Vegan Chickpea Flour Pancakes

4.79 from 93 votes

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These fluffy, gluten-free and vegan chickpea flour pancakes are easy to make with 3 ingredients.

Stack of 6 thick chickpea flour pancakes topped with blueberries and maple syrup on a small plate. A jug of milk and a coffee cup are in the background.

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. You can also use chickpea flour in these Vegan Chickpea Flour Muffins.

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.

Recipe Features

  • Vegan (no eggs, dairy-free), gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free and oil-free!
  • 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

Visual list of ingredients for making a vegan chickpea flour pancake recipe. Each ingredient is labelled with text describing the ingredient.

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

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!

Baking powder, salt and chickpea flour mixed together in a glass mixing bowl.

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.

Thick garbanzo bean pancake batter in a mixing bowl with a fork.

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!

Hand drizzling maple syrup from a small dish over a stack of chickpea pancakes on a plate. The pancakes are also topped with blueberries.

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.

Recipe Notes

  • 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 vegan and gluten-free carrot cake pancakes or vegan 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.

A large stack of chickpea blueberry pancakes on a plate with a slice taken from them by a fork.

Topping Ideas

I love getting creative with toppings! Here are some fun ideas:

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.
Stack of 6 thick chickpea flour pancakes topped with blueberries and maple syrup on a small plate.
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
Cook: 6 minutes
Total: 11 minutes
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.

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258 Comments

  1. Thanks for the recipe. I used a 1/2 cup of water. These pancakes are very good topped with fruit salad and maple syrup.

  2. Finally! Iโ€™ve been searching for a vegan recipe that doesnโ€™t have a wheat based flour. Thank you so very much for creating this recipe. I loooovvvveee it!!!

  3. Years ago I tried making vegan chickpea flour pancakes from a different recipe that I found and it turned out a disaster! Mostly because I rarely cook and I lack the technical skill when it comes to actually cooking the dish!

    But today I thought I’d redeem myself and try your recipe instead and I completely messed up the first batch, only because I didn’t follow your recipe to a T! I had to substitute some of the listed ingredients in the recipe since I didn’t have it on hand. Totally my fault!

    However after my second attempt, the pancakes turned out just the way I like them! Hooray for me! My pancakes did turn out be more dense, rather than fluffy, which I don’t mind the texture.

    Since no one asked, here’s my method! :

    Mix 2/3 cup BESAN flour (I subbed for a different brand called Ankur, which I found at my local international supermarket), 1/8 tsp of sea salt (I found 1/4 tsp of sea salt to be too salty for my liking) and 1/4 tsp baking SODA , and add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, in a mixing bowl.

    Add 1/3 cup SPRING water (I omitted liquid and dry sweeteners), and add 1/2 tsp of APPLE CIDER VINEGAR (basically had to make my own “baking powder”, apple cider vinegar or any acid + baking soda = baking powder), and mix.

    Preheat STEEL pan on medium heat and let the batter rest for a few minutes while the pan finishes heating.

    Test STEEL pan to see if it’s hot enough, by sprinkling a water droplet. The water droplet should form a moving ball as it hits the pan.

    Add extra virgin olive oil to the pan, just enough to coat a thin layer all over the pan’s surface (do not add too much oil or too little oil).

    Wait for oil to warm up.

    When you start to see the first wisps of smoke from the oil that’s when you pour 1/4 cup portions of the batter to the pan (the batter should sizzle a bit).

    When the edges of the batter look dry and firm and few bubbles have appeared flip the pancake and cook until other side is dry and firm.

    After both sides of the pancake are dry and firm, take your spatula and press down on top of the pancake to flatten it against the pan. Any raw batter that’s inside of the pancake will ooze out. Cook any raw batter that has oozed out of the pancake until it is dry and firm. Flip and repeat the process.

    Keep flipping and pressing down to flatten the pancake to cook any raw batter that has oozed out of the pancake.

    When the pancake no longer oozes out raw batter when you press down to flatten it, the pancake is completely cooked in the inside.

    Remove pancake from pan and serve with toppings of your choice.

    I had mine with a bit of organic agave and organic date syrup and sliced bananas! Yum!

  4. These pancakes came out wonderful. I followed the recipe (except I don’t have a scale to weigh ingredients,
    I tap the measuring cup on the counter to semi pack the flour) which gets me pretty close to measurements.
    This is by far the tastiest pancake recipe I have found.
    I have become wheat intolerant and have been baking a lot with chickpea flour.
    Thank you for sharing your recipes.

  5. 5 stars
    These pancakes were sooooo good. They taste like having a cake. Yes, different, but delicious. I’ve tried so many pancake recipes. And this has become my favorite.

    I added 1/2 a mashed banana, because I love banana pancakes. I a excited when someone mentioned adding a mashed banana. Next time I’ll try a whole mashed banana, and maybe add a little more water and add flax meal. It made 3 pancakes. I burnt one. So 2 was plenty.

  6. 5 stars
    I make these using slightly less flour and baking powder and to save time, cook all the mixture at once in a smallish pan that gives perfect thickness. While the batter is soaking, I also soak some raisins in a little warm water to soften a bit. I add a little cinnamon to the mix too. Then to cook, I tip in all the batter and arrange raisins on the top (works better for distribution than putting them in the mix). I cook for 10 mins in all, starting off quite high, and covering the pan with a lid. Then I turn down the heat so they are gently cooking. When bubbles have appeared and the pancake is set, I turn it over and cook the other side too for several minutes, until golden and done. Definitely cook well to firm up properly and get rid of the bitter taste and rawness of flour which is not good for tummies. I don’t use salt for this ‘sweet’ version and they taste good.

    I add no sugar at all, get a lovely pop of sweet raisins, a dose of protein and iron and find it a lovely thing to eat for breakfast, a munchy snack, or after something light like vegetable soup to supply the protein for the meal. Yummy, good for you and no added refined sugar at all. Literally guilt free and nutritious.

  7. 4 stars
    I have some chickpea flour in my pantry I’m trying to use up before we move out of our house and start traveling. Came across your recipe and it was very good. I got about three regular size pancakes out of this batch and added blueberries. I did add more water to make my batter a consistency that was good for me. They also cook up like the perfect pancake. Yum!

  8. 5 stars
    These vegan pancakes were outstanding. ย I added a little flaxseed meal and chopped nuts. Iโ€™ve been searching for a pancake recipe without white flour. ย  Thank you for sharing this great recipe. ย Cant wait to try your other recipes.

  9. 5 stars
    Loved these. So simple. I will have to watch the pan though as they burned on side 1 even though I did not think it too hot. But wow , nice taste. These will be in the rotation for sure ;=)