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These flourless brownies with a sweet potato frosting (which is optional but very recommended!) are absolutely delectable. They are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free (if you leave out the chocolate chips), grain-free, protein-rich, fudgy, chocolaty, and so rich! Made with chickpeas and other wholesome ingredients.
Healthy Flourless Brownies
Brownies will remain my favorite dessert. Period. I just love them, especially when they are fudgy, super chocolaty, and rich like these healthy vegan brownies with the most epic sweet potato frosting.
The recipe is plant-based, gluten-free, grain-free, protein-rich, and easy to make. It takes just 10 minutes to prepare the batter, so there is no excuse to not make this delicious dessert.
I love trying out new brownie recipes. I already shared some of my favorite recipes with you on my blog, like these Sweet Potato Brownies or these Pea Brownies and even Healthy No-Bake Brownies. These Cheesecake Brownies were a big hit as well!
Maybe you have already tried out one or more of these recipes. The healthy no-bake brownies have been remade many times on Instagram and people love them.
Chickpea Brownies
These vegan brownies contain chickpeas as the main ingredient. Chickpeas (sometimes known as garbanzo beans) are amazing, they are high in protein and contain lots of fiber, minerals, and vitamins. I love using chickpeas in desserts, for example in these No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars.
Vegan, Grain-Free, Gluten-free, Flourless Brownies
Not only are these brownies gluten-free, but they are also grain-free, flourless, and vegan. Ground almonds, flax seeds, chickpeas, and cocoa powder are the main ingredients of these deliciously healthy brownies. I also made them once with coconut flour. Both versions are good! Instead of ground almonds, you can use any ground nuts of choice, for example, hazelnuts.
Sweet Potato Frosting
You can make these flourless brownies without frosting, and I am sure you will like them. However, to take this dessert to the next level I urge you to make this lush sweet potato frosting! It’s made with sweet potatoes, so it’s basically like eating salad, haha. Seriously, in my opinion, the frosting is a must and my boyfriend actually LOVED it!
You Will Love These Brownies Because They Are:
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Grain-free
- Flourless
- Protein-rich
- Oil-free (if you leave out the chocolate chips)
- Chocolaty
- Fudgy
- Rich
- Healthier than most other brownies
- Can be made refined sugar-free
- Easy to make
- Delicious
- Great for dessert or breakfast
Mini Chocolate Chips
I’ve topped these chickpea brownies with dairy-free mini chocolate chips. This step is optional, of course, but in my opinion, you can never have enough chocolate in your life. So if you have the possibility to get them, then definitely do it!
Should you recreate my recipe, 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 would love to see your recreations.
How To Make Flourless Brownies?
It’s so easy to make these vegan chickpea brownies. I love using a food processor because it’s so convenient and you don’t need lots of different bowls. Simply add in the ingredients, blend and you are almost done. Check the easy recipe and the video below!
If you are looking for more delicious vegan brownie recipes, then check out the following ones:
- Zucchini Brownies
- Sweet Potato Brownies
- Cheesecake Brownies
- Caramel Chocolate Brownies
- Best Vegan Brownies
- Healthy No-Bake Brownies
Flourless Brownies
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (150 g) coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (90 g) ground almonds (*see recipe notes)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (60 g) cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp ground (2 tbsp ground) flax seeds or ground chia seeds
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (1/4 tsp) baking soda
- 1 Pinch of (Pinch of) salt
- 1/4 cup (50 g) dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)
Wet ingredients:
- 2 15 oz cans (500 g) chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) plant-based milk
- 1/3 cup (80 g) nut butter or seed butter of choice (*see recipe notes)
- 1/2 (60 g) banana or 1/4 cup applesauce
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
Frosting
- sweet potato frosting (optional)
Instructions
- I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe.
- Blend the chickpeas with all wet ingredients in a food processor until smooth (check the video).
- Add all dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips) to the food processor and blend again until the mixture is combined.
