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By Deryn Macey
4.79 from 93 votes
on Oct 04, 2021, Updated Jul 24, 2024
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These fluffy, gluten-free and vegan chickpea flour pancakes are easy to make with 3 ingredients.
Not only are chickpea, or garbanzo bean, flour pancakes fantastic for an easy gluten-free pancake, they’re wonderful regardless of dietary restrictions!
Chickpea flour makes a wonderful gluten-free option and these Vegan Quinoa Flour Pancakes, Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes and Oat Flour Pancakes are all super yummy too.
Chickpea flour pancakes are easy to make, thick and fluffy, high in protein and easy to customize with different add-ins.
They fluff up nicely and have a dense, almost cake-like texture, which in addition to their protein and fiber content, makes them very filling.
Enjoy these amazing pancakes any day of the week for a healthy, hearty and satisfying breakfast. Once you make these, they’re sure to become a new go-to pancake recipe.
Recipe Features
- Dietary Needs: Vegan (no eggs, dairy-free), gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free and oil-free!
- Nutrition Features: 300 calories with 14 g of plant-based protein and 6 g of fibre per serving.
- Easy to make in minutes with just 3 simple ingredients.
- Amazing thick and fluffy texture you’ll love.
- Fun to customize with different add-ins like berries, banana and chocolate chips.
Ingredient Notes
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
- Chickpea Flour: Look for chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour. I like Bob’s Red Mill. Note chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour is different from besan or gram flour, so make sure you choose chickpea or garbanzo bean.
- Sweetener: Use any sweetener you like. Maple syrup, coconut sugar and cane sugar all work or you can use stevia or monk fruit sweetener for a sugar-free recipe.
- Baking Powder: This is needed to make them fluffy. Make sure you use baking powder and not baking soda.
Step-by-Step Instructions
The complete written recipe can be found by scrolling to the end of this page. This section features step-by-step photos for a quick visual reference.
Step 1: Add the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl. This includes the chickpea flour, salt, baking powder and dry sweetener, if you’re using one.
Mix them up using a fork or whisk, this will help break up any clumps of flour and distribute the baking powder and salt. An important step for a fluffy result!
Step 2: Start heating a non-stick skillet, crepe pan or pancake griddle over medium heat.
Add the water and liquid sweetener if you didn’t use a dry one to the bowl and mix everything up until fully combined into a thick batter.
Let the batter rest for a few minutes while the pan finishes heating up.
Quick Note: If you use the listed water amount, the batter will be very thick, not quite pourable and will result in thick, fluffy and dense pancakes. You may have to scoop it into the pan and use a spoon to spread it out a bit. If you prefer thinner pancakes or crepes, you can add more water to adjust the thickness of the batter.
It may take some experimenting with the recipe to find the liquid amount that works for you. It may also vary from brand to brand of chickpea flour.
Step 3: If needed, use a light coating of non-stick cooking spray in the pan, then add 1/4 cup portions and cook for 4-5 minutes until the edges look dry and firm and some bubbles appear.
Flip each pancake and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until cooked through.
Add your favorite toppings and enjoy your delicious chickpea pancakes!
Notes & Tips
Sugar-Free Pancakes: These can easily be made sugar-free. Simply use whole leaf stevia, liquid stevia drops, monk fruit sweetener or erythritol, sweetened to taste.
Serving Size: This recipe is made to serve 1 or make 2 small servings, say for kids or a snack. It can be doubled or tripled as needed and leftovers store well in the fridge or freezer.
Add-Ins: These are easy to customize. Try adding up to 1/2 cup fresh berries, sliced banana or 2-3 tbsp of chocolate chips, nuts or seeds. You can either mix them into the batter or drop a few on to each pancake after adding the batter to the pan.
For flavour enhancers, you can add 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. You can also add up to 1 scoop of protein powder with additional water to adjust the consistency.
For variations on this recipe, try these carrot cake pancakes or chocolate protein pancakes.
Savory Chickpea Pancakes: This recipe makes a great base for savoury pancakes too! To them savoury, omit the sweetener and try spices and herbs like turmeric, parsley, cilantro, chili flakes and black pepper. From there, try add-ins like thinly sliced scallions, red onion and red bell pepper.
I prefer savoury pancakes a bit thinner, using closer to a 1:1 ratio of chickpea flour to water and omitting the baking powder.
Recipe FAQs
What is chickpea flour?
Chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour, is made from ground dried, raw chickpeas. It’s a staple in various cuisines around the world.
From traditional Italian and French socca, to Indian sweets and crepes, chickpea flour dishes can be found in South Asian, Middle Eastern and Southern European cultures, among others.
It can be used as a binder in baking, in pancakes and crepes, to make vegan frittatas and omelettes, as well as in savoury dishes like stews and soups.
Is chickpea flour, gram flour and besan the same?
No, they are not the same.
Chickpea flour, or garbanzo bean flour, is made from white chickpeas. It has a fine powder consistency and is pale yellow in colour.
Besan, or gram flour, is made from brown chickpeas (chana dal) and I would not recommend it for this recipe.
Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour works great in this recipe. I’ve also used this organic chickpea flour with success.
Why is chickpea flour healthy?
