These simple vegan blondies are made with chickpeas, almond flour, and dairy-free chocolate chips. They are super gooey, soft, fudgy, moist, rich, and yummy! This blondie recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, protein-rich, dairy-free, egg-free, healthy, and can be made nut-free!
Gooey vegan Blondies (blonde Brownies)
Oh my, oh my… these chocolate chip blondies turned out better than expected. I always thought brownies are my weakness, but now I am not sure anymore! After making lots of brownie recipes like flourless brownies, simple no-bake brownies, sweet potato brownies, or healthy vegan brownies with peas (!), I thought it was time to create a healthy recipe for blondies. And I am glad I did!
What is a Blondie?
Blondies are actually the cocoa-less “blonde” version of brownies, however, they are even gooier and not cakey at all! They have a wonderful vanilla flavor, a tender texture, and a rich taste. As you can tell from my photos, I even underbaked them a bit, because that’s how I love them – super moist, gooey, fudgy, and delicious!
As I mentioned before, these vegan blondies happen to also be gluten-free, and grain-free. Even better, they contain healthy ingredients like chickpeas and almond flour. No eggs, no dairy, or regular wheat flour. Win, win!
The Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- Chickpeas: I used a can of chickpeas, rinsed, and drain. You can also cook chickpeas from dry if you prefer.
- Plant-based milk: Any dairy-free milk is fine, like almond milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk.
- Apple cider vinegar: Or use regular vinegar or lemon juice for these vegan blondies.
- Nut butter or seed butter of choice: I used cashew butter, however, feel free to use almond butter or even peanut butter.
- Vanilla extract: Use real vanilla or vanilla powder for the best flavor.
Dry ingredients:
- Granulated sugar: I used Xylitol, however, you can also use coconut sugar, organic cane sugar, or a keto sweetener like Erythritol.
- Almond flour: Any finely ground nuts will work too.
- Ground flax seeds: Or use ground chia seeds.
- Baking powder & baking soda: They will provide a little lift during baking.
- Sea salt: Just a little is needed to enhance the flavor of these gluten-free blondies.
- Dairy-free chocolate chips: Or use your favorite bar of chocolate and chop it with a knife!
Please read the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information.
How To Make Vegan Chickpea Blondies?
Watch the video to see how easy it is to make these chickpea blondies.
- First, preheat the oven to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line a baking pan (my pan measures 9″x6″ / 23 x 15 cm) with parchment paper.
- Process all wet ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and lump-free.
- Add all dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and mix again (don’t overmix though).
- Now add the chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate of choice) and stir with a spoon.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and top it with more chocolate chips.
- Bake in the oven for about 25-35 minutes (it can take some minutes more or less, depending on your oven and the size of your baking dish). I have a gas oven and baked the vegan blondies for about 27 minutes, and they were still a bit underbaked (which I love though!).
- Let them cool, then cut them into bars. They will be quite soft after baking, but firm up more once cooled down. Enjoy!
How To Store
You can store leftovers (if there are any) covered at room temperature for a day or so, or in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Can I freeze blondies? Yes, you can freeze these vegan blondies for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You can reheat them in the oven for a couple of minutes.
Recipe Notes & FAQ’s
Can I use a different flour instead of almond flour? As mentioned before, you can use any ground nuts of choice instead of almond flour (almond flour = 100% ground almonds). Some people had success making the recipe with oat flour, however, since almonds contain over 50% fat and oats don’t, the blondies won’t turn out as rich, gooey, and moist.
Can I make these vegan blondies nut-free? To make the recipe nut-free, I would recommend using ground unsweetened shredded coconut. Please do not use coconut flour because it contains less fat and absorbs a lot of liquid. The dessert would turn into a nightmare. Also, use coconut butter instead of cashew butter. I wouldn’t recommend sunflower seed butter as it will turn the blondies green unless you leave out the baking powder and baking soda (yes, this already happened to me, haha).
Chocolate Chip Blondies
I used mini chocolate chips for these easy-to-make blondie bars. They are dairy-free and not as sweet. If you prefer a keto sweetener, you could try out sugar-free chocolate chips for these blondies.
Other Vegan Bars & Brownie Recipes
- Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Vegan Black Bean Brownies
- Easy Cheesecake Brownies
- Vegan Zucchini Brownies
Should you give this delicious vegan blondie recipe a try, please leave a comment and rating below, and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your recreations.