- Line a pan with parchment paper or grease it with vegan butter or coconut oil and spoon the batter into it. My baking dish measures 9"x6" (23 x 15 cm).
- Bake in the oven at 355 degrees F (180 degrees C) for about 40 minutes (it can take longer or shorter, depending on your oven and the size of your baking dish) or until a toothpick comes out almost clean (can still be sticky but not wet). Test after 35 minutes with a toothpick. Don't overcook the brownies! Let them cool completely. They'll still be soft at first but firm up once cooled down. They taste best on the 2nd or 3rd day!
- Check out this recipe to make the sweet potato frosting! Top with chocolate chips an enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any ground nuts instead of ground almonds. For a nut-free version try ground hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. If you want to make the brownies with coconut flour, then use only 45 grams and not 90 grams since coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid.
- Any nut butter like peanut butter, cashew butter works fine. For a nut-free version use coconut butter or sunflower seed butter.
- Nutrition facts are for 100 g without the frosting.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
I’m planning on making this but first…..Are ground almonds the same as almond meal or almond flour.
Thank you!
Hi Vesna! Yes, you can use almond meal or almond flour. Both are totally fine. 🙂
Hi Ella, getting ready to test out this amazing recipe – already drooling:-) Tell me, what would be another alternative to almond flour, besides all of those you mentioned? Would it be ok to use oat or wholegrain spelt flour instead? I am totally fine with some healthy gluten… Thank you for your help! x Iva
Hi Iva, both should work fine. You could also use half spelt flour and half oat flour. However, since the fat from the almond flour will be missing, I would suggest adding 2-3 tbsp of oil. 🙂
Brilliant! Thank you so much Ela (one l:-) ). I will certainly inform you about the end result. Have a lovely day and keep cooking – you rock:-) Greetings from Croatia, Iva
Ela, Ela, Ela…what can I say? You’ve gone and done it again! These brownies are sinful!!! I followed it step by step with no substitutions. Result- PERFECTION. Day 1, I thought, hmmm, these are alright, but by Day 3, my mouth was watering for my afternoon brownie slice and coffee. Moist, rich, melt in your mouth goodness. I just ate my last slice and I’m feeling a little sad although I know I can simply whip up another batch, I will soon, but in a few days I have your carrot-cake bars to make again. Why? Well, I have so many darn carrots. Heehee! Thanks again!!! (Oh, and boyfriend stamp of approval on the brownies).
Awww, I love your comment, Sommer! Thanks so much for your awesome feedback. Happy to hear they got the boyfriend stamp of approval, lol. 😀
Well, Ela, I’m sorry to inform you that I didn’t follow your advice ( :p ) and used dates instead of chickpeas and it is amazing! I reduced the coconut sugar, didn’t add the frosting because of the sugar in the dates. I put them in boiled water for 15 min and then drain them. It’s unbelievably fudgy…I added some walnuts for crunchiness and to complete the perfect brownie recipe 😀
Sounds amazing, Eva! How many dates did you use (in grams)? So happy it turned out fudgy and delicious. 🙂
To be honest I divided the recipe by three because I have the perfect pan for two servings the same height of yours! So I used 166 grams for the dates, and 30 grams for the coconut sugar (instead of 50 grams). I checked at 20′, still wet, and remove the pan at 27 minutes. I made them yesterday, let them in the fridge overnight and we are eating them! 😀
Thanks for sharing, Eva! 🙂
You’re most welcome! I’d like to ask you: I have a very teeny tiny blog myself (I post only once in a while, it’s not my job) and I’d love to share your recipe with my adjustments; I share lots of recipe only for one or two servings because I hate waste, and when it’s healthy on top of that it’s just awesome! Of course I would link to your blog and mention how awesome you are 😀 I know many people get inspired at others for tons of recipes without mentioning them, but I don’t like to do that and I love your recipes/ideas but I’d understand if you don’t want me to 😉 Thanks again Ela!
