If you have a recipe that calls for chickpea flour but none on hand, you’ll need a chickpea flour substitute. Use one of these flour options as a replacement!
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What Is Chickpea Flour
Chickpea flour is a flour made of garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas. It is a gluten-free flour that has recently become more popular in America.
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It originates in India and is used in many popular Indian dishes (although, in India it is known as besan) such as kadhi and laddoos.
If you have never tasted chickpea flour, it has a hearty, nutty taste. It doesn’t work the same as other flour options, but does come with some great positives!
The Benefits and Nutrition of Chickpea Flour
If you do not have celiac disease and have no gluten intolerance, there is still reason to reach for chickpea flour. There are some key nutrition difference between chickpea flour and all purpose flour.
There is more protein in chickpea flour than your typically all purpose flour. There are 5 grams of protein in 1/4 cup of chickpea flour and 3 grams of protein in all purpose flour. This may seem little but depending on how much you consume, it can easily add up!
There are also less carbs per serving compared to all purpose flour. The difference is minimal but similar to the protein content, the differences can add up!
Where the difference isn’t minimal is the fiber department. A single sup of chickpea flour will have 20 grams of fiber while the same serving size of all purpose flour only has about 3 grams of fiber. That’s a whopping 17 gram difference! Fiber is very important diet. Want to know more? Read my article all about fiber!
Purchasing Chickpea Flour
Chickpea flour isn’t as common of a product as all purpose flour, but it is slowly popping up in more stores around the states. In your local grocery store, check both the baking aisle and gluten-free sections. If you can’t find it in either of those areas you can easily purchase it off amazon.
If you still are unable to locate the flour you can try your hand at making your own chickpea flour at home! Willing to take this route? Alpha Foodie has a great article on how to make your own chickpea flour at home.
Is All Purpose Flour a Chickpea Flour Substitute?
Yes! you can replace all purpose flour with chickpea flour, kind of.
If a recipe uses chickpea flour, that recipe was designed for that flour. You can make some slight recipe alterations in order to make the recipe work with all purpose flour instead of chickpea flour, but without many rounds of recipe testing, it will never be the same!
As I said, chickpea is hearty. So, if you are going to use chickpea flour in a recipe that calls for all purpose flour, use half. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of all purpose flour you would then just use 1/2 cup chickpea flour.
Chickpea Flour Substitute List
Potato Flour: A gluten free flour that creates a thick result. This is a bit more calorically dense, but still a good chickpea flour substitute.
Almond Flour: This is a very nutty (and gluten free!) flour option. Use almond flour instead of chickpea flour at a 1 to 1 ratio.
Tapioca Flour: Tapioca flour is a gluten free option that may not be the best chickpea flour substitute, but is an option. It is something you would want to combine with a second flour when baking. Meaning, you would use a combination of, say, tapioca flour and almond flour as your chickpea flour substitute.
Oat Flour: This is also a gluten free option (usually)! Oat flour has a similar taste to chickpea flour. They are both a bit heartier. One difference when replacing chickpea flour with oat flour is the amount you will need. If the recipe calls for 1 cup of chickpea flour, instead use about 2 and 1/3 cups of oat flour.
Buckwheat Flour: This is a hearty flour. Buckwheat flour is not always a typical pantry staple in the states, but it would still work as a chickpea flour substitute.
Coconut Flour: Coconut flour is also a gluten free option. The issue is that coconut flour keeps its flavor. If you don’t want the taste of coconut try to combine coconut flour with another flour in your replacement. Another key issue to keep in mind is that coconut flour will absorbed more water than many other flours. This may affect the outcome of your dish!
All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour is one of the most common flours used in the states. It has a neutral flavor and easy to work with. In order to use all purpose flour instead of chickpea flour you will use the opposite of the directions listed in the section above. You will use double the amount of flour the chickpea flour recipe called for.
Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour has the entirety of the wheat grain. That means it has more fiber, protein, and nutrient content than all purpose flour. Whole wheat flour is a great option or replacing in chickpea flour based recipes.
Chickpea Flour Substitute Takeaways
- Chickpea flour is made from chickpeas AKA garbanzo beans.
- This is a healthy and fiber-heavy option.
- This flour is becoming more and more popular in the states, so it is also becoming more widely available.
- You can replace chickpea flour with a number of other options but the recipe may not have the same results.
- Leave a review and comment down below if you are in need of any other substitutions!
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