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Moist, tender, and fudgy flourless blondies with a crackly top. Gluten free and vegan, but so delicious no one will ever know. These Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies will become your new favorite treat!
These Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies are our go-to treat! They are moist and tender in the center with just a bit of a crackly crust on top. Perfectly sweet, healthier than your average blonde brownie recipe, and made from pantry staples. They’re so easy and, oh, so delectable!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
While these flourless chickpea blondies do contain a good amount of sugar, it’s the unrefined kind, and they’re also packed with protein, fiber, folate and iron thanks to the chickpeas, peanut butter, and oats. You don’t have to feel guilty about indulging your sweet tooth.
Bonus: they are dairy free, gluten-free and oil-free, too! Basically, you need to devour these dreamy vegan blondies immediately!
Chickpeas ~ It’s no secret that my “secret” ingredient in these Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies is chickpeas! I super swear promise you will not taste them! Trust me! But they do provide that great fudgy texture!
Oats ~ Old fashioned rolled oats give some structure to these fudgy blondies. You can sub oat flour, all-purpose flour, or a gluten free flour blend if you prefer.
Many readers have left them out with great success.
Cashew butter ~ Nut butter gives this blondie recipe some fat to make it extra indulgent. It also helps everything stick together. Cashew butter is nice and thick and has a natural sweetness, but not an overpowering flavor, which allows the cinnamon to really shine.
Any nut butter will do in a pinch. The flavor will change slightly depending on the nut butter used, but will still be delicious.
For a nut-free option, use sunflower seed butter.
Sweetener ~ Coconut sugar and pure maple syrup bring a delicious caramel-like flavor that complements the cinnamon so well.
If you don’t have coconut sugar, brown sugar may be used instead. If you don’t have either of those, cane sugar can be used, as well.
Cinnamon ~ Ahhh, the cinnamon. I LOVE cinnamon. So spicy, sweet and fragrant.
Did you know cinnamon, full of manganese, fiber and calcium, has been shown to have anti-clotting and anti-microbial properties? It also helps to control blood sugar levels and boost brain function.
Technically, you could leave it out if you don’t love cinnamon, but that just seems wrong.
More recipes featuring cinnamon
- Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Chickpeas
- Maple Pecan Cinnamon Scones
- Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Spiked Hot Cocoa with Cinnamon
How to make the recipe
The entire batter is made in the bowl of a food processor and comes together in less then 5 minutes. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
After that, just spread the batter in a prepared 8 x 8 pan and bake!
Storage/Freezing
My kids and I inhale these vegan blondies usually in a day!
If you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 days. After that, storing them in the fridge would be best.
You can even freeze these yummy blondie bars. The easiest way is to cut them into squares and then lay them in one even layer on a baking sheet or large plate in the freezer. Once the bars are frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe zip-top plastic bag or container.
FAQs
Not much actually. They are more similar than they are different. They are both soft dessert bars. The main difference is that brownies contain chocolate and blondies don’t.
Both brownies and blondies can have many variations and flavors.
Typically, a high fat to flour ratio will make brownies fudgy. In this case we are adding some healthy fat with the cashew butter, but it’s ditching the flour altogether and blending the low-fat chickpeas until smooth that really makes these blondies fudgy.
You’ll know the chickpea blondies are done when the top starts to crackle and the sides start to pull away from the pan. A toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.
More vegan dessert bar recipes
- Pumpkin Fudge Brownies
- Fudgy Mocha Black Bean Brownies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars
- Classic Vegan Toffee Bars
- Triple Almond Oat Bars
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
- ½ cup cashew butter
- ¼ cup old fashioned rolled oats certified gluten free if desired
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar or organic brown sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts optional
- Cinnamon Sugar mixture optional for garnish (equal parts of cinnamon and sugar mixed together)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly spritz an 8×8 baking dish with oil or line with parchment paper.
- Combine all ingredients, except walnuts, in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Add the walnuts, if using, and stir gently, then smooth the batter out.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture, if using.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the sides start to pull away from the baking dish and the top is firm.
- The blondies will continue to firm up while cooling.
- Cut into equal size squares and serve.
Anna says
These are excellent! I was shocked that I couldn’t detect any chickpea flavor whatsoever, just glorious cinnamon. I subbed almond butter as I’m allergic to cashew, increased cinnamon to 2 Tbsp (because I’m obsessed), and omitted the walnuts. Otherwise I followed the recipe. I’ll definitely be making these often, and I have to try the gingerbread version mentioned by another commenter. Thank you so much for your recipe!!!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Wonderful! I’m obsessed with cinnamon, too. Thank you for your feedback, Anna!
Ash says
Hi! Excited to try this recipe, though I’m wondering if chickpea flour could be used instead of canned chickpeas? If so, how much would I need to use?
Jenn Sebestyen says
No, I wouldn’t try that…the blended chickpeas bring moisture that the flour wouldn’t have.
CEYLON GOLDEN CINNAMON says
This is really nice for myself and for my family. I will save this page and prepare with my wife at home…. thanks for making enjoy our weekend…
Leanne says
Do you think these would work without baking powder? I’m on a food sensitivity diet and can use baking soda but not baking powder. The only other swap I’d be making is either almond flour or AP GF flour for the oats.
Jenn S. says
I can’t say with 100% certainty that they will turn out exactly the same, but I think it will probably be fine. I think almond flour might be a good sub for the oats. Let me know if you try them and how they turn out.
Diana says
If almond flour is substituted for oats, is the proportion the same, or should less flour be used?
Jenn Sebestyen says
Almond flour is more moist than oats, so you may need a little bit more to get the exact same texture. I can’t say for sure as I haven’t tested the recipe that way myself. These are pretty hard to screw up though, so I think 1/4 – 1/3 cup almond flour would work. Let me know if you try it!
