These Healthy Peanut Butter Blondies are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar free and vegan friendly! Made with chickpeas but you’d never know it! It’s the perfect healthy dessert recipe that you can feel great about indulging in!
This recipe was originally posted on March 31st, 2016. The photos have been updated and a video has been added to give an old favorite a little facelift!
Today I’m sharing a recipe with you that has been 2 years in the making. These Healthy Peanut Butter Blondies are a dessert you can feel great about eating! As you know by now…I always have some sort of healthy dessert on hand or just coming out of the oven in my house.
I have this habit that I can’t don’t want to kick, of sitting down and having a legit dessert every night after dinner. However, I would like to live past 45, so I love making treats that taste indulgent but are actually good for you, like these healthy peanut butter blondies! One of my favorite ways to achieve this goal is by using beans in place of flour in baked goods!
These healthy peanut butter blondies use chickpeas instead of flour and peanut butter in place of butter or oil. I know what you’re thinking, there are so many chickpea peanut butter recipes out there, what makes this one different?
I’ve tried (and liked) many of those recipes, but there’s something about this one that just did it for me. I really love the combination of honey and coconut sugar as the sweetener, and the addition of 1 TBS of almond milk really made the texture perfect! This recipe ended my search for a delicious, healthy, peanut butter cookie that’s high in protein and fiber!
These healthy peanut butter blondies are also vegan-friendly (no eggs)! So you can {and will want to!} lick the Vitamix clean without a care in the world! Yay! I love adding a touch of sea salt to the top of these before baking them….you can’t go wrong with sweet and salty!
Healthy Peanut Butter Blondies: Method
This recipe is SO easy! Simply toss everything (except the chocolate chips) into the container of your Vitamix (or other high-powered blender or food processor) and blend away! It takes 5 minutes to put together and 30 minutes to bake. Which means that you can have a delicious dessert ready to go in no time!
Room temperature. One thing to note is that these blondies blend the easiest when all the ingredients are at room temperature. If you’re using a solid peanut butter, I recommend melting it a touch before putting it in your blender. Rinse the chickpeas with warm water, and let the almond milk warm up a bit at room temperature too!
Healthy Peanut Butter Blondies: Substitutions
Like I said earlier, I tweaked and tested this recipe many, many times before deciding to share it with the world. So I recommend making it exactly as written. However, if you must, here are a few possible substitutions! 🙂
Chickpeas. Great Northern Beans {aka: white beans, aka: Cannellini beans} also work well in this recipe! However, chickpeas (aka: garbanzo beans} are my favorites!
Peanut butter. I honestly have never tried this recipe with any other nut or seed butter, but I am guessing that any all-natural variety would work very well!
Honey. Use pure maple syrup for a vegan variety!
Coconut sugar. Any granulated sugar works well in this recipe. I prefer coconut sugar because it is unrefined and tastes amazing!
Almond milk. Any non-dairy or regular dairy-full milk works excellently in this recipe! I have also used non-dairy creamer with yummy results too!
Watch the video!
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Healthy Peanut Butter Blondies
These Healthy Peanut Butter Blondies are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar free and vegan friendly! Made with chickpeas but you’d never know it! It’s the perfect healthy dessert recipe that you can feel great about indulging in!
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey can substitute maple syrup for a vegan option
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 TBS almond milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- extra sea salt & chocolate chips for the top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8" or 9" glass baking pan and set aside.
- Put all ingredients except for chocolate chips into your blender (Vitamix) or food processor. I highly recommend a great blender like the Vitamix so you get a perfectly smooth consistency.
- Blend until creamy and smooth.
- Once smooth, add chocolate chips and mix by hand.
- Pour mixture into your prepared pan and spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips and sea salt on top.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 20-30 mintues until the edges just pull away from the pan, the top is set and slightly golden brown.
- Let cool for at least 15 minutes, then enjoy!
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can eat them cold or warm in the microwave for 15 seconds to regain the fresh-from-the-oven deliciousness!
Question: have you tried baking with beans?! If so, how did you like it?
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Dropping by from Thursday Favorite Things~
Your blondies look delicious!
Thank you Lynn! 🙂
These look phenomenal! I’ve tried baking with chickpeas before with little success so I’m super excited to try these. Thanks for posting!
Thank you Jess! 🙂 Don’t give up on chickpeas! 😉 If you give them a try I’d love to hear how they turned out for you!
Hi could this recipe work if i used pumpkin purre instead of the chickpeas?
