Chickpea Protein Cookies - No Bake & Sugar Free

Surprisingly good No Bake Chickpea Protein Cookies for an easy and quick dessert! These healthy chickpea cookies use protein powder, peanut butter powder and coconut flour for a sugar free and low calorie recipe. Gluten free too!

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I was actually going for a remake of my chickpea cookie dough protein bars, but ended up with this smooth mix that fit a lot better as a cookie recipe. No bake chickpea protein cookies definitely sounded better than bars here.

These were also super easy to make - just mixing, diving and rolling. And then eating. They're low fat too so they work as a great post workout snack too!

I actually made these on a workday morning before clocking in, including filming the recipe! So yes, it is very easy! But to be fair, this was a lot more doable back when this was shot, right after the pandemic, when pretty much everyone was still working from home.

These no make chickpea protein cookies are make with simple and healthy ingredients like protein powder, peanut butter powder and sugar free chocolate chips and syrup. No flour or eggs either - a great low fat, gluten free and vegan chickpea cookie recipe.

Chickpeas - you can use canned chickpeas (drain and rinse well first) or cook some from dried garbanzo beans.
- Sub: Make white bean protein cookies using dried or canned cannellini beans instead.
Peanut butter powder, also known as powdered peanut butter. I use PB2 or PbFit for this to keep it sugar free.
- Sub: ⅓ cup regular peanut butter, but use less milk too - start with 2 Tbsp.
Vanilla protein powder to make this high protein garbanzo bean cookie. I use half Quest Nutrition whey-casein Vanilla and half Legion Vanilla Whey here to keep it sugar free.
A bit of coconut flour
- Sub: Try about ⅓ cup of almond flour or oat flour instead - I haven't tried this myself, though.
Maple syrup - the sugar free version from Lakanto.
- Sub: Honey works too, but this won't be sugar free anymore.
Unsweetened almond milk or another non-dairy or regular milk
- Sub: Any regular milk works.
Some creamy peanut butter
- Sub: Almond butter, cashew butter, or a seed butter like sunflower seed butter if you need this nut-free.
Vanilla extract
A pinch of salt (optional, but it rounds out the sweetness)
Chocolate chips - I use the sugar free ones from Lakanto here too. Lily's is another sugar free option.

If your protein powder isn't sweet enough, you might need a bit more maple syrup, or use a stevia sweetener instead.

Vegan Chickpea Protein Cookies

To make these vegan, swap the whey protein powder for a plant-based option - KOS Plant Vanilla, Truvani Plant-Based Vanilla, or Dymatize Complete Plant Vanilla all work well here - and use maple syrup instead of honey to keep it fully plant-based.

How to Make No Bake Chickpea Protein Cookies

Break Down the Chickpeas: Place chickpeas in a food processor or blender and pulse until roughly broken down.

Blend the Wet Ingredients: Add the peanut butter powder, protein powder, almond milk, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Pulse until smooth, about 1 minute - add more milk to thin if needed. Taste the mixture here and adjust sweetness if you want.

Fold in the Rest: Transfer to a bowl, add the coconut flour and chocolate chips, and fold to combine.

Shape the Cookies: Divide into 12 pieces, roll into balls, and flatten into cookies. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill until firm.

Tips for the Best Protein Powder Chickpea Cookies

These protein powder chickpea cookies are really easy to make, but a few things help get them tasty and perfect.

Take the skin off the chickpeas. It makes the mixture a lot smoother.
Use the 'pulse' setting on your food processor so the mix doesn't turn into a purée.
Use room-temperature milk so it blends well and doesn't harden the peanut butter.
Add the coconut flour at the end, along with the chocolate chips - this way you avoid the risk of it turning into paste.

To store Low Calorie No Bake Chickpea Cookies

These low calorie chickpea cookies needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer since they're a no bake recipe. Place it in an airtight container and it should last 5 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.

To freeze, stack healthy chickpea cookies with parchment paper in between, and place in airtight containers or freezer-safe zipper bags.

Variations on These Chickpea Protein Cookies

Swap the chocolate: Try Lily's White Chocolate Baking Chips instead of semi-sweet for a different flavor.
Add crunch: Fold in a tablespoon of crushed Catalina Crunch Cereal for texture.
Go peanut butter cup style: Press a small piece of Quest Peanut Butter Cup into the center of each cookie before chilling.

Chickpea Protein Cookies FAQ

Are these chickpea cookies actually high in protein?

Yes - each cookie has about 7.8 grams of protein and 107 calories, which is a solid protein content for a no bake, single-cookie serving.

Can I make these vegan?

Yes, swap the whey protein powder for a plant-based option like KOS, Truvani, or Dymatize Complete Plant - see the Vegan section above.

Are these chickpea cookies gluten-free?

Yes, there's no flour in this recipe - just chickpeas, coconut flour, and protein powder, so it's naturally gluten-free.

Is this a low calorie snack?

At 107 calories per cookie, it fits well as a low calorie, post-workout bite - especially compared to a traditional cookie.

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