Vegan Chickpea Blondies
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 1 (15 oz) can (265 g) chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) plant-based milk
- 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup (80 g) nut butter or seed butter of choice (I used cashew butter)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Dry ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar of choice (see notes)
- 3/4 cup (90 g) almond flour (see notes)
- 4 tbsp (28 g) ground flax seeds
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 cup (60 g) dairy-free chocolate chips + more for the top
Instructions
- I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Check the video in the blog post for easy visual instructions.Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line a baking pan (my pan measures 9"x6" / 23 x 15 cm) with parchment paper.
- Process all wet ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- Add all dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and mix again (don't overmix though).
- Now add the chocolate chips and stir with a spoon.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan. Top with more chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
- Bake in the oven for about 25-35 minutes (it can take some minutes more or less, depending on your oven and the size of your baking dish). I have a gas oven and baked them for about 27 minutes, and they were still a bit underbaked (which I love though!).
- Let cool and cut into bars. They will be still soft at first, but firm up more once cooled down. Enjoy!
Notes
- Almond flour: You can use any ground nuts instead of ground almonds/almond flour. For a nut-free version, try ground hemp seeds or ground shredded unsweetened coconut. I wouldn't recommend coconut flour since it contains less fat than almond flour and furthermore absorbs a lot of liquid.
- Any nut butter like peanut butter, cashew butter works fine. For a nut-free version, use coconut butter. I wouldn't recommend sunflower seed butter as it will turn the blondies green unless you leave out the baking powder and baking soda.
- Sugar: Any granulated sugar like organic cane sugar, coconut sugar, etc. will work. I used Xylitol, but you can probably also use Erythritol.
- The nutrition facts are for 100 grams.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
Hi Ela,
Love your recipes! Could I use Medjool dates (and less milk) instead of granulated sugar? Thank you!
Hi Alexandra, I never tried that, but it might work fine. 🙂
Hi Ela, i wanna try and make this recipe but I only have oat flour, can I use that instead of the almond flour? Thank you!
Hey, I never tried it, so I am not sure. Almond flour (ground almonds) contains about 50% fat and oat flour doesn’t. Therefore, I am a bit afraid they might come out a bit dry. But you can certainly try it. 🙂
Can I ship these to a friend? Want to make vegan goods to ship but it is hot out here.
Thanks
Hey Terri, I really wouldn’t recommend it if it’s hot.
Hi Ela!! Could I use oat flour instead of almond flour?
Thank you! ❤️
No, I wouldn’t recommend it because you need the fat from the ground almonds, otherwise, the texture won’t be good. 🙂
Hi Ela, these look terrific. I only have almond meal – will that work the same as almond flour? i’m not sure of the difference between the two..
Also, I only have peanut butter and I know it tends to have an overpowering flavor… will that ruin them?
Thanks!
Hi Megan, almond flour is made of 100% ground blanched almonds (without the peel) whereas almond meal is made of 100% ground almonds (with the peel). But you can use it.
Also, peanut butter should be fine. 🙂
These came out amazing – my family is begging me to make more after one day! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Yay, I am glad you liked them! 🙂
I love your recipes so much. Made these blondies and they were fantastic. Used maple syrup instead of granulated sweetener and thus used less almond milk. They turned out delicious! 😋
That’s awesome, Molly! I am glad they turned out fantastic with maple syrup. 🙂
Thanks for your feedback!
thanks Ela, I made them yesterday and they were a huge success! My kids went nuts.
Is there anything I can use instead of flax seeds? Their texture was pretty dominant and they also dotted the blondies, which made them a little less blond `-)
You could use ground chia seeds or psyllium husk. 🙂
Hello! I have tried this recipe twice now. Once in a glass baking dish with paper lining. And once in a metal baking dish. Both times I could not get the dough to cook through. They were severely under-baked to the point where they were basically dough still. Any advice?
Hello! That’s weird. Did you bake them long enough and what was the oven temperature? Was the batter too runny maybe?
I had the same problem. Cooked them in a glass 8 x 8 dish for 45 minutes total and they were as mushy at the end as the beginning. I thought the consistency was good pre-baked. Not funny. They are tasty though. They just seem raw.
