Chickpea flour is a tremendous ingredient that is so useful in so many situations – but if you’ve run out or can’t get hold of any, what are the best chickpea flour substitutes?
In this guide, we’ll take a look at why chickpea flour is an increasingly popular ingredient, discover the various types of substitutes for chickpea flour and get an insight into which ones are the best to use in different situations.
What is chickpea flour?
Often used in vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free cooking and baking, chickpea flour is made from stone ground chickpeas (or garbanzo beans). A naturally gluten-free ingredient, chickpea flour – also, known as garbanzo bean flour (garbanzo being Spanish for chickpea) – has long been a staple ingredient in cuisines around the world, including in India, Mexico, Morocco, Egypt, Nepal, Pakistan, Italy and France.
Aside from chickpea flour and garbanzo flour, it is also referred to as besan flour or gram flour.
Lower in carbs and calories than regular wheat flour, yet higher in protein and fiber, chickpea flour is an extremely healthy, anti-inflammatory ingredient. In short, it’s fantastic!
However, it’s not always the easiest product to find, which makes finding a suitable chickpea substitute all the more important.
What is chickpea flour used for?
Chickpea flour is excellent as a binding ingredient. Think of recipes like samosas, falafels, flatbreads, pakoras, pizzas, pancakes and veggie burgers.
It’s also a great ingredient for thickening soups, sauces, stews and curries.
Almond flour
An excellent substitute for chickpea flour, almond flour is a low-carb high nutrient flour that is made by grinding skinless blanched almonds. As it has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor, it is typically used in baked goods, notably cookies, pancakes, biscuits, sweet breads and macarons.
A naturally gluten free flour, almond flour is also keto-friendly and easy to make at home in a blender or food processor. If you need a chickpea flour substitute for a sweet dish, this is the one to go for.
Substitute chickpea flour with almond flour at a ratio of 1:1.
Rice flour
A highly versatile chickpea flour substitute, rice flour is excellent for thickening sauces, gravies and stews, as well as for making pancakes, cookies, muffins and bread.
It’s a natural gluten free ingredient and comes in two forms – brown rice flour an white rice flour. Brown rice flour has a mild nutty flavor, whereas white rice flour is flavorless.
Use rice flour in place of chickpea flour at a 1:1 ratio.
Cassava flour
Cassava flour is made from ground yucca root and is often used to thicken soups, stews and casseroles. It’s very similar to tapioca flour – both come from the yucca root, although cassava flour uses whole root, making it a more carb-heavy, higher flavor flour.
So, while it’s a suitable gluten free substitute for chickpea flour, it’s not keto-friendly. It is, however, ideal for thickening non-acidic sauces and stews (avoid tomato-based dishes), and is useful as a binding agent for savory breads and other baked dishes.
Substitute chickpea flour with cassava flour at a ratio of 1:1.
Tapioca flour
One of the best chickpea flour alternatives for gluten free cooking, tapioca flour is an extremely smooth, fine powder, which makes it highly suitable for baking and thickening soups, stews, sauces and casseroles.
Its neutral flavor makes it a very versatile ingredient, excellent for both sweet and savory dishes, great for baking and an all-round quality alternative to chickpea flour.
Substitute chickpea flour with tapioca flour at a ratio of 1:1.
Arrowroot powder
Arrowroot powder is a great natural thickener. A versatile ingredient that’s increasingly used in vegan, gluten- free and paleo cooking, arrowroot powder is great for bringing a silky smooth consistency to soups, stews, gravies and sauces.
It’s been a staple ingredient in Caribbean and South American cuisine for generations. Although it’s becoming more and more popular among health conscious vegans and gluten-free foodies in the U.S. and throughout Europe, it’s still not the easiest ingredient to find.
This makes it a good substitutes for chickpea flour in sweet and savory dishes – as long as you can find it! Substitute chickpea flour with arrowroot powder at a ratio of 1:1.
Quinoa flour
A super healthy, fabulous flour that’s a big hit with gluten free foodies, quinoa flour is increasingly popular and makes an excellent chickpea flour alternative – in the right situation.
Unlike some of the chickpea flour substitutes on this list, quinoa flour has a very distinct taste. It’s quite a bold, herbal, slightly bitter flavor, which is off-putting for some.
That’s why the recipe has to be right when it comes to using quinoa flour as an alternative to chickpea flour. I would recommend sticking to savory recipes such as tortillas and also using it in moderation. You can also try adding a little sugar, honey or syrup to counter balance the bitterness.
One other trick you can use is to toast quinoa flour to remove the bitterness. Toast it in an oven for two hours at 215 F (100 C) to remove the bitter taste.
Use quinoa flour in place of chickpea flour at a 1:1 ratio.
Buckwheat flour
A highly nutritious whole grain flour, buckwheat flour is a good alternative to chickpea flour. It’s particularly useful as a chickpea alternative in baked goods, as it adds moistness when baking cakes, cookies and sweet breads.
Despite having the word wheat in its name, buckwheat is, in fact, a naturally gluten-free ingredient. One drawback about buckwheat flour as a baking ingredient is the taste. It has a quite distinctive slightly bitter flavor, which means its best used in tandem with other flours.
Use buckwheat flour in place of chickpea flour at a 1:2 ratio and mix 50:50 with another alternative, if possible.
Oat flour
This is one of the best substitutes for chickpea flour when you need an instant alternative and don’t have any gluten free flour on hand. If you have a ready supply of whole rolled oats and a blender or food processor, you can make your own oat flour at home!
All you need to do is blend the oats for around 30 seconds until you’ve got a fine powder. Oat flour can be used as a gluten free baked flour for pancakes, muffins, cookies and other sweet baked dishes. You can also combine it with other flours such as almond flour.
Use oat flour in place of chickpea flour at a 1:1 ratio.
Coconut flour
Coconut flour brings a sweet and fruity flavor to baked dishes, desserts, curries and any dishes that need a touch of sweetness. Due to its pronounced flavor, it’s not the best chickpea flour alternative, although with the right dish it can be ideal.
As gluten free flours go, coconut is best left for sweet baked goods or for thickening curries. You can also use it as a 50/50 blend with other flours. Cassava flour or tapioca flour, for example, would be good flours to blend it with.
Use coconut flour in place of chickpea flour at a 1:1 ratio.
Fava bean flour
Ideal for both savory and sweet dishes, Fava bean flour has a subtle earthy flavor that’s not too dissimilar to chickpea flour. If you need a chickpea flour substitute for Indian recipes – whether curries, bhajis, pakoras or anything similar – fava bean flour is the ideal alternative.
It’s also very effective when it comes to thickening sauces, soups and stews. You might even find a chickpea and fava bean flour mix, giving you the best of both worlds.
Use fava bean flour in place of chickpea flour at a 1:1 ratio.
Millet flour
With its slightly sweet and nutty flavor and powdery consistency, millet flour makes a suitable chickpea flour substitute. It’s ideal for both sweet baking, bread making and savory cooking.
Swap millet flour in for chickpea flour at a 1:1 ratio.
Reader Interactions
