Eggless Besan Brownies (Chickpea Flour Brownies)
Feb 14, 2022, Updated May 07, 2023
These fudgy brownies are made with besan (chickpea flour) making them gluten-free! They are so rich and chocolaty and make the perfect treat!
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These eggless brownies are made with Besan (chickpea flour). They are fudgy, full of chocolate flavor and you would never guess that they are gluten-free!
I am really excited to share this recipe of Besan Brownies with you guys! When I started baking many years ago, I would just use the basic ingredients to bake cakes, cupcakes and brownies.
But now I like to try different ingredients in baking. I have been testing this recipe of Eggless Besan Brownies for quite a while and I am excited to finally share it with you all.
These are fudgy, chocolaty and you wouldn’t believe there’s no gluten and eggs in there! Sarvesh was so surprised when he tasted one. He said he can’t believe these are made from besan.
As an Indian, besan (chickpea flour) is a very staple ingredient in my pantry. I use it all the time to make kadhi, chilla, ladoo and so much more! So this time I tried baking with it and was very pleasantly surprised with the results.
Ingredients
Besan: for this recipe, use regular besan which you use for making pakoras, chilla, kadhi etc. You don’t need any fine or special besan here. You can find it at any Indian grocery store.
Cocoa powder: I like using Anthony’s cocoa powder here (not sponsored, I just love the product) but you can use any unsweetened cocoa powder of choice.
Sugar: for this besan brownies recipe, I have used 100% granulated white sugar. I haven’t tested the recipe with brown sugar, if you want to I would suggest replacing 50% of the sugar with it.
Flaxseed meal: since there’s no gluten and no egg either, I had to add something to bind the brownies and the flaxseed meal does that job really well. I used whole flaxseeds which I pulse in my spice grinder to make the powder. You can straightaway buy flaxseed meal from stores as well.
Butter: it adds so much flavor to the brownies, I use unsalted here but you can also use salted butter. I would skip on the salt if using salted butter. I also add little bit of oil for extra moistness.
Yogurt: make sure the yogurt you use here is thick. It can either be Greek Yogurt or if using regular yogurt, strain it for few hours and then use.
To Add or Not To Add Leavening Agents?
Usually brownie recipes do not call for leavening agents especially when you are looking for those fudgy brownies. But sometimes we do add baking powder/soda to eggless brownies to compensate for the lack of eggs. While testing this recipe, I did make versions with and without baking powder and finally settled on the one without any leavening agents. Here’s why:
With baking powder: the besan brownies made with baking powder had a little rise and were little cakey. I liked them but I wanted their texture to be better.
Without baking powder: these were fudgy and their texture was exactly what I was looking for.
You can definitely made them with or without the baking powder but for fudgy texture, skip it!
Step by Step Instructions
1- To a flour sifter, add 3/4 cup besan (91 grams).
2- Then add the following:
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (48 grams)
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
3- Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
4- Then add in 2 tablespoons (14 grams) of flaxseed meal and mix. Set this aside.
5- Chop 1/2 cup of butter (113 grams) into small pieces. Place it in a glass bowl and then place that bowl over pot of simmering water. This is called the double boiler method. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the surface of water. You can also melt the butter in microwave.
6- Stir often until the butter melts. Then remove the bowl from the pan.
7- Let it cool down for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add in 1 tablespoon oil. I used avocado oil here.
8- Add in the 3/4 cup sugar (150 grams) and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
9- Mix until everything is well combined. Make sure to mix really well at this stage
10- Add in 1/2 cup yogurt (120 grams) now.
11- And mix really well (vigorously) until it’s all well combined. You can use a hand whisk or a mixer here. The sugar should nicely dissolve and mix well with everything at this point. This is important step.
12- Start adding the sifted dry ingredients, add 1/2 of the mix first and start mixing using a spatula.
13- Then add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and mix until it’s all combined.
14- Add in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
15- Mix until they are well combined into the batter.
16- Transfer batter to a 8-inch square pan lined with parchment paper. Using a spatula, spread the batter throughout the pan. Bake at 350 F degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. You want the edges to pull away when done and the center shouldn’t feel gooey. Remove from oven and very important- let it cool down for 2 hours before cutting into pieces. Do not try to cut the brownies before else they might crumble. You can even pop them in the fridge for that hour before cutting.
