These low sugar Chickpea Cookies are high in fibre, packed with goodness and are egg, dairy and nut-free.
You may think making cookies from chickpeas is a little on the crazy side but don’t dismiss these before you try them!
5 Reasons to Love Chickpea Cookies
- NUTRITION: If you are craving something sweet and indulgent then these aren’t for you. However, if you are looking for a healthier cookie then these fit the bill. Low in sugar, high in fibre and filled with goodness.
- DIET / ALLERGY FRIENDLY: Great for those following a vegan diet or who have allergies. These chickpea cookies are free from wheat (but not gluten-free due to oats), dairy, eggs, and nuts.
- EASY TO MAKE: A great recipe for little ones to make in the kitchen. Fantastic for showing different ways chickpeas can be used and it is egg-free, meaning they can try as much of the mixture as they like!
- LUNCHBOX FRIENDLY: These chickpea cookies are nut-free, low-sugar and high-fibre making them a fantastic lunchbox addition.
- FREEZABLE – Store them in the freezer to take out for the lunch box/snacks as needed.
Ingredient Information
- Canned chickpeas: Canned chickpeas are used to keep it simple (look for no added salt). You can use dried chickpeas but just factor in the soaking time.
- Oats: The oats are blended in a food processor so you can use rolled oats or quick oats. Do not use steel cut oats.
- Bananas: Use ripe bananas as the sweetness is needed.
- Medjool Dates: You can use any dates but make sure they are soft or they will not blend properly. If your dates are a little dry soak them in boiling water for a couple of minutes before blending.
Process Shots and Cooking Tips
- Blend Oats until you achieve a course flour consistency. Add the baking powder, stir and set aside.
- Blend dates, banana, chickpeas and vanilla to form a sticky sweet paste. This make take a minute or too depending on how well your dates break down. (dates should be soft before blending)
- Combine wet and dry ingredients – add the chickpea mixture to a mixing bowl and stir through the oats until just combined.
- Stir through berries breaking up any larger berries.
- Form Cookies: Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and flatten to form a cookie shape. Top tip – the mixture is moist and sticky, it really helps to wet your hands when forming the cookies.
- Bake for 15 mins.
Storage Instructions
These cookies have a higher water content than traditional cookies. For this reason they will not store at room temperature for long. The cookies are best stored in the freezer.
- Room Temperature: Allow to cool, transfer to an airtight container and store for up to a day.
- Freezer: Allow to cool, transfer to an airtight container (seperate each layer with baking paper) and freeze for up to 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
If making for a baby I would recommend reducing the amount of dates used, to reduce the sugar content.
I don’t believe you can. The raspberries and blueberries give great flavour bursts and the sweetness of the banana and dates mask the chickpea flavour. If you are worried you can add more sweetness by adding extra dates or some sugar /sweetener.
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Chickpea Cookies
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Baking Tray (sheet)
Ingredients
- 70g (¾ cup) Rolled Oats
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 400g (15oz) Can Chickpeas Rinsed, drained and patted dry. (Drained weight 240g)
- 1 Ripe Banana
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 6 Medjool Dates Dates should be soft, see notes.
- 55g (½ cup) Frozen raspberries
- 30g (¼ cup) Frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 180c /350 F / Gas 4 and prepare two baking trays with baking paper
- Add the oats to a food processor and blend until a course flour consistency is achieved. Add to a mixing bowl and stir through the baking powder.
- Add the chickpeas, banana, vanilla and dates to the food processor and blend until the dates are broken down and a smooth paste is achieved.
- Add the paste to a mixing bowl and stir through the oats until combined. Add the berries and gently stir through. Break down any larger berries into the mixture.
- Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball, place on the prepared baking sheet and press down to form a cookie shape. Repeat (makes approx. 17)
- Bake for 15 mins.
Recipe Notes
*This post was previously published Feb 2017. It has been updated to provide more information and process shots. The recipe has also been tweaked due to reader feedback. If you would like the original recipe please email me and I can send you it.
Alex says
I made the old version of this recipe about 10x. The updated version is even better. Both my girls (3.5 ans 1) love them! I feel good knowing they are getting all that chickpea power. Winner for sure!