Imma says
I was wondering, what can I use instead of nut butter? Any ideas for a nut free subsitute?
Jenn S. says
Sunflower seed butter would work. Enjoy!
ES says
I usually never leave comments on recipe threads, but OMG these were the best bean blondies I’ve ever made. The texture is perfect and they were delicious out of the oven and even straight out of the fridge the next day. Previous recipes with chickpea flour were less than successful, and I am happy to find a chickpea baking recipe that doesn’t taste of beans!
I substituted the cashew butter for sunflower seed butter and the walnuts for a small handful of pepitas and sunflower seeds.
Jenn S. says
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you love them!! Your subs sound great – and perfect for those that need nut-free. Thank you!
Ricky says
Yumm! We made these as a ginger bread variation: used molasses instead of maple syrup (and only about 1/2 the total amount of sugar, it was still sweet enough for us) and a mix of cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves. I couldn’t stop eating the batter. So good!
Jenn S. says
Ricky, that sounds so good!! I love everything gingerbread. What a great idea. I’m so happy you loved them. Thank you!
Sam says
My boyfriend and I really enjoyed the texture of this blondie, which was really smooth. We used almond butter instead of cashew butter, flavoured oats (cinnamon, apple, almond, coconut) instead of plain oats, brown sugar instead of coconut sugar, and agave syrup instead of maple syrup. Overall, we found that the blondies were a tad too sweet and tasted more like carrot cake. Considering how much we deviated, this could be why it tasted like carrot cake and I’m not sure if agave syrup is sweeter than maple syrup. I could definitely see people enjoying this, especially a la mode.
Jenn S. says
Hi, Sam. The recipe as written doesn’t taste like carrot cake at all. Agave is very sweet. I personally don’t love it in bigger quantities than a tbsp or 2. It has a strange aftertaste to me. I also find brown sugar to be a tad sweeter than coconut sugar. So, yeah, you had a much sweeter blondie. The coconut from your flavored oats probably contributed to the carrot cake vibe too.
Kat says
I subbed cashew butter for almond & coconut butter and just used standard sugar. Amazingly delicious. I’m struggling not to eat them all before my wife gets home! I’ll probably cut down the sugar next time as they’re a bit sweet for me.
Jenn S. says
Oooh, I bet the coconut butter made them so creamy and rich. Great idea! So glad you loved them! Thanks, Kat!
Denise says
I love this recipe, but I have found that the 30 minutes baking time is more than sufficient, and if anything, too much and a bit drying. Despite the fact that the batter itself is delicious on its own, I only need 15-17 minutes in the oven with this recipe, and with the 30 minutes cool down thereafter, they are at its most gooey, moist, blondie texture that I find optimal. I live on sea level (not a high altitude), so I wonder if my suggestion would resonate with many other readers as well.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Denise! Glad you like them and thanks for your tip. I haven’t made them in awhile, but I’ll bake them for less time next time and see how they turn out. Thanks!
Denise says
Thanks for the reply! I notice they also taste super good after they have been chilled and set in the fridge, whether be for an hour, or overnight. I love chickpea blondies and I’ve been on a chickpea blondie baking spree the past couple weeks. So good, and almost completely guilt-free to keep indulging!
Jenn S. says
Yes! I love them in the fridge too. If you like them that way, you should try my Cinnamon Chickpea Truffles! I keep them in the freezer and they taste like cinnamon cheesecake bites! So good!
Thea Burton-Evans says
Is there something I can substitute for cashew butter? I’d love to make these for my little one as she loves chickpeas but she’s allergic to nuts.
Jenn S. says
Hi, Thea. You could try Sunbutter or even Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter. Now that I just wrote that, I’m totally going to try the cookie butter next time. That stuff is awesome! 🙂
Mich says
These are absolutely delicious! Only two challenges with this recipe, one is spreading the batter evenly (the parchment paper kept sliding around) and second, not eating the entire batch. Thank you for this recipe, it was exactly what I was looking for when I ran into your website. Will definitely make again!
Jenn S. says
HaHa, yes, not eating an entire batch is a challenge. 🙂 Sometimes I spray my baking pan with a spritz of oil and then put the parchment down – it helps the parchment to stick to the pan, but the oil isn’t directly on the food. So glad you loved them, Mich!
Amanda Underwood says
I baked mine a little longer because they were not quite set, but it might be because I added chocolate chips. These were easy and super tasty!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Amanda! So happy you loved them. And chocolate chips sound like a yummy addition!
Lori says
1.5 tablespoons of cinnamon is overpowering. Did you mean teaspoons?
Jenn S. says
Nope, tablespoons is correct. You can certainly lessen it if it’s a strong spice for you, but I LOVE it!
ARPI says
These are so delicious and light! Thanks for sharing.
Jenn S. says
So glad to hear you liked them! Thank you!!
Joy Bittner says
this looks just so tasty – i’ve been reading through the comments and was wondering about some substitutions (since i live out of the US and sometimes the ‘fancier’ stuff is hard to find. I saw you could sub a banana for the maple syrup, but what about the coconut sugar? Think an equal amount of white sugar would work? I’m also going to have to make that peanut for cashew sub, so i’ll let you know how it works out! thanks for sharing! I found you via pintrest, so it must be working now. looking forward to trying your other recipes! Un abrazo desde Ecuador!
Jenn S. says
Hi, Joy! Thanks for stopping by. You can definitely sub in white sugar for the coconut sugar. I have used peanut butter in place of the cashew butter before too and they’re yummy – a bit different flavor because peanut butter is a much stronger flavor that cashew – but still yummy! And, although I haven’t used banana in place of maple syrup, I actually think that’s a really great idea and should work great. Let me know how they turn out!