glad to see the result and you may help others as well doing so.
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