When you need a quick snack, lunch, or easy (but deceptively fancy) dinner, these chickpea pancakes are just the thing! This recipe is a new favorite on our team because of its quick preparation and incredible flavor and texture.
After several rounds of testing, we perfected the ultimate tender pancake (that’s thin like a crepe) with crispy edges for maximum flavor. It can be enjoyed on its own, as a wrap, or filled with delicious veggies or spreads. Our favorite filling? A simple mushroom leek sauté — the perfect companion to this savory pancake. Just 8 ingredients and simple methods required for this flavorful, satisfying dish. Let us show you how it’s done!
Chickpea Pancake Inspiration
We first dreamt up this recipe as something resembling socca but thinner, crispier, and more foldable. Socca is a flatbread made from chickpea flour and its origin is hotly debated. Some claim it originated in the region that is now Nice, France, while others claim it was invented in Genoa, Italy (where it’s called farinata) or Marseille, France (where it’s called panisse). Still other versions can be found in Sardinia, Gibraltar, Algeria, and Argentina (source).
What we ended up with also somewhat resembles an Indian dish known as a chilla or cheela, but with a different flavor profile. You can find an example of a cheela from Vegan Richa here.
How to Make Chickpea Pancakes
These pancakes start with a simple, savory batter made from chickpea flour and salt and thinned with warm water.
After whisking, the batter will look thin and liquid-y — that’s okay!
After it has rested for 15 minutes, it will thicken slightly and more closely resemble crepe batter, which is what you’re looking for.
Cooking these pancakes takes a little practice, but if you stick with it, you’ll realize it was well worth the patience.
When cooking over medium-high heat, the pancakes develop a golden brown, crispy exterior. They also fold well without breaking, making them perfect for stuffing with your favorite filling.
For the filling, we went with sautéed mushrooms and leek. It’s simply seasoned but bursting with flavor thanks to garlic, thyme, nutritional yeast, and a pinch of salt.
We hope you LOVE these chickpea pancakes! They’re:
Buttery
Herby
Savory
Salty
Tender with crisp edges
& SO delicious!
They make a quick snack when prepared in advance but are also perfect for any meal of the day — breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner!
Enjoy as a wrap filled with your favorite dips and veggies. We think they’d also be delicious filled with our 1-Pan Potato (Aloo) Sabzi, Quick Crispy Cauliflower, or 1-Pot Smoky Lentil Vegan Taco “Meat” — or even filled with random leftovers!
More Chickpea Recipes
- Fluffy Chickpea Scramble (30 minutes!)
- Chickpea Shawarma Dip
- Fluffy Curried Socca (Chickpea Bread)
- Socca Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Pesto
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Savory Chickpea Pancakes with Leek and Mushrooms
Ingredients
PANCAKE
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 ½ cups warm water
MUSHROOM LEEK FILLING
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing pan
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms (we used shiitake)
- 2 small leeks, sliced into 1/4-inch half moons
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme (or sub twice as much fresh)
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 pinch each sea salt and black pepper
FOR SERVING optional
- Fresh thyme
- Sliced green onion
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, salt, and warm water until smooth. Ensure that the water is warm as it will help the batter thicken correctly. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, leeks, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until softened — about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the nutritional yeast. Taste and adjust as needed, adding more salt to taste, black pepper for spice, or nutritional yeast for cheesiness. Set aside.
- Heat a non-stick or cast iron* skillet over medium heat (non-stick works best). Whisk the batter again to combine. It should be fairly loose. Pour 1/2 tsp of olive oil into the pan and rotate the pan to evenly spread the oil (if using a cast iron, we found a very thin coating of oil to work best — in fact, in most cases, a seasoned surface with no additional oil should work well).
- Scoop 1/3 cup (80 ml) of the batter into the skillet, quickly pick up and rotate the skillet to spread the batter into a 5-7 inch circle, then turn up the heat to medium-high and cook the pancake, undisturbed, until browned on the bottom and edges, about 2-3 minutes. Use a spatula to peek at the underside of the pancake to make sure it’s browned before flipping — the pancake should lift away from the pan easily; if it sticks, let it cook a bit longer. Once ready, flip and cook for 1 minute on the other side. If you are using cast iron and the batter is sticking, wipe a small amount of olive oil across the entire surface of the pan and try again. Transfer finished pancake to a plate, turn the heat back down to medium, and repeat with the remaining batter.
