WAIT. WHAT?
LENTILS in a dessert? You think I’m crazy? Weird? Cute? Maybe it’s a combo.
We’ll get to this dessert soon. First off, it’s Friday!
I haven’t slept all freaking week. I wish I was kidding. I’ve been preparing for the launch of a brand new site for work and so we’ve been busy plugging away, staying late, and chugging coffee. I’ve also been trying to get back into working out after taking a little over a week off. Last night I went to my favorite yoga sculpt class. Ummmm you guys… it was pure hell and I mean that in the best way possible. I literally thought I was going to throw up on my yoga mat, and that never happens to me (sorry for being so descriptive). I guess that’s what happens after a week of vacation wine and cookie inhaling.
Today I rewarded myself with a small dark hot chocolate. I figured that I haven’t had a real hot chocolate in ages, and I felt like I needed a sweet treat to keep me going. Let me tell you, it was SO worth it. I even topped mine with extra whipped cream. It’s important to treat yourself to a little indulgence; I hope you all do the same this weekend!
Okay, okay. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Lentil Blondies.
Yeah, we should chat about these gems.
So here it goes: These bars are pretty much the fudgiest peanut butter chocolate chip blondie EVER. You can’t even taste the lentils — all you get is a chewy, fudgy bar packed with peanut butter flavor. YES, it’s true.
Oatmeal gives these bars a little bit of chew, too. They remind me of a combination between my peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and my chickpea peanut butter chocolate chip blondies! Trust me, if you love peanut butter then I’m confident that you’ll love these as much as I do. And don’t be afraid of the lentils — they’re simply there to add moisture and nutrition.
What’s unique about this recipe is that the lentils are cooked then pureed with the peanut butter, therefore you don’t end up getting chunks of lentils in your bar. I used red lentils as they have a sweeter flavor than green, but you can use what you have on hand. I usually buy them from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
I also made an interesting discovery after baking these bars: they are amazing frozen! Usually every time I bake, I have to freeze my goodies so I don’t eat them all. However, I found myself poking my head in the freezer late one night and bit into one of these while they were frozen cold; they were incredible! Somehow the bars were still fudgy and packed with peanut butter flavor. They also feel decadent which makes me love them even more.
Another tip to make these even more addicting: Sprinkle them with a little sea salt after baking. The salty sweet peanut butter & chocolate combo is one of my favorites.
Let me know if you make them. I’m eager to see what you think! Have a wonderful weekend! xoxo
More gluten free desserts to try:
Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies {vegan, gluten-free & healthy}
Grain Free Tahini Brownies (the best brownies I’ve ever eaten!)
Grain Free Omega-3 Fudgy Walnut Skillet Brownies
The Best Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies You’ll Ever Eat
New & Improved Healthy Avocado Black Bean Brownies + video!
Gluten Free Flourless Black Bean Brownie Muffins
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lentil Blondies {vegan, gluten free, healthy}
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red lentils (dry)
- 1/2 cup all-natural creamy or crunchy peanut butter (I like Trader Joe's)
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup mini vegan chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top (I use Enjoy Life brand)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine lentils and 1 cup of water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until lentils are soft.
- Transfer lentils to a food processor, add a few tablespoons of water, then process until lentils are a smooth puree; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9x9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place oats in blender or food processor and process until finely ground and smooth like flour. Don’t worry, it doesn't need to be perfect but it should take a few minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in baking soda and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl of electric mixer, mix together peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth. Add in lentil puree and mix until well combined.
- Fold in oat mixture then gently fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remember that you don't have to bake these completely as they are vegan, so if you like a fudgy bar don't keep them in the oven for much longer than 20 minutes!
- Cool brownies completely on wire rack then cut into 16 squares.
I made this for the first time last week and it was soooo addicting! I use date honey instead of maple syrup, I think that was the only difference. At first, I did not have high hopes, but I could not stop eating them! While they are much healthier than other desserts with refined sugar, I believe these are still pretty calorie dense. If you have a similar recipe or idea to make these somehow less calorie dense, I would love to read about it and try! I literally could not stop eating them.
Tip: after they baked and cooled a bit, I found that they fell apart quite easily. I put them in the fridge overnight and I found that it set quite nicely in there.
So glad you enjoyed! I’ve only made them as is, so I can’t really suggest calorie-specific adjustments to this recipe. I like to keep them in the fridge, too!
Hello, if using soaked lentils, can cooking the lentils till soft be a skipped step?
Hi! The lentils will still need to be cooked before baking with them.
