Friends, this is the cookie of your dreams! They’re soft and chewy, perfectly sweet, and actually HEALTHY! No, these are not “healthy for cookies”, but truly, you can feel great about these peanut butter chickpea cookies! These delicious bites are vegan, gluten free, and refined sugar free, but darn are they delicious! They also have nut free and oil free options!
This recipe was originally published in June 2017. It has been updated for content and photos.
You may have noticed on the blog by now, that I’m a big fan of healthy cookies. Like my sweet potato cookies and vegan oatmeal cookies with zucchini, these cookies are made with truly wholesome ingredients.
Yes, I hear you. I know how it sounds, but yes, there is an entire can of chickpeas in this batch of cookies.
Weird sounding?
Ya, maybe!
Weird tasting?
NOPE!
I know it seems an odd choice. But truly, I’ve lost count how many times I’ve made these chickpea cookies. They are loved by ALL kinds of eaters, vegans, vegetarians, omnivores, picky kiddos, and picky husbands too.
These chickpea cookies are so soft and fluffy, naturally sweetened and I guarantee, NO ONE will guess they are made using garbanzo beans instead of flour.
So of course, we have chickpeas in here, a lot of them! The chickpeas replace the flour in this recipe, making these cookies flourless and gluten free.
In addition to the chickpeas, these have:
- Ripe banana for sweetness. Make sure they’re super ripe, the skins spotted brown in order to get the most sweetness out of your bananas.
- Peanut butter. Use the natural kind with no sugar or salt added. You’ll want to read the ingredients to make sure.
- Baking powder to give your cookies a little lift. However, I’ve accidentally forgotten the baking powder once or twice and the cookies still come out great.
- Coconut oil OR applesauce if avoiding oil. This has been tested both ways repeatedly. Both ways work! You choose.
- Oats, making sure to grab certified gluten free if needed. Both quick cooking steel cut oats and rolled oats work well.
- Maple syrup (optional), if you want a little extra sweetness.
- Vanilla (optional). If you have some, add it in. If you don’t, don’t sweat it.
These peanut butter chickpea cookies are sounding better and better right?
I’m always honest with you, so let’s be perfectly clear. No, these do not taste like traditional peanut butter cookies, in that they aren’t crunchy and crumbly.
But they are truly incredible!
- They’re loaded with delicious peanut butter flavour in a soft, chewy texture.
- These chickpea cookies are fluffy and light, they sort of melt in your mouth from they’re soft, yummy texture. They almost seem under cooked, but they are not!
- Only 6 ingredients (plus 2 optional ones if you choose) and 25 minutes needed. Plus they’re super simple to make with very little prep, these cookies practically make themselves. 😉
- Cookies you can eat for breakfast are always a huge win in my books. (Not to mention my kiddos!)
- Packed with protein from peanut butter and chickpeas, plus extra nutrients from bananas and oats, you can truly feel great about eating these!
- These chickpea cookies are naturally sweetened, naturally vegan and gluten free. Plus with a couple of simple swaps you can even make them nut free and oil free if needed.
Gather your ingredients and them all to your food processor. Process until mostly smooth.
When your batter is ready, scoop your mixture using a small cookie scoop or metal teaspoon. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, just slide the batter off your spoon and onto your cookie sheet.
The cookies won’t spread much, so just make sure you’re happy with their shape before baking.
You should get about 30 chickpea cookies, so use a large tray, or use two if needed.
Bake the cookies for 18-22 minutes.
The peanut butter chickpea cookies are ready when they’re slightly golden brown around the edges, but they will still be soft to the touch.
Remove from the oven and let your cookies cool for at least 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack.
The cooling time will allow your chickpea cookies to completely set, so don’t eat them straight out of the oven.
Once cooled, enjoy with a cup of tea, your morning coffee, an afternoon snack, or a healthy dessert.
How long do they keep?
These peanut butter chickpea cookies keep at room temperature in a sealed container, or covered in plastic wrap for 2-3 days.