- Top the pancakes with the leek and mushroom filling and garnish with fresh thyme and nutritional yeast or green onion if desired.
- Best when fresh. Leftovers will keep stored separately in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Not freezer friendly. Reheat separately on the stovetop until warmed.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
LT says
I tried the recipe and wasn’t able to make a pancake, came out all soggy :/ I used homemade chickpea flour, was it the reason ? I respected measurements but didnt haveany salt so I added some kala manak salt instead
Oh no! Sorry that happened. Homemade chickpea flour could be the issue. Depending on how finely ground it was, it may have soaked up the liquid differently. Other things that could cause them to be soggy would be if there was too much batter in the pan or the heat was too low.
Harper says
It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing. I wish I would’ve gone easier on the nooch (I used 3 Tbsp) and added a bit of white wine to the mixture to give it a little more depth. The first pancake came out awfully, but after raising the heat there were no issues.
The chickpea flour pancake was interesting (in a good way). I ate a plain one with some lingonberry jam, which was delicious.
Thanks for sharing, Harper!
Harper says
I made this again with about 2 Tbsp of Sake, a dash of red pepper flakes, and reduced the nooch down to 2 Tbsp. Phenomenal!!! 5/5.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Harper!
Titou says
Wow, love the skilled instructions with regards to the warm water. Amazing, thank you. Makes life so much more easeful and joyous for me!
Titou
Yay! Thanks for the lovely review, Titou!
kate says
absolutely brilliant, easy to make, tasty, changed my world, Im gluten intolerant, this has opened up so many more food choices for me, I can use these wraps for all sorts of dishes. Thank you thank you thank you
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoy these, Kate. Thanks so much for the great review!
Thea says
I made the batter, let it sit as instructed while I fried some finely chopped bell pepper, green onion, garlic and nooch then added to the batter once the iron was hot. It wasn’t quite enough to fill the waffle iron but mine is non-stick and they turned out super delicious! Topped with tzatkiki :)
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review, Thea!
Thea says
I’m if anyone’s tried these in a waffle iron?
Hi Thea, we haven’t, but think they would be prone to sticking. The thickness of these pancakes is more like a crepe because they benefit from being thin and crispy. If you give it a try, we’d suggest oiling the waffle iron really well and only using a very thin layer of batter. Hope that helps!
Margarita says
I prepared these for New Year’s brunch—great way to start the year :) I had the same issue as others with the first pancake, but after turning up the heat they came out fine. I used an enameled cast iron skillet and it took some finessing to get them out intact, but it was do-able. Next time I’ll double the filling portions.
Yay! So glad these worked for you, Margarita. Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Coby says
Who would have thought that just chickpea flour, salt, and water would yield such a delicious little pancake? My first one came out ugly (as first pancakes usually do) so of course I ate it. It was delicious on its own, but even better with the filling! I didn’t have leeks, but I had an abundance of green onions, so I used those instead. I appreciated how quickly and easily these came together!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed these, Coby. Thanks so much for the great review!
Julia says
So dang yummy!! The first crepe I did was a disaster, the second one was a little better and then after that they all came out great. I used a non-stick pan, I think really the thing that solved the issue was getting the pan very hot, enough so that the batter immediately sizzled when I put it on the pan, after reaching that temperature I had no more sticking issues. The taste so was delicious and savory, definitely will be making again soon!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them after some trial and error, Julia! Yes, a hot pan is key! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Shreya Hegde says
Soooo tasty!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! xoxo
Grace Lukic says
Amazing!! Super easy too
So glad you enjoyed it, Grace! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Kacie says
This recipe was a total flop, unfortunately. The flour to water ratio was completely off, causing the pancakes to be so watery and thin. Every time I tried to flip them, they broke and crumbled. Wasted a ton of ingredients, money and an hour of my time.
