Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough

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by Alena Schowalter
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This delicious chickpea cookie dough is high in protein, fully vegan, and made from simple ingredients! Enjoy by the spoonful within minutes and share it with your family.

Edible chickpea cookie dough. Yes, you’ve read that right! This is where healthy meets delicious.

Our protein-packed healthy vegan cookie dough is ready to be enjoyed by the spoonful within about 10 minutes and is so easy-(chick)-peasy

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Instead of making cookie dough with butter, sugar, and refined ingredients, this healthy dessert features only whole food plant-based ingredients.

First things first: no, this edible cookie dough doesn’t taste like chickpeas or hummus! You can make delicious sweet recipes using beans, even without adding lots of sugar.

If you’ve tried our skillet cookie cake, fudgy black bean brownies, or chocolate chickpea ice cream, you know what we mean!

Creamy, filling and cookie-licious, it’s probably the most delicious way of getting your protein as a vegan.

two glass jars filled with chickpea cookie dough with a spoon in one of them

Recipe overview

  • Ultimately healthy & wholesome
  • Super nutritious & satisfying
  • Finger-lickin’ good & addictive
  • Meal prep and kid-friendly
  • Protein-packed snack or dessert
  • Oil-free, sugar-free and gluten-free
  • 10-minute no-bake recipe

Honestly, do we really need to give you more reasons to have edible cookie dough by the spoonful? If you don’t mention the beany component in the recipe, nobody will notice it.

table with different-sized bowls containing chickpeas, chocolate, flour, dates, spices and peanut butter

Ingredients needed

  • Chickpeas — one can is all you need for the secretly healthy, creamy and filling cookie dough base!
  • Oats — since you cannot eat raw flour, healthy rolled oats are the perfect fiber-rich starchy add-in for our edible cookie dough!
  • Almonds — these get ground into flour if you don’t already have almond flour at home.
  • Almond butter — for added creaminess and healthy fats.
  • Dates — wholesome sweetener that adds some stickiness!
  • Vanilla extract — bringing all of the flavors together and one of our favorite ingredients in sweet recipes!
  • Baking powder — no, we’re not gonna bake our raw chickpea cookie dough but this does add to the experience!
  • Dark chocolate — we love chopped dark chocolate in our chickpea cookie dough but any vegan chocolate chips work.

Most of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry! If not, find our suggested swaps below.

food processor with chickpeas, flour, dates and peanut butter
food processor jar with freshly blended sweet chickpea mixture

Make date paste

Pit your dates, then place them together with the almond butter and vanilla extract into a food processor jar. 

Process until you create a smooth puree. Add a splash of water if needed.

Add the rest & blend

Rinse your canned chickpeas well and get as much of the salty liquid off of them as you can. Save the aquafaba to make other delicious recipes!

Then, add the cooked chickpeas, oat flour, almond flour and baking powder to the food processor.

Process to obtain a thick, smooth and creamy mixture. Be patient, scrape down the sides if needed or add a splash of soy milk to bring the components together!

Adjust to preferences

Grab a spoon and see if you like your chickpea cookie dough as it is. If you’re looking for more sweetness, add some maple syrup and process again.

Finally, fold in your chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips and you’re good to go!

bowl on a table in which chopped chocolate is being mixed into protein cookie dough with a spoon

Storage & serving suggestions

Either enjoy your healthy treat immediately or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

This protein-packed cookie dough can be enjoyed on its own alongside a glass of almond milk or vanilla almond latte or used as a topping for vegan yogurt or smoothie bowls. It’s also great as a sweet dessert hummus which you can use for dipping crackers or chopped fruit!

You may want to thin the chickpea cookie dough out with some plant-based milk to make it a bit more dippable, though.

This basic chickpea cookie dough recipe has also been used as the crust for our healthy vegan chocolate mousse cake, which you definitely need to try!

hand spreading vegan aquafaba chocolate mousse on a vegan cookie crust holding a bowl of melted chocolate

Tips & FAQs

How to make almond flour

If you don’t have access to almond flour, simply use more oat flour (aka ground rolled oats) or make your own!

Add about 2 ounces of almonds (or any nuts, for that matter) to a blender or processor and blend until they are broken down.

How to make vegan cookie dough balls

Let’s transform this edible cookie dough into chocolate chip chickpea balls! Use a cookie scoop to portion your homemade dough into 1.5 tbsp-sized balls, roll each between your hands and place them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet pan.

Should your hands get too sticky, wash them in between and continue. Decorate your balls with some more chocolate chips if you like, then place the pan in the fridge or freezer for at least 30 minutes until they are solid.

20+ Bliss Ball Recipes
woman in white dress holding a glass with edible vegan cookie dough and a spoon

Bake into cookies

We love to just dump this chickpea cookie dough into a cast-iron skillet, flatten it with the back of a spoon and bake for around 20 minutes until it turns into one large golden and scrumptious chocolate chip cookie!

Alternatively, you can scoop the dough into many small vegan cookies and line them up next to each other on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, slightly pressing the tops to flatten them out.

Now, you just need to bake them for around 10 minutes until fragrant and golden. Make sure to let them cool on a wire rack before eating!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Recipe
hand holding a towel and cast iron skillet with freshly baked vegan chocolate chip cookie cake

Substitutions ideas

  • Chickpeas: although the main star of our cookie dough, it may be swapped for white beans (or black beans if you don’t mind the change of color). Try to go for salt-free canned beans or cook them from scratch!
  • Almond Butter: we also love peanut butter, cashew butter or tahini in this recipe. To omit entirely, add 2 tbsp of almond yogurt or applesauce.
  • Oats: if you need this cookie dough to be grain-free, simply use a bit more almond flour or even coconut flour.
  • Almonds: use ½ cup oat flour instead or go for coconut flour.
  • Dates: these can be replaced with ¼ – ⅓ cup of maple syrup or another vegan sweetener instead.