Or you may refrigerate for 5-6 days to keep longer, but they do taste best at room temperature.
These cookies also freeze well and make wonderful make ahead breakfasts and snacks. I like to freeze half of them (or make a double batch) to always have some on hand.
To freeze, make sure the chickpea cookies are completely cooled and then store in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 2 months. Just thaw and enjoy when ready to eat!
Substitutions/Variations
- If you don’t have peanut butter, you can make some if you have peanuts and a food processor or blender. You may also sub for almond butter or cashew butter.
- For oil free, sub the coconut oil with unsweetened apple sauce. The original recipe calls for coconut oil, but I have since tested these chickpea cookies (many times) with apple sauce and actually now prefer them that way.
- To make this nut free, sub the peanut butter for sun butter or tahini.
- If you don’t have pure maple syrup but still want to add some extra sweetness, use agave syrup, or honey works too, if not vegan.
- Do not sub the chickpeas for chickpea flour. That just won’t work.
- I enjoy these chickpea cookies “plain”, but they also make a great base for fillers. If you’d like, you may add 1/4-1/3 cup of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, raisins or cranberries, chopped pecans or walnuts, or shredded coconut. Just choose one, and don’t add too much or the batter won’t hold as well.
Expert Tips
- Use peanut butter that is made with only peanuts and no added fat or sugar. Some “natural” brands are not made using just peanuts, so always read the ingredients. Or of course, you may make your own.
- I use an entire 13.5 oz can. If your can is larger and you want to use it all, not to waste, you can. However, you will need a little extra liquid to compensate. Either add another 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil or unsweetened apple sauce to the mix. Once processed, if your batter seems too thick, add another tablespoon and pulse to combine until you have a fluffy consistency.
- If you want uniform chickpea cookies, a cookie scoop will be your best friend. I like to keep these cookies on the small side and use a small cookie scoop (which is 2 teaspoons worth). Or use a rounded metal teaspoon.
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Buon appetito,
Rosa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 13.5 oz can chickpeas drained & rinsed
- 2 large very ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter homemade or store bought (or sub soy butter or tahini for nut free)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup optional
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or apple sauce if avoiding oil
- 3/4 cup quick cooking steel cut oats or rolled oats
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add all the ingredients to your food processor and process until smooth.
- Using a metal teaspoon, scoop the mixture onto your prepared baking sheet and form your cookies.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. Allow cookies to cool completely to help them firm up before serving.
This recipe is out of this world amazing!!!! Thanks so much, I added 1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, so yummy!
So happy you enjoyed the cookies Christina. Thanks very much for the feedback. 🙂
Made these for my toddler and they turned out delicious! Thank you for the healthy recipe. I never would have thought to use chickpeas in cookies.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the review Alexa. 🙂
If using chickpeas I’ve cooked myself, how many cups would you suggest using?
Hi Irene, use about 1 + 1/3 cups of cooked chickpeas. Enjoy!
Very nice recipe.. My 10year old made it all by herself… and turned out like store brought.. She is on the 7th sky..!!
Aww that’s wonderful, thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I cook my own chickpeas, instead of canned. how much (dry) would I use?
Hi Edie, you’ll need approx 1 1/3 cups of COOKED chickpeas. I believe around half a cup dry would get you there. Enjoy!
I have everything but the bananas! Do you have any suggestions? These sound amazing!
Hi Michelle, I haven’t tried these without the bananas but I think mashed sweet potato or pumpkin should work.
I am allergic to oats, so I subbed 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour and they came out great. My bananas weren’t as ripe as I would have liked, but the maple syrup helped sweeten them up. My daughter is really picky and I made 1/2 the batch with vegan chocolate chips and she really liked them! I also got about 40 cookies using a small cookie scoop and baked for 18 minutes, they came out perfect. Thank you.
