Chickpea Cookie Dough Recipe | The ULTIMATE Guide

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This Chickpea Cookie Dough is made from wholesome ingredients, but will still satisfy your sweet tooth! Plus it’s Vegan, Grain-Free, and Refined Sugar-Free.

Chickpea Cookie Dough. Yep, you heard me! Who knew that pureéing Chickpeas with 5 other healthy ingredients would result in a thick, cookie dough-esque batter that tastes like dessert, but is also loaded with fiber and plant protein?! 

ingredients for chickpea cookie dough on wood serving platter

I certainly did not, but now I do. And this stuff is so dang good, I just had to share the recipe with you!

Now I’ll admit — the first time I heard of this concept, I thought it was crazy. I thought, “How on Earth would Chickpeas taste like Cookies?  Isn’t this, like, pureed dessert Hummus?” 

And while the latter is still kind of true…I’m okay with it. Because somehow the combination of Nut Butter, Vanilla Extract, Oat Flour, Maple Syrup, and Chocolate Chips totally masks the flavor of Chickpeas. And I’m not going to complain about that, that’s for sure!

ingredients for chickpea cookie dough in food processor before being blended

This recipe could literally not be easier. Simply make your “dough” in a blender or Food Processor, then pulse or fold in your Chocolate Chips by hand. You could also just eat the Chickpea Cookie Dough plain….but everything is better with a little Chocolate, right? 😉 

hand holding white bowl filled with chocolate chip chickpea cookie dough

Substitutions, Substitutions…

I know many of you are Grain-Free, Nut-Free, or avoid eating certain Sugars, etc. Don’t worry — I’ve got you covered. I tested this recipe using as many substitutions that I could think of, and included all of them in this blog post for ya!

  • Nut Butter: You need to blend the Chickpeas with some kind of healthy fat, otherwise the final mixture won’t be as creamy or smooth. I prefer to use Cashew Butter, but any will do – it comes down to personal flavor preference.
  • Flour: Finally, you need some sort of “flour” to help thicken the puree and make it more fluffy and dough-like. I tested this recipe using both Oat Flour and Almond Flour (for my Grain-Free) friends, and liked both equally! The Oat Flour has a more Cookie-like flavor and was slightly thicker, while the Almond Flour gave an extra creaminess to the batter.
  • Sweetener: I’ve seen Chickpea Cookie Dough be made with both Dates and Maple Syrup, so I tested both. Honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference between the two in terms of smoothness or flavor! As long as you soak your Dates beforehand they should blend well into the mixture.

two white bowls filled with chickpea cookie dough on wood serving tray

For reference, the top Cookie Dough was made with Dates and Almond Flour, while the bottom was made with Oat Flour and Maple Syrup! As you can see, they both look pretty similar, aside from some small brown flecks in the “batter” made from Dates.

two clear tulip jars filled with chickpea cookie dough

Not only do I love that this Cookie Dough is made from wholesome ingredients, but I also equally love the fact that its sole purpose is to be eaten “raw.” And because there’s no eggs or dairy in it, you don’t have to worry about an upset tummy! I’ve never tried to bake this recipe, and I wouldn’t suggest it. Maybe that’s a project for another day, eh?

white bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough on wood serving tray with teal tea towel

A Few Final Thoughts:

  • I tested this recipe using both Pressure-Cooked Beans (from my Instant Pot) and Canned Beans, and noticed that the Canned Beans tastes a lot more bean-y than my homemade ones. If you have the option, I would go with homemade! 
  • Want to get fancy? Don’t just stop at Chocolate Chips! This Chickpea Cookie Dough would also be yummy with Pretzel Pieces, chopped Nuts, or even pieces of Dried Fruit.
  • This Cookie Dough will keep well in the fridge for up to one week…I doubt it will last that long though 😉 I have not tried freezing the leftovers, but don’t imagine that would end well.

white bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough on wood serving tray with teal tea towel

If you’re looking for more healthy Vegan Dessert recipes, you’ll also love this Almond Butter Brownies and these Blueberry Crumble Bars!

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

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Chickpea Cookie Dough

This Chickpea Cookie Dough is made from wholesome ingredients, but will still satisfy your sweet tooth! Plus it’s Vegan, Grain-Free, and Refined Sugar-Free.

  • Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 Minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: about 2 cups 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: No Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ cups cooked Chickpeas*
  • ¼ cup Nut or Seed Butter*
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 3 tbsp Oat Flour or ¼ cup Almond Flour
  • 2 tbsp Maple Syrup*, plus more to taste
  • ¼ cup Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips (or other add-ins of choice)
  • ½ tsp Salt

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients, except for the Chocolate Chips, to a high-speed Blender or Food Processor. Process until a thick, even dough forms, scraping the sides of your device as necessary. Keep in mind that the dough will thicken even more after the flour absorbs some of the liquid and after it sits in the fridge.
  2. Taste the dough and add more Sweetener, if desired. Transfer the dough into a large bowl and use a Spatula to fold in the Chocolate Chips (or just pulse them in using your blender). Serve and enjoy! Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Notes

  • A note on Chickpeas: I cooked my own Chickpeas from dry using my Instant Pot; if you are using canned beans, you’ll need about 1 can for this recipe. If you use canned beans, REALLY rinse and drain them well! I also tested this recipe with canned beans and noticed that the final dough tasted much more bean-y than with pressure cooked beans. If you go with canned, I would suggest adding extra Vanilla Extract and Sweetener to mask that flavor. Finally, if your canned Beans have Salt in them, reduce the amount of Salt in this recipe by ¼ tsp.
  • Nut Butter: The Nut Butter you use will affect the final flavor of the Cookie Dough. Cashew Butter is my favorite, though Almond/Peanut Butter or Tahini are also yummy! If your Nut Butter is salted, reduce the Salt in the recipe by ¼ tsp.
  • Sugar Substitutions: the Maple Syrup can be replaced with 2-3 soaked Medjool Dates or 2 tbsp Granulated Sweetener (Coconut Sugar, Brown Sugar, etc) dissolved in 1 tsp of Hot Water