Hello! I actually tried that and it was NOT good! 😉 So no, I do not recommend using pumpkin puree!
HOLY MOLY DO THESE LOOK GOOD! you can never go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate chunks! I love the use of chickpeas!
Thank you so much and amen!!! 🙂 There really isn’t a better combination (in my opinion)! 😉
I love blondies of every sort – these look lovely and naturally healthier is cool!
Blondies are awesome!! 🙂 Thank you!
I’ve made a lot of those chickpea blondies too- but I am excited to try this tweaked version! They look yummy!
Thank you Emma! I’ve tried so many recipes that I’ve liked…but I love these!!! 🙂 I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! 🙂
Wow! I am so impressed! These look amazing and I had no idea that they had beans in them till I read the second paragraph! I am a fan of dessert everyday, I will have to try these out!
Thanks so much Kristen! A day isn’t complete without dessert! 🙂 The best part is you would never know there are beans in them…they taste like peanut butter cookie dough! 🙂
Girl! I’m right there with you on dessert after dinner. UGH I can’t stop.
I won’t stop.
xx
These look delicious – hopefully they solve all life’s problems.
Liz recently posted…Flying Woes – Tips and Tricks for Survival
LOL Liz! Don’t stop…eat it eat it.
I saw healthy and had to take a double look at the picture cause these look to0 good to be healthy. I am going to have to make these!
Tasha recently posted…30 lb Show down-Blog Series
Thank you Tasha!! I love making healthy food FUN! 🙂
Well, these were awesome! They were my first baking endeavour with chickpeas (very odd at first I thought to try), but they were great. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks so much Steven! I’m so SO glad that you enjoyed them! Thank you for taking the time to let me know how this recipe went for you…it truly means so much! Chickpeas…who knew right?! 🙂
wow yummy!! I love that you did these in a blender too. What a great shortcut to doing baking! and they are healthy too = bonus! Thanks for linking #YumTum
I just love this recipe. I love the healthy spin you put on these delicious blondies! So good! Pinning, sharing on my FB, and stumbleing for you! Have a great week!:):)
Thanks so much Ilka! I’m so glad you love it!!! It’s one of my faves and definitely a staple in my house! 🙂 I hope you have an amazing week!!!
I love this! Such a great recipe and love that you made it a healthy alternative. Pinned, Yummed, & Tweeted!! 🙂
Angela recently posted…Sunday Fitness & Food Link-Up: Roasted Broccoli & Sweet Potatoes in Coconut Oil
Thank you Angela!! I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
If you want to live healthy, you must eat healthy. On this healthy peanut butter blondies, your cravings for peanut and butter will be satisfy in this recipe. Enjoying a dessert like this after your meal will sure to make you healthy and satisfied on this recipe.
I agree! I love satisfying cravings with healthy, nutritious foods! 🙂 We shouldn’t have to deprive ourselves….we can enjoy life and the food we eat without sacrificing our health!
Love this recipe SO SO much!! I haven’t made chickpea based cookies in FOREVER so I’ll definitely be giving these a try soon!
Thanks so much Liz! I LOVE baking with chickpeas!!! 🙂 Let me know if you give them a whirl!
Can you substitute canned chickpeas with chickpea flour!
I do not recommend substitution chickpeas for chickpea flour!
These look so delicious! Even better that they are healthy! 🙂
Thanks Cara! 🙂
Can you believe that I have never heard of the chickpea/peanut butter baking combo? I am definitely trying these because I too am a lover of peanut butter AND chickpeas!
Angela @ Setting My Intention recently posted…Our 10 Essential Pantry Staples
Oh geeze you have some lost time to make up for! Get baking lady! 😉 🙂
Baking with beans is great! Chickpeas, white kidney beans and black beans are the best. I love chickpea blondies and these look perfect! Looking forward to making a batch this weekend!!
I couldn’t agree more!! 🙂 Who know beans could taste so great in sweet treats?! I hope you enjoy them! Please report back if you test drive this recipe! 🙂
Hey Laura, these sound amazing and I can’t wait to try them! I have a bit of a sweet tooth and love substituting with healthier alternatives. I was wondering if you’ve ever frozen them to save for later? Do they taste just as well?
Hey Hannah!! I actually can’t say that they have ever lasted long enough for me to freezer for later! 🙂 I honestly haven’t tried freezing any of my bean-based desserts! I have a batch of them in the oven right now though, so I will stick one in there and give it a whirl and let you know how it goes!
