Turn 5 simple ingredients into the yummiest Chickpea Cookies. These have fiber, protein, and low sugar—but taste just like a bite of chocolate chip yumminess!
We’ve been loving my no-bake Chickpea Cookie Dough, and when I discovered how well the dough bakes into actual cookies, I knew I had to share the method asap! This is such a yummy way to serve healthy bean recipes to kids—and these cookies are such an easy dessert for kids.
Quick Look: Chickpea Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Servings: 9
- Flavor Profile: Subtle peanut butter with vanilla and chocolate
- Difficulty: Easy, perfect for everyday baking and special desserts
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Table of Contents
I love using simple ingredients like chickpeas in all sorts of kid-friendly recipes, both to add balance and because it helps kids to learn how versatile these ingredients are. Plus, you can’t taste them in this recipe, so why not!
Why This Recipe Works
Buy blending chickpeas with peanut butter and oat flour, we can make flavorful cookies that are low in added sugars and taste amazing. Plus, the soft cookies bake fast and are egg-free.
(You may also like my Chickpea Blondies and Chickpea Fritters.)
Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to have on hand to make Chickpea Cookies so you know what to pick up from the store or have ready.
- Chickpeas: A can of chickpeas makes the base of these cookies. Any brand works or you can cook them from dry if you prefer. Just drain and rinse them before starting.
- Oat flour: You can buy oat flour at the store or quickly make it at home by grinding rolled oats in a food processor or blender.
- Peanut butter: I use unsweetened creamy peanut butter here. You can make this recipe nut-free by using sunflower seed butter instead.
- Brown sugar: A little brown sugar enhances the flavors and ensures the cookies taste like dessert.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla helps balance out the flavors. You can use pure or artificial vanilla here as they both work in this recipe.
- Baking powder: Fresh, active baking powder helps the cookies bake through and rise very slightly.
- Chocolate chips: I like to use mini chocolate chips so the bursts of chocolate are evenly distributed.
Featured Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“So good! Equally loved by my picky toddler and husband.” —Katrina
How to Make Chickpea Cookies
Here’s a preview of how to make these Chickpea Cookies so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of this post for the full information, including the amounts and the timing.
Step 1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas in a colander.
Step 2. Add the ingredients to a food processor. Grind to make a smooth cookie dough texture.
Step 3. Remove the blade. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Step 4. Portion out balls of dough and bake.
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Chickpea Cookies FAQs
Sure, you can leave it out. The batter without the chocolate is very lightly sweet, so you may want to add dried fruit or a smidge more brown sugar depending on your preferences.
Yes, you can use that or honey, though I prefer the texture of the cookies made with brown sugar.
Sure, you can freeze the batter before baking the cookies or you can bake, cool, and freeze the cookies.
How to Store
Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze balls of dough or press them into a freezer tray or ice cube tray to make little frozen cookie dough bites.
Best Tips for Success
- Use mini chocolate chips or full-size ones. I prefer to chop up full size ones, so there’s a more even distribution of chocolate throughout.
- Look for dairy-free chocolate chips from brands including Guittard, Nestlé Toll House, Enjoy Life Foods, and Ghirardelli.
- These cookies are naturally egg-free and vegan.
- To make this into edible cookie dough, simply use maple syrup or honey in place of the sugar and omit the baking powder.
- Try my Cookie Dough Bark and my Healthy Snack Bars if you have more of your ingredients to use.
More Desserts for Kids
Desserts
So Good Chickpea Blondies
Desserts
Chickpea Cookie Dough
Desserts
Easy Black Bean Brownie Bites
Desserts
Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please rate and comment below!
Favorite Chickpea Cookies
Ingredients
- 14.5 ounces chickpeas (1 can drained and rinsed)
- ⅓ cup oat flour (or rolled oats)
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the ingredients except the chocolate chips to a food processor. Grind, stopping a few times to scrape down the sides, to make a smooth cookie dough texture. Note: If it looks like sand and like it's not coming together, scrape down the sides of the bowl and keep grinding. Repeat that once or twice as needed. It takes a little time to break down the chickpeas enough to make the batter.