Hi Kacie, we’re so sorry to hear these gave you trouble! The batter is supposed to be thin because these are more crepe-like. It sounds like you may have been trying to make them thicker like traditional pancakes? Could that be the issue?
Nicky says
My crepes start to form cracks and also crumble when I try to slide the spatula under. I am waiting enough time for them to cook and they should release from the pan but nothin’ doin’. Sadly, they look nothing like the ones in your video. The filling however was delicious!
Oh no! Sorry to hear this happened, Nicky. Did you happen to make any modifications to the ingredients?
Nicky says
I made no modifications at all – just the three ingredients at the proportions indicated.
Perhaps getting the pan very hot will help as someone else commented.
Bummer! A hot pan might help!
Jenn says
I followed to the letter and the pancake mix was waaaay too thick. I thinned it to match the video but then it didnt cook through. Added more flour again to rethicken it and found the perfect pancakes. Tasty!! Just wish the ratios worked more reliably.
Sorry to hear this didn’t work for you at first, Jenn! The brand of chickpea flour often seems to make a difference in the texture of the batter, we typically use Bob’s Red Mill chickpea flour for this recipe. Thanks for sharing your experience, we’re glad you were able to enjoy them in the end!
Elle Palmer says
I really want to make these, but no matter how hard I try to like them, I HATE leeks! Any suggestions for a filling substitution?
Hi Elle! If you like them, onions or shallots would be a great substitute here. xo
Confused…. says
So before I started to make this recipe, I read all of the comments below. Like everyone else, the shiitake mushroom and leek mix turned out great, no issue. But… I tried the chickpea batter and I couldn’t get the thin crepe like consistency when I followed the recipe. Instead, it was pretty thick. I didn’t have any clumps and after 15 minutes, the batter was even thicker. I had to add more water to make the consistency as described. And it was a lot more water than found in the recipe. When I put the batter in a non stick pan, in medium heat, it looked okay. But when I tried to flip it, it started to break apart. I waited patiently before I flipped it, but each time it was broken into bits… The batter wasn’t too thin, so I couldn’t understand how the recipe would have worked for others. Needless to say, our family didn’t have the chickpea pancake for lunch, it was chickpea pancake bits…. From my experience, chickpea flour alone doesn’t hold very well… so it’s often mixed with another flour or arrowroot starch. Did anyone else have the same experience? @MinimalistBaker – can you share the brand of chickpea flour used and confirm if it was 100% chickpea flour?
Oh no! We’re so sorry to hear that was your experience! It sounds like it may have had too much water as that can lead to cracking and breaking. If you didn’t already reference the photos/video for batter texture, we’d suggest that! We used 100% chickpea flour (Bob’s Red Mill brand).
Nicky says
I had the same experience and saw some other recipes with a bit of a starch (potato/corn/tapioca) or arrowroot added. Perhaps xanthium gum would also help.
That could be! Let us know how it goes if you try any of those additions, Nicky!
Victoria says
Delicious! I added some chickpeas into the mushroom leek mix and spread a little hummus on the pancakes before folding.
Ooo, sounds amazing! Thanks for the lovely review, Victoria! xo
Kari says
Could you use cassava or millet flour instead of chickpea? Or any other flour substitution recommendations?
Hi Kari! We haven’t tried this recipe with either cassava or millet flour and we aren’t sure if it would work. You could try our Savory Moong Dal Rice Crepes or our 5 ingredient Buckwheat Crepes instead!
Theresa says
We made this recipe, and while the filling turned out nicely, the pancake “batter” was so watery we couldn’t control the size. Ended up having to make very large pancakes to ensure they were thick enough to fold and flip without tearing. Any suggestions?
Hi Theresa! It’s important to let the batter sit to thicken up slightly, so possibly giving it even longer next time could help. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Robin says
This is the second time I made this recipe and I did use nutritional yeast this time rather than grilled chicken. It was delicious. Making the pancakes the second time around was a lot easier and I did 2 frypans at a time. I’m now curious what kind of variety I can come up with for fillings given health/dietary considerations. Very filling and satisfying, not to mention tasty.
Amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing, Robin! xo
Rho says
Just about to try the chick pea pancakes. ..the recipe calls for
“3 Tbsp nutritional yeast”
I’m wondering if that’s a typo?
Think in the meantime I’ll try the choc chip almond meal cookies 😋
Hi Rho, it’s not a typo, but feel free to reduce if preferred! We’ve even made them without it and they were still delicious, just a little less flavorful. Let us know how you like them!
nina says
My new go-to for lunch – soooo good. This dish actually made me enjoy mushrooms (I used portobello). Also, I would suggest weighing your chickpea flour because the flour I bought said 4 tablespoons is 120g versus on the recipe here 120g equals 1 cup…something to keep in mind!
We’re so glad you enjoy them! Thank you for sharing, Nina! We’ll double check the chickpea flour measurement.
Hi Nina, we’re wondering what brand of chickpea flour you have? We weren’t able to replicate this issue.
Kayla says
Absolutely delicious and will definitely make again. Followed the ingredients portions and got enough for two entrees. Even after 15 minutes, I was skeptical about the thickness of the batter. Decided to just go for it and it turned out lovely. I used a nonstick pan without oil and it flipped fine. Edits included salting mushrooms after cooking rather than before to reduce liquid pulled from them, topped stack of pancakes with a thin layer of spero sunflower vegan cream cheese. Finished with chives and a little truffle salt. Delicious and easy!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Kayla! Love your modifications! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Krista says
Is there a way to make this with actual Chickpeas instead of chickpea flour?
Hi Krista, we’re not sure how to make that work! We’ve tried grinding dry chickpeas in a grinder and blender before and they don’t get to a fine enough texture.
Robin says
This is a great recipe and I definitely will be making it again. It was tasty and savoury. Good combination of flavours.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Robin! Thank you for sharing! xoxo
Meredith says
We made this recipe exactly as written except we doubled the amount of topping and ate the pancakes flat instead of folded over. This was maximum flavor for minimum effort! Very easy to make. I love the toasty, nutty flavor of the chickpea pancake. Shiitake mushrooms are definitely the way to go because given the minimal number of ingredients it really provides a lot more flavor. Love this recipe!
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Meredith. Thank you so much for sharing! xoxo
Natalie says
Just made these with some pre-chopped up onions and peppers, kale and tempeh. Super delicious. I’ve been meaning to make them forever but thought the process would be more involved— definitely wasn’t. It’s very easy! I’m wondering if the chickpea batter on its own stores well in the fridge? For a few days perhaps?
We’re so glad you gave it a try and enjoyed the recipe, Natalie! We think the batter should store well in the fridge, but may thicken slightly and require a little extra water. Hope that helps!
Bex says
Do you think it would work with black bean flour?
Hi Bex, we don’t have experience using black bean flour so we’re not sure. But based on the textural difference between black beans and chickpeas, we’d assume you’d need less water. Let us know if you try it!
Diana Demco says
Hi, What would you recommend as a substitution for mushrooms? I can’t eat them to save my life lol (just don’t like them). But I’d like to keep the leek! Thanks!
Maybe sweet potato cut into small cubes? Let us know if you try it!
Vicky says
I was so happy to see this mostly bc of the pancakes! I grew up eating veggies filled pancakes but stopped making them since I didn’t have a vegan option, and this was perfec!
The only thing is that I struggled with getting the batter right. The pancakes were too thick and they broke in the cast iron. Real bummer! What went wrong? I followed the instructions closely. Thanks!
We’re so sorry this one gave you trouble, Vicky! A few ideas here- 1) The batter may have been too thick, in which case we’re thinking maybe brands of chickpea flour vary? What brand did you use? 2) The pan may have been too hot, not allowing them to spread. And 3) We did have the most success with a non-stick pan versus a cast iron skillet. We’ll see if we can play around more with a cast iron and troubleshoot!
Vicky says
I gave this another try! I used the same flour (sprouts brand) and my cast iron. It turned out amazing! Idk what happened the first time around, maybe the batter was too thick. I love this recipe so much. I haven’t tried it yet with your filling and looking forward to it! The filling I make is with peas corn carrots red and green peeper onion and garlic, all sauted and then I make a white vegan bechamel, just oat milk and corn starch, salt pepper and nutmeg, mix everything and yum! thanks a lot for amazing recipes always!
