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Chocolate lovers, you have a new favorite cookie recipe: Vegan Chocolate Chickpea Flour Cookies! They are vegan, grain-free, gluten-free, and a cinch to make.
Chickpeas in chocolate cookies? Oh yes! What better way to top off a week of chickpea cookie ideas than with a double dose of everyone’s favorite sweet treat.
Recipe Benefits
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Grain-free
- Quick & easy
Ingredients for Vegan Chocolate Chickpea Flour Cookies
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
- chickpea flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- baking soda
- plant based margarine or virgin coconut oil, melted
- coconut sugar (or packed brown sugar)
- vanilla extract
- Optional: instant espresso powder (optional)
- miniature semisweet chocolate chips
You will also need some regular tap water and salt.
Chickpea flour works beautifully in a wide range of sweet baking, However, it works especially well with deep flavors, such as chocolate, molasses, dark brown sugar, and spices. In short, it is a perfect ingredient to add to your cold-weather baking repertoire.
And although these cookies are a bit of an indulgence, they still offer a host of health-promoting qualities–antioxidants from the chocolate and cocoa powder, fiber, protein and minerals from the chickpea flour–that more than justify eating two for dessert.
I can also testify that grabbing and gobbling a cookie to go makes great pre-run fuel on a cold winter morning (instant energy + cheer!). Be sure to bring one for your running partner, too 🙂
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Chickpea Flour Cookies
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
Another reason to try these cookies? They are incredibly easy to make.
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together chickpea flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk in the water, margarine or oil, coconut sugar, vanilla and (optional) espresso powder until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop rounded mounds of dough onto cookie sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes until set at edges (centers may still look slightly soft).
- Let cool on sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
What is the Taste & Texture of the Cookies?
These cookies have rich, cake-like middles and crispy-chewy edges. They remind me of cookies that always arrived on a neighbor’s (much anticipated) Christmas cookie plate. I recall a few squabbles breaking out between me and my siblings (and, occasionally, my Dad) over who would get the last one!
Happy baking, everyone!
How to Store the Cookies
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, the refrigerator for 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 6 months.
Tips for Success
- Weigh the dry ingredients. A lot of variation can occur when measuring flours and powders with measuring cups and measuring spoons. Always lightly spoon flours or powders (such as cocoa powder) into the measuring cup or spoon, then level off with a straight edge. The most accurate and consistent way to measure, though, is by using a small digital kitchen scale. The grams for the ingredients are in the recipe card (toggle for metric).
- Check at the minimum baking time. Begin checking the cookie for doneness at the minimum suggested baking time.The edges should be done. but it is ok if the centers are not completely set. The cookies will continue to bake on the cookie sheet due to carryover heat, and will further set up as they cool.
- Cool the baking sheets in between batches. The second batch of cookies will bake faster than the first since the baking sheet will be hot from the first batch. You can run the baking sheet under cold water (remove the parchment paper first) to cool it down, or begin checking for donees 2 minutes earlier.
Related Recipes
Vegan Chocolate Chickpea Flour Cookies (grain-free)
Ingredients
- 1 1/8 cups chickpea flour, (that's 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup plant based margarine or virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar or packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
- 1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together chickpea flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk in the water, melted plant margarine or oil, coconut sugar, vanilla and (optional) espresso powder until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop rounded mounds of dough onto cookie sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes until set at edges (centers may still look slightly soft).
- Let cool on sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
A bit on the crumbly side but the flavor more than makes up for it. I topped them off with half walnuts
These are yummy!
Sounds delicious, Brenda–glad you like the recipe!
A note about whether the chickpea flour should be loose or packed would help. Also, it says to place the cookies 2″ apart but not cookie size. I ended up with a sheet pan of connected cookies (my mounds were too big). I had to sub grapeseed oil and they were too greasy even after adding more flour, but that’s my own doing. They were too oily and fell apart, but they were SO DELICIOUS! I don’t mind eating a bowl of cookie crumbs. 🙂 I will absolutely make them again. Can’t wait!