Making It Vegan
I have personally not tried making this recipe vegan but if you want to give it a try, here’s what I would recommend.
- use same amount of coconut oil as the butter so you would be 1/2 cup of coconut oil.
- use vegan yogurt (plain almond milk yogurt preferably) in place of regular yogurt.
Rest of the recipe remains same.
Storage
These chickpea flour brownies would stay well for up to 2 to 3 days at room temperature (keep them in an airtight container though). You can put them in the refrigerator and they will last for couple more days.
Replacing Sugar With Jaggery
I have personally not tried it so I am not sure how it will effect the texture of the brownies. Let me know how it turns out if you try the recipe with jaggery.
Alternative To Flaxseed Meal
For binding these gluten-free besan brownies, I have used flaxseed meal here. If you don’t have them, you can also use ground psyllium husk or chia seeds.
Additional Add-Ins
You can also add chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter.
To make them more fancy, drizzle them with fudge sauce, caramel etc.
Tips For Making The Best Besan Brownies
- For best results, it’s a good idea to measure ingredients by weight and use them in the recipe.
- Line your baking tray with parchment paper. That makes it so easy to remove brownies from the pan.
- Vigorously mix the sugar and yogurt until combined. The sugar should completely dissolve, that will give the brownies that crust on top!
- Let the brownies cool completely for 2 hours before cutting them. Do not attempt to cut them before that else they will crumble.
- Use sharp knife to cut the brownies. Dip the knife into hot water, then wipe it and then cut the slices. You will get cleaner slices like this.
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Eggless Besan Brownies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup besan 91 grams, chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder 48 grams, unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal 14 grams
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick/113 grams
- 1 tablespoon oil 15 ml
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar 150 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 ml
- 1/2 cup yogurt 120 grams, Greek/thick yogurt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- To a flour sifter, add besan, cocoa powder, instant coffee, cinnamon powder and salt. Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
- Then add in the flaxseed meal and mix. Set this aside.
- Chop 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) into small pieces. Place it in a glass bowl and then place that bowl over pot of simmering water. This is called the double boiler method. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the surface of water. You can also melt the butter in microwave.Stir often until the butter melts. Then remove the bowl from the pot.
- Let it cool down for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add in 1 tablespoon oil. I used avocado oil here.
- Add in the sugar and vanilla extract and mix vigorously until well combined. You can use a wire whisk or a hand/stand mixer here.
- Add in the yogurt now. And mix really well (vigorously) until it's all well combined. You can use a hand whisk or a mixer here. The sugar should nicely dissolve and mix well with everything at this point. This is important step.
- Start adding the sifted dry ingredients, add 1/2 of the mix first and start mixing using a spatula. Then add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and mix until it's all combined.
- Add in the chocolate chips. Mix until they are well combined into the batter.
- Transfer batter to a 8-inch square pan lined with parchment paper. Using a spatula, spread the batter throughout the pan. Bake at 350 F degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. You want the edges to pull away when done and the center shouldn't feel gooey. Remove from oven and very important- let it cool down for 2 hours before cutting into pieces. Do not try to cut the brownies before else they might crumble. You can even pop them in the fridge for an hour before cutting.
Notes
- For best results, it’s a good idea to measure ingredients by weight and use them in the recipe.
- Line your baking tray with parchment paper. That makes it so easy to remove brownies from the pan.
- Vigorously mix the sugar and yogurt until combined. The sugar should completely dissolve, that will give the brownies that crust on top!
- Let the brownies cool completely for 2 hours before cutting them. Do not attempt to cut them before that else they will crumble.
- Use sharp knife to cut the brownies. Dip the knife into hot water, then wipe it and then cut the slices. You will get cleaner slices like this.
- Read notes in the recipe if you want to make this vegan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Manali,
Lovely recipe! Was extremely decadent and sinful! Couldn’t figure out the besan at all! Super yum and fun to share. 🙂
Only one small thing- I observed that my version sank in the center- do you think some baking soda/powder would need to be added?
Thanks again!
glad you liked it Shreya! if you read the text, I have tried this recipe with and without leavening agents. you can definitely add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder if you want but I liked the version without any leavening agent since they were fudgier. Read the text under heading “To Add or Not To Add Leavening Agents?” in the post!