So sorry to hear about the issue, Renee! It might have something to do with the altitude or with the oven (gas oven vs. electric oven). So many people made the recipe with success, therefore, I am not sure what might have gone wrong. If you want to give them another try, maybe add 1/2 a cup oat flour so that they firm up better. 🙂
These are SO good. I used almond milk, almond butter, and 3/4 cup almond flour (it was already ground so I’m not sure if that would have been exactly 3/4 cup of almonds before it was ground). I had these right out of the oven (becuase how could you not) but they were somehow even more delicious a day later. So moist and yummy! Definitely a fan of a tad under baked.
Yay! I am so glad you loved the recipe. Thanks for your feedback, Bailey! 🙂
Do you have any recommendations for xylitol substitutes? Thanks!
Sure! You can use regular sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, Erythritol, etc. 🙂
Ela i do not have baking soda. There is any problem if i do not use it
Or can i replace the baking soda with something else?
Hi Gabriela! You can simply increase the amount of baking powder. I would say use 1/4 tsp of baking powder in addition. 🙂
Hi. Thank you for the recipe. I’ll be trying it tonight. However since I’m alone I’d like to know if the batter can be frozen and baked at another time?
I am so excited to try this recipe. However, can the dough be frozen as I’m only one person. Thank you
No, you can’t freeze the dough but you can freeze the baked blondies or just make 1/2 of the recipe! 🙂
That dessert is to die for. Absolute favourite
Yay, I am glad you loved it! 🙂
Hey Ella 🤗 do you think I could use white beans instead of chickpeas?
Hi Hannah! I think that should be fine. 🙂
Kind regards, Ela
Hi Ela I am wondering if the apple cider vinegar is necessary to the recipe or I can make it without it ?
Thank you 🙂
Hi, Stéphanie! The vinegar reacts with the baking soda and carbon dioxide gas is produced. It helps baked goods rise. You can use lemon juice or lime juice instead. 🙂
Delicious! Although the batter was not as smooth as in the video (probably due to an old food processor!) the texture came out perfect and they were fantastic!
Very happy they turned out fantastic! Thanks for your feedback, Natalie. 🙂
I just made these and they are so amazing! I used coconut sugar and they turned out lovely! Amazing recipe! Thank you:)
That’s wonderful! Thanks so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
Recipe looks great! How long does these brownies keep for? Ans what’s the best way to store them?
You can store them covered in the fridge for up to 6 days! 🙂
Hi ela, do you have a keto recipe of these blondies??? I‘d like to make them but chickpeas are not allowed at keto… thsnks for answering ? grüsse aus der ??
Hi, never tried it but you could increase the amount of almond flour (ground almonds) considerably to make the recipe keto. As I said, I never tried it, so you would need to experiment. 🙂
Wow! Thank you for such a tasty recipe! These were so good and hard to stop eating!! Will be making these again and again!!
Yay, that’s awesome, Lia! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
It was the first time I used chickpeas to make desert and I loved it ! The cake was so soft and tasty.
Wonderful! So happy it turned out delicious! 🙂
I tried the recipe today and instead of chocolate chips I topped every piece with different topping and I think I found my fave dessert♥️
Sounds interesting, Nika! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
So tasty and healthy! I use to make this together with banana bread. My family loves it, and it ends quickly.
Very happy you loved these chocolate chip blondies, Anca! 🙂
These look amazing. Do you know the nutritional information on these?
Thanks
Mine took to long to bake did I do something wrong?
I don’t know, unfortunately. Did you use all ingredients as indicated in the recipe?
OMG!!! I made these on two occasions and my friends and family Loved loved loved them. They are so moist and delicious.
Yay, that’s amazing! Thank’s for your feedback, Ferlie. 🙂
Bonjour ! Ces blondies ont l’air délicieux ! Je voulais savoir si je peux obtenir un résultat similaire avec de la farine tout usage de blé ? Cela ne me gêne pas si ce n’est pas sans gluten. De plus, la farine d’amande est assez onéreuse… J’attends ta réponse avant d’essayer cette recette très appétissante !
