These Peanut Butter Chickpea Bars are perfect for breakfast or an after school snack. They’re healthy, kid-friendly and easy to make. Plus they’re vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free!
Hi friends!
Allow me to introduce you to a new favorite snack at our house: Peanut Butter Chickpea Bars. With back to school season approaching, I’ve had a couple requests for recipes that are good for packed lunches and after school snacks.
These bars certainly fit the bill! I’d been wanting to create something with the peanut butter chickpea combo for a while now. I was able to nail the flavor and consistency of these bars on the first try but finding a baking vessel took a few tries. The first time, I baked them in a 9×9 square pan and they were just a bit too thin. The next time I tried them in a loaf pan and they were way to thick. The third time, I baked them in the 9×9 pan and just left about an inch or so of the pan empty on one side and that got them to my desired thickness. They don’t really spread out while baking so it’s easy to leave some open space. You could also try them in an 8×8 pan.
Peanut Butter Chickpea Bars
I drizzled mine with chocolate but you could leave that off if you wanted. You could also mix some chocolate chips into the batter which I’m going to try next time.
I took these pictures while Little Miss was awake and was quickly reminded why I usually save photos for naptime. She made it quite clear when she was ready for the photo shoot to be over…and even helped herself to a bar.
Like I said, these are super simple to make in the food processor and require just a few ingredients. Squish helped me make a batch or two! Here’s how you make them:
Peanut Butter Chickpea Bars
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Makes 8 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 can chickpeas (drain and rinse but reserve the liquid)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp liquid from chickpea can
Instructions
Place the oats in a food processor and process for about 30 seconds.
Add chickpeas and pulse several times.
Add remaining ingredients and process until well mixed and a ball starts to form.
Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough into the middle of the pan. It will be pretty sticky.
Get your fingers wet and then work quickly to spread the dough to the corners of the pan. You may need to re-wet them a couple of times. Leave about an inch open on one side of the pan.
Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.
Let cool, cut into 8 bars, drizzle with melted chocolate chips and sprinkle with sea salt.
Notes
I would recommend taking a taste of the dough before you put it in the pan. If it’s not sweet enough for you, you could add a little more maple syrup but both of my kids liked these just fine.
[clickToTweet tweet=”These Peanut Butter Chickpea Bars are perfect for a lunch box or after school snack!” quote=”These Peanut Butter Chickpea Bars are perfect for a lunch box or an after school snack!”]
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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These look incredible!!! LOVE how gooey and dense they look!
What a great idea! They look delicious!
What size can of chickpeas for the Chickpea peanut butter bars recipe?
i believe it was 14.5 ounces?
Awe, these photos are so cute!!! Definitely going to try these! I’m always looking for chickpea recipes! 🙂
I love sweets with chickpeas! They make the best everything! As long as I don’t tell my sister whats in it she likes baked goods and treats with them as well.
The recipe looks awesome, and I will definitely be trying it. Am I the only one who melted at the sight of that precious baby head and chubby hands? Adorable!
Could I substitute something else for the maple syrup? Like maybe honey?
yep! honey should work!
These were really good! We made a cacao powder, almond butter, heavy whipping cream sauce & definitely sprinkled some salt on top. Next time I’m going to try adding a date or two instead of the maple syrup for the sweetness. Thanks for sharing!
I love to bake with chickpeas!! These looks great – I can’t wait to make them.
Any idea how much protein per bar? Thanks!
I have no idea. Sorry!
What a brilliant idea! Pinned and can’t wait to try these!
My three year old has been enjoying these all week. I have been calling them peanut butter and chocolate bars. I almost slipped once and called them chickpea bars…oops!
I have to make these! I think my girls would love and they’re perfect for the lunchbox!
These turned out so good! My 14 month old devoured hers. I loved it too! My food processor is tiny so I just did the oats and chickpeas in there separately and then finished it all in the stand mixer. Worked great!
so glad to hear it!
Anyone tried freezing these?
I freeze them all the time. I usually let them cool, stick them in the fridge for a bit, then cut them (seems to help reduce crumbling). Then stick them in a freezer bag and they are good to go!
YUM! These look like my kind of snack! If it involves peanut butter and chocolate, you can sign me up! Love how your baby was helping out with the photo shoot 😉
Kids loved these! We added cacao nibs and left the chocolate off the top. Thanks for a quick and easy recipe!
yay! glad you enjoyed them!
I just made these and they taste amazing! Super easy to make! What do you recommend for storage (room temp, fridge), and how long do these stay fresh? Thank you!
Guys these are SO GOOD! I was worried they wouldn’t be sweet enough or stick together well but they are absolutely perfect. I ate about 1/8 of the pan straight out of the oven I couldn’t resist 🙂 Thanks so much for this healthy, yummy, and super easy snack!
I made this but cut the maple syrup in half and tripled the amount of the cinnamon. I also subbed half the oats with hemp hearts. I didn’t use canned beans (re-hydrated chickpeas) and used 2tbs of sugar free vanilla almond milk. I didn’t drizzle chocolate on it either. These changes made it have more healthy fat and less sugar to make it a healthy snack. The whole family likes it!
I never (*and I mean NEVER) leave reviews for recipes online. But I HAVE to for these bars! They’re absolutely AMAAAAZZZZZZZIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG! I follow the recipe exactly as its stated. However I make my own Vegan White Chocolate & drizzle that on top of the bars …. Words cannot describe just how delicious these are! Thanks Lindsay! This recipe is just about my favorite thing ever! I use it weekly in my house, and my friends love, love, LOVE it!