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
Mina A
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.
Ela
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. 🙂
Ty
Did anybody try it without the baking powder and soda? I try my not to use them much?
Amanda
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.
Ela
Sounds incredible! So happy you liked the recipe. 🙂
Bianca Zapatka
These look amazing! Definitely a must try! ????
Lots of love,
Bianca❤️
Ela
Yes, you should definitely give them a try. ❤️
Much love, Ela
Sara
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!
Ela
Great to hear, Sara! Thank you. 🙂
Sparrow
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).
Ela
Hi! You can use lime juice or lemon juice. 🙂
Dee | Green Smoothie Gourmet
Ela! I love that this recipe doesn’t have many ingredients! Thank you for sharing! Take care, Dee xx
Ela
Thank you very much, Dee! I wish I could share it with you. 🙂
Tammy S
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!
Ela
I am so glad they turned out delicious! Thanks for your feedback, Tammy! 🙂
Allison
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?
Ela
Yes, parchment paper. You can also see it in the video right above the recipe.
Céline Alcobia
This receipe is awsome, it’s such a great idea to use chickpeas as they are undetectable. Thank you for Théo great discovery!
Ela
Thank you very much, Céline! I am glad you liked this recipe. 🙂
Nathalie
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.
Ela
Thanks for your awesome feedback! 🙂
Samar
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
Ela
Fantastic! Inhaling the batch is a good thing, haha. Thanks for your great comment, Samar! 🙂
Grace
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
Ela
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!
Joan Kwagala
Hi Ela,am a vegan but too thin,can you help me advise me on what to eat to gain weight
Ela
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.
Preet
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!!
Ela
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. 🙂
Renee Rappaport
Ela, these are delicious. I used coconut sugar and a combination of all-purpose and walnut flour. Thanks for the recipe!
Ela
That’s wonderful, thanks a lot for sharing your twist on this recipe, Renee. I am sure it will be interesting for other readers. 🙂
meredith
could i use oat flour? or a nut free flour and add more liquid?
Ela
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. 🙂
Nicole
Chick peas are to fibrous for me and I can’t eat them is there a substitute?
Ela
Hmm, I guess white beans (cannellini beans) would work too if you can eat them. 🙂
Candace
Can the xylitol be substituted with honey, maple syrup or molasses? Or any other liquid sweetener?
Ela
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. 🙂
Douglas Hernandez
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!!!
Ela
You are very welcome! 🙂
Kristina
These are so delicious! And easy to make! Thank you, Ela!
Ela
Thank you very much, Kristina! I am glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Beverley Simonton
I’m jot concerned with gluten myself, can I use regular flour over almond flour?
Ela
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.
AF
Can I use gluten free all purpose flour? I don’t have almond flour.
Ela
No, as it doesn’t contain any fat. Almond flour = 100% ground almonds. You can also use any other ground nuts of choice.
Marcela Ascuntar
Hi Ela, can I use coconut powder instead or just process almonds if I don’t have almond flour?
Ela
Yes, you can process almonds in a food processor or blender! 🙂
Christine Fetterly
My son cannot have flax. Would I use eggs instead? And if so, how many?
Ela
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.