Chickpea Protein Brownies – No Sugar, Gluten Free

Rich and fudgy Chickpea Protein Brownies for a no sugar, no flour and healthy dessert! Chocolate chickpea brownies use protein powder for sweetness, and are gluten free, low fat and Vegan too!

I don’t quite remember what made me go for that bag of chickpeas in my pantry, but I’m really glad I did because these protein brownies turned out amazing!

With chickpeas adding that fudgy denseness, these brownies don’t have any flour in them. Just a bunch of simple ingredients, and all you need to do is blend them all in a blender. As easy as it gets.

Ingredients for Chickpea Protein Brownies:

These fudgy chickpea brownies  are made with 6-7 healthy but simple ingredients to make the perfect easy high protein dessert.

• Chickpeas – You can use the canned chickpeas or cook some from dried garbanzo beans.
• Whey-Casein Chocolate Protein Powder to add sweetness to these no sugar chickpea brownies.
  I used part whey-casein Chocolate flavor from Quest Nutrition
• Plant-Based (or Whey) Chocolate Protein Powder – I used Sprout Living Chocolate Maca Protein Powder.
  Prozis or Dymatize ISO are also good options for the Whey.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• Unsweetened Applesauce another contributor to the oil-free part of these chickpea brownies since it adds the moisture
• Unsweetened Almond Milk
• Runny Almond Butter or Tahini (no butter or oil to keep this recipe low fat)
  I recommend American Dream Nut Butter Caramel Crunch Cappuccino Almond Butter here; Its lower fat and higher protein. The link or the code HAYLSKITCHEN gives you a discount too.
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda

And to mix in..

• Chopped Chocolate – I use sugar free ones from Lakanto here (code HAYLSKITCHEN for a disocount on).
  Lily’s is another sugar-free option!

How to make Chickpea Protein Powder Brownies?

This recipe for low carb chickpea protein powder brownies – low in carbs because there’s no flour and no sugar – is unbelievably easy to make in a food processor or blender.

Here’s what it takes:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line an a baking pan (about 8”) with parchment paper.

2. Process drained can of chickpeas or cooked garbanzo beans in a food processor or blender (to crush).

3. Add in the wet ingredients – applesauce, milk, almond butter and vanilla.- and blend until smooth.

4. Add dry ingredients – protein powders, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda – and blend again.

5. Add in chopped chocolate or chocolate chips and fold in.

6. Pour into pan and bake for about 22-25 minutes.

How to know when chickpea brownies are ready?

These protein brownies are done when the top is completely set and dry, and a tester (toothpick or thin sharp knife) comes out with just a few crumbs attached; Brownie will cook more in the pan.

Tips for making Chickpea Brownies with No Sugar

These sugar free chickpea brownies are super easy to make, but here’s some tips to get them perfectly fudgy every time!

• Take skins off chickpeas as much as possible so the batter is smooth.

• Blend chickpeas well until smooth – no chunky grains – so you have smooth brownies!

• Blend all ingredients before adding chocolate or chocolate chips. They would get completely crushed.

• Bake until only few crumbs come attached on the tester; Too dry and the brownies will be overbaked after they cool.

To Store Chocolate Chickpea Protein Brownies

These chocolate chickpea protein brownies are great for a meal prep dessert and can keep on the countertop, fridge or freezer.

Store healthy chickpea brownies in an airtight container on the countertop for 2 days, or fridge for 5 days.

To freeze, individually freeze each chocolate chickpea protein powder brownie on a baking pan, then transfer to freezer-safe zipper bag and keep upto 2 months. Thaw before eating.

Alternatives for Healthy Chocolate Chickpea Brownies

I made these healthy chocolate chickpea brownies with this list of ingredients (no sugar and no flour) but here’s some alternatives to make your brownies.

No AppleSauce?

Switch out the applesauce for mashed banana or pumpkin puree for low-fat chickpea brownies.

Chickpea Brownies without Almond Butter

Use almond butter power, or regular nut or seed butter maybe – like almond, cashew or hazelnut butter? I haven’t tried the creamy nut and seed butters though so you have to let me know if you try it. 

Vegan Protein Brownies

To make chickpea protein brownies Vegan, use a plant based protein powder for the entire recipe. There’s already no milk and no eggs in this recipe.

You also want to make sure you use dairy free chocolate chips here.

More Chickpea Protein Powder Recipes

• Chickpea Protein Cookies – No Bake & Sugar Free
• Chickpea Protein Skillet Cookie
• Protein Chickpea Brookies – GF, SF, V, Oil Free!
• Chickpea Cookie Dough Protein Balls – Simple & Healthy!
• Protein Chickpea Cookie Dough (Low Calorie & Sugar Free)
• Chickpea Cookie Dough Protein Bars (No Bake & Sugar Free)

More Healthy Protein Brownies

• No Bake Protein Brownies
• Protein Brownie Bites
• Mini Egg Protein Brownies
• Gingerbread Protein Brownies with Amazing Cream Cheese Frosting
• Coconut Flour Protein Brownies
• Chunky Monkey Protein Brownies

Protein Chickpea Brownies – No Sugar, Gluten Free

Print recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time21 minutes mins

Total Time31 minutes mins

Servings: 16 2″ bars

Calories: 63kcal

Course: Dessert, Post-Workout

Cuisine: American

Rich and fudgy Chickpea Protein Brownies for a no sugar, no flour and healthy dessert! Chocolate chickpea brownies use protein powder for sweetness, and are gluten free, low fat and Vegan too!

Ingredients

• 1½ cup Chickpeas, Drained can (246g) or Cooked from dry (110g)
• ½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce, 120g
• ¼ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk, 60ml
• 2 Tbsp Almond Butter, Coffee-flavored recommended below, 28g
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• ⅓ cup Chocolate Whey-casein Protein Powder, 30g
• ½ scoop Chocolate Plant-based/Whey Protein Powder, 15g
• ⅓ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 26g
• ¼ tsp Baking Powder
• ¼ tsp Baking Soda
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Chocolate/Chocolate Chips, Sugar free recommended below, 28g

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 8” x 8” brownie pan or baking dish.
• Rinse chickpeas, place in a food processor and blend until coarse and grainy, about 10 seconds.
• Add in remaining wet ingredients – applesauce, milk, almond butter and vanilla.
• Add in protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda – and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary.
• Add chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, reserving few for the top, and fold.
• Transfer batter into pan. Top with remaining chocolate chips.
• Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the top is set and slightly cracked. Toothpick inserted into the center should come out fully dry.
• Remove from oven and let cool completely.

  Cut into slices and enjoy!

Notes

• For firmer brownies, cook for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.
• Nutrition value is calculated using products recommended below.
• See post for alternate ingredients, tips and storage options.

Product Recommendation:

• Quest Nutrition Chocolate Whey-Casein Protein Powder
• Sprout Living Chocolate Maca Plant-Based Protein Powder
• American Dream Nut Butter Almond Butter
  • Use code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount off your order
• Dymatize Chocolate Complete Plant Protein Powder
• Prozis Chocolate Natural Whey Isolate Protein Powder

Nutrition:

• Servings: 16 2” brownies | Serving size: 1
• Calories: 61kcal
• Fat: 2.2g | Saturated fat: 0.5g
• Carbohydrates: 8.1g | Fiber: 2.6g | Sugar: 1.8g
• Protein: 4.1g