Chickpea Cookie Dough

Name: Chickpea Cookie Dough
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 15 oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained; ¼ cup vanilla protein powder; 2 Tablespoons almond butter or cashew butter; 1 Tablespoon coconut sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ⅙ teaspoon sea salt; 2 Tablespoons vegan chocolate chips

By Brittany Mullins

4.55

Published Jan 31, 2024

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This chickpea cookie dough comes together quickly with just 7 simple ingredients. It tastes delicious and is packed with 10 grams of protein per serving. Plus, it’s vegan, gluten-free, egg-free and can easily be nut-free.

If you’re a sweets person who is also trying to prioritize getting your protein in, then this chickpea cookie dough is for you!

Yes, you heard right. This cookie dough is made with chickpeas! But, trust me you can’t taste the beans at all. The chickpeas not only add protein and fiber, but it helps create a smooth, creamy texture that feels like real-deal cookie dough. Don’t knock it ’til you try it!

Trust me when I say that this stuff is addicting! I think we polished off three batches in three days. One batch per day, not too shabby.

Edible protein cookie dough in a white speckled bowl with chocolate chips on top and gold spoon on the right.

Protein-packed – One serving is packed with 10 grams of protein!
Healthy – This recipe gives you all the joy of eating cookie dough but it’s low-sugar and made with healthy, real food ingredients. It’s a sweet treat you can feel good about indulging in.
Easy – No baking or complicated steps required! This recipe comes together in about 10 minutes. All you need are 7 simple ingredients and a food processor.
Allergen-friendly – This cookie dough is vegan, gluten-free, egg-free and can easily be made nut-free.

// ★★★★★ Review //

“My husband is starting to go plant based with me and, of course, he found your recipe. He made these cookie dough balls and it blew my mind! These are so good, I prefer these over actual vegan cookies, especially knowing I am getting some good nutrients from the chickpeas. So so good! Thank you for this recipe!” – Ashley

Ingredients measured out to make protein cookie dough: chickpeas, cashew butter, coconut sugar, vanilla, protein powder, chocolate chips and salt.

As I mentioned above, this recipe requires just 7 pantry staple ingredients. I bet you already have most of these items in your kitchen right now! Here’s what you ned:

chickpeas – I know it seems odd that beans can create a delicious tasting cookie dough, but you just have to trust me on this one. The beans help to create a creamy texture. Plus, they add protein and fiber to this cookie dough. If you don’t have chickpeas or aren’t a fan you can substitute them with a can of white beans like cannellini beans.
vanilla vegan protein powder – the vanilla protein powder really amps up the protein content and adds some sweetness without the added sugar. I used Nuzest protein powder (use code eatingbirdfood for 15% off your order).
cashew butter – cashew butter adds some additional protein and healthy fats to this recipe. If you don’t have cashew butter on hand I’d suggest using almond butter instead. You can definitely use peanut butter, but it has a stronger flavor so it could overpower the cookie dough. If you need this recipe to be nut-free you can swap the cashew butter with a seed butter like sunflower seed butter or tahini.
coconut sugar – for a little natural sweetness I found coconut sugar to be a great option. As a substitute cane sugar or brown sugar will work as well. I haven’t tried this recipe with a liquid sweetener like maple syrup or honey, so if you try it let me know in the comments below!
vanilla extract – for more vanilla flavor!
sea salt – if you’re using salted nut butter you can skip the sea salt.
dairy-free chocolate chips – I love Lily’s chocolate chips for a low-sugar option and Enjoy Life chocolate chips for a dairy-free/soy-free option.

Brittany’s Tip

I recommend using a plant-based pea protein powder for this recipe since that’s what I used to test this recipe. If you prefer whey protein powder you can use it, but just note that whey protein powder doesn’t seem to soak up as much liquid as plant-based protein powders so your cookie dough might turn out wetter than how the photos look.

Collage of four photos showing the process how to make protein cookie dough bu blending chickpeas in a food processor and adding in sugar, nut butter, protein powder and chocolate chips.

This chickpea cookie dough recipe couldn’t be any easier to make! Just grab your food processor and you’ll have delicious, protein-packed cookie dough ready to go in 10 minutes. Here’s how to make it:

Step 1: Add the drained and rinsed chickpeas to your food processor and process until they start to smooth out. You may need to use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides while blending.

Step 2: Once your chickpeas start to smooth out, add the protein powder, nut butter, coconut sugar, vanilla and sea salt. Process until a ball of dough forms.

Step 3: Using a rubber spatula separate the cookie dough a bit then add the chocolate chips and pulse 2-3 times or until the chocolate chips get dispersed in the cookie dough.

Step 4: Remove the cookie dough from the food processor and enjoy right away or store in the fridge for later.

Brittany’s Tip

If you don’t have a food processor you can certainly try making this recipe in a high-powdered blender. It might be hard to get the dough to combine fully, but it should work.

Recipe Variations

No beans – If you want to skip the beans, try my recipe for cottage cheese cookie dough or these vegan cookie dough bars instead.
No protein powder – If you’re not a protein powder fan or want to make this recipe for kiddos, you can swap the protein powder with oat flour instead. You’ll likely just want more sugar to sweeten up the dough.

A gold spoon on a white surface with a scoop of protein cookie dough.

This cookie dough is insanely good on it’s own, but if you’re feeling fancy here are some additional ways to serve it up:

Sundae – For a cookie dough sundae with a chocolate drizzle simply use an ice cream scoop to scoop the dough into a small bowl. Melt 1-2 Tablespoons of additional chocolate chips with 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. Drizzle chocolate over the cookie dough. Enjoy!
Balls – Roll the dough (using a heaping Tablespoon) into balls. These can also be dipped in chocolate for chocolate covered cookie dough bites.
Dip – Add almond milk (about 1/4 or so) for a thinner texture that’s perfect for dipping. Serve the chickpea cookie dough dip with apple slices or graham crackers.
Parfait – Layer this cookie dough with Greek yogurt, fresh berries and homemade granola for a delicious parfait. It’s the perfect way to start your morning!

Edible protein cookie dough in a white speckled bowl with chocolate chips on top and gold spoon on the left.

Can I Make Cookies With This Recipe?

This recipe was intended to be an edible cookie dough recipe so I’ve actually never tried using the dough to bake cookies. I really need to test it to see if it works, but in the meantime if you’re looking for a protein dessert to bake, try these protein cookies, chickpea brownies or black bean brownies instead.

How to Store

In the fridge: Transfer your cookie dough to an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It should stay fresh for about 5 days. Just give it a good stir before serving as the ingredients may separate a bit in the fridge.

In the freezer: For longer storage, you can freeze this cookie dough. I recommend scooping it into bite-sized balls and placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until solid, then transfer the cookie dough bites to a freezer-safe bag or container (I like my Stasher bags). They should keep well for up to 3 months. When you’re ready for a snack, just grab one (or a few) from the freezer and enjoy! They’re delicious eaten straight from the freezer.

More Protein-Packed Treats to Try

Be sure to check out the full collection of dessert recipes on EBF!

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4.55 from 22 votes