Naturally gluten-free and traditionally used in a lot of Indian recipes, chickpea flour is a terrific flour alternative. With it being so dense, you’ll often find it used as a binding agent or as a thickener for sauces and stews. Still, with the right recipe, you can also make tortillas and pizza dough, too. It probably won’t make a light and fluffy cake, but it’s great for muffins, pancakes, and sweetbreads.
1. Chickpea Flour Pancakes
These aren’t your typical pancakes. Instead, they’re very savory, so you won’t be able to enjoy them with fruits and syrup. Instead, you’d be better off serving these with gooey fried eggs and chutney. Leaning into the savory flavors, you’ll start by whisking the chickpea flour with water, turmeric, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Then you’ll mix diced spring onions into the mix before frying.
2. Chickpea Omelette Sandwich
I’m a massive fan of eating vegan foods wherever possible. Of course, I still eat meat, but I think it’s nice to branch out every now and then. One of the main reasons I don’t go full vegan is that I love eggs too much. Fried, scrambled, poached, I love them all! Of course, this chickpea omelette isn’t quite the same as a real egg omelette, but it’s super close. It’s surprisingly light and fluffy, and the nutritional yeast adds a lovely cheesy flavor too.
3. Chickpea Flour Sandwich Bread
This chickpea flour sandwich bread is vegan, grain-free, and requires zero yeast or proofing time. Instead of it being a bread dough, this is more like a quickbread batter, using chickpea flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt, along with unflavored seltzer, sparkling water, or club soda. It’s this last ingredient that gives this bread a lift effect. It won’t be fluffy like a regular loaf of bread, but it’s surprisingly light and tender.
4. Chickpea Crust Pizza
If you’re a fan of squishy deep dish pizza, this might not be the recipe for you. But, if you like thin-crust pizza that’s ready in minutes, I highly recommend you give this recipe a try. This is more or less a chickpea flour flatbread, which is an easy pizza that you can modify however you like. Similar to the above recipe, this will give you a batter rather than a dough. It’s best made in cast iron, so you can start it on the stove and finish it in the oven with the toppings.
5. 4-Ingredient Chickpea Flour Tortillas
I know that gluten-free people can have corn tortillas with their tacos, and they’re readily available all over. But corn tacos have a very distinct taste, and I know a lot of people that just hate their texture. So, this chickpea flour recipe is the next best thing. It’s gluten and grain-free and provides a softer texture, much like a regular flour tortilla.
6. Crispy Vegetable Pakoras
As mentioned above, chickpea flour, or gram flour, is often used in Indian cuisine. Gram flour is made using brown chickpeas, giving it a darker hue, but the taste is quite similar. Pakoras are a spiced fritter found in south Asia. They’re a popular street food but are also served in restaurants all over the world. They’re essentially battered and fried vegetables and are pretty easy to make. Just add coriander, salt, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, and garlic to the chickpea flour and stir in enough water to make a thick batter. Coat your veggies and deep fry until golden brown and fragrant.
7. Socca Recipe
Socca are popular chickpea pancakes found all over France and Italy. They’re golden and crisp around the edges, and the middle is wonderfully moist and tender. They’re usually eaten plain or as a simple side. Between the olive oil and chickpea flour, they have a very rich and nutty flavor. The key to getting a light texture is to allow the batter to rest before frying. Don’t over-mix it, but do your best to remove the lumps and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
8. Punjabi Missi Roti
Roti is a type of flatbread usually made in a tandoori oven. This chickpea flour version is a Punjabi tradition, and I just love the color this adds to your plate. Not only is it loaded with spices, such as turmeric, red chili powder, Kasuri methi, carom seeds, ginger, and green chili, but it also has a wonderful topping to add great texture. The recipe suggests adding your roti to a pan and then flip the pan to cook the flatbread over an open flame. If you don’t have a gas stovetop, these are best made in a cast-iron pan.
9. Oats Chilla Recipe
Chilla is another traditional pancake, though these are a touch thinner than roti. They usually include lentils, along with a few essential spices. To lighten it up, you’ll also use oat flour, which you can easily make at home with rolled oats and a food processor or blender. These are most often eaten for breakfast due to their high protein content.
10. Easy Salted Chickpea Chips
Roasted chickpeas are a fantastic crunchy snack that you can have ready in around 30 minutes. They’re crunchy, salty, and will satisfy your chip cravings without the saturated fats. But these chickpea chips are something else! They’re more like baked crackers, so they’re not fried, making them pretty darn healthy. But they look and feel just like chips and need just four ingredients.
11. Chickpea Flour Muffins
Chickpea flour is low in both carbs and calories, but it’s got an impressive amount of protein and fiber. That makes it perfect for recipes like this, especially if you’re looking for a healthier way to indulge in the morning. As well as using low-calorie flour, this recipe also calls for unsweetened applesauce and maple syrup instead of sugar. Feel free to use mashed bananas instead, which will make them even sweeter.
12. Chickpea Fritters
If you’re looking for a little side to go with your pasta, curry, or even a nice soup, these chickpea fritters are for you. They’re pretty mini, which is how they manage to stay so light, and they almost have a similar texture to a biscuit. The outside will turn lovely and crisp, but the middle will stay nice and soft. I love to dunk these in my beef stew, as they soak up flavor so well.