Oh great, thank you! 🙂
Hey Hannah! I just ate the bar that I put in the freezer last week! It was good…not as great like it is fresh from the oven…but I was pleasantly surprised! I recommend reheating in the microwave on a low power for about 30 seconds…or just leave at room temperature until it’s thawed and then microwave for 5-10 seconds!
Good to know! Thanks for trying it out. That way I can make them to save for later 🙂
I’ve already made a batch in the meantime to bring to dinner with friends and we all loved them! No need to freeze anything from that batch 😉
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi.. This recipe looks delicious. Did I miss the nutritional information? Specifically calories per serving. TIA.
Hey Steph! I do not include nutritional information on my recipes! 🙂
Hi Laura! Just made these this afternoon and they look fantastic! I put them in a smaller sized pan (6×8 I believe) so they’d be good and thick! Can’t wait to dig in .. They’re cooling now. I’ll be sure to post a pic on Instagram at some point and tag you in them!
Hey Elizabeth! Thank you so much! It makes me so happy when people try the goodies I share on this little blog! 🙂 I hope you love them!! And making them deep dish is GENIUS! Looking forward too seeing pics of that Oooey Gooey, deep dish, chocolatey goodness! 🙂
Mine are mushy in the middle how can I cook them to be drier?
We have to eat themwith a spoon
Hey Michele! I’m so sorry yours were underdone in the middle! How long did you bake them? If you baked for 30 minutes…I’d increase baking time and check at 35! Then watch them carefully after that until they seem to be set for you. Different ovens can bake things differently!
I made these this afternoon. They are amazing, but mine too, were very soft and mushy. The edges had pulled away and the top was brown, so I thought they were finished baking. I was afraid if I baked them any longer the edges and bottom would be over baked, dry, and hard. I used a 8 x 8 metal pan instead of glass. Could that be the issue? That was the only change I made.
I will be making these again!
Thank you for the great recipe.
Jessi
Hey Jessi! I’m so sorry that they turned out soft and mushy! It is always a bummer when a recipe doesn’t turn out the way you want it to! A few suggestions…you can use a 9×9″ baking pan which would make them thinner but would definitely help them cook more evenly! Did you use a convection oven to bake your blondies? The trickiest part of baking is that all ovens work a little differently! If yours tends to bake hot or cook the top before the center is done, I’d try either using the convection setting or baking on a lower rack in your oven. The metal pan could’ve played a part but I think a more likely culprit is the oven! 😉 Did you make any substitutions in the recipe?
I didn’t make any other substitutions. I also thought too, that maybe my baking soda was old and didn’t give it enough rise. I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks for your feedback.
Jessi
Hey Jessi! Definitely let me know if you try it again! I wish I could be in the kitchen with you to see what happened!
I don’t have coconut sugar, can I use stevia?
Hey Eva! I don’t usually recommend sweeteners as substitutes. However, you may try using something like stevia in the raw, or a variety that is a 1:1 substitute for granulated sugar. You can also substitute the coconut sugar with honey or maple syrup if you’d like to…they just turn out a tad gooeier and may need to be baked a touch longer!
I’m loving this recipe but found it very hard to blend in the vitamix. I’m wondering if your peanut butter is more liquidy than mine because the batter was super thick. I even added an extra tsp of vanilla to try and thin it down a bit. I think I will try using my food processor next time. I left out the coconut sugar thinking it would be too sweet for my liking but I should have stuck with your recipe. Can’t wait to try it again!
Hey Melissa! I’m so sorry you had trouble with the recipe! Omitting the coconut sugar definitely would have an impact on the blendability {I created a word lol} of these bars! If you are using a thicker peanut butter I’d recommend adding an extra TBS of almond milk to make it easier to blend if it’s giving you trouble! Using a food processor is also an option!
I made these, included the coconut sugar and had a runny pb and it was still hard to blend in my vitamin. I was hesitant to add more liquid because I thought the batter would end up soft and mushy like above. They are in the oven now..we’ll see how they turn out! I did put them on parchment paper.
Hey Kristen! How did it turn out for you? It’s important to make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature to ensure the easiest blending! Which Vitamix do you have? 🙂
I just made these last night and they are SO GOOD! It’s my first time baking with chickpeas and I’m pretty new to vegan baking, and they still came out great! They were a crowd pleaser and I’ll definitely be making them again!
YAY!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them Laura!! I love them so much! Sometimes I go crazy and toss some PB chips in them too! 🙂
Does anyone know the amount of calories per serving?