Additional spices you can add include pumpkin spice, cinnamon, cocoa powder or flavored vegan protein powder.

If you’re not a chocolate lover, feel free to sprinkle some pretzels, chopped nuts or dried fruit like raisins over your chickpea cookie dough.

We’ve also seen some recipes with added mashed sweet potato or pumpkin puree which you may want to try!

two glasses with protein cookie dough and a spoon each on a table

Can you eat raw cookie dough?

When we’re talking about traditional cookie dough made with raw eggs and raw flour, this is not a good idea at all because you risk bacterial contamination and food poisoning!

Eggs are commonly contaminated with Salmonella bacteria which results in fever, vomiting or even hospitalization — but it doesn’t stop here.

Raw flour can contain pathogens that are usually destroyed during cooking or baking, such as E.coli.

That’s why it’s crucial to follow our recipe which is safe to eat raw and uncooked!

More healthy vegan treats

Let’s make more good-for-your plant-based desserts for everyone! The following recipes from our blog are just as easy and scrumptious as our chickpea cookie dough.

Have you tried our healthy edible cookie dough? Share with us in the comments below, rate our recipe and Pin it for later.

Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough (Vegan)

by Alena Schowalter
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
This incredibly easy and healthy edible chickpea cookie dough is finger-licking good and made from just a handful of staple foods! High in protein and perfect for a kid-friendly portable treat, this no-bake beginner recipe is ready in 10 minutes and easy to customize.
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 15- oz can chickpeas drained (240 g)
  • ½ cup almond flour 56 g
  • 2 tablespoons oat flour
  • 4 tablespoons almond butter
  • 6 dates pitted (60 g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder optional
  • cup chopped dark chocolate 60 g
  • Pinch of salt optional

Instructions

  • Add the dates, almond butter and vanilla extract to a food processor jar and pulse to obtain a puree.
  • Next, add the chickpeas, almond flour, oat flour and baking powder. Process again to obtain a thick, smooth and creamy batter. Stop and scrape down the sides as needed.
  • Get a spoon and make a quick taste test to see whether you want to make any adjustments.
  • Transfer the cookie dough into a bowl, add chopped chocolate and mix with a spoon. 
  • Enjoy your edible chickpea cookie dough immediately or transfer it into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days to have a healthy and delicious snack ready anytime!

Notes

  • Feel free to add some maple syrup for additional sweetness as needed. 
  • You can use more or none of the chopped dark chocolate as well as swap it for vegan chocolate chips or raisins.
  • If you don’t have any almond or oat flour, feel free to use rolled oats and whole almonds and just blend or process them until they are broken down.
  • You might want to soak your dates for an hour before making this recipe if you don’t have a good food processor.
  • This chickpea cookie dough can also be baked (instructions in the article above)!
  • Nutrition information has automatically been calculated.
Course: Snacks
Cuisine: American
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough (Vegan)
Amount per Serving
Calories
230
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
10
g
15
%
Saturated Fat
 
2
g
13
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
8
g
Sodium
 
210
mg
9
%
Carbohydrates
 
33
g
11
%
Fiber
 
10
g
42
%
Sugar
 
18
g
20
%
Protein
 
13
g
26
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated automatically, their accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Hi, I'm Alena Schowalter — a Certified Vegan Nutritionist who has been a vegetarian since childhood and vegan since 2012. Together with my husband, I founded nutriciously in 2015 and have been guiding thousands of people through different transition stages toward a healthy plant-based diet. I enjoy discussions around vegan ethics, walks through nature, and creating new recipes. Read more about us here.

12 Comments

  1. When I saw this in my email this morning, I RAN to the kitchen to make it for breakfast. :) I used the substitutes you recommended (maple syrup, peanut butter, and additional oat flour) since I was out of some of the ingredients. It was craxy fast to make and was a HUGE hit! Even the teenagers requested more than a taste. I didn’t think it made much, but it was super filling and there was even leftovers. Thanks! This will become a staple in our house.

    Reply
    • wow, thank you so much for this stellar feedback, Wendi! Super happy to know this edible cookie was a huge hit in your family and even better that it’s so quick and easy to make right? Every recipe should be that way in my opinion.
      Warm wishes,
      Alena

      Reply
  2. 5 stars
    When I saw this in my email this morning, I RAN to the kitchen to make it for breakfast. :) I used the substitutes you recommended (maple syrup, peanut butter, and additional oat flour) since I was out of some of the ingredients. It was craxy fast to make and was a HUGE hit! Even the teenagers requested more than a taste. I didn’t think it made much, but it was super filling and there was even leftovers. Thanks! This will become a staple in our house.

    Reply
  3. I made this today, and it’s really good! I used peanut butter and added maple syrup.

    I had some trouble blending because I only have a large pitcher for my Vitamix blender, so it took A LOT of scraping. But hey- thanks for the good workout and delicious recipe!

    Reply
  4. No matter how much I processed and scraped the dough never got cohesive. I finally added some maple syrup and coconut milk to get it to bind. End result was still chickpea grainy. Hoping with some tweeking, (perhaps making a date paste) will help if I try again. Will try a few of the other recipes such as date caramel sauce and blackout fudge brownies. Hope for better success.

    Reply
  5. I made this for the first time today. It turned out delicious! I’ll be surprised if it lasts two days in my household! Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
    • I don’t think so, as chickpea flour has to be heated before you can eat it! Sorry I can’t be of much help… I’m sure there are healthy vegan cookie dough recipes without any chickpeas, though

      Reply
  6. This recipe is delicious! I made cashews into flour as I didn’t have any almonds on hand. Turned out smooth, creamy and perfectly sweet.

    Reply
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