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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. Soccais 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 calledfarinata) or Marseille, France (where it’s calledpanisse). 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)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo#minimalistbakeron Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Savory Chickpea Pancakes with Leek and Mushrooms
Perfect chickpea pancakes that are tender with crisp edges and full of flavor! Quick and easy to make, incredibly versatile, just 8 ingredients required.
Author Minimalist Baker
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
Total Time 45 minutes minutes
Servings 5 (6-inch pancakes)
Course Breakfast, Entrée, Snack
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 2-3 Days
Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
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
*Using a cast iron skillet is more finicky because it does not change temperature as quickly as a non-stick pan. If the batter is sticking to the cast iron or cracking, that likely means it is not hot enough. Try cleaning the pan, increasing the heat, and trying again.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Nutrition (1 of 5 servings)
Serving: 1 pancake with filling Calories: 176 Carbohydrates: 21.1 g Protein: 8.3 g Fat: 7.2 g Saturated Fat: 0.9 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.2 g Monounsaturated Fat: 4.3 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 259 mg Potassium: 460 mg Fiber: 5.1 g Sugar: 4.5 g Vitamin A: 608 IU Vitamin C: 4.8 mg Calcium: 39.7 mg Iron: 2.3 mg