- Remove the blade. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Portion out 1 tablespoon-size balls of dough onto the prepared baking pan. Press down slightly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are slightly firm to the touch. Then, remove from the oven, and let cool.
Notes
- Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container In the fridge.
- Use mini chocolate chips or full-size ones. I prefer to chop up full size ones, so there’s a more even distribution of chocolate throughout.
- Use sunflower seed butter in place of the peanut butter to make this nut-free.
- Use raisins instead of chocolate chips if you’d like.
- Look for dairy-free chocolate chips from brands including Guittard, Nestlé Toll House, Enjoy Life Foods, and Ghirardelli.
I do not have a food processor so I have tried using a blender but the chickpeas will not blend and are pretty chunky. Any tips for using a blender? Not everyone has access to a food processor.
The mixture is really thick and will be hard to make in a blender. You could try using a potato masher and doing it by hand, but this recipe works best in a food processor (I do my best to make the recipes all accessible but the thickness of this batter is hard to do any other way.)
Can you use almond flour instead of oat flour? Just trying to use what I have on hand.
Almond flour isn’t as “thirsty” as oat flour so the cookies will be mushy if you substitute 1:1. You would need to add more almond flour but I have not tested this recipe that way so I can’t say exactly how much. You can also use all purpose flour instead of oat flour if you have that on hand.
These look great, I will make them this weekend for my daughter’s birthday. Our kids’s birthdays always feature 2-3 of your amazing recipes. I have been using your recipes for years. Thank you for everything you do.
Stephany from Lebanon
You’re so welcome and I’m so glad to hear that!
Made the recipe as is and they turned out great. Minimal ingredients and steps made it easy for my toddler to help too! I had 2 to portion control my son but definitely could’ve eaten most of them by myself in one sitting.
I’m so glad to hear that!
Can i just use regular flour?
Sure, if you prefer.
The chickpeas quantity is not clear. One can of drained chickpeas was about 230gr, not 411 as indicated here, so I added more to reach 411gr. The taste was weird with chickpeas being quite dominant as one would expect. The cookie is very heavy and my kids didn’t like them too much. I suggest to try half the amount first to see if you like it.
The recipe should be made with one 14.5 ounce can of chickpeas, which turns out great!
delicious, kids and adults loved them, made 2 batches in 2 days. Will add to regular snack recipe list!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Delicious cookies! I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and also added cacao nibs in addition to the chocolate chips. This will be a regular recipe at our house!
I’m so glad to hear that!
These were a huge success! I traded peanut butter for sun butter to make it daycare friendly and my 3 year old just demolished 6. Thank you!
Yay! That’s excellent to hear! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
I made this recipe according to directions except we used natural (only almonds and salt) almond butter (we have a peanut allergy in the house), and also used mini chocolate chips. They are sooo good! You don’t taste the chickpeas at all.
I’m so glad to hear that and thank you for letting me know that you liked it with almond butter!
Excited to try this! Would wheat flour with the same as oat, or does oat flour impart a particular flavor? Thanks!
You can use wheat flour!
If replacing the brown sugar with honey or maple syrup, what quantity of honey or maple syrup should it be? Should any other ingredients be altered accordingly? Thanks!
I would use the same amount and bake them for the same amount of time. If the batter seems a little wet, add an extra sprinkle of oat flour.
Thanks for a great easy recipe! I replaced the peanut butter with almond butter and it tastes great. I would just add cinnamon next time to hide the chickpea taste a bit.
Glad to hear that!
Can you use Besan (chickpea flour) instead of chickpeas
I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say for sure, but I have a feeling the batter would be too dry (since whole canned chickpeas have some moisture in them). If you try that, you might need to add an egg.
In wondering if there’s any substitute for nut/seed butter in this recipe. My guess is it would ruin/change the recipe entirely, but there’s a child in my daughter’s class who is allergic to nuts, seeds, and pumpkin- all the typical peanut substitutes!
You need something with that consistency to help hold them together since there are no eggs. Maybe this is an option to have at home rather than for school?
So good! Equally loved by my picky toddler and husband.