Dark Chocolate Chickpea Brownies

These Dark Chocolate Chickpea Brownies are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and grain-free. The recipe only requires a few pantry essentials that you probably already have on-hand, and a blender! I have included a vegan option as well!

I enjoy making succulent chocolate treats out of beans. There, I said it.

If you’ve been around The Roasted Root for a while, a bean-filled brownie is nothing new to you. 

Many moons ago, I shared my Black Bean Brownies, Peanut Butter Chickpea Blondies, Garbanzo Bean Brownies, and 6-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chickpea Cookies. Heck, I’ve even made Flourless Chocolate Black Bean Banana Bread.

So we’re here today with a chickpea brownies recipe that is secretly good for you. It happens to be the perfect treat for chocolate lovers!

They are the best brownies for those times you’re craving chocolate but want to keep your dessert recipes mindful.

But before I get ahead of myself, I know some of you are new to the concept of brownies made with chickpeas.

If this is your first time learning about the topic, you may be wondering what the heck garbanzo bean brownies taste like.

What Do Chickpea Brownies Taste Like?:

The flavor of chickpea brownies is very similar to classic brownies, although the texture tends to be soft and fluffy rather than chewy. This chickpea brownie recipe turns out nice and moist and fudgy as long as you add the chocolate chips.

Without the chocolate chips, the texture is more cake-like (which is also delicious).

This healthy dessert does not produce the same crispy edge or crinkle topping as regular brownies but it is a delicious treat to feed that sweet tooth.

They are more like cakey brownies but still with gooey fudgy pockets of chocolate bliss.

Let’s discuss the healthy ingredients for chickpea brownies.

Ingredients for Chickpea Brownies:

Garbanzo Beans: The main ingredient, we need one can of chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. The beans take the place of all purpose flour in traditional brownies.

When blended, beans become smooth and fairly sticky, which mimics how flour reacts when mixed with wet ingredients in regular brownies.

Garbanzo beans are a great source of dietary fiber, which helps blunt the glucose response when eating sugar.

Eggs: A couple large eggs make the brownies fluffy and ensure they hold together when sliced. Bring them out of the refrigerator 10 minutes before making this recipe to bring them closer to room temperature.

Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla provides that luxurious warm flavor we all love so much in baked goods.

Cocoa Powder: The rich chocolate portion of the recipe, we need unsweetened cocoa powder. I like using raw cacao powder because it has a creamier, less bitter flavor than regular cocoa powder.

Coconut Sugar: We need some form of granulated sweetener. I choose coconut sugar because it has a lower impact on blood sugar than regular cane sugar. You can use white sugar, brown sugar, or sugar-free sweetener like allulose or monk fruit sweetener here.

Coconut Oil: A little coconut oil brings moist texture and rich flavor to a fudgy brownie. You can replace it with melted butter or avocado oil.

Instant Coffee or Coffee Grinds (Optional): I like adding either coffee grinds or instant coffee to chickpea brownies because it provides more depth of flavor. Feel free to skip it if you don’t have any on hand.

Baking Powder: The leavening agent here, baking powder helps the brownies rise and bake evenly.

Dark Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chips provide gooey bursts of chocolatey goodness.

Stick with dark chocolate chips for a richer brownie, or use semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or sugar-free chocolate chips.

The fudgy texture comes from chocolate chips so be sure to include them if you want fudgy chickpea brownies. Use up to 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Sea Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the flavors so that the brownies taste like they have bold flavor.

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 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8″ x 8″ pan with parchment paper.

Drain and rinse the beans. They don’t need to be perfectly dry before adding them to the blender, but they shouldn’t be excessively wet.

Add all of the ingredients for these gluten free brownies to a blender or a food processor 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 prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. You can top with chocolate chips or chopped nuts if you’d like.

Bake for 24-26 minutes or until the brownies are firm around the edges and set up in the center.

Brownies are cooked through yet still fudgy once they have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You can insert a thermometer into the center of the brownies to test for doneness for the best result. 

Once the brownies are out of the oven, allow them cool for 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.

Store brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Can I Freeze Chickpea Brownies?:

Yes, you can freeze bean brownies! If the brownies aren’t cut into individual slices already, be sure to do so.

Transfer any leftover brownies to a large zip lock bag or freezer bag. If you want the brownies to last a long time in the freezer, you can wrap them in plastic wrap before placing them in the ziplock.

Freeze brownies for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat one, place it on a plate and microwave for 10 to 30 seconds (depending on your microwave and how warm you want the brownie).

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 vegan brownies. 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!

And that’s it! A healthier brownie recipe that doesn’t include white flour, butter or sugar.

This ooey-gooey brownie recipe is one of those healthy sweet treats where no one can discern the secret ingredient until you tell them.

A great option the next time your sweet tooth is craving chocolate, these healthy chickpea brownies may just become a new household staple. 

If you enjoy making healthier brownie recipes using gluten-free or grain-free flour, also try out these reader favorites.

More Healthy Brownie Recipes:

• Coconut Flour Brownies  
• Almond Flour Brownies  
• Healthy Sweet Potato Brownies 
• 4-Ingredient Flourless Healthy Brownies
• Paleo Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
• Grain-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies
• Flourless Avocado Brownies
• Fudgy Keto Brownies

Beans. They do a brownie good.

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