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:
Maria says
I’ve just made these and they taste absolutely amaaaaziinng ðŸ˜ðŸ¤¤ I’m sending this recipe to all my friends right now! Thank you!! 💜
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! So glad to hear that – thanks Maria 🙂
Anand says
Unsalted canned chickpeas are not available where I live. How can I make the aquafaba? Can I use boil some chickpeas myself and keep the water? I can use the chickpeas to make hummus.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Anand! You can make some from dried chickpeas – you can either simmer them on the stove top or slow cook for a few hours. Here’s a little walk through to explain how to do it in more depth https://cookforgood.com/make-homemade-aquafaba-dried-beans/
Sev says
Hi made these brownies the best ever! I used a mic of light brown and white sugar. The only question is do these freeze well and for how long can i store them in the freezer?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Sev! You know, I’m not sure about freezing them! My gut instinct wants to say that you should be able to keep them in the freezer just as you would with normal brownies. In general, brownies can be kept about 3 months in the freezer wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then again with foil
Billie says
We are new to GF cooking and we tried this recipe as our first intro to GF desserts. We were not dissappointed! Amazing! These taste and look amazing. My daughter evenlikes them and she was super sketchy watching them come together. They are so rich you just need a small piece to satisfy your sweet tooth. Thanks for posting your recipes!
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! So happy you guys enjoyed them! Thanks Billie 🙂
Carl says
Hi Sarah,
How would you store these brownies and for how long could you store them?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Carl! You can keep these stored in the baking tin covered with foil or plastic wrap or move to an storage container. You can keep them at room temperature or in the fridge – they’re very fudgy brownies though so the fridge might be better.
Carol says
I enjoyed making these so much. They actually looked so good just sitting in the pan before they even went into the oven. They came out perfect and have been Soooo enjoyed. I sent the link to a friend and she asked if there was a workable solution for a sugar substitute. I couldn’t find any previous comments on this subject. Any recommendations?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Carol! So glad you enjoyed these! Thanks for coming back to let me know what you thought!
As for the sugar subs – if you’re using another granulated sugar like coconut or a granulated low carb sub that would work but if you try to use a liquid sugar like maple or honey you might run into trouble. I haven’t done any testing with those types of sweeteners so I’m not too sure how they effect the over all texture in the end. Hope that helps!
Sarah says
Looks great! Came down to read if anyone had success using eggs or something in place of the aquafaba(?). Have you heard from anyone regarding their attempts? Thank you!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Sarah!
Good question! I feel like I remember reading a comment somewhere (maybe on instagram?) of someone saying they used regular eggs successfully. I can’t seem to find it though so I’m not sure. I do think it would work but until I test it out again I’m not positive. If you try it out please let me know! I’ll try to test this out in a couple of days myself & see how it goes. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful yet!
Julie Cebo says
If you have tried to use regular eggs/egg whites please let me know if that works for this recipe! Also how much I should use. Thank you!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Julie! I just tried these using regular eggs! I ended up using 3 eggs and added an extra 7 minutes to the cook time. I started with 2 eggs but the brownie batter was looking a little dry so I added in a third. They came out really well in the end but definitely had a more cake-y kind of texture right out of the oven which could be a good or a bad thing depending on your preference. That being said they seem to have gotten more fudgy overnight. Next time I might try using 2 eggs and adding an extra 2 tablespoons oil to keep them more fudgy. Hope that helps!
Lisa says
These brownies are amazing every time I bring them somewhere everyone is amazed the only thing I changed was instead of chunks of chocolate I added enjoy life mini chocolate chips!!!!
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Lisa!!
dee says
Hey just wondering ifni Can replace the chickpea flower with tapioca/GF/almond meal??
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Dee! Without doing more testing I can’t recommend using almond or tapioca flour here. I did once try using all almond flour in place of the chickpea here and the brownies never really formed and were more on the greasy side. If you’re looking for a paleo/grain free brownie you might enjoy these coconut flour ones: https://www.asaucykitchen.com/coconut-flour-brownies/ or maybe these ones that use tapioca flour: https://www.asaucykitchen.com/paleo-brownies/
If you need brownies that also need to be vegan or egg free you might enjoy these flourless pumpkin brownies: https://www.asaucykitchen.com/flourless-pumpkin-brownies/
Ellen says
To keep them clean could I use maple
Syrup or agave?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Ellen! I’m afraid I’m not too sure about using maple or agave here without doing more testing. I suspect that changing the type/amount of sugar would greatly change the texture here and probably change the cook time as well