Amy says
Thanks Alex, I’m so happy that you enjoyed the updated version too 🙂
David Waite says
A friend shared the recipe with me. I was a bit suspicious of using chickpeas, but I had to get them in the freezer quickly after cooking as I ate one and then another and then two more as they were so good (although with 18 on two trays they were quite small, so next time i’ll increase the ingredients to make slightly bigger ones)!
Amy says
Thanks David, glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Le south says
Didn’t work for the kids (mine and friend’s kids). And all of them like chickpeas. Sorry! But I do love the broccoli bites
Amy says
Thanks for the honest feedback. Were they not sweet enough or was it the texture? You could try adding some sugar or maple syrup but maybe it is not even worth trying again!
Le-South says
I honestly don’t know. I think it was the consistency. She is 18 months, and her two little friends are 20 months, so I am not using sugar yet. May try with honey and report back 🙂
Joanne says
If you was to add a natural sweetener what would you use & how much?
Amy says
Hi Joanne, any sweetener should work, how much you add would depend on how sweet you want it. Maybe a tbsp?
Debjani says
Hi Amy, I prefer to cook my own chickpeas at home, ditching canned foods. Your ingredients list indicates 400g can. How many gms of cooked chickpeas would that be? Any ballpark idea?
Would love to try the recipe 🙂
Amy says
Hi Debjani, I believe it is around 250g 🙂
Henna says
For how long these conserve and where, in fridge?
Amy says
Hi Henna, I usually freeze leftovers and that is the only way I have stored them. They should be good for a few days in the fridge but may change in texture.
satti says
Hi Amy,
I’m planning on making these cookies but is there an alternative fruit I can use instead of the banana?
Many thanks
Satti
Amy says
Hi Satti, you could try adding more apple sauce/puree but I can not say how it would work without trying myself. Sorry!
C says
One of the only healthy foods my toddler will consume. They are a lifesaver for day trips
Amy says
Fab!! Love that your little one approves!
vickie says
I’m looking to make some of your recipes, but just wanted to know do I have to add the dates? Are they crucial to the recipes or is there anything I can substitute them with?
Amy says
Hi Vickie, I often add dates for sweetness and sometimes to help bind a recipe together (like in bliss balls). If just for sweetness sub with a sweetener of choice. 🙂
Simone Cecil says
Very unfortunate these have a very distinctive chickpea taste, i much prefer recipes that hide this. Not a hit in our house, unfortunately straight to the bin
Amy says
Hi Simone, I’m sorry you didn’t like the taste. Did you use a ripe banana? I usually find the banana and dates enough to sweeten the cookie and I don’t taste the chickpeas. I did mention you may wish to add some sweetener if you are used to a sweeter taste. Most likely the recipes that “hide the taste” as you say has a lot more sugar (honey / maple syrup etc)
Irene says
Do you refrigerate these? Thanks! They sound delicious
Amy says
Thanks Irene, I usually freeze them and take out as needed 🙂
Ami says
Oh my goodness! I’ve been wanting to make these for a while and I am so happy I did. They came out delicious. I had the frozen blueberries but only freeze dried raspberries, but they came out great. I followed some suggestions as in flattening the cookie batter on the cookie sheet, and I did tweak the temperature up to 360F. I was planning on freezing some but there definitely won’t be enough left over to do so.
Aoife says
They are delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Amy says
Thank you 🙂
Anna says
I made these with my two year old. She had a great time making them and really enjoyed them. I baked them for an extra five minutes but otherwise stuck to the recipe and they turned out well. They freeze well too which is a bonus. Thanks for another fab recipe, love your site.
Amy says
Hi Anna, I love that you made these with your 2 yr old and I’m so happy they turned out well for you. Thank you!!
Ruth says
My toddler loves these! Such a great healthy snack. Thanks so much for the great recipes.
Amy says
Thanks Ruth, I love comments like this, they make my day. Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Charlotte says
Could these be made without banana
Amy says
Hi Charlotte, I’m not sure how they would work without the banana. Without playing around with the ingredients I can’t say for sure. They would probably need some other form of sweetness added but the texture may still be ok.