13. Besan Bhindi
Okra can be hit or miss, and I know I won’t eat it if it’s not fried. However, if you’ve ever tried it and been turned off, I suggest you give this version a try. Start by sauteing the okra until golden and crisp. This step will help to reduce the slimy texture of the okra and make it super tasty. Next, you’ll make a quick roux with ghee, spices, and chickpea flour before tossing the okra in and cooking until it starts to crisp up.
14. Garbanzo Gravy
I usually make gravy using the juices from my roast and flour. I’ll often add herbs, depending on what kind of meat I made, but it’s typically thick and loaded with meaty flavor. This vegetarian recipe isn’t meaty, but it is delicious and easy to make. Use a blend of herbs, such as thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, or parsley, and toast them with the chickpea flour until fragrant. You’ll then need to whisk in oil and vegetable stock until it’s lump-free and starting to thicken. Finally, add some lemon juice for a fresh, zesty finish.
15. No-Roll Chickpea Flour Pie Crust
Grain-free, gluten-free, vegan, and made in just one bowl. Is it really possible this pie crust is that good? It is, and I’ll do you one better: you don’t even need to roll this out. Just press it into your pie dish! It’s even suitable for crimping around the edges and can be made savory or sweet.
16. Chickpea Flour Popovers
Also known as Yorkshire puddings, popovers are notoriously tricky to get right. If you don’t follow the instructions to the T, they’ll end up flat, soggy, and very sad. First, the batter needs to be nice and smooth. A blender is ideal for this, but you can do it by hand too. Before adding the batter to your muffin tin, pop it in the oven to preheat with the oil inside. That way, when you add the batter, it will turn crisp almost right away, giving the middle nowhere to go but up!
17. Chickpea Flour Carrot Cake Pancakes
If you’ve had to look for gluten-free recipes before, you’ll know that many of them use almond flour as a substitute. That’s all well and good, if you’re not allergic to nuts, that is! Chickpea flour is an amazing (and cheaper!) alternative that’s both gluten and nut-free, and it’s extra delicious in these super-thick and heavenly carrot cake pancakes. I swear, these taste like a cross between spiced buttermilk pancakes and a yummy carrot cake muffin. All that’s missing is a sweet and creamy glaze.
18. Panisse (Italian Chickpea Fries)
Chickpea fries are kind of like thick socca in that they’re usually savory, crispy on the edges, and have a lovely light nutty taste. If you’ve ever tried fried polenta, this will be familiar in both how it’s made and the texture once it’s fried. Although you can bake these, I highly recommend frying them. Otherwise, they won’t have that lovely crunchy coating.
19. Easy Vegan French Toast
I mentioned before that chickpea flour can be used as a binder, like in vegan patties or fritters. But it can also be used as an egg substitute in certain recipes. French toast is made with thick slices of bread soaked in a sweet egg custard mix and then fried until golden. But for this version, you’ll make the custard using chickpea flour, warm spices, dairy-free milk, vanilla, and salt.
20. Chickpea Flour Tofu
Have you ever made your own tofu? Tofu is typically soy-based, using dried soybeans that get rehydrated and crushed before separating into the solids and liquids. But for those with soy allergies, making your own tofu using chickpea flour might just be a game-changer. The best part is that all you need to do is cook the mixture over medium heat, continuously stirring until it’s nice and thick. Plus, you can season it at this stage, guaranteeing a delicious finish.
21. Chickpea Flour Carrot Zucchini Bread
Doesn’t this sound super healthy? Chickpeas are already packed with protein, and then you’ll add carrot and zucchini with all their goodness to the mix. I think you can have an extra thick slice, don’t you? As you can see from the picture, this bread isn’t light and airy. Instead, it’s quite dense but wonderfully moist.
22. Mysore Pak Recipe
Mysore Pak is a unique dessert traditionally made with gram flour, sugar syrup, and ghee. It can be traced back to the royal kitchen of Mysore palace, where it was originally made for a King. Before you start, please watch the video provided. This method is crucial, and if you miss a step, it won’t turn out quite right. If you can’t find ghee in your local store, try making your own clarified butter instead.
23. Vegan Chickpea Brownies
A lot of vegan recipes use chickpeas for substance. For example, I like to make vegan chickpea blondies, which require blending chickpeas with nut butter, maple syrup, and leavening agents. This recipe uses chickpea flour, so the consistency is more like a standard brownie. It also uses whipped aquafaba, the brine from a can of chickpeas, to help lighten it up. Still, they’re very fudgy, so count on having more than one.
24. Chickpea Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
I was very pleasantly surprised at how these came out. I tried them with and without the almond flour, and I did prefer the latter because the texture was chewier. That said, if you want them nut-free, the pure chickpea flour recipe is pretty impressive. The taste comes through more, but once you’ve mixed in the maple syrup and chocolate chunks, it just turns into a delightful nutty aftertaste.
25. Chickpea Flour Banana Cake
Someone spent a lot of time on this recipe. It’s sweet, bursting with banana flavor, and better yet, it’s light! You’ll use non-dairy milk and lemon juice to make some simple vegan buttermilk, and there’s a hint of cinnamon in there too. One thing to keep in mind is that this recipe is specific to chickpea flour. So, if you change anything, like adding almond flour, too, it might not come out as tender. Click on a star to rate it!
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