Thanks so much for the review Tracy. So glad this worked with flour. Chocolate chips sound like the perfect add in. 🙂 Thrilled you both enjoyed.
I can’t wait to make these cookies. I loved the idea of using chickpea. I have different size can of chickpea and sometimes I cook them from dry. How many cups of chickpea should I use in this recipe?
Hi Cindy, 1 + 1/3 cup works well for this recipe. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Had some much chickpeas leftover one day and came across this recipe and let me tell you…they were very moist and the favour of peanut butter inside…oh my goodness heaven in your mouth!! Yum yum!
Thrilled you enjoyed! Thanks Melissa.
These cookies were amazing! I replaced the peanut butter with tahini to make them school friendly and my little ones loved them. Thank you so much for this recipe, with back to school around the corner, this will be a perfect healthy treat to send in their lunch boxes!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Thanks so much for sharing your process Bethany. What a great idea to make these school friendly! 🙂
Can you use a blender instead of a food processor?
Hi Ruth, yes you can use a blender, just try not to over process the batter. You may also want to blend half the ingredients at a time and then mix in a bowl depending on the size of your blender. Hope you enjoy!
I can’t use oil and usually use the powdered peanut butter which is way lower fat. I wonder if these would turn out ok if I sub these ingredients.
Hi AJ, by replacing two of the liquid ingredients with powder, this will definitely alter the texture and consistency. It will need some liquid to balance out those substitutions. Without testing a brand new recipe, I can’t say for certain how that would turn out.
What if you added a little apple sauce for moisture?
The updated recipe includes an applesauce option now. 🙂
Oh, wow! Yes chickpea cookies sounds totally crazy! But so crazy that I absolutely have to try them!
Haha thanks Beth, enjoy!
They are so so good! I added chocolate chips! Fabulous cookie
Thanks Faith! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Hey Rosa, I always love visiting your blog & making your recipes. They work every single time & I am just so glad to ding this chickpea cookie here, it’ll be a wonderful addition to my cookie collection. Thanks much for the detailed info.
Thanks so much Meghna. I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes! Keep visiting as there’s new additions every week. 🙂
How interesting! I’ve made vegan macarons with chickpea liquid, so i don’t doubt these are tasty and I love that there’s some good protein in there! Yum!
Thanks so much Luci!
Chickpea cookies? I am so intrigued and would love to try this as they looks healthy and delicious!
Thank you!
These are so creative! What a great way to cut out flour and keep these healthy and delicious!
Thanks so much!
Alright you have my attention. I really don’t like chickpeas, but like hummus, so I’m so keen to try these out to see if I can hide them from myself in cookies haha!
I promise these don’t taste like chickpeas Sarah. My kids and nieces and nephews loves these and they too HATE chickpeas lol. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you end up trying them. 🙂
You’re totally right, made them this morning and they were delicious. Thanks for the new use of chickpeas! 😀
Woo hoo!!! You’re so welcome, glad you enjoyed. 🙂
I have never heard of putting chickpeas in cookies before but I am gonna have to give these a try!! Always looking for new baking recipes, my daughter loves to bake!
That’s awesome, hope you guys enjoy!
Flour free and all the rest of the ingredients for the cookies are also healthy. I cannot wait to give this a try.
Thanks Anita, enjoy!
I’ve never made chickpea cookies so I’m very interested in making them and trying these. They look so yummy and healthy! I can’t wait to try these, they seem like the perfect treat to keep around and have with my cup of coffee!
Hope you enjoy Cathy!
Just look at that tower! Can it go higher?! 🙂 Chickpea cookies sound very unique, so I should definitely try them ASAP!
Haha thanks Elaine! You definitely should. 🙂
These are so good. My daughter loves them and thinks of them as such a treat! I love keeping them on hand in the freezer and taking them out when we need them.. and feeling guilt free about it! Thanks Rosa!
You’re so welcome! So glad your daughter enjoys these. There’s nothing better than a guilt free treat!
These are so easy to make and are so incredibly delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!