Vegan Peanut Butter Blondies
These vegan peanut butter blondies are rich and fudgy, with a deliciously sweet flavor. These healthy blondies are made with oat flour so they’re plant-based and gluten-free, but they taste just as delicious as a traditional blondie.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chia seeds + water: Chia seeds mixed with water create a gel-like consistency, serving as an egg substitute in vegan baking. They help bind the ingredients together and add moisture. You can substitute with ground flax, if desired.
- Oat flour: Oat flour acts as the main dry ingredient in these blondies. We use this instead of wheat flour so these bars are gluten-free.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is a leavening agent that helps the blondies rise and become light and fluffy.
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavor of the blondies and balances the sweetness.
- Brown sugar: This adds sweetness, moisture, and a rich, caramel-like flavor to the blondies.
- Creamy peanut butter: Peanut butter provides both flavor and healthy fat to the blondies. It also adds a subtle nutty taste. You can use almond butter or any other nut or seed butter as a substitute.
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil adds moisture and a slight coconut flavor to the blondies. You can substitute it with melted vegan butter or a neutral oil like canola oil.
- Almond milk: Almond milk serves as a liquid component in the recipe, adding moisture to the blondies. You can replace it with any other plant-based milk, such as soy milk, oat milk, or coconut milk.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract enhances the flavor of the blondies.
- Vegan chocolate chips: Vegan chocolate chips are the sweet, melty, and chocolatey goodness in these blondies. You can use other add-ins like chopped nuts, dried fruit, or even more chocolate chunks if you prefer.
What is Oat Flour?
Oat flour is simply ground oats. You can buy oat flour in the store or even on Amazon. Bob’s Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills are two common brands. It’s often sold near the gluten-free flour. But don’t worry about making a trip to the store. You can make it at home with rolled oats, quick cooking oats, or steel cut oats.
How to Make Oat Flour
If you don’t have oat flour, don’t worry. It’s easy to make your own using rolled oats or quick-cooking oats! Simply blend the oats in a blender or food processor until it creates a coarse flour. It doesn’t need to be as fine as all-purpose flour. One cup of old-fashioned oats or quick-cooking oats weighs 100 grams, and will make just over one cup oat flour after it’s blended.
How to Make a Chia Egg
To make a chia egg, combine 2 tablespoons of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it forms a gel. If you don’t have chia seeds, this can also be done with ground flax seeds.
Mix In Ideas
I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate but feel free to get creative! Try chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds), dried fruits (cranberries, raisins), toffee bits, coconut flakes, caramel swirls, crushed cookies, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), fruit (blueberries, raspberries), nut butter swirls, marshmallows, salted pretzels, candy bar chunks, coffee or espresso, citrus zest (lemon, orange), or even a combination of these for unique flavor and texture variations. Be mindful not to overdo it with mix-ins to maintain the texture. And keep in mind that if you want to keep these vegan and gluten-free, be sure your mix-ins are are also vegan and gluten-free!
How to Make Vegan Peanut Butter Blondies
How to Store Leftover Blondies
To store leftover blondies, first allow them to cool completely at room temperature. Store at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer storage, wrap blondies in plastic wrap and freeze the blondies in an airtight container or freezer bags for 2-3 months. Keep in mind that blondies are best enjoyed within a few days for the freshest taste and texture.
PrintVegan Peanut Butter Blondies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 pieces 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These vegan peanut butter blondies are rich and fudgy, with a deliciously sweet flavor. These healthy blondies are made with oat flour so they’re plant-based and gluten-free, but they taste just as delicious as a traditional blondie.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 1/4 cups (150g) oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the chia seeds and water. Set aside for 5 minutes to let it thicken.
- In a large bowl combine brown sugar, peanut butter, coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Add the almond milk and chia seed mixture and continue to stir until completely combined.
- Stir in the oat flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips if using.
- Pour into prepared baking pan and flatten into the corners.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned around the edges and firm in the center. Bake longer for a more cake-like blondie and less time for something more fudge-like.
- Allow to cool completely before removing from pan and cutting into squares.
Keywords: vegan blondies, peanut butter blondies, healthy blondies, healthy peanut butter blondies