I baked mine in an 8×8 pan and cut the blondies into 16 squares. My calorie count per square came to 146.
I am a fitness enthusiast, but also a baking snob – real butter and sugar only, please. (One hobby balances out the other – LOL.) Anyway, I was skeptical, having had bad black bean brownie experiences in the past, but these are legitimately scrumptious! Not just “not too bad for having beans in them”, but like really good, like you’d wanna serve them to your friends at a party and just enjoy the compliments. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe! Well done!
LOL Sephonnie I absolutely and completely understand where you’er coming from! I’m so glad these passed the baking snob test!! 😉
DO we have to bake these? Do you think I would be able to turn this recipe into “no bake” bliss balls instead?
This looks great! I’m wondering if you have suggestions for blending batter in the vitamix. I shy away from doing thick stuff in the vitamix bc I’m never sure I’m doing it right. Do you to right up to High and use the tamper to push it all down repeatedly? Or is there a better way? These look too good not to try. :))
Forgot to click “notify me of comments” 🙂
Hey Erica! I just made these in my Vitamix this weekend! Your machine will definitely make a noise that sounds wrong…but it’s OK! LOL! Don’t be afraid to use the tamper to push the batter down. I also turn the machine off and scrape the sides sometimes if I need to. Another tip…try blending the liquid ingredients first (in any recipe in the vitamix) because it makes it easier to blend when the other ingredients are added!
Absolutely delicious!!! I can’t believe it’s made with chickpeas!! My new favorite bite to have with my mid morning cup of coffee! Devine!
Yay Dani!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Making them in mini muffin form is brilliant! A quick and easy little snack!!
Oh and also I made mini muffins and they held together great and were nice a fudgy☺
These are delicious! My three year old has been devouring them 🙂 and my husband was pleasantly surprised to find out that the secret ingredient was chickpeas. The blondies freeze extremely well and I love that I can pull one out of the freezer anytime 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I can’t wait to try this, but will have to for now as my oven just died! 😕 But, I have a question. You mentioned using the chickpeas in place of flour. I just looked at another recipe for baked zucchini bites with flour, which I don’t want. Have you tried using chickpeas to replace flour in something that’s NOT sweet?
Hi Laura, honey is not used by vegans.Its exploited by humans from bee’s.Bee’s need it for survival…could use corn syrup instead if u want to call them vegan…They look good and i will definitely use corn syrup when i make them…think it will make no difference..
Hey Pam! I highly recommend using Maple Syrup as a vegan option and avoiding corn syrup! You could also use agave or brown rice syrup!
Would maple syrup work instead of honey to be vegan?
Yes! I use maple syrup all the time!
Hi i cook my own chickpeas so not sure what the amount of peas would be from a drained can. Does anyone know I’d like to try these. Thanks
It’s about 1.5 cups!
These were DELICIOUS! Even my husband LOVED them… and he’s pretty skeptical about eating anything made with alternative ingredients outside our norm. Once we tested the batter, we knew they’d bake out and test incredible. Ours were a little mushy in the middle too, but my husband and I like our brownies, etc. a little soft in the middle so we didn’t mind.
Thanks for the recipe!
Nicole I LOVE that even your hubby enjoyed them! It’s always great when we find healthier recipes even picky eaters enjoy!
Thank you thank you! This one I’m definitely going to make. I have allergic reactions to so many foods Inc gluten, oats, dairy eggs even gluten free things like millet and have to be low sugar so baking has become difficult. Which of love to do. I’d seen chocolate brownies with legumes but didn’t even think of replacing in other things. And never had blondies. Our treats in the UK differ slightly like most places. Nice to have found your blog. X question, could I use almond butter instead?
I just tried these with a couple tweaks of my own, and they turned out good. 🙂 The one thing that has been holding me back from trying bean brownies is lack of a food processor. Well, I do have a wonderful Kitchen Aid mixer…and I just beat the beans into smooth submission haha For PB I used Smucker’s Natural. Instead of the honey and coconut sugar I used a scant half cup of mashed ripe banana + 4 TBSP Date Sugar. I used Oat Milk instead of Almond and I used Ghiradelli 60% choc chips. My son is 10 and is not a fan of darker chocolate, thought these were great and needed the chocolate…and I did not tell him the base was beans(although he likes beans) Trying to eat plant-based,whole foods and avoid animal products is challenging, especially when it comes to “treats”…this one will make my coveted recipe journal for baking 🙂
Meredith! I’m so glad you were able to use this recipe to create something you enjoyed! 🙂
OMG!!! I know I am a year late to the party…but these are delicious. I skipped the coconut sugar and just used the maple syrup and added pieces from a chopped up Almond Toffee Symphony bar instead of the chocolate chips. Really delicious!