Hello Ela! First of all, thank you for your website. I am so inspired by everything you offer, I’m so glad you’re here. You make vegan so accessible and colorful, it’s not like any other website I’ve seen before. I’m not vegan but try more and more to be better at it, and you help a lot.
I’d like to make this recipe because it looks amazing but I’d like to know if you can taste the chickpeas as it is 500 gr? I made something with chickpeas once and I could feel the taste.So I don”t know if this is the case here 😉
Thank you so much!
Hi Eva, thanks so much for your kind compliments! 🙂 As regards the chickpeas, in my opinion, they are not noticeable in the brownies because the flavor is masked by the other ingredients. However, it’s important that you rinse them really well. Also, I recommend making the frosting. 🙂
Thank you very much Ela! As when I made the recipe a few years back I wasn’t (clearly) as good and interested as today, so it’s really likely that I didn’t rinse them. Thank you so much, as usual!
You are very welcome, Eva. 🙂
I’m sorry to bother you again x) I always brainstorm for the recipes I’m gonna make the week incoming, and I was wondering if I could use dates instead of chickpeas? I don’t have chickpeas at the moment, and only go to the store once a week and I have dates that are waiting to be used. Even if you haven’t made it with dates yet, I’d be so glad to have your opinion on this. Thanks so much Ela! Answer only if you have time 😉
Hi Eva, no worries! I think the brownies would turn out too sweet with so many dates. You can try out the following no-bake brownie recipe which has dates: https://elavegan.com/healthy-no-bake-brownies-vegan-gluten-free/
And once you have chickpeas you can make this recipe. 🙂
Look great, can’t wait to try!
I’m not vegan just have a nut allergy and egg.
Is it possible to use dairy butter? (as that’s what I have in stock)
Hi Paris, I never made these brownies with butter but I think it might work fine.
I absolutely loved these!!! I made them with monkfruit sweetener and they turned out absolutely delicious! I used an 8×8 pan for them and I got 9 servings out of it.
That’s wonderful, Gina! I am so glad you loved the recipe. 🙂
I really wanted to like these…. but couldn’t do it. Looked like the pic but the taste just wasn’t there unfortunately.
Sorry you didn’t like the recipe, Laurie. This recipe is very popular with many 5-star reviews, however, every taste differs.
Love this recipe Ela! I’ve tried almost all of your brownie recipes but to me this one is the best and it freezes wonderfully. I wrap the slices twice in plastic foil and then in aluminium foil, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer and let them thaw wrapped in the fridge all night, they are then ready for breakfast! My husband loves the zucchini ones though. I’ve done this flourless brownies many times and today I tried with 1/2 chickpeas (cigró de pagès) and 1/2 white beans (fesolets) and it tastes delicious too. I haven’t tried the recipe with the frosting yet, but at least with brown sugar and psyllium husk (instead of flax seeds) you can’t tell there’s veggies inside. Thanks for such wonderful recipes!
That’s wonderful, Katia! I am so glad you love these brownies. Thanks for sharing your substitutes. 🙂
Hi Ela
I love this brownies!! just wondering if i can use date syrup instead of coconut sugar?
Thanks in advance
Hi Sunny! Date sugar should be fine. I wouldn’t use a liquid sweetener because the mixture might end up too wet. It can work though, but I never tried it. Please report back if you give it a try. 🙂
What can be substituted for the chickpeas that is lower in carbs??
That’s a good question, Kim. I haven’t made these brownies with a substitute that is lower in carbs. Silken tofu might work but I since I never tried it I can’t say how the result will be. You might check out my vegan zucchini brownies and use almond flour instead of oats for a low-carb version. That should work well. Here is the recipe: https://elavegan.com/vegan-zucchini-brownies
Thank you these look so delicious, I’m making them right now for Thanksgiving! Just realised my baking powder is way expired. Anyway way I can skip it out or substitute for something else?
I would have left it out and doubled the amount of baking soda.
I loved the texture of these brownies, but they weren’t very sweet and the frosting also wasn’t very sweet and had a strong sunflower butter taste more than anything. Any suggestions how I could modify it to taste more chocolatey and sweeter?
All tastes differ, Sunny. 🙂 To make it taste sweeter, simply add more sugar or you could also add melted dairy-free chocolate! If you don’t like sunflower seed butter, you can use any nut butter of choice.
Hi Ela, can I keep these brownies out of the fridge? If yes, for how long?
It depends on in which climate you live. I would always recommend storing them in the fridge. 🙂
are they freezer friendly?
Yes, they are freezer friendly! 🙂
Ela! This flourless brownie recipe looks incredible! I will certainly pin to my favorite dessert board! Dee xx
Thanks a lot, Dee! So kind of you to pin the recipe to your favorite dessert board! Thank you! 🙂
It’s the most delicious brownies I’ve ever baked. So moist and mouthwatering even without frosting… Thank you very much for sharing it… ?
You are very welcome, Katie! I am so glad you liked these brownies. 🙂
Thank you for your amazing recipes, definitely going to make these brownies this week! Any chance you post macros or at least calories? Thank you keep up the amazing work !
I will add them soon. Working on updating all blog posts, which takes a lot of time. 🙂
Thank you for your response! I’m getting hungry from just looking at your recipes! ??
Haha, I hope you will like all the recipes which you try out. 😀
Are these good for someone that has diabetes
I wish I could answer but since I am not a medical professional I cannot tell you!
I made it twice, without the frosting and they are really good!
Awesome! So happy you loved these flourless brownies, Audrey! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Do you think it would work with ground walnuts instead of almonds?
Yes, that should work just fine! 🙂
Is there any way I can make this if I cant have nuts?
Well, it’s actually mentioned in the recipe notes.
THANK YOU FOR THIS LOVELY RECIPE, MIGHT BE THE NICEST BROWNIE I’VE TASTED. SIMPLE INGREDIENTS AND EASY MAKING PROCESS. I MIGHT MAKE IT EVERY WEEK HAHA
That’s awesome! So happy you liked it, Anastasija! 🙂
I made them and they’re delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe. Do you know the nutritional information for these?
So happy you liked the recipe! 🙂 Sorry but I don’t have the nutritional information for them yet.
I made these and they turned out incredibly delicious ! I was a bit afraid to put chickpeas and sweet potatoes in a dessert but I’m never gonna turn to my older recipes, this one is just perfect ! Made them 3 days ago and they are still so good, I keep them covered in the fridge.
Thank you Ela for sharing such inspiring recipes ❤️
Yay, that’s AMAZING! I am so glad you are loving this recipe, Abit. 🙂
Do you know the calories per serving?
Sorry I don’t. You can check out cronometer.com to calculate it. 🙂
This looks devine, I cannot wait to make it.
Do you think it would be possible to use Stevia instead of coconut sugar? If so how much would you recommend using?
BTW thanks for all your delicious recipes, I love trying them out in my own kitchen ????
Thank you! Do you mean Stevia which is often combined with Erythritol? If yes, then that should work. I would probably use the same amount in grams. 🙂
I use 50g of Stevia instead of 150g of coconut sugar and it worked a treat ????
I’m in Australia so I used a brand here called Natvia.
Now that I’ve made it, and consumed half of it can I freeze the remainder so I don’t eat it all in 3 days?
????
Sure, you can freeze the remainder! So happy you liked the recipe, Julia. 🙂
Hi, it looks graet!!
I don’t like to use cand food.
How much grams of chickpea should I take?
Thanks
It’s mentioned in the recipe. 500 g! 🙂
Could I substitute (thawed) winter squash puree for the sweet potatoes in the frosting? Will it affect the texture?
I can’t wait to make these!
Hey, I never tried it but I think it could work! Please report back if you give it a try. 🙂
These are the best vegan brownies I’ve ever had! I subbed 10 medjool dates for the sugar, and used an 8×8 pan. So thick and fudgy, and the frosting with them is a win- so amazing!
Terrific! Thank you very much for your awesome feedback, Liz! It’s good to hear that the brownies also turn out delicious with dates! 🙂
How do you make the frosting please as I cant find the ingredients ????????????
You need to click on the link in the recipe which says “sweet potato frosting” then you will be redirected to the recipe. 🙂
Just wondering if the measurements are wrong because you 3/4 of a cup for both coconut sugar and almonds, and the cacoa amount does not add to 60g ????
It’s for American measuring cups! Maybe you are using different cups in the UK? I would recommend using grams, not cups. It’s more accurate.
Hi Ela,
I lade these brownies for my birthday and they were a huge success! Everyone loved it and it was so much fun to just not feel super guilty while eating dense and rich chocolate brownies 🙂 Espcially the frosting amazes me. Since it was a little too chocolately I added pomegranate and raspberries on top. An absolute winner 🙂 Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Yay, that’s amazing! Thanks a lot for your great feedback, Nina. ????
Hey, these look delicious ???????? any tips on how to make them refined sugar free? Could for example honey be a suitable alternative? Thanks!
Hey Johanna, you can use date sugar, coconut sugar or date paste. Honey is also refined. 🙂
disappointed. I just made the brownies and really looking forward to trying them. i hadn’t realized I didn’t have any of the frosting ingredients UNTIL THE LAST STEP IN THE DIRECTIONS??? PLEASE PLEASE ADD A NOTE OF THE 2ND RECIPE IN THE INGREDIENTS.
Hi Susan, the frosting is optional and I am sorry I forgot to mention it! I will add a link to the ingredients. I hope you enjoyed the brownies! 🙂
Can I substitute the coconut sugar for maple syrup or maybe ripe banana?
Hi, if you use maple syrup then you will need to add less plant-based milk! I never tried it so I can’t say how it will turn out. Please report back if you do.
I would not recommend using a banana because it’s not sweet enough.
Could you Sub the chickpeas for pumpkin purée ?
Hey Patty, I think it could work, however, you will most likely need less plant-based milk since pumpkin purée contains more water content than chickpeas. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try! 🙂
Would almond pulp from making milk workin this recipe? I’m trying to find a good way to use it!
You can give it a try. But since almond pulp contains almost no fat and this recipe contains no oil, the brownies probably won’t be as rich. Let me know if you try it out though! 🙂
Hi. In which of your books can I find this? I am trying to decide which one to buy ????
Hahaha, thank you so much for your sweet comment! 🙂 I hope to be able to sell a cookbook in the future.
Much love, Ela
What I love is no crazy ingredients and substitutions are listed for nuts and such… My dream recipe as I’m vegan (WFPB), celiac, and have a tree nut allergy. Not to mention overseas in an area where “exotic” ingredients are just not happening!!! This is a win all around for me, I’m sooo trying this!! ????????
Amazing, Nichole! I hope you will like this recipe! 🙂
Love these! I definitely had them for breakfast like you said ????
Wonderful! I am glad you like them, Ruth. 🙂
These brownies look so good! ????
Love the chocolate chips on top.
Lots of love
Bianca ❤️
Thank you very much, Bianca! I hope you will give them a try. ❤️
These brownies are everything you describe and more. I really enjoyed the brownie on its own but the frosting definitely made it next level ! Thanks for a great recipe can’t wsit for my family to try it, if it lasts that long ????????????
Thank you, Megan! I am so happy that you love my recipe! 🙂
Could you sub the chickpeas for white beans? Or any other beans you would suggest?
Yes, white beans should work too. I believe black beans would be another great option. 🙂
These are the fudgeiest brownies ever!!
Thank you, Jess! I wish I could share them with you. ❤️