Hey, I don’t think the result would be as good because almond flour contains 55% fat and regular wheat flour contains zero fat. The recipe is oil-free, the only fat comes from the almond flour. So if you replace it with regular flour, the blondies will turn out rather dry and not moist. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Always been terrified of gluten free and vegan baking because things never quite turn out, but this recipe was SOOOOOO easy and super delicious. By far the best gluten free and vegan dessert I’ve ever made. 100% recommend. ❤️
That’s awesome, Jamie! I am so glad that you loved these vegan blondies! Thanks a lot for your great feedback! 🙂
This recipe is really amazing ! Just tried it tonight and OMG OMG it is delicious ! Even my husband that is not vegan loved it ! So good to see that being cruelty free is so tasty ! I shall do it to my family in law and my family to show them how delicious life can be when you’re vegan. Thank you so much for your recipe : I look forward to try the next one. 🙂 Ingrid
Makes me so happy! Thank you for your wonderful feedback, Ingrid! 🙂
Made these for Valentines day for my coworkers (one is lactose intolerant, and another is celiac & I am *mostly* vegan haha). They were DELICIOUS! I did sub ground chia seeds for ground flax as my stash of ground flax had gone bad … oops lol I also dyed them pink with some pink food dye which looked GORGEOUS. Oh and I used 1/4 cup golden sugar and 1/4 cup cut stevia. Highly recommend this recipe, very adaptable and easy. Thanks Ela!
Yay sounds amazing! Thanks for your feedback, Jenna! 🙂
These turned out so good, couldn’t stop myself from eating them!
Substituted almond flour with 3/4 cup of unsweetened coconut shreds and hemp seed mix that I blended up in my bullet until it was “flour.”
Worked wonderfully.
Sounds awesome! Thanks so much for your great feedback, Danielle! 🙂
I love this recipe! I ate it all in one day (with a little help). Love the use of chickpeas for protein. I used monk fruit seeetener instead of xylitol and they came out so good! They def firm up once cooled. They were so good I ate the first third before they cooled and it was yummy that way too.
That’s amazing, Meagan! I know what you mean, haha. I often do the same (I sometimes even eat the raw batter lol). Thanks so much for your great feedback! 🙂
I have to admit that I was skeptical at first about the chickpeas in a dessert, but those looked so good I just HAD to give them a try. I followed the exact instructions of the recipe but I sadly have to say that I did not like them that much because of the chickpea flavour. However I expected that u wouldn’t taste them but unfortunately u do. I highly recommend using a loooooot of chocalate chips so that u won’t taste the chickpeas! Thank u anyways.
Hey Mina, I made the recipe a couple of times and did not taste the chickpeas. I always make sure to rinse the chickpeas really well. Also, I am getting at least a handful of messages on Instagram per day from my followers who made the blondies and loved them. 🙂
Did anybody try it without the baking powder and soda? I try my not to use them much?
These are delicious! So soft and yummy. Chickpeas are a really interesting twist. I used coconut sugar in place of the xylitol and chocolate chunks.
Sounds incredible! So happy you liked the recipe. 🙂
These look amazing! Definitely a must try! ????
Lots of love,
Bianca❤️
Yes, you should definitely give them a try. ❤️
Much love, Ela
YUM. I’m making a second round tonight after eating the whole batch in 2 days (surprised they lasted that long actually). I forgot to buy more almonds, so I made it with 1/2 cup + 1/8 of regular flour and the other 1/8 cup with olive oil to add more fat (that the almonds would give). Also used brown sugar because I didn’t have xylitol. They turned out really good with the substitutions!! I honestly think they taste even better the second day. Thanks for this recipe, it’s delicious!
Great to hear, Sara! Thank you. 🙂
Hi Ela!
What can be used in place of the apple cider vinegar? I wouldn’t want to use white vinegar either. (If that is even an option).
Hi! You can use lime juice or lemon juice. 🙂
Ela! I love that this recipe doesn’t have many ingredients! Thank you for sharing! Take care, Dee xx
Thank you very much, Dee! I wish I could share it with you. 🙂
I made these today and they were so good! I didn’t have a blender or food processor so I used a fork to mash the beans and the rest of the ingredients. Took a few minutes but well worth it! I also used egg replacer equal to 1 egg and added about 1/8 cup more almond flour. I will be making this recipe again, that’s for sure!
I am so glad they turned out delicious! Thanks for your feedback, Tammy! 🙂
I haven’t tried these yet, but the recipe says to line the baking pan, so I was just wondering if you liked it with parchment paper or something else?
Yes, parchment paper. You can also see it in the video right above the recipe.
This receipe is awsome, it’s such a great idea to use chickpeas as they are undetectable. Thank you for Théo great discovery!