Chickpea flour is naturally gluten-free, rich in protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. It also contains iron, potassium, manganese, copper, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, folate, vitamin B6 and thiamin, so it’s a great way to sneak some extra nutrition in your diet.
Do the pancakes taste like chickpeas?
Yes and no. The raw batter definitely has a pronounced beany and slightly bitter taste. It does not taste particularly good, so don’t be discouraged is you try it! The flavour and bitterness will also vary from brand to brand.
Once cooked, that bitter, beany flavour cooks out. The cooked pancakes taste earthy and nutty, depending on how much sweetener you add. Though optional ingredients, vanilla and cinnamon can also help enhance the flavour of the pancakes.
If you’re really not a fan of chickpeas, you may like my buckwheat flour pancakes or quinoa flour pancakes better.
Topping Ideas
I love getting creative with toppings! Here are some fun ideas:
- maple syrup
- chia seed jam or homemade cranberry sauce
- date paste or homemade caramel sauce
- nut butter caramel sauce (blend dates with a spoonful of almond or cashew butter)
- any nut butter
- tahini and caramel sauce
- berries like blueberries, cherries or raspberries
- sliced banana
- baked apple slices
- sautéed apple and cinnamon
- nuts or seeds like hemp seeds, walnuts or pecans
- chocolate chips
- cacao nibs
- coconut flakes
Storing
If you have leftovers, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days and enjoyed cold or reheated in the microwave, toaster or oven.
To freeze then, either freeze them spaced out on a baking tray then transfer to a freezer bag or freeze with a piece of parchment between them to prevent them from sticking together.
They can be reheated from frozen in the microwave or oven. They can be reheated in the toasted but I’d suggest thawing them first.
Ready for your next stack of pancakes? Here are a few more must-try recipes:
- Vegan Quinoa Flour Pancakes: Another super easy and nutritious option for gluten-free pancakes.
- Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes: One of my favourites.
- Vegan Chia Seed Pancakes: Not gluten-free but wonderfully fluffy and a reader favourite.
- Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes: Another chickpea flour pancake recipe made with carrot.
- Whole Wheat Fluffy Vegan Pancakes: My most popular pancake recipe.
- Oat Flour Pancakes (No Banana): Easy oat flour pancakes made for another gluten-free option (or try these oat banana blender pancakes).
To try chickpea flour in baking, check out these chickpea flour muffins.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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4.79 from 93 votes
Vegan Chickpea Flour Pancakes
By: Deryn Macey
Enjoy these easy, fluffy, gluten-free and vegan chickpea flour pancakes for a healthy, hearty breakfast any day of the week.
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 6 minutes mins
Servings: 1 serving
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Ingredients
- 2/3 cup 80 g chickpea flour
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup water, 80 ml
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional
Instructions
Pre-heat a non-stick skillet, crepe pan or pancake griddle over medium heat.
Mix the chickpea flour, salt and baking powder together in a mixing bowl using a fork or whisk to help break up any clumps and distribute the baking powder and salt. If you’re using a dry sweetener, mix that in as well.
Add the water and liquid sweetener if you didn’t use a dry one (and vanilla and cinnamon, if using) and mix until you have a smooth batter with no lumps. The batter will be quite thick and not quite pourable. With the water amount as written the pancakes will be very thick and fluffy. If you prefer thinner pancake or crepes, you can add more water to thin the batter until it’s easily pourable. Note that the raw batter may have a pronounced beany and slightly bitter taste but that will cook out once you make the pancakes.
Let the batter rest for a few minutes while the pan finishes heating.
Once the pan is hot, add a light coating of non-stick cooking spay, if needed, then add approximately 1/4 cup portions of the batter to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes until the edges look dry and firm and a few bubbles have appeared.
Flip the pancakes and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute until cooked through.
Repeat until you’ve used up all the batter then add your favourite pancake toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Sweetening options: For sugar-free pancakes, use about 15 drops liquid organic stevia, approximately 1 tsp stevia powder or 1-2 tbsp monk fruit sweetener. To make them refined sugar-free, use coconut sugar or pure maple syrup, start with 1 tbsp and add up to 2 tbsp, to taste. Cane sugar and other refined sugars work as well, it’s your choice.
Nutritional information includes 1 tbsp maple syrup. If you make them sugar-free, they’ll be 252 calories per serving with 4F/43C/14P.
You can adjust this recipe to however many servings you want by using more or less chickpea flour and water. You can also adjust the thickness of the pancakes. I like them quite thick, so I don’t use much water. For thinner pancakes, to stretch the batter further, or to make crepes, use more water to create a thinner batter.
This recipe only serves 1 so feel free to double or triple it as needed.
For best results, use a kitchen scale to weigh the chickpea flour. It should be 80 grams, however, I make this recipe often with just 60 grams as well, so as long as it’s between 60-80 grams you should be good.
Some readers have found these too salty but I still use 1/4 tsp. If you’re sensitive to salt, consider reducing it to 1/8 tsp salt. This may depend on the baking powder used as the sodium content varies from brand to brand. Also make sure you’re using baking powder and not baking soda, which as a much higher sodium content.
Nutrition
Serving: 1batch, Calories: 304kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 4g, Sodium: 636mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 18g
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
Originally published September 21, 2017.
Categorized as:
Baking, Breakfast, Gluten-Free, No Added Sugar, Oil-Free, Pancakes, Recipes
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