Keywords: Chickpea Cookie Dough, healthy cookie dough, grain free, gluten free, chickpea dessert recipes, vegan recipes with chickpeas

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This Chickpea Cookie Dough is made from wholesome ingredients, but will still satisfy your sweet tooth! Plus it's Vegan, Grain-Free, and Refined Sugar-Free. #vegann #chickpea #cookiedough #dairyfree #glutenfree #sugarfree | frommybowl.com

About the Author

Hey there, I’m Caitlin! I make easy-to-follow, wholesome, and budget-friendly vegan recipes that are mostly gluten-free and refined sugar-free. I’m also an avid yogi, love the great outdoors, am chocolate-obsessed, and enjoy eating almond butter straight off of the spoon.

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Comments

  1. Full disclosure I was 100% expecting to absolutely hate this and I only made it cause I had leftover chickpeas. With that being said, I LOVED this recipe. I used almond flour, almond butter and maple syrup. I seriously could have eaten this whole thing in one sitting. I will definitely be making this again and again.

  2. This chickpea cookie dough is the best one I’ve ever made! Your tip about using homemade cooked chickpeas really helps with diminishing the chickpea flavour I think???? it’s not the real thing, but pretty darn close! Such a good healthy dessert you can eat everyday and not worry! I had it in the fridge for about 5 days and honestly the texture was still pretty good, if not better than when I first made it????

  3. This is delicious! I’m 14 years old and I love all things healthy, and this is such a delicious way of eating chickpeas! I swapped the maple syrup for a tablespoon of honey and some dates, and I also swapped the flour for coconut flour…… I am dipping apple into it as I write this ????

    1. Hi Raquel! I do not post the nutritional information for my recipes, but there are plenty of free online calculators that could help you out with that 🙂

  4. I’m literally obsessed with this cookie dough. There’s just the slightest chickpea flavor, but definitely still dessert-tasting. I kept it in the fridge for about two days and the texture wasn’t as quite as good after a day or so but still pretty good.

    1. If it gets too cold the texture will start to change. Chickpeas are magical, glad you like it!

    1. We have not tried freezing it and don’t imagine it would work very well, it might totally alter the texture. If you try it, let us know!

    1. I like to use my Instant Pot – it’s usually 8-12 minutes for soaked chickpeas

      1. The dates can soak for about two hours with warm water, depending on if your dates are already on the soft side or are a bit hard.

  5. I saw your Quinoa & Arugala salad was posted in Wholesome Culture’s site and came over to check out your page. This recipe blew my mind. I am always on the look out for new inventive vegan recipes and this one is gold.

  6. Girl I can’t stop making this recipe. I tried a chocolate dessert hummus recipe and it turned out so bad it all went in the trash so I was nervous about this. But I look forward to my cookie dough snack now haha I love hw it’s so easy and cheap and not too sweet. Is it bad I eat half the batch at a time ???? ugh so good thanks

  7. This is everything I could dream of–cookie dough is something I have been craving for the longest time! I could seriously spread it on everything and eat it by the spoonful. This recipe is so freaking perfect and easy–I would love to try making it one day!

  8. Yum! Thanks so much for this heathy take on an otherwise very interested junk food! Who would have guessed that chickpeas would be this versatile? You are a genius!

  9. This looks SO good! I think I’ll try to cook up some chickpeas for this recipe. I had no idea that the canned beans made it more beany. It does make sense though. I also love that you added substitutions because I can make it nut free and pack it for school.
    Thanks for another delish veggie friendly recipe!
    Cheers.

  10. I’ve been wanting to try this for sooo long but never have. I think I’m inspired again! What would you suggest serving with it? All I can think of is apple wedges or pretzels…

    1. I tried it this weekend with chocolate mini rice cakes and it was delicious! Big hit at the bbq!

    1. Hi Nat! As I mentioned in the blog post, this is meant to be purely dough – it would not bake well as cookies

      1. Hey Rachel! We do not post the nutritional information for the recipes, but there are plenty of free online calculators that could help you out with that should you need it. Thanks!

      2. Hi,

        At the moment cookie dough meant to be eaten as cookie dough is very trendy and costs a pretty penny premade

  11. Wow this sounds great! Thank you for all of the substitutions. I’m sure that was a lot of work. Can’t wait to try this. Do you think if I took the skins off of the canned check less it would taste less bean-y? Maybe even cooked them a little?

    1. I don’t think peeling the chickpeas would have any effect, but rinsing and cooking the canned ones in fresh water might help some! Let me know if you try it out 🙂

  12. I’m definitely going to try this because I’ve been seeing chickpea cookie dough recipes exploding everywhere lately, so I want to make some for myself. But the question is…COULD they be baked? ???? For the sake of my husband who hates cookie dough but loves cookies, I’m curious if you experimented with that. Thank you so much for providing an option with dates!

    1. I dont think these could – I will have to work on a baked chickpea cookie recipe for the blog too!

    2. Used dried apricots-4? soaked them in boiling water a few minutes.
      Flattened them and cut them out w. small bottle top to make round cookies and added 1 Tbs. choc. chips and white sesame seeds.
      Also added a bit of flaxseed meal to make them a little dried after the almond flour and peanut butter.
      iI would feel like a piggy just spooning them out to eat. :_))