Ooey, gooey fudgy Chickpea Brownies complete with a decadent chocolate centre and the perfect crackly top | Gluten Free + Vegan
I don’t know about you but I’ve got a lot of opinions about brownies.
If they don’t so much as look right I won’t even bother eating them because I’d honestly rather not waste the calories. And I don’t even count calories.
That being said – I make a lot of brownies because my husband’s love for chocolate is not unlike that of a PMSing woman. With all of the brownies I’ve made him over the years only a couple have made it on to the blog here because I’m so picky about making them right and I don’t want to share anything less than perfect.
A good brownie must have two key features or I’m out:
🌟A crinkly, paper thin crusted top
🌟A rich, melt-in-your-mouth fudgy centre
Ideally I’d also like a few chocolate chunks thrown in for good measure but I’m not quite as discerning about that.
Well, friends.
These chickpea brownies are my new favourite. They’re everything a brownie should be/have and they just so happen to be vegan, grain free & nut free.
Let’s get to it!
How to Make: Vegan Chickpea Brownies
First things first just start melting your chocolate and coconut oil to get that out of the way. 30 second intervals in the microwave stirring every so often should do it. Once melted just set aside to cool a little bit while you prep the rest of your ingredients.
Aquafaba
What is it?
It literally just means bean water… as in the water that you and I used to pour down the sink when draining a can of chickpeas. This website answers a lot of the questions you might have on aquafaba, but basically what you need to know is that the water from the chickpea cans mimic the proteins in egg whites making it a really great egg substitute in things like:
Instead of eggs, these brownies use a combination of aquafaba and chickpea flour for all our binding needs. Lots of chickpea love going on here.
Aqauafaba Notes
When using aquafaba in baking it’s often important to whip it up well first. Use either a stand mixer and an electrical handheld mixer to beat the aquafaba and sugar on high – after a couple of minutes it will become shiny and increase in volume.
Once that’s happened you can stir in your melted chocolate & coconut oil. Then start mixing in your dry ingredients: chickpea flour, cocoa powder and baking soda followed by any additional chocolate chips you might want.
Your batter will be thick and fudgy looking. Transfer the batter to a prepared baking tin and use a spoon to spread it out to all the edges of the pan – it might be a little tricky spreading it but you’re on the right track.
Then just pop it in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes before testing for doneness.
The end result are fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth, decadent brownies that are seriously delicious.
I’ve been making these brownies on and off for the past month or so trying to get them just right and I can honestly say they’re the best brownies I’ve ever made. No question.
Actually that’s not true I do have one more question for you: Are you a centre piece person or a corner piece person? I’m all about the corner pieces myself. I should really invest in this brownie tin – they’re ALL corner pieces in this!
Vegan Chickpea Brownies
Ooey, gooey fudgy Chickpea Brownies complete with a decadent chocolate centre and the perfect crackly top | Gluten Free + Vegan
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup | 145 g coconut oil
- 180 grams dairy free dark chocolate chopped finely or in chips
- 1/2 cup | 120 ml aquafaba (the watery brine from unsalted cans of chickpeas)
- 3/4 cup | 150 grams sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup | 150 grams chickpea flour, sifted if lumpy
- 1/4 cup | 22 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup | 90 grams dairy free chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C. Lightly grease or line an 8x8inch baking tin. Set aside
- Place the coconut oil and chopped chocolate together in a microwave safe bowl. Melt in 30 second increments whisking after each segment until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Once melted set aside to cool.
- In another large mixing bowl beat the aquafaba and the sugar together with an electric mixer until thick and shiny. Mix in the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate mixture.
- Stir in the chickpea flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. Mix until you have a thick, fully mixed batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin. Bake for 30 minutes and then check for doneness. Insert a knife or tooth pick into the centre of the brownies - if it comes out with a wet batter it needs more time. If only a few moist crumbs remain on the knife/tooth pick it's done. If you need to cook the brownies longer check every 3-4 minutes until it's done and then remove from the oven.
- Let the brownies cool in their tin completely before slicing into.
Notes
- Chickpea flour can also be called garbanzo flour or gram flour
- Feel free to use coconut sugar in place of white sugar but keep in mind that the top might not have that signature crinkly top.
