Easy Chickpea Flour Crust Pizza Recipe

Chickpea flour is a