Hi KS! Well, glad you liked the crumbs :). Cookie granola, right?! 🤣 As for (1) size of the cookies: in the instructions, I say to use a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon to portion the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Sorry if you did not see that; (2) grapeseed oil: grapeseed oil does tend to make cookies and some other baked goods greasy. I would definitely stick with coconut oil, melted plant butter, or something like avocado oil; (3) measuring flour: you will always want to lightly spoon flour into a cup to measure unless there is an instruction to do otherwise (although it is rare to see a recipe calling for the packing of flour). Lightly spooning and leveling the flour is the only way to get a relatively consistent result using measuring cups. I strongly recommend using a small digital scale instead. Once you start using it, you will never look back! It makes it easy to measure to the gram every single time (I have the grams measurements in the recipe card; toggle for metric measurements). Cheers, KS!
I love these cookies. I’m always trying to eat better sweets for myself. Thank you for sharing.
You are very welcome, Linda, I’m so glad to hear that you like them!
I was low on the flour so I made a half batch. They were great! Will definitely make them again. A good -30° project. Thank you!
Wonderful, Mattie!
Hi, should the chickpea flour be slightly dry roasted? Thank you
Toasting or dry-roasting the chickpea flour is definitely a great way to deepen the flavor of the cookies, but it is not necessary.
These came out well with a rich chocolate flavor. I really like how the cocoa powder completely obliterates the flavor of chickpea flour. I really like chickpea flour, but up until now have not liked it so much in sweet things.
Great recipe, thank you. I never bake especially since it can be so unforgiving to get a recipe wrong – but this recipe is super easy and mine came out delicious first time. I left mine for 5 extra minutes in the oven, it turned out crispy the way I like it.
Hooray! So glad you had baking success with these, Gen!
Made for my hubby’s birthday (he has celiac). Huge success!
These are my favourite cookies ever!! I have made two batches since I tried them last week. I put the mixture in the fridge for a short while and it produced an even better texture- which I didn’t think possible. Thank you so much, I’m forever grateful ❤️❤️
Oh Samantha, that makes me so happy!!! I am grateful for you–thanks so much for taking the tie to write xo
Hi! Do you think it would work to sub the chickpea flour for vegan protein powder?
Hi Eva, You might be able to sub some of the chickpea flour, but unlikely that replacing all would work. Most protein powders do not have the fiber that chickpea flour has, and they usually do not work as flour replacements.
What is the texture of these cookies, are they dry? Cakey?
They are mist and cakey, somewhat brownie-like
I’ve made these twice now, subbed lakanto sweetener to make low sugar and used 63% dark chocolate chips. This last time used cold brew coffee instead of water to add a little more intensity to the chocolate flavor (since I had some in the fridge and no espresso powder). Love!
Wow, that sounds sooo good, Penny! I love mocha anything, I am going to have to try that with these!
Thanks for the recipe. I used agave and maple syrup instead and added a little quinoa flour because the syrup made it too soupy. No chips but came out great 👍
So glad to hear it, Jenaya! 🙂
I just made these cookies and they are delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Wonderful, Helen, so glad to hear it!
Delicious
Thanks so much, Mayela!
Hi
Can I substitute carob for the cocoa powder and carob chips for the chocolate chips? I cannot have cacao products.
Hi Sam,
I have not had any experience baking with carob powder, but if it has worked as a cocoa sub in other recipes you have tried then it should work here, too. Same too with the carob chips.
@Sam, carob worked for me! Also an hour or so in the refrigerator makes cookies taste sooo good 🤩(unless you like them crunchy)
I just made a batch of these cookies and they taste so good- rich & chocolatly and not too sweet. Thanks!
Wonderful, Nicky! 🙂
My 5 year old daughter loves these cookies. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Wonderful, Catherine! 🙂
These cookies turned out absolutely delicious! I reduced the sugar to half cup, which was perfectly sweet for my taste, and I was pleasantly surprised that not being a coconut-dessert fan, I still enjoyed the subtle coconut flavor with the chocolate in these chewy cookies. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you enjoyed, Gayatri!
We just made a variation on a theme for these w Splenda brown sugar for my diabetic daughter and they are superb!
Great, Shelbie! 🙂
Splenda is just about the worst thing you could use for a diabetic truthfully. We are humans not machines and our bodies are not actually able to process artificial sweeteners. If you are concerned about high sugar intake. Cookies are just as delicious and even more nutritious sweetened with either honey, or maple syrup. Since these are both naturally occurring sugars in moderation they are safe for diabetics and able to be properly metabolized by our bodies, instead of creating more health problems as artificial sweeteners do. 🙂 I have made these cookies twice now. Guilty pleasure.
These cookies look absolutely amazing! Love that they are made with chickpea flour, so unique!
Thanks Bethany! 🙂 Chickpea flour is pretty neat!