Amazing! Thank you for the update, Vicky! xo
Meredith says
We followed the directions to a tee, and our batter turned out quite thin and runny. Maybe consider adding more water next time? We also used a nonstick skillet with no issues whatsoever. My cast iron is still not fully non-stick yet, so it can grip onto batters like this.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Meredith!
Vicky, we did some more experimenting with a cast iron and it is more finicky, but does work! We were able to replicate your issue with it cracking and found that it was because the heat was too low and so it didn’t cook fast enough and started drying out. Since a non-stick changes temperature more quickly than a cast iron, it’s easier to use. Hope that’s helpful!
Christa says
Are the leeks supposed to be crunchy, like not cooked too much? While following the cook times, I felt like the leeks were undercooked, not sure if that was intentional?
Hi Christa, how strange! They should be very tender with this cooking method. We’d say try increasing the heat and/or cooking longer. Hope that helps!
V Durling says
I have a question.
Why add yeast to the filling mix. I know that there will be a reason, just can’t think what it is…
Hi, nutritional yeast (perhaps different from the yeast you’re thinking of?) adds a savory, cheesy component. Hope that helps!
Ana Dabrowski says
Do you have any tips for reducing clumps in the batter?
Hi Ana, sorry that happened! You could slowly add the water while whisking to help with that.
cindy says
Hello, these look delicious! Is there a substitute I can use for Nutritional Yeast?
Hi Cindy, you could omit it or sub a little chickpea (or white) miso mixed in water to form a paste. Let us know if you try it!
Svetlana says
Hello! I haven’t made the recipe yet but what would be a great substitution for leeks? Thank you for your response.
Hi Svetlana, we’d suggest thinly sliced red or sweet onion. Let us know if you try it!
Irena says
Dear Team ,
I love all your recipes… you always make my day special when you send me delicious meal . Thank you for sharing and keep us motivated and on right life track 🙏🏻🍀.
If I want to make sweet filling with chickpea pancakes with more protein included as I do workout a lot what should I add? Vanilla Protein powder with sweet option and for savory option some fish or cottage?
Thank you
Irena🙋🏻♀️💐
Aw, we’re so glad to hear that, Irena! Thanks so much for sharing! Another reader mentioned using dairy-free milk in place of water in chickpea pancakes, so perhaps that with vanilla protein powder could be nice. For savory, we think chickpeas would be a nice addition. Hope that helps!
Trina says
This was quick and tasty. My first crepe didn’t turn out well, turned heat up on pan, perfect.
Thank you,
Trina
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Trina! These ones do require a higher heat to crisp up nicely. Glad you were able to troubleshoot – thanks for sharing your experience!
Pam Fine says
Do you think an electric crepe maker would work with this batter? Thank you!
Hmm, we’ve never experimented with one, but if it’s nonstick and can get to a pretty high heat, we think it would be fine. Let us know if you try it!
Hannah says
Could you substitute with a similar flour? These sound delicious and I want to try to make them tonight but only half almond, coconut, all purpose and oat flour.
Hi Hannah, that could work, but you’d probably have to play around with it a bit to get the right consistency. Chickpea flour is quite absorbent, similar to coconut flour, but we’re not sure coconut would be ideal in terms of flavor here.
Mark says
Hi guys, can I have the calories for just a average pancake without filling. Cheers Mark
Hi Mark, about 120 calories. Hope that helps!
Simi says
Would replacing the water with milk result in a more crepe-like pancake?
Hi Simi! We haven’t tried this with milk (dairy or non-dairy) but we think it would work! Not sure if it will change the texture too much, but might make them more tender? Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Trista says
I make chickpea pancakes all the time my kids love them. I like to use veggie broth instead of water for added flavor. I use plant-mylk to make a sweet version of chickpea pancakes and also add some vanilla and a splash of maple syrup to the batter then fill them with berry compote and a drizzle of almond or cashew butter.
So helpful! Thanks for sharing, Trista!