Brasta says
Hi Amy! have you tried making these into bars instead of cookies? Would it work?
Amy says
Hi Brasta, Sorry I missed your comment. I haven’t tried making them into bars, sorry. I’m not sure how it would work, they may be a little soft to hold as bars.
Dianne says
I had to up the temperature to 375, keep them in for 22 minutes, and almost flattened them to get them not squishy in the middle…bummer they taste good, but was planning to share these with friends but…
Amy says
Hi Dianne, sorry you didn’t have much success with the texture. Did you flatten them before coking or leave as a tablespoon ball? I flatten mine before cooking
Laura says
How many cookies does this make?
Amy says
Hi Laura, sorry I can’t remember off hand. I should have detailed that at the time. I’d have to make them again to say for sure.
Kim says
Is there any alternative to the oats? I’m gluten and wheat intolerant, and in Australia we don’t certify uncontaminated oats as gluten free even if produced in a wheat free factory.
Amy says
Hi Kim, without experimenting I can’t say for sure. You could maybe try ground almonds. Let me know if you do try!
Jen says
You could try buckwheat goats broken down a bit in a food processor.
Ashley says
Are they suppise to be soft/chewy, or do i need to bake longer?
Amy says
Hi Ashley, they are quite a soft cookie.
Teena says
Hi Amy,
Would these work with chickpea flour instead of canned chickpeas?
Amy says
I have never tried making them with chickpea flour, I’m not sure how that would work to be honest as I’m guessing the mixture would be a lot drier.
Katie says
Help! What am I doing wrong. I have followed it to the letter but the mixture is very wet indeed. The first test two I put in came out soggy still after 15 minutes and even after another five. I’ve added about another 40g of oats and baking for 20 mins but still coming it soggy in the middle. Any tips?
Amy says
Hi Katie, Sorry you aren’t having much success with these. Are you rinsing the chickpeas? I usually pat them dry too. The mixture is quite soft but I wouldn’t say soggy.
Brasta says
I’ve made these twice now! Great recipe! Even my older kids eat them!
Amy says
Brilliant! I love to hear feedback like this, thanks for taking the time to tell me ??
Amy says
The little guy loves these. Thanks Amy!
Amy says
Yeah! So pleased! Thanks for taking the time to tell me x
Noellia says
RE:chickpea cookies
Hi there,
These look great. My only question is, do they keep well and for how long? I have two boys under two and prior to my second I had a lot of time on my hands to cook him nutritious food all the time. Now I am so time poor I can barely keep two good meals a day for my toddler. I have scoured the internet for healthy snacks to make in advance that can be either frozen and then microwaved as needed, or stored for four or five days in an airtight container.
Your recipes look amazing and are exactly what I’ve been looking for, however they don’t really state how to keep leftovers or whether or not some CAN actually be kept for longer than a day.
Thanks for your website!
Amy says
Hi Noellia, thanks for your feedback. These freeze really well (in fact I have been know to eat them straight from the freezer when I am looking for something sweeter!) I usually make a batch and then freeze on a tray and once frozen pop them in a zip line bag. I pop them into my eldest son’s lunch box often.
Sylvia says
Just made these. Substituted mango for the banana, and added some sugar as I didn’t have any dates. They are a little bit squidgy in the middle so giving them a little bit longer. However, the one I sampled tasted gorgeous. Perfect for my coeliac daughter. ?
Amy says
Hi Sylvia, I love the sound of the mango – I must try that next time. So glad you liked them ?
Nadia says
These look amazing! (I’ve made similar cookies with peanut butter and chocolate chips, not quite so baby friendly!) Is there anything from my store cupboard I could use instead of chia seeds? Thank you!
Amy says
Hi Nadia, Thank you! The peanut butter and choc chip version sounds good but not quite as healthy ? You could replace the chia seed with flax seed or an egg. I’ve not tried either so can’t guarantee it will work but that is where I’d start!
Mhairi says
Thanks for this recipe – looking forward to making these. It’s a constant challenge to have healthy snacks for school which are nut and sesame seed free – and which freeze well!
Amy says
Hi Mhairi, It is, isn’t it! I hope these are a success for you. ?