If I had to pick a favorite legume, I think it’d probably be a chickpea. Their soft, chewy texture pairs perfectly in some of my favorite salads, works well as a vegan replacement in traditional chicken or tuna dishes and yes, I’ve even tried them in fudgy blondies. What more could you want in a protein-packed little bean?

I made this recipe for peanut butter chickpea muffins back in 2019 and they were inspired by my black bean brownie muffins, which are a cross between a black bean brownie and a chocolate muffin. If you haven’t tried them yet, then what are you waiting for?!

Now I know you’re probably thinking: beans in baked goods sound weird. But, when blended together with a few ingredients, a touch of pure maple syrup and peanut butter, they somehow transform into the FLUFFIEST muffins you’ll ever eat.

In fact, they were such a hit with Tony, that after trying one he came back into the kitchen and exclaimed, “I really like those muffins — they’re so fluffy!”

The best part was that I didn’t even tell them they were made with chickpeas. Heh. Since I originally made them they’ve become one of the most popular muffin recipes on Ambitious Kitchen, so you know they’re a must-bake!

Yes, we’re adding chickpeas to muffins

We’re putting an actual can of chickpeas into this muffin recipe, and you’re going to LOVE IT. Trust me when I say they do not taste like beans or legumes at all. The creamy peanut butter and natural sweetness make them absolutely delicious and super fluffy.

My favorite thing about this recipe is that these muffins are seriously packing peanut butter flavor + over 7g of protein per muffin.  This means these chickpea muffins are great for after-school snacks, lunch box treats, post workout on-the-go fuel or a travel snack. YASSSSSSS chickpeas solvin’ all the hangry probs.

Ingredients in these flourless chickpea muffins

These chickpea muffins are made with only 7 simple ingredients, plus the batter is blended together in a blender or food processor, making this recipe super simple to throw together in no time at all. Here are the ingredients you need:

• Chickpeas: you’ll need a can of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) as the base of the muffins. Chickpeas make them super fluffy and flourless!
• Eggs: in order to help these flourless peanut butter muffins rise, we have to use eggs.
• Peanut butter: the one and only. Make sure to use a natural creamy peanut butter (with just peanuts and salt) to keep the recipe consistency and texture nice and fluffy. Use the code ‘AMBITIOUS15‘ to get 15% off of my fav nut butter brand, Wild Friends!
• Pure maple syrup: I love using pure maple syrup in my recipes for the perfect amount of sweetness while keeping the recipes refined sugar free.
• Vanilla extract: if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it. Vanilla adds a nice flavor, but the muffins will still be wonderful without it. Learn how to make your own from scratch with this tutorial!
• Baking powder: to help the muffins rise and get all fluffy inside! Make sure your baking powder is fresh.
• Chocolate chips: I prefer to use dark chocolate chips, but mini chocolate chips, semi-sweet or dairy-free chocolate chips will all work well.

Easy ingredient swaps

These healthy chickpea muffins use plenty of pantry staples, but can easily be customized. Here’s what I recommend in terms of ingredient swaps:

• For the peanut butter: I have only tested this recipe with peanut butter, but I also think other nut butters such as almond or cashew should work out similarly.
• For the maple syrup: you can use honey in place of the maple syrup, but just note that the muffins may end up tasting sweeter.

Can I make them vegan?

Unfortunately, I would not recommend using an egg replacement in this recipe. The 3 eggs are essential to the texture of these muffins.

Fluffy chickpea muffins in 3 simple steps

1. Blend the chickpeas. Start by adding your rinsed & drained can of chickpeas to a food processor or blender with one of the eggs. Process until the chickpeas are well blended.
2. Make the batter. Add the other two eggs and the rest of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) to the food processor and process again until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Bake & devour. Divide the batter among 10 prepared muffin liners in your muffin tin and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake them up, cool them, then enjoy!

Storing & freezing tips

• To store: feel free to keep these peanut butter chickpea muffins at room temp for one day, then I recommend storing them in the refrigerator. Feel free to warm them up in the microwave.
• To freeze: allow the muffins to cool completely then put in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, you can thaw at room temperature, or heat up in the microwave in 30 second intervals.

More delicious muffin recipes

Get all of my amazing muffin recipes here!

I hope you all love these chickpea muffins! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!

Fluffy Flourless Peanut Butter Chickpea Muffins

Fluffy peanut butter chickpea muffins with delicious puddles of chocolate chips in every bite. These easy protein-packed chickpea muffins only require 7 simple ingredients and the batter can be made right in the blender or food processor. Easy, freezer-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free and perfect for snack time or post workout.

Ingredients

• 1
  (15 ounce)
  can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3
  large eggs
• 1/2
  cup
  creamy natural peanut butter (just peanuts + salt)
• 1/2
  cup
  pure maple syrup (or sub honey)
• 1
  teaspoon
  vanilla extract
• 1
  teaspoon
  baking powder
• ¼
  teaspoon
  salt
• 1/3
  cup
  dark chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top (dairy-free, if desired)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with 10 muffin liners (we’re only making 10 muffins) and spray the inside of each liner with nonstick cooking spray so that the liners do not stick to the muffins — this is important.

2. Place chickpeas and 1 egg in the bowl of a food processor or high powered blender and process until beans are well blended. Add two other eggs, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, baking powder and salt and process again until smooth. Fold in ⅓ cup chocolate chips.

3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips evenly among the tops of each muffin batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffins comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep muffins for a day at room temperature, then transfer to fridge and place in an airtight container. Makes 10 muffins.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to use almond butter or cashew butter instead of peanut butter.

See the full post for storing & freezing instructions.

Nutrition

Servings: 10 muffins

Serving size: 1 muffin

Calories: 219kcal

Fat: 11.6g

Saturated fat: 3.3g

Carbohydrates: 26.5g

Fiber: 3.8g

Sugar: 16.4g

Protein: 7.1g

This post was originally published on October 22nd, 2019, republished on January 24th, 2022, and republished on January 5th, 2023.