- Updated March 12, 2020 - You can use gluten free all purpose flour in place of chickpea flour but you need to wait for the brownies to cool down to room temperature before slicing and serving. If you cut into the brownies too soon they'll fall apart so be prepared with a spoon and a plate if you run out of patience.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size:
1 brownie (out of 16) Calories: 250Saturated Fat: 12gSodium: 53mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 2gSugar: 17gProtein: 4gA few more gluten free brownies you might like:
Amanda says
I attempted to use 1/2c oil and 1/3c applesauce to cut the fat content. I’ll stick to the recipe next time. They had great flavor but were really dry. Thanks for the recipe!
Sarah says
Glad you liked the flavour! Thanks for sharing what you changed too – it’s always super helpful to know what does/doesn’t work!
Katherine says
Omg so good! I used a mixture of honey and stevia due to trying to avoid extra sugar. My picky husband liked them!!
Sarah says
Yay! Thanks Katherine!
Monique says
Is the 1/2 cup aquafaba measured before or after it is whipped?
Sarah says
Before!
Heather says
I made these tonight and they were amazing!!! The batter was bitter but it cooked out like you said. I cooked them for 27 minutes and that was plenty. I only used 1/2 cup sugar and semi-sweet chips. They weren’t greasy and stayed together pretty well. Super dark flavor which I liked. I can’t belief how stiff the aquafaba whips up. I can’t wait to try it with other recipes. The kids loved it!
Sarah says
Hi Heather! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you guys thought – so happy you all enjoyed them!
Heather says
Just made these. The best “brownie” texture and flavor of any vegan brownie we’ve made, and we’ve made a bunch! I did pop these in the fridge to help them firm up, as they do fall apart pretty easy.
The biggest issue I have with them is that they are SO OILY! I don’t mind oil, but they leave an oil film on the bottom of the pan and I ’feel’ oily after eating them. I did double the recipe and make them in a 9’ by 13’ pan (just cooked 10 extra minutes). And I did melt the oil and then measure out the 1 1/3 cup. I want to try this again with less oil/oil alternatives to see if I can get a less oily brownie. But I feel like I’m getting there for my egg, dairy, nut allergic daughter! Thank you!
Sarah says
Hi Heather! Glad you liked them! If you play around with reducing the oil successfully please let me know how much you use!
Lindsey says
Before making these I read all the comments and saw they were all super positive. I however did not have the same experience as all the others that tried this I guess. The brownie looks like any regular brownie does and the texture and consistency is spot on but the aftertaste is absolutely horrendous. The chickpea flour is what I’m guessing gives them this awful taste. I threw them out they were so bad. It was hard throwing them in the trash because they looked so deceiving delicious. Even tried them again to double make sure. Yep I was right. Still gross. Hahahaha
Sarah says
Hi Lindsey! Sorry to hear that! I’m wondering if maybe the flour itself might have gone rancid or maybe the brownies weren’t finished cooking so the taste of uncooked chickpea flour never fully went away.
Karen says
Hands down the best brownie recipe I’ve ever made (and I’ve made a lot of brownies)!
Sarah says
Thanks Karen!!
Justine says
Hi, I just tested or and it is soooo good, a recipe I’ll keep for sure. However, I want to make the recipe again for my father but I know he only has cake flour or corn starch at home. Is it a big deal if I use that ? Or do I really need to buy him chickpea flour ?
Sarah says
Hi Justine! SO glad you enjoyed them!
I’m afraid I’m not sure how they’d work with cake flour or corn starch as I’ve only tested these with chickpea flour (and once with not much success using almond flour). Since I haven’t tried it with anything else I couldn’t be confident in recommending another flour here. Wish I could be more help here!
Amy Alexander says
Hello, How long do these keep for and what would be the best way to keep them fresh? Want to make them for Christmas maybe the day before 🙂
Sarah says
Hi Amy! These can keep up to 3-4 days – just keep them wrapped well at room temperature. Making these the day before is totally fine! These are best eaten within a day or two but because they are so fudgy I actually find them easier to cut and serve if I make them a day in advance. Hope that helps!
W E says
Should the chopped dark chocolate be unsweetened 100%, or what percent cacao chocolate do you use?
Also, do you have any favorite brands for your chocolates and cocoa?
TIA
Sarah says
That part is really up to you and what your preferences are! I usually go for about 70% dark chocolate which make for darker tasting brownies. If you don’t like your brownies being quite so dark I’d go for 60-70% dark chocolate.
As for the brands I typically use this chocolate http://www.kinnerton.com/freefromrange/ but mostly that’s just because it’s usually the cheapest/easiest gluten free chocolate that I can find in my local grocery store (Sainsbury’s). Hope that helps!