These Peanut Butter Chickpea Brownies are soft, gooey, and a low sugar sweet treat for the whole family! They’re vegan and gluten-free and use no flour.

A stack of peanut butter chickpea brownies.

I’m all about creating healthier dessert recipes so we can all enjoy our food, while still meeting our health goals! These vegan chickpea brownies achieve just that!!

These brownies are a frequently requested dessert by my two kids. In fact, for my oldest son’s 7th birthday, he had me make these as his birthday “cake”. And guess what?? His little buddies had no idea there were chickpeas in the brownies and they devoured them!

I hope your family loves them as much as mine do!

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make these Chocolate Chickpea Brownies:

Ingredients for chickpea brownies.

Ingredient Notes

  • Chocolate Chips: Ensure chocolate chips are gluten-free, if needed. Brands like Hu Chocolate and Enjoy Life carry gluten-free chocolate chips.
  • Cacao Powder: You can use cocoa powder instead, if that’s what you have on hand. I would just recommend it doesn’t contain any added sugar.

Additions & Substitutions

  • Almonds or walnuts: Chop up some almonds or walnuts to add a nice crunch and some extra nutrients to these brownies!
  • Peanut Butter: If you need the brownies to be nut free, you can try replacing the peanut butter with sunflower butter.

Tools For This Recipe

How to Make Chickpea Brownies: Step-by-Step

For the full recipe with the exact ingredients, scroll down to the printable recipe card below!

Ingredients added to food processor.

Step 1: Add all of the brownie ingredients except for the chocolate chips to a food processor or high-speed blender.

Ingredients blended in food processor.

Step 2: Blend until smooth, approximately 20 seconds. You may have to stop after about 10 seconds and scrape down the brownie batter on the sides of the food processor and blend again to get it all mixed.

Blended brownies with chocolate chips added.

Step 3: Add the chocolate chips and pulse the food processor a few times to mix them in.

Brownie batter in a baking dish.

Step 4: Transfer brownie batter to a greased 8×8 baking dish. Top with more chocolate chips, if desired. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 17-20 minutes.

Stack of brownies.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

  • Use a newly opened/unrefrigerated peanut butter: I find that I get the best results when I use a runny peanut butter, which I achieve by using an unopened and unrefrigerated container. This helps with the consistency of the brownies. If using a refrigerated peanut butter, you can add a splash of plant-based milk to the batter to compensate if it just seems too thick (know that the batter is supposed to be somewhat thick).
  • Involve Your Kids: This is a great recipe to involve your kids in – they can even try the batter and you don’t have to worry since there’s no raw egg in it!
  • Use a fork to eat the brownies: These brownies are soft!! I find it easiest to eat mine with a fork. It’s gooey and so delicious!

Storage & Reheating

  • Counter Top: Store leftovers on the counter in a sealed container for 1-2 days. I prefer to store them in the fridge!
  • Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I like to reheat them when I’m going to eat them!
Stack of peanut butter brownies.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I wanted to reduce the sugar even more, how would I do that?

You can omit or reduce the amount of chocolate chips you add. You could also try reducing the amount of maple syrup to 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup. 

Do I leave the aqua faba in with the chickpeas?

Nope! Drain and rinse the chickpeas first.

The brownie batter seems thick. Is that what it’s supposed to be like?

Yep! It’s a thick brownie batter, much thicker than a box brownie mix. I recommend using a runny peanut butter (a new unopened container or unrefrigerated container) to help with the consistency.

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A stack of peanut butter chickpea brownies.
4.67 stars (9 ratings)

Peanut Butter Chickpea Brownies

Author: Kaileigh Gaffney
Yield: 12 brownies
These Peanut Butter Chickpea Brownies are soft, gooey, and a low sugar sweet treat for the whole family! They're vegan and gluten-free and use no flour.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
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Ingredients
 

  • Avocado oil spray
  • 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup peanut butter* (see notes), (creamy and salted – if not using salted peanut butter, add ¼ teaspoon salt to the brownie batter)
  • ¼ cup cacao powder, or cocoa powder
  • ½ cup 100% pure maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup chocolate chips , plus more for topping if desired

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8×8 baking dish with avocado spray (or any vegetable oil spray) and set aside.
  • Add all of the brownie ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, to a food processor or high-speed blender, and blend until smooth, approximately 20 seconds. You may have to stop after about 10 seconds and scrape down the brownie batter on the sides of the food processor and blend again.
  • Add the chocolate chips and pulse the food processor a few times to mix them in.
  • Transfer brownie batter to the greased baking dish. Top with more chocolate chips, if desired.
  • Bake in the oven for approximately 17-20 minutes. The edges should look dry and firm, while the middle should still look slightly underbaked. If you want more of a cake-like consistency, cook a few minutes longer.

Notes

Peanut Butter*: I recommend using a runny peanut butter (a new unopened container or unrefrigerated container) to help with the consistency of the batter. If using a refrigerated peanut butter, you can add a splash of plant-based milk to the batter to compensate if it just seems too thick (know that the batter is supposed to be somewhat thick though).
How to Store: Store in an air-tight container on the counter for 1-2 days or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If eating leftovers that have been refrigerated, I like heating the brownies up slightly before enjoying them!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Calories: 176kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 185mg, Potassium: 193mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 5IU, Vitamin C: 0.04mg, Calcium: 60mg, Iron: 1mg
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