Chickpea Flour Pancakes (Besan Chilla/Cheela) – Traditional Pancakes Taken To The Next Level
- Updated on Feb 20, 2017
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I’d been wanting to try chickpea flour pancakes (sometimes known as besan or garbanzo flour too, or even besan chilla and cheela) and there are nearly as many different ways to make them as there are names!
Actually, I’d heard of so many that I got a little stuck with where to start.
I knew I wanted to keep them pretty traditional (I absolutely love Indian food and these have a lot of history in Northern India) and so I wanted to keep that lovely Indian flavour but I also wanted to give them a modern, western twist so they’d be really quick and use no mysterious ingredients I’d have to travel across Europe for.
After plenty of trial and error, this is what was born. Different to most pancakes that we’ve made in the past, these are decidedly savoury.
Our now world-famous 2 ingredient pancakes can be eaten both sweet or savoury, as can these high protein cottage cheese, but these chickpea pancakes are something else entirely.
With a pleasingly aromatic smell, these pancakes immediately ask to be paired with pickles and chutneys, or a yogurt or cream dip. Hummus and guacamole also go really well.
And so, dear readers, we give you chickpea pancakes.
A high protein, high fibre breakfast, lunch or dinner that tastes like the best of Indian cuisine while being easy to make, and even easier to eat.
Any vegans out there will also be pleased to hear that these are right up their street, as well will gluten or lactose avoiders.
Chickpea Pancakes – What I Learnt
As mentioned, these chickpea (or besan/chillas) pancakes are exceptionally easy to make, and made even better when these simple rules are followed.
- Use a large pan. These pancakes are far superior when they’re thin – easier to flip and the veggies get cooked better too.
- Use a non-stick pan, and use a little tissue to make sure the surface is evenly coated in oil.
- Use whatever veg you have laying around. This dish works on so many levels that virtually any vegetable will work with it, so here’s your chance to use those leftovers!
- Dice the veg finely. The smaller it’s chopped, the better it cooks.
- Eat them hot! In my humble opinion this is imperative, so if you’re cooking multiple pancakes then keep them warm in the oven.
- Once they’re all ready, don’t dawdle 🙂
To ghee or not to ghee, that is the question.
Throughout my experiments with this recipe, I came across a very interesting topic, worthy of our time.
Ghee is often used in Indian cooking, and, as may well be expected, goes very well as the cooking base in this dish (it replaces the oil).
It is made by melting butter and then removing the milk solids. It still has that buttery taste, and has a really high smoke point, so it’s perfect for pancakes.
It’s also high in vitamins A and E, and according to Care2 it can last for a verrrrry long time!
It is not vegan of course, however it does seem to be one of the only dairy products that is lactose-free, or so low in lactose that it won’t cause a reaction to dairy intolerant people anyway.
You should always check with your doctor of course and that doesn’t mean it’s safe for dairy allergic peeps however, so if you are, we highly advise you stay away!
If you’re interested in ghee and would like to try it, it’s easy to find. You can click here or in the recipe below if you’d like to look at the different types available.
So – up to you. Whether you go with ghee or stick with olive oil, you’re in for a treat. Welcome to the next level of pancake!
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup chickpea flour (or besan/garbanzo flour)
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp turmeric
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp chili flakes (optional)
- 1 spring onions
- 1 tsp olive oil (ghee would be perfect here, but not vegan)
Topping suggestions
- ¼ bell pepper, red
- ¼ cup peas
- 1 tbsp hummus
Instructions
- Add the chickpea flour, water, turmeric, salt, pepper and chili flakes (if using) to a mixing bowl and give it a quick blend using a food processor or blender. Leave it to settle for a few minutes while you heat up the oil or ghee in a non-stick pan. The batter needs to look very runny!
- Finely dice the spring onions and add them to the mixture.
- In a pan heat up the oil, then add the mixture when the pan is hot – medium heat should be just right.
- Cook for about 4 minutes – the mixture will quickly start to firm.
- Make sure you use a large pan here, you’re aiming for thin pancakes. They’re MUCH easier to handle!
- Use a large spatula to help you flip the pancakes. After another 2-3 minutes your pancake will be ready!
- Done! Add your desired toppings and enjoy (eg. peas and bell pepper).