Thank you very much, Céline! I am glad you liked this recipe. 🙂
These were phenomenal!!! For sweetener, are used 1/3 brown sugar, 1/3 coconut sugar, 1/3 maple syrup. I added 2 tablespoons of spelt flour to make up for the extra liquid, although I think it would’ve been fine with out. The flavor is incredible, and the Allman flour thickens up beautifully. Thank you so much for such a fantastic, well balanced recipe.
Thanks for your awesome feedback! 🙂
I made these 2 days ago and inhaled the whole batch already (sharing with family ofcourse!) – I can comfortably eat these everyday haha! they’re super moist and so delicious having not tried blondies before!!! I love that they are rich in protein because of the chickpeas. I substituted the xylitol ( I used cater sugar) and the flax for linseed (although I think they work equally the same) Thank you for sharing Ela , I will be making these again x
Fantastic! Inhaling the batch is a good thing, haha. Thanks for your great comment, Samar! 🙂
Ela this is hands down the best recipe I’ve followed in YEARS!
I have to admit I was skeptical about using chickpeas in baking as I’ve never been a fan of black bean brownies and thought they might be dry but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The texture is just perfect and they were so easy to make that I think they’re going to become a staple in our house.
Thanks for creating the recipe!!
Grace
Thank you very much for your feedback, Grace! It makes me so happy that you liked these chickpea blondies even though you were skeptical at first. Awesome!
Hi Ela,am a vegan but too thin,can you help me advise me on what to eat to gain weight
Hey Joan, I am sorry but I am not allowed to advise you what to eat to gain weight since I am not a dietitian, nutritionist or doctor. Furthermore, it can have different causes if you can’t gain weight (e.g. gut problems etc) so I would recommend to talk to a specialist.
Hi, I have 2 questions:
1. Can I use skim or full cream milk instead of plant based milk? Same quantity?
2. Can I use unsalted butter or salted butter instead of nut butter? Same quantity? Should it be melted of softened? If not nut butter, would you recommend any oil instead?
Thanks!!
Hey! Skim milk should work in this recipe, the same quantity will be fine. Not sure about the butter though as it contains no fiber as opposed to nut butter and is also higher in fat. It could work but since I am vegan I will never try it out so I can’t help with this question. 🙂
Ela, these are delicious. I used coconut sugar and a combination of all-purpose and walnut flour. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s wonderful, thanks a lot for sharing your twist on this recipe, Renee. I am sure it will be interesting for other readers. 🙂
could i use oat flour? or a nut free flour and add more liquid?
You really need to try and see how they turn out. I only made the recipe with nut flours, so I cannot tell you how they will turn out with oat flour. Please report back if you give it a try. 🙂
Chick peas are to fibrous for me and I can’t eat them is there a substitute?
Hmm, I guess white beans (cannellini beans) would work too if you can eat them. 🙂
Can the xylitol be substituted with honey, maple syrup or molasses? Or any other liquid sweetener?
It should be a granulated sweetener. However, you could add a liquid sweetener and use less plant-based milk. I haven’t tried it out but please report back if you do. 🙂
I will definitely make two batches, one of them with maple syrup and less milk. Let’s see how it turns out. Thanks for the recipe!!!
You are very welcome! 🙂
These are so delicious! And easy to make! Thank you, Ela!
Thank you very much, Kristina! I am glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
I’m jot concerned with gluten myself, can I use regular flour over almond flour?
I wouldn’t do that because regular flour doesn’t contain any fat. Almond flour is 100% ground almonds. You can try it, of course, but the result will be different.
Can I use gluten free all purpose flour? I don’t have almond flour.
No, as it doesn’t contain any fat. Almond flour = 100% ground almonds. You can also use any other ground nuts of choice.
Hi Ela, can I use coconut powder instead or just process almonds if I don’t have almond flour?
Yes, you can process almonds in a food processor or blender! 🙂
My son cannot have flax. Would I use eggs instead? And if so, how many?
You can use ground chia seeds instead. I wouldn’t recommend eggs as they don’t contain fiber and the batter will be too thin.
Can i use a different size pan like 9×11 or something a little different from pan mentioned ? If so would that effect the cooking tims?
Hi Claire, sure, you can use a bigger pan which will reduce the cooking time. You can make a toothpick test after 22-25 minutes.
Will tooth pick come out clean when done?
Yes! It can have some crumbs but shouldn’t be wet. 🙂