These vegan Cookie Dough Brownies have a secret ingredient. Lentils! Free of dairy, egg, soy and gluten. They come together quickly for the chocolate chip cookie dough fix. Use coconut flour to make grain-free
I know right. I am currently going through a Cookie dough phase. the other day, I was hit with the cookie dough craving again and I wondered if I could do something about all the flour and nuts in it and also the reduce the oil and amp up te cookie dough to something more. Enter lentils! Lentils and chickpeas can pretty much do everything. I also added a brownie layer to the bars, you can as well make the brownie layer into cookie dough too. Make a lot of cookie dough balls and freeze them till you need them, if any are left that is. So lets add some protein (lentils!) to these fudge bars.
There are cooked lentils, hemp seeds, a bit of oat and coconut flour for added volume in this recipe. Sub the oat flour with coconut flour to make the recipe grain-free. I use raw unrefined sugar in the recipe. The dry sugar is not adding any volume to this so you can use any sweetener of choice like stevia, dates, coconut sugar etc. A liquid sweetener might not work as well as there is already enough moisture from the lentils.
I know they sound unusual. Give them a go! If you don’t like them much, no fear, just blend them up into milkshakes or cookie dough blizzards!
Make these awesome Vegan Cookie Dough Brownies! Lentils = Protein!
More goodies from the blog.
The original Chocolate chip Cookie dough with oat and almond flour or use any flour. No Bake. You can use this to make these bars as well. Make a double batch, add cocoa powder to one batch, layer, chill and slice.
Cookie dough blizzard milkshake – No Bake
Baked Chocolate chunk Cookie, Date Caramel, Brownie bars
Recipe Card
Vegan Cookie Dough Brownies. Gluten-free No Bake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (90 g) red lentils masoor dal
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp (0.13 tsp) salt
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) hemp seeds
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 3/4 cup (177.44 g) ground raw sugar or other sweetener
- 1/4 cup (30 g) oat flour divided or use coconut flour to make grain free
- 1/4 cup (39 g) plus 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
- 1/4 cup (52 g) + 2 Tbsp mini vegan chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- In a pan, add washed lentils and water. Partially cover and cook for 13 to 14 minutes on medium heat or until very tender. Drain if needed. Cool to room temperature and add to blender.
- Add hemp seeds to the blender and blend. Blend 2 or more cycles to smoothly blend the hemp seeds and lentils.
- Add salt, vanilla extract, sugar, coconut oil and blend to combine. Divide the blended mixture into 2 bowls.
- In one bowl, add 2 Tbsp oat flour, 2.5 Tbsp coconut flour and mix well. Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips and mix. Taste add more sweet if needed. This is the cookie dough.
- In other bowl, add 2 Tbsp oat flour, 2.5 Tbsp coconut flour, cocoa powder and mix well. Add 2 Tbsp chocolate chips and mix in. Taste and add sweet if needed. This is the brownie.
- *Coconut flour thickens up the dough, so add less or more depending on the moisture content. During mixing, you will know after a minute if the dough needs more or not.
- Press brownie layer into parchment lined pan. Press cookie dough on top. Chill for an hour or freeze for half an hour. Slice and serve. Keep refrigerated for upto 4 days, frozen for longer.
Notes
Nutrition
*Coconut Flour
is not desiccated coconut. It is ground from dried defatted coconut. It absorbs liquid like a sponge and does not feel oily or flaky.
*Use quick cooking red or pink lentils here, not brown or whole red(Indian brown) lentils.
*Use finely ground nuts instead of hemp seeds for variation
*This makes half a 8 by 8 inch brownie pan.
* Red Lentils can also be found online like these Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils
. They make amazing soups/dals.
* Vegan Chocolate chips options Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chips
or chop up Theo Classic Organic (70% Cacao) Dark Chocolate bars
These bars are being shared at VVP
Melany
Can I substitute applesauce for the coconut oil?
Vegan Richa Support
Yes, you can. But note that this will likely change the flavor and texture a bit.
Isabelle Gélinas
This is one of my favourite recipes from your site. They taste amazing a pack a great nutritional value.
Question: if I cook them thoroughly, can I use whole brown lentils for this recipe?
Richa
Yes but the color of the cookie dough will be brown
Emily
Hi, Richa, your recipe looks delightful! I’ve had a ton of success with legumes in baked goods; they make for a great texture.
I’m considering testing this recipe sometime with almond butter in place of the coconut oil and dates in place of the sugar to make it oil free and more whole-food-centered. (Obviously still a treat food with all the flour and the chocolate chips, don’t know if I’d want to consider a substitute for the chocolate chips to make it free of refined sugar.) Just curious if you’ve ever tested the recipe this way. Perhaps tahini or cashew butter would work better with the flavor than almond butter? I’m assuming the coconut flour is preferred for texture over other flours?
Emily
Eh, sorry, did not mean to reply to another comment but to make a comment in the general thread!
Vegan Richa Support
I have not tested the recipe in that way, but sounds like you’ve got some good swap ideas. Oat and coconut flour have the best texture and taste for this no-bake recipe. Cashew butter would be best for the consistency and taste, I believe. I look forward to hearing your feedback!
Alexandria Phillips
The flavor is good but the texture of mine is off. I wish there was a little more direction as to what texture I was looking for when mixing. I sort of expected it to firm up in the fridge and it didn’t. But I will most likely try again use what I learned from my mistakes in the next round.
Richa
Prob had too much moisture is it didn’t firm up a bit. It won’t firm up a lot but should settle. You can add in more flours
Estelle
Is there a substitute for the coconut flour?
Richa
Add oat flour. You’ll need more flour as coconut flour absorbs a lot kore moisture than other flours
Sarah Victor
Thank you, @veganricha, for this creative and wholesome spin on a beloved treat!
Vegan Richa Support
glad you loved it
Mary
They look delicious. Is it possible to leave out the coconut oil or substitute it with something else to make it oil-free?
Richa
Yes leave it out
Janice
Hi Richa,
These sound so intriguing! I made fudgy black bean brownies last week that were a big hit!
I’m just wondering what you would substitute for coconut oil? Would maple syrup work (cutting out some sugar) & adding more coconut flour?
Richa
Just omit it
Catherine Chan
Do the lentils need to be soaked before hand?
Richa
yes
Abhaye
Can coconut flour be substituted?
Richa
you can use regular flour, you might need to add more of it
Natalie
Hey Richa,
I’m a big fan of your recipes! Do you think there is any way this recipe could be altered by adding chocolate vegan protein powder? 🤔
Thanks 🙏🏼
Richa
Sure, replace some of the oat flour wth protein powder
Joan
Can I substitute chia seed for hemp seed?
Richa
you can use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. chia would soak up too much moisture
Joan
Thank you. I used pumpkin seeds–I measured them, then ground them in a mini food processor. These are delicious–thanks for a great recipe : )
Alexis
Sounds yummy. Only… is there an alternative to Hemp seeds? I am allergic to that too… :/ Thank you…
Richa
use more coconut flour or more lentils.
Tanisha M.
How would these turn out if I use brown lentils I have on hand? I know it says use red, but I’m curious before I attempt using the brown if they’ll totally be botched, either in taste or texture.
Thanks in advance for your response!
Richa
brown lentils have a much stronger and earthier flavor and that might be quite pronounced.
Alyssa
I love everything about these! I made them tonight and while they tasted great, they did not look like they do in your photos. When I blended the lentils and hemp seeds together, the mixture was really tough and sticky. I let the lentils cool, but maybe I didn’t let them cool long enough? Could that have affected the texture that much?
Richa
hmm I am not sure about how it was tough as well as sticky. How was it different from the pictures? I think the pictures make the mix look drier (because the bars were chilled and were sitting out for the photos), but it is sticky nand fudgy. Depending on the moisture in the lentils and if they were over or undercooked, the texture would be wet or dough like, and granular or smooth. Cook the lentils till done but not over, and pulse a few times to break the mixture down. If there is excess moisture, you can add more coconut flour.
Alyssa
Thank you! I’m going to try making them again soon, as they were so good my husband ate them already! Maybe I did overcook the lentils, as there was not much moisture when I blended them with the hemp seeds. It was just really hard to mix the flour into it, because it was all stuck together!
Richa
you can mix in the flour after the lentils are blended. add them to a bowl and add flour till you get the desired consistency.
Shannon C
I finally got around to making these and they were so tasty! I ended up adding 1/3 cup of maple syrup as the sweetener, which made them a little runny so I added extra coconut flour. Given all of the healthy, protein and fiber rich ingredients, I felt totally justified in finishing off the whole batch by myself 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!
Richa
Awesome!! These definitely are almost health food 😉
Cassie
I’d probably eat the whole baking tin if someone wouldn’t stop me! EEK–I love how these look! The bars look so gooey and delicious!
Emily
These are fantastic! perfect summer bites!
Raincakes
These look great! So healthy and original. I’m impressed.
Tenessa
So in the ingredients we are using both oat flour and coconut flour?
Richa
yes
Colleen Jones
This recipe sounds delicious, I really want to try them out. Although, I am severely allergic to lentils, what would you suggest I use instead? (Also allergic to nuts, soy and chickpeas).
Richa
some flour like oat or white flour. or maybe cooked grains like quinoa, or other cooked beans like canellini ?
Colleen Jones
Okay great thanks, i’m going to try it out tonight. I’ll let you know how it goes. 🙂
Kristina
I made this just now, and they are so good! I should have doubled the recipe. There is no way these are going to last a night with a boyfriend and roommate!
Richa
Great!! so glad you liked them!
Richa
Awesome! so glad you liked it!
yup its the almond flour. the cooked lentils blend up to a smooth puree and oat flour is more floury if it is finely ground flour. almond flour is generally quite grainy compared to grain flours.
cookingspicy
Thanks for sharing this delicious no-bake treat! I made these with my cooking/baking partner-in-crime last night and we both enjoyed the cookie dough + brownie flavor.
We used almond flour instead of oat flour because that’s what we had on hand. I was skeptical about the lentils but found that they did not affect the flavor so much as the texture. These are a bit grainy (which admittedly could have been exacerbated by our use of almond flour) but they satisfied our craving for something sweet.
Can’t wait to try more of your recipes, Richa.
shonalika
Could not believe these were no-bake when I saw them! Even more so when I read the recipe – I’m no stranger to using pulses in deserts, but I never would have thought using them in no-bake “baked” goods was even possible. Such a clever (not to mention delicious-looking) recipe!
Angela @ Canned-Time.com
These beauties were my favorite from last week’s VVLP. I’m hoping to be able to eat them after getting a tooth pulled Thursday. ….I feel your pain ; (
Thank you for sharing your recipes with us!
Looking forward to this week’s treat from you soon ♡♡
Leslie
I didn’t even know there was such as a thing as split lentil. I’ve only eaten one type of lentil (the brown ones) all my life..now I’m curious! I’m so glad to see the use of lentils in a dessert!
Maria Celia Lopez herrera
God bless your hand Richa, Your recipies are awesome , delicious and healthy.
Hannah
So I was pretty excited about these just from the photo, but THEN I saw the lentils. Lentil cookie dough is the most amazing invention ever! These treats are pure health food- Instead of making excuses to eat a second, you would have to make excuses why NOT to eat a second! I’m in love!
jn
Just made these, using cashews instead of hemp and just 2/3 of the sugar. The taste is really good and hopefully it will stiffen up some in the fridge. I made a double batch and it still wasn’t enough for an 8 x 8 pan though – wish I’d known that because I’m taking it to a party tomorrow.
Richa
Awesome! they do set a bit in the refrigerator. So glad you like them!
the recipes says 9 by 5 pan, so you would have to double it for a 9 by 9 brownie pan
jn
D’oh! I read the recipe twice and didn’t see the pan size at the top. But there’s no way a single recipe fills a 9 x 5 pan unless you make them much thinner than in the photos! A double recipe wasn’t really enough for an 8 x 8 pan. It did stiffen up some overnight and looks and smells so good!
Sara
Probably because you used less sugar. You have to add more of the other ingredients to get the same volume as in the original version.
teresa@sweetveg.org
These look so pretty and delicious. I love your photos. I am not sure why I am just now seeing that you are in Seattle. Yay! I am going to go outside and wave. 🙂
The Vegan 8
Wow Richa! I kid you not, I actually wrote down on my recipe scribble pad several months back to try using lentils in brownies for a lower calorie version and just never got around to it. You beat me to it and now I don’t have to! The look amazinggggg!!!
The Vegan 8
I kid you not Richa…I have on my recipe scribble pad to test brownies using red lentils to try and create a lower calorie brownie! Now, you already beat me to it! LOL. These look soooo amazing!!!
Sadhna Grover
Amazing recipe and awesome photos.
Annie
They actually look baked! Love the layers, Richa :-)!
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen
What a wonderful recipe Richa – I love how versatile lentils are and can’t believe you snuck them in this cookie dough! Can’t wait to try them! 🙂 Pinned!
Emma
Oh wow Richa! These look phenomenal! Love that they’re no-bake and use coconut flour! I make a raw brownie with coconut flour and absolutely adore the texture it gives.
Pinned!
Amanda
Do you mean split red lentils or what you refer to as red lentils elsewhere (brown lentils or “whole red lentils”)?
Richa
yes, the split ones – masoor dal. They are called red lentils. the whole lentils are called indian brown lentils or whole red lentils
Marty
I’m excited too to see red lentils in these treats. Making them tomorrow! Yum!
Lisa
I am absolutely intrigued and EXCITED that I see lentils in the ingredients list! Can’t wait to make these pronto! 😀 Thank you for all of your delicious recipes!
Shannon
Beautiful!! You know I love the sneaking in of lentils, and the lack of baking. I bet you could also use coconut butter for an oil free option. I may have to experiment!
jn
Hemp seeds are not easy to find where I live. What could I sub for those?
Richa
you can use other ground up seeds or nuts. or just omit them. You might need some additional Tbsp or so coconut flour for thickening it,
Caitlin
wow- red lentils! i am definitely making these 😉
Serena
This gluten-free recipe looks amazing! I moved to Toronto last week and I don’t know any gluten-free restaurants here. While going through some local blogs, I’ve found some good tips. I got pretty excited but then I remembered my resolution to start saving money after moving to Toronto. I decided that I will stop spending too much on eating outside and I will start using my kitchen also for cooking and baking 😉 Your recipe looks easy so it’s a good start for me. I will try to make the brownies tomorrow because I finish at work earlier so I will have time to do it. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Amanda
These look delicious and creative!
Gabby @ the veggie nook
Having an abundance of cookie dough recipes is never a bad thing 😉 These look awesome and I love that there are lentils in there!
Lennae
Yum these sound amazing!!!
Lennae xxx
http://www.lennae87.wordpress.com
Monko
Thank you Richard! Will definitely make this one.