Serving suggestions:
- Any chutneys (red onion is a favourite of ours) yogurt dip, hummus, avocado, guacamole, Branston Pickle (if you can find it where you are it goes incredibly well!).
NOTES
Nutrition
Comments
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126 comments
I didn’t have a lot of luck when I first tried this recipe – too many veg in the mix I think – but I’ve modified it and enjoy at least once a week for breakfast. I use approx 1/3 cup each of chickpea flour and water and a pinch of salt. When cooked I top with a drizzle of maple syrup, sliced banana, maybe a sprinkle of nutmeg and homemade soy yoghurt. So simple and so DELISH! The chickpea and banana flavours really complement each other. YUM. 🙂
Ooh nice! I’ve still only eaten this as a savoury pancake, but I can imagine without the veg it could go really nicely with the banana and nutmeg!!
These were so simple to make but dropped a tonne of flavour, I love them! I had mine with smashed avocado and diced tomatoes, very filling and tasty. Thanks for recipe!
Yaaay, really cool you liked these, Leisa! I’m a fan too 😀
Hi Dave, we grow chick peas and I decided to Google recipes for chickpea flour to see if it was worth grinding the peas to flour. So im just sharing what a success your recipe is. My flour came out whole grain of course so I sifted the husk off and changed the ratio from 1:1 to 1:1.5. ie. One cup flour to 1.5 cup water then did everything else as you said! Exchanged cumin for the chili tho and im no vegan so added organic grass fed butter and also fried them in that, then topped off with a tiny sprinkle of organic cheese that melted on top just at the end. Great for anyone on a diet or giving up grain, and fantastic savory taste.
Hi Katy, thank you for the kind words and thanks for writing all the tips! That’s really cool, and I’m sure that answers some of the questions above. Growing your own chickpeas looks great, I’ve just read up a bit about it. Do you find it easy? Or at least easier with time? Yes, I’m sure the butter is great for cooking them, ghee works wonders, too. Never tried them with cheese, as although I love both cheese and curry (I’m not sure which more 😀 ) I never tried them together before. Perhaps I will now…
Hi Dave, thank you for your message! I guess there is really a difference between store-bought and home made chickpea flour. There weren’t any lumps in the batter itself – it was thick, but smooth. However I couldn’t turn the pancake. It would break, and thus the lumps developed. But it tasted good nevertheless!
I’m glad you still enjoyed them anyway, Daniela :). One last thought – could the pan make a difference? If the pans aren’t quite as non-stick as they used to be, maybe some extra oil/ghee would help? Happy cooking!
Hi, unfortunately this recipe didn’t work out for me at all. First of all, the water was not enough, because it became a thick paste. So I added more than 1 cup in addition. But then I had a lot of clumps instead of a pancake. Could it be that I used the wrong flour? I always make chickpea flour myself by cooking the garbanzo beans and then dehydrating them.
Hi Daniela! Sorry to hear the recipe didn’t work out. I’ve made this a couple of times again recently to check the recipe is accurate still and mine turned out well – so I’m not quite sure what happened with yours! Absolutely it could be the flour. I’ll confess I’ve never made my own chickpea flour, I always use store-bought. I think you were right to add a bit more water as the batter does need to be thin, but the lumps don’t sound good. Do you have a hand blender to smooth them out?
I really wanted to enjoy this recipe but I am afraid i did not. i think the turmeric is overpowering, 1/2 cup peas and peppers together is too much for the pancake to hold and I also found that 3 spring onions made it taste a bit too much like spring onion.
I wish it had more of a flavour that was less turmeric-y. Any suggestions?
Oh dear! I’m saddened to hear it didn’t work out so well. With regards to the veg I’ve found the amount seems to work very well with the batter (which would be for four pancakes). I will recheck the numbers though. Flavour-wise I would suggest then a little less tumeric and more curry powder. Maybe 1/2 tsp cumin, too. I hope that helps!
Hi, I loved this recipe. Had no spring onion used red onion instead and added a pinch of mustard powder. Turned out great!
Made these for dinner today and added red pepper and roasted sweet potato, super delicious!
Awesome! Ahh the sweet potato is a great idea, thanks. Will definitely try that out the next time I make them