Find out how to make chickpea flour in three different ways using a single ingredient! It’s a nutrient-dense, gluten-free alternative to regular flour that you’ll love!
It doesn’t matter whether I’m cooking Mediterranean-inspired food, indulging in Indian cooking (hello chickpea curries!), a lunch bowl, or some roasted snacks – I am a bit obsessed.
Chickpea flour is such a staple ingredient in plant-based cooking. You can use it in many recipes, including protein-rich farinata – one of my favorites, chickpea pancakes, and vegan egg muffins.
Now, you might not believe me, but making your own flour is just as easy as hopping over to the grocery store for a pre-made bag.
And if that wasn’t enough good news, chickpea flour requires just one ingredient and a high-speed blender.
I’m going to run you through three methods you can use to make this flour with simple steps.
Just as a heads-up, I usually use the raw chickpea method (because I am all for speed). But the soaked chickpea method makes a more digestible flour.
Place the dry chickpeas in the blender, and blend until they are finely ground, like a flour. Be warned– it’s VERY loud at first! Once you’ve ground the chickpeas, pour them into a fine mesh strainer to sift out any larger pieces that might have been missed. Then, the chickpea flour is ready to use.
How to Make Chickpea Flour
I am going to share with you three methods to make chickpea flour, using:
- Dry raw chickpeas
- Washed then dried chickpeas
- Soaked then dried chickpeas
Option 3: Soaked chickpeas
Although this option is the most time-consuming, soaking the chickpeas makes the resulting flour more digestible and helps with nutrient absorption.
- Wash the chickpeas: Wash the chickpeas thoroughly in cold water and soak them for 12-24 hours. The longer, the better. You’ll want to cover them with at least three times their volume in water. This is because the chickpeas will expand as they soak.
- Drain and dry: Drain your chickpeas and rinse them well. Then, dry them with a kitchen towel.
- Put them in the oven: You’ll want to place your dried chickpeas on a baking sheet in a single layer. You can then dry them in the oven on medium heat (around 200F or 100C) for 8-10 hours or place them in a dehydrator for 12 hours at 120F (50C).
If you use this method, your chickpeas must be completely dry (before you go nuts with the blender!). Otherwise, you’ll end up with a mushy paste instead of chickpea flour! I usually break open a single chickpea (one of the bigger ones) after drying to test the waters before blending.
You might be tempted to remove the skin from your chickpeas. But there’s no need. It contains an incredible amount of fiber and nutrients; removing it will only make your flour blander. It’s the same reason I never remove chickpea skin from my hummus.
They’re all relatively similar, but each flour has slight differences – and it’s all down to the type of bean! Chickpea flour is made from classic garbanzo beans.Besan flour is usually made using 100% split brown chickpeas, aka chana dal. That’s basically brown chickpeas that have been spit open and skin removed. It’s usually finer and smoother than chickpea flour.Gram flour is similar but is often made using a mix of yellow gram lentils or yellow split peas and split brown chickpeas.
You can. But you’ll need to dehydrate them before making flour. You can do this by drying them out in the oven or using a dehydrator. But honestly, buying dried chickpeas is cheaper and easier if you’re making your own flour!
If you have a high-powered blender, it’s cheaper to make your own garbanzo bean flour. You can usually grab one-pound bags of dried chickpeas for a bargain at a local grocery store or international markets. This makes way more flour than you’d get at places like Whole Foods for the same price. If you use a lot of garbanzo flour when cooking, you’ll save a significant amount over time.
Chickpea Flour: How To Make Homemade Dried CHICKPEA FLOUR – Gluten Free Garbanzo Beans Flour
FAQ
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