These Vegan Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls are a fabulous snack post workout, surf or mid-beach day. The healthy little treats come together in minutes, and you'd never guess they're made with chickpeas!
These little protein balls are a summer (and fall, and winter...really anytime) staple around my house. They're a great alternative to a protein or energy bar, and since they're homemade, you know exactly what's in them!
File this one under: yet another use for our favorite bean, the chickpea.
These chickpea protein bites were inspired by my vegan chocolate chip cookies and vegan peanut butter cookies.
Jump to:
📋 Ingredients
Raise your hand if these ingredients are already in your pantry...
- Chickpeas
- Agave
- Vanilla (optional)
- Ground Coffee (optional)
- Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Chips
- Salt
That's it. Seriously. Let's make some protein bites!
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
These vegan cookie dough balls are naturally vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and soy-free.
To make them without peanut butter, substitute with another nut butter or sunflower seed butter.
You may omit the vanilla extract and ground coffee, but they're much better with...
Looking for something a little less...healthy? Check out these kitchen sink cookies or this healthy-ish carrot cake bread.
🔪 How To Make This Recipe
First, place the blade inside the food processor before adding the rest of the ingredients. Meanwhile, simmer chickpeas for 15 minutes until warm. Then drain and add to food processor. Warming the chickpeas helps them blend into a smoother dough.
If you have a little extra time, peel off some of the skins for an extra creamy dough. We're basically making cookie dough hummus.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor, except the chocolate chips.
Blend for 1-2 minutes until dough is smooth. Transfer into glass bowl and let cool for at least 5-10 minutes so the chocolate doesn't melt.
Stir in chocolate chips then scoop into balls.
Roll dough until smooth, then refrigerate for at least 15 minutes so the dough can set.
Hint: warm the chickpeas before blending so the dough is extra smooth, otherwise you might have a chunkier dough than you want.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Pro Tip One: Simmer the chickpeas in water for 15 minutes before assembling protein bites. The heat helps them blend into the smoothest dough. To take it a step further, carefully remove some of the opaque chickpea skins before blending.
Pro Tip Two:
The most important piece of equipment for these vegan cookie dough protein balls is a good food processor. A food processor doesn't need as much liquid as a blender, which is great when we're trying to make something with a doughier consistency.
You could try making it with a powerful blender in a pinch, but you may need to double the recipe so the blender has enough to work with.
💭 FAQs
Since these chickpea cookie dough balls are made with chickpeas and NOT chickpea flour, they're best cold and unbaked. Without flour and butter (vegan or not), they won't spread or brown as nicely as regular cookies.
If you're looking for vegan cookie dough to bake, check out these chewy vegan chocolate chunk cookies. They work perfectly with chickpea flour for a gluten-free twist.
Yes, canned chickpeas are cooked and ready to eat, especially for salads and bowls. I always recommend rinsing off the chickpea brine for a cleaner flavor.
However, for recipes that require blending chickpeas (like hummus and these cookie dough bites), warm chickpeas transform into a smoother final product.
PS - before you drain the can of chickpeas, save the juice (aka chickpea brine aka aquafaba) for your next baking project, like this carrot cake bread or these kitchen sink cookies. Aquafaba is a great egg replacement.
Related Cookie Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below, or tag us in your photos on Instagram! Alternatively, bookmark it in your browser or save to Pinterest.
Vegan Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup agave
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon coffee granules
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 cups vegan chocolate chips such as Enjoy Life
Instructions
- 1. For extra smooth protein balls, simmer chickpeas in water for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse, and (carefully) remove skins if you have some extra time.
- 2. Place all ingredients except chocolate chips into food processor and blend until smooth (1-2 minutes).
- 3. Scoop dough into mixing bowl and let cool for 5-10 minutes so the chocolate doesn't melt. Gently mix in chocolate chips, then scoop into balls. Refrigerate for at least 15 mins, then enjoy!
Angela Milnes says
need these in my fridge every week - so much better than buying a protein bar from the store!