It’s never too late to join THIS party! 🙂
I don’t have a Vitamix. Would an immersion blender stick work?
Have you ever tried this with PB2? Just wondering if it would turn out…..
Could almond butter be used instead of peanut butter. I am sensitive to peanut butter. Thanks!
Hello Alicia! Yes! Almond butter should work great in this recipe!
I never review recipies and felt compelled to do so in this case. These were amazing! It was the 1st time baking with garbanzo beans (have used black beans) and I seriously could have eaten the whole pan!! We subbed almond butter for the peanut butter due to allergies and had no issues. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!! 🙂
How did you get these to rise so much? like mine rose a little but aren’t nice and gooey looking 🙁 i had to use just white sugar could that be it? or maybe just bad baking soda? i had this problem when i tried to make these from a conpletely different recipe. is it just me lol
To make this dairy-free, should I find dairy-free chocolate chips? Can I find that in a regular grocery store? Can’t wait to try these
Hey Valarie! YES! Many brands of chocolate chips are dairy free! Be sure to stick with dark chocolate varieties (e.g avoid *milk* chocolate) 😉 Guittard, Ghirardelli, Enjoy Life foods, Kirkland semi-sweet chocolate chips (Costco), etc.! Be sure to read the ingredient list and remember cocoa butter is dairy free!
Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips are dairy free.
These were really nice. I left out the sugar and used honey.
Hi Laura! Can’t wait to try these!! I was just wondering I have a 15 oz can of chickpeas but when I weighed them out after draining the water it came to 8.5 oz. Do you use one can or two?
Thank you, Kristy
One can of chickpeas!
Made it today and I loved it!! Thank you Laura
What chocolate chips/chunks do you use to make this dairy free?
I use Enjoy Life mini-chocolate chips and/or chunks. They are dairy, soy and nut free.
these were absolutely amazing. I would never have known that they didn’t have flour or dairy in them. Very rich and decadent for a gluten free, vegan recipe. I will definitely be making these again!
Can the recipe be doubled for a 8×13 pan? Would you bake it longer?
Calorie count/nutrition facts? These look great!
I could not get these to bake through. They taste good but are like they are unbaked. And did not rise at all. Any suggestions?
Ok, these are amazing! My son has a dairy allergy, my good friend is celiac, her daughter has an egg allergy and I’m just sort of a plant-eating hippie. Our families do dinner together once a week and I have made it my mission (with little success unfortunately) to find a dessert we can all eat that is actually good. Just like you, I too will NEVER give up dessert. My mission is complete with these here blondies. THANK YOU!! Mine turned out very soft in the middle but definitely set. I used a ninja blender to mix without any issue, and baked them in a glass 8×8 fyi.
I have two questions for you. Can you use cannellini or great northern beans instead of garbanzo? I am fresh out and want to make these again right now! Also, what is your username on Instagram so I can tag you? Do you have a hashtag? The world needs to know about these!
Hey Laura! I’m SO glad you enjoyed these blondies! They’re a favorite around here for sure! I have used white beans (I believe I tried great northern) before and they still taste good, however I prefer garbonzo! But if you must make them ASAP I do not think you will be disappointed! 😉 My username on instagram is @joyfoodsunshine and the hashtag is #joyfoodsushine !
These blondies are AMAZING!!!! I was beyond impressed. I was a little apprehensive at first because I’m not a peanut butter lover and normally try to avoid it as much as possible. However, this year I said that I am going to be adventurous and cook with items and foods that I normally shy away from. This dessert was sooooooooo worth the adventure . I made one adjustment to the recipe, I added pecans and coconut flakes to give it some texture. Thanks for the new recipe!
These are simply fabulous. Thanks for sharing!
I made these with cannellini beans. These were amaze balls! 👍 👏 👏 👏 😎 I used less sugar and used tupelo honey. Yum!
SO glad you enjoyed them!!!
I made these tonight as a Valentine treat for my husband who is eating Paleo as much as possible. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly. Mine look just like your pictures and they are, unbelievably, delicious! I bake a lot would serve these to anyone and I don’t think they would even know how much healthy goodness is in here. What a great surprise.
Omg I LOVE THESE!! I am truly obsessed with making them!! I can’t believe how delicious they taste!! I make them all the time.