Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies (V + GF)
Oct 21, 2019 (Last updated Mar 13, 2024) by Hannah Sunderani
Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies (V + GF)
How ready are you to sink your teeth into these Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies? If you’ve never baked with chickpeas before, you are in for a treat, literally! Because contrary to belief, the chickpea is versatile enough to be used in delicious baked goods. Including these healthy and gluten-free chickpea blondies.
And trust me, won’t believe they’re made with beans!
These chickpea blondies are sweet, moist, chocolatey, fall-spiced and so cozy. The texture and taste is spot on for a delicious cakey treat
Now, let me tell you exactly how you can make them.
Pumpkin chickpea blondies (V+GF)
The ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe is really straight forward. And likely you already have them in your pantry.
You will need:
- chickpeas
- almond butter
- canned pumpkin puree
- gluten-free oats (or quinoa flakes)
- maple syrup
- vanilla
- baking powder
- baking soda
- sea salt
- pumpkin spice
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
As you can see, there’s nothing special or strange about these ingredients. You can find them all at a regular grocers. Certainly everyone can make this recipe, which is why I’ve given it my newbie cook stamp of approval.
Baking with chickpeas
So, you might be surprised that this recipe uses chickpeas in the batter? And trust me, I get it. The first time I heard about baking with chickpeas I was a skeptic.
But in fact, chickpeas make for a great flour substitute for healthy baked goods. They are light in flavour and therefore adaptable to other flavours you pair it with. For example, in this recipe it’s the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice and maple syrup that really comes through in flavour.
The chickpeas help make the mixture doughy – instead of using traditional flour. And with a bit of ground oats they bind beautifully when cooked.You’re going to love the taste and texture of these chickpea blondies.
Make this pumpkin chickpea blondies at home with me:
Join me on my YouTube Channel, where I teach you just how easy it is to make these pumpkin chickpea blondies!
A few tips for making these chickpea blondies:
I like to use a food processor to combine the ingredients. Start by adding the oats and give them a couple pulses to break up into a flour-like substance, then add the rest of your ingredients. Following this order will ensure you have a smooth batter consistency for baking.
I recommend, when baking these chickpea blondies, to line the bottom of your cake pan with a bit of baking paper, and coat the sides with a bit of oil. This will stop the chickpeas from sticking to the pan when cooked.
I also like to pour half the chocolate chips into the batter to mix, and save the other half to sprinkle on top of the blondies before baking. The chocolate chip topping makes them look so gourmet and inviting.
Are these chickpea pumpkin blondies healthy?
I’m no nutritionist, but I love to eat healthy. And for a baked good, I’d say they’re certainly a healthier option to traditional. They’re gluten-free, with no refined flour, and we’ve used natural sweetener with maple syrup. Certainly, there is nothing guilty in these ingredients. And since we’re using chickpeas instead of flour, there’s more protein in them too.
The only “unhealthy” part of this recipe would be the chocolate chips, but if you ask me, chocolate is essential for the soul.
Of course, if you wanted to make these chickpea pumpkin blondies even healthier than you can forgo adding the chocolate chips altogether. It will bake just the same.
Other recipes you might like:
If you like these chickpea pumpkin blondies than you might also like these healthy treats:
- Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins
- Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas
- Peanut Butter and Jam Stuffed Dates
Shop my kitchen:
I’m often asked what items I like to use in the kitchen. So, I’ve included my favourites for making these pumpkin chickpea blondies. You can find more of my favourite kitchen items on the shop page.
(Commissions earned as an affiliate. I only recommend products I know and love).
not exactly the same, but very similar to the food processor I have
Cuisinart 9-Inch Chef’s Classic Nonstick Bakeware Square Cake Pan, Silver
Not my exact pan, but very similar. I have many other Cuisinart pans and they’re fantastic.
Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet, Dairy Free, Nut Free Vegan Chocolate Chips
My favourite dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips. Used in this recipe and many of my other baked goods.
And there we go! A healthy and cozy vegan treat for you to enjoy during the fall months. I think you’re going to love this recipe as much as I do. And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.
Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies (V + GF)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (15 oz. can)
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/176C. In a food processor add oats. Pulse until flour like substance.
- Next add remaining ingredients: chickpeas, almond butter, canned pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and pumpkin spice. Blend to combine. Remove S-shape blade and add 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Fold into batter.
- Line a square cake pan (I used a 9×9 inch pan / 23cm x 23cm) with parchment paper. Rub the sides with a bit of coconut oil. Pour batter into baking dish and spread to even. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake blondies for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting into squares.
Watch The Video
Notes
Approvals
Nutrition
See more step-by-step instructions by visiting the recipe story here!
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What else can you use besides almond butter?
You could sub for peanut butter!
These are surprising very good, and are very filling. This is my first time using chickpeas in a recipe like this. Super easy to make, just throw everything into your food processor and mix. When dealing with chickpeas I always (ALWAYS) take the skins off, nobody ever seems to mention that. Thank you for sharing your recipe with all of us.
These are amazing. I have made them countless times for having at home or bringing to a gathering. Everyone always loves them!
This makes me so happy to hear Lauren! It’s still one of my favourites to make for groups too after all these years. 🙂 Thanks for the sweet comment and rating. 🙂
I’m planning on making these but I was wondering how much oat powder do you get once you process the half cup of oats? I usually just buy oat flour since I blended the oats myself once and didn’t like how they came out (I don’t think my food processor is powerful enough to make a good oat flour).
Hi Alex, if you process the oats you should get the same amount blended as you do whole (1/2 cup – more or less). If you’re finding that your food processor is not grinding into a flour as fine as you’d like, you can choose to process them in your blender using the pulse setting. I hope this helps!
I was looking for a recipe that had everything I would have in my pantry. It did not disappoint! Very easy to make for a first time vegan recipe!
I will be making this over and over!! For a healthier option, I only sprinkled chocolate chips on the top.
So so glad that you enjoyed the recipe Kitty! We really love this one too! Thanks for the very kind note. 🙂
Yum. Just made these. They are so good. I love when baking incorporates beans! So funny how they work! Thanks!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe Kortneii! It’s one of my faves too! Who would have thought that chickpeas could make such tasty sweets? hehe. Thanks for the very kind comment. 🙂
I love these… I make them often because they are so delicious, AND healthy! I do have a question though. Do you double the recipe? In the photo, the blondies look a lot thicker than how mine came out. Thanks!
Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for the kind comment. I’m thrilled to hear that this is a recipe you come back to. We love it too. I did not double the recipe in the photo, but I did use a small square baking dish (which you can see in the recipe video) which is 9×9 inches. However, you could absolutely double the batch if you have a larger baking dish! 🙂
My 15 year old daughter made these tonight and they are to die for!!! So delicious and healthy! The only changes she made were minor: peanut butter instead of almond butter and she added a few tablespoons of hemp hearts. Thanks for the fantastic recipe, Hannah!
Hi Kelly! I am so glad that you and your daughter love these blondies! And how sweet that she likes to bake for you!! The minor adaptations sound delicious! Love how she made the recipe her own. Thanks for the very sweet comment and I hope you come back for more!!