Hi I made Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lentil Blondies yesterday. My Husband ate some warm with oat milk last night. I refrigerated them. They are SOO delish cold!!! I do make my own peanut butter. I used local maple syrup and dark cacao chips. Pinch of fresh nutmeg 😁 I baked them for 25 minutes. It could have been longer. We live in Michigan. Maybe that has something to do with it, different elevations?
Definitely making these again!!! Addinf dates next time ❤️
I love these cold, too! Everyone’s ovens behave a bit differently 🙂
I made these today. I absolutely hate the taste and texture of lentils but I know they are a powerhouse of good health so I was happy to find this recipe. I followed it step by step but used 1/2 Lucys choc chips and 1/2 regular to cut down on carbs. These are very good! They were easy to make and used ingredients common to the kitchen!
Perfect! Glad you enjoed!
Amazing!!! You would NEVER know these are healthy. Eyeballed the maple syrup so I don’t know if I put more or less but it was perfect regardless.
yay! So glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out great for you 🙂
Delicious! It’s a bonus that they’re high in fiber and protein!
I made these for my students and children. They absolutely loved it! I also shared some with my associate Ms. Baig, and she agreed with the kids! Absolutely easy fun and tasty treat.
Made these twice now and I love them! SO easy to make. The first time I made them I didn’t blend the lentils, just mushed them with a spoon as much as possible. While they were still delicious, I puréed them this time and I liked how they turned out a bit more. They’re delicious with a glass of cold soy or almond milk. 🙂
Love how simple and quick this recipe is!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Hi Monique! I always love your recipes and am excited to make these! I have a bunch of canned lentils that I need to use up. Would I still use 1/2 cup of canned lentils or would I need to increase amount?
These are fantastic tasting and definitely healthy based on the nutritional information. I use regular semi sweet chips, and I usually add add extra (because I’m a chocolate addict). I think they taste a lot like chocolate chip cookies, and they have been a real hit with all my coworkers. They are best slightly undercooked and as suggested in the recipe. I can’t stop making these!
Perfect! So happy you loved them!
These are super easy to make, delicious, and a fantastic way to sneak in extra protein! I’m always looking for high protein vegan recipes, and I love the idea of using lentils as the base!
Absolutely! Such a great treat.
This is such a solid go-to recipe when you’re craving something sweet, easy, and quick! I never have ingredients on hand but this recipe calls for all the basic pantry staples, yay! These blondies are everything they were described to be. Chewy, fudgey, sweet, chocolatey, peanut buttery, and oh-so good! Thanks so much for the treat.
Ps, try the batter (I don’t know what’s better!)
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
lentils in blondies?? yes please
Hi Monique,
I have just recently found your site and wow, have tried a few of your recipes and they have been a big hit.
Just wondering with this could I use canned Lentils? If so would I still need to cook them first?
Love your site, keep up the great recipes.
Hi Joanne! So happy to have you here. Glad you’re loving the recipes! If the canned lentils are already cooked you can use them (if they’re dry, you’ll need to cook them first.) Enjoy!
These are good, but mine tasted a little peppery. Did I do something wrong? They were a bag of lentils that I’d had for awhile but not past due date. Thoughts? Maybe too much?
Maybe too much? I’m not sure where the pepper taste would come from though.
Made this with sunbutter because we have a nut allergy in the house, and they are so good! Only weird thing is that they have started to turn dark green in places as it’s cooled. It’s weirding me out a little! Any idea what this could be?
Okay I just looked this up and it’s because sunbutter can turn green upon baking! 🙂 Learn something new everyday! Thanks for the great recipe!
YES sunbutter can do that! Glad you’re loving these 🙂
Thank you for the sunbutter explanation. This is my third batch, but used the creamy sunbutter before. But we cut into this batch where I used natural sunbutter, and was horrified they were green in the middle! Glad to know that’s normal!
Haha yes, sunbutter is delicious but tricky because of the chemical reaction. Don’t worry, green is normal!
Could I just use oat flour since I have it on hand, or does it need the texture of the course ground oats for texture/ holding everything together? Anyone tried it?
Hi Monique ! Thanks for this recipe !!! My 3 year old son is giving me such a hard time to eat protein :/ .. can’t wait to try 😉
You’re welcome!! I hope you both enjoy these 🙂
these were insanely good! mine did crumble a bit and i might try adding an egg next time, I also thought, what a delicious raw cookie dough dip! I might also try adding extra oats or flax to thicken it up and eat it straight from the bowl 🙂
This would be amazing as a raw cookie dough dip – fabulous idea! 🙂
Oh man. I love how decadent, not so simple though but i will surely try this tasty dish out.
I hope you try them out and love them!
I already have the puree in my fridge…how much of that would I use?? I have tried to find a conversion chart online but haven’t had any luck. Thanks!
Jen from Melbourne Australia. So good. Would love to see if removing syrup and replacing with boiled dates might turn out. Maple syrup is so expensive here.
I don’t don’t red lentils in my pantry. Can I use the regular color lentils?
Thanks
Hungry girl
Sure, as long as they are tender.
My friends and family have been raving about this recipe! One guest compared them to Clif bars. The first time they were a bit dry and crumbly so I added half of an apple that I cooked in the microwave and a splash of almond milk. I only baked them for 20 minutes and they turned out chewy and delicious. They are great with some dried currants and chopped up pecans as well:)
When ever I bake something with oat flour the end result is always, GUMMY! And these, unfortunately, were no different. They were tasty but very gummy. Would it be possible to replace the oat flour with whole wheat flour? Thanks.
Hi Monique,
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve made these bars for the 4th time already in 2016 and they are absolutely phenomenal! Thank you so much for the recipe! I just ate like 3 square fresh out of the oven. Omg. So good with those melty chocolate chips. PMS-ing isn’t so bad right at this moment ; )
Alannah
I simplified this by using only one appliance; my food processor. First I made the oats and set aside. Less cleanup. Used raspberry jam for chocolate and call them PBJ bars
my batch was dry and crumbled apart. not sure what happened. I think some more moisture or a flax egg would have been helpful.
cathleen baxter, did you happen to use homemade peanut butter? I did, and mine came out exactly as you described – and I baked them for 20 min on the nose 🙁
I had the same problem and the second time I blended in half of an apple that I peeled and cooked in the microwave for 2 minutes and a splash of almond milk. The second batch was moist and delicious. I would also recommend only baking for 20 minutes.
Love your notes!!
I made these. Excellent! In future I will use peanut butter powder to make the recipe lower in fat. I used half agave nectar and half maple syrup. Agave is cheaper, lol. I crave sweets often and I’m glad there are recipes for healthy deserts like these brownies. I’m a huge fan of lentils and love all types. I used green lentils in this recipe and they worked out well.
I also made the Moroccan lentil butternut squash stew and it tasted so wonderful!
Thank you for your healthy whole foods vegan recipes!!
What is the purpose of baking soda, can it be omitted? Thanks!
It should not be omitted. Baking soda reacts with peanut butter to help create a nice texture.
Wow these are delicious, and taste even better after sitting for a few hours! Thanks!
I made these – they’re great! Very dense and chewy. Thanks!
Hi Monique! These look fantastic, and I’d love to make them today. Just one quick question: I have a container of cooked lentils in the fridge that I’d like to use. How much does 1/2 cup dried lentils equal in cooked? thank you so much for your help and time! 🙂 Love your work!
It makes about 1 cup, possibly a little more.
Thank you so much! Just made them, and they were absolutely delicious!!! Such a good idea. 🙂
I made these last night & they are awesome! Love that there is a half cup of lentils (vs 1/4 cup or less in most recipes using lentils). They are healthy, unprocessed, and taste like a decadent treat. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
These are amazing! I used regular light brown lentils (all I had) but they are so incredibly easy and yummy. I sprinkled a few trader joes peanut butter chips on top, just a few;), excellent recipe. Glad I just got bored yesterday and googled lentil desserts, lol. 😀
Your flourless zucchini oat brownies are one of my favourite recipes. I served some to guests yesterday and was asked for the recipe. I had used ground sunflower seed instead of peanut butter due to the allergy of one of my guests. She was skeptical because she hates sunbutter and, you know, zucchini in brownies? But she came back for seconds.
This is unbelievable. As if I didn’t love lentils enough already, now I can have them for my dessert. WHAT! Just what!!! They’re delicious. I gave 3 tbsp sugar instead of maple syrup, though I halved the recipe. Also, just 1 1/2 tbsp chocolate chips which makes each slice 124 calories. Thanks for this,definitely gonna be made often!
Hi…. These look delicious! One question, how much cooked lentils are used? Because I am on a low Fodmap diet, it is easier for me to digest the canned version over dried and boiled….just want to get the final quantity of cooked lentils correct. Please help. Do you think this would work…and how long will they last in the refrigerator or freezer. Sorry….more than one question. Thanks!!!
What can I use instead of chocolate chip? And it must be nut free.
Thoughts on using almond butter instead of peanut butter?
Definitely yes!
Hi Monique. I just wanted to let you know that I made these today, and they are UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS!! I actually can’t stop eating them!! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
YAY!