These Dark Chocolate Chickpea Brownies are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and grain-free. The recipe only requires a few pantry essentials you probably already have on-hand, and a blender! Read through the whole post and recipe to see a vegan option for these chickpea brownies.
Beans. They really are the magical fruit.
Except they aren’t a fruit, they’re a legume.
And they aren’t magical, they’re just very versatile.
I enjoy making succulent chocolate treats out of beans.
Please don’t slap me.
If you’ve been around The Roasted Root for a while, a bean-filled brownie is nothing new to you. Many moons ago, I posted Black Bean Brownies, and all the peeps went bonkers cah-ray-zee over them. Even more moons ago, I posted Garbanzo Bean Brownies, which are more like fudge, but that’s neither here nor there.
BT Dubs, “chickpea” is a fancy word for “garbanzo bean.”
Beans. Not just for burritos.
Real talk: Do these chocolate lumps of lovin’ have the flakey top and “the edge” (as I like to call it…you know, where the brownie meets the pan and makes a layer o’ crisp) the way a gluten brownie does?
No they do not. But they are still everything you want in a brownie and more. Because they’re healthy + fudgy, rich, moist, and addicting.
Before I made these brownies, I told myself I wouldn’t eat the whole batch. Riiiiiiight.
These low-glycemic gluten free brownies include chickpeas, raw cacao powder, coconut sugar, and just the tiniest smidge of oil. I added in coffee grinds to give depth of flavor, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can leave them out. I also added dark chocolate chips, because: goo.
Are you wondering if these brownies taste like beans? I have the answer to that. They don’t. They taste like brownies.
Combining the health qualities of chickpeas, raw cacao powder and coconut sugar yields a brownie with benefits.
They are full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and are low on the glycemic index, which means they won’t spike your blood sugar the way a normal brownie does. Can we make brownies with benefits?
How to Make Chickpea Brownies:
These should be called blender brownies because all you do is toss the ingredients in a blender, flip the switch, then bake your batter. You don’t even need a bowl. A no-bowl brownie is a good brownie!
Start by preheating your oven and lining an 8″ x 8″ pan with parchment paper.
Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Do note: if your blender is not a high-powered blender, you may have trouble getting the beans to blend. If this is the case, add a small amount of oil and continue to blend and scrape the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula until it all comes together. You may also use a food processor!
Once the brownie batter is ready, simply transfer it to the parchment-lined pan and smooth it into an even layer. You can top with chocolate chips or chopped nuts if you’d like.
BAKE!
Once the brownies are out of the oven, allow them to rest at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. This allows them time to setup so that they hold together better. The longer you wait, the better they will hold together.
Can I Freeze Chickpea Brownies?:
Yes, absolutely. Wrap any leftover brownies in the parchment you used to bake them, or in plastic wrap, then place them in a zip lock bag. Freeze them for up to 1 month. Thaw when you’re ready to eat one (or six).
How Do I Make Vegan Chickpea Brownies?
I’ve been asked quite a bit if you can use flax eggs to replace the regular eggs in order to make the recipe vegan. I truthfully haven’t had luck with flax eggs for this recipe, as the brownies turn out with an odd texture. If you are fine with a fudgier, chewier brownie and are not a texture person, you may absolutely love the way they turn out with flax eggs. Worst case scenario, you can toss them on ice cream and call it a sundae.
I have tested this recipe replacing the eggs with Bob’s Red Mill’s vegan egg replacer, and they turned out great! Simply make two vegan “eggs” using the egg replacer and proceed as normal.
If you have experience using aquafaba, you can give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Beans. They do a brownie good.
More Healthy Brownie Recipes:
- 4-Ingredient Flourless Healthy Brownies
- Paleo Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
- Grain-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies
- Flourless Avocado Brownies
- Fudgy Keto Brownies
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your all your support!
If you make these Chickpea Brownies, please feel free to share a photo and tag@The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Dark Chocolate Chickpea Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 eggs see note*
- 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar see note**
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil softened or melted or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coffee grinds see note***
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9" x 9" pan with parchement paper (or lightly oil it).
- Add all ingredients for the brownies to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 24 to 26 minutes or until brownies test clean.
- Allow brownies to cool at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition

Deb
Sunday 4th of December 2022
Could the eggs be replaced with applesauce for a vegan version do you think?
Julia
Wednesday 7th of December 2022
Hi Deb! I've never tried an egg-free version of this recipe, so I'm not sure how it would work out. To be sure you don't waste your time or ingredients, I would google a vegan chickpea brownies recipe for the best result :) xoxoxo
Xena Bhargava
Sunday 30th of January 2022
Can you please tell me how much Chickpeas in grams?
Julia
Tuesday 1st of February 2022
Hi Xena! It's 425 grams of chickpeas.
indiecognition
Saturday 15th of May 2021
I have some issues with this recipe. For most people who don't have a Vitamix blender, this recipe will be troublesome. I'm not even sure if it will work with a Vitamix -- I have a pretty powerful blender that's not too far off, and the recipe didn't work.
Calling for coconut oil, which is solid at room temperature, makes it just about impossible to mix the ingredients in the blender. This recipe might work in a food processor, but I don't even think that will get the right results since it will never be as smooth. The bottom line is that I think this recipe needs a liquid oil.
Also, a thick brownie batter is a pain to get out of a blender. It doesn't pour, and it gets stuck around the blade and any curves in the pitcher. The yield is not good, with the blender getting to eat more brownie than the cook.
I'm waiting for my batch of brownies to cool, but it was not a fun recipe to make, spending a half hour trying to get the ingredients to mix, adding more oil and water to try to aid that along, scraping, stirring, and still having to give up with a chunky and uneven batter and a very messy blender. I have trouble believing that this recipe was tested with coconut oil, despite calling for it to be used.
Not saying this is a bad recipe, but it needs a few tweaks to save people the frustration.
Julia
Monday 17th of May 2021
My coconut oil is either softened or melted when I add it - never rock solid. I'll specify that in the recipe. Sorry you had problems with the recipe! xo
shirley
Sunday 18th of April 2021
Is it possible to replace the chickpeas with chickpea flour? and If so, what ratio for the substitution.
Julia
Tuesday 20th of April 2021
Hi Shirley,
I think it's definitely possible to use chickpea flour, but my guess is other portions of the recipe would need to change. I haven't tested it. I would google a different recipe using chickpea flour to be sure it turns out :) xoxo
Kimberly Jones
Thursday 15th of April 2021
I am confused after reading some of the comments, I thought it said to add coconut oil, is it supposed to be coconut milk? I want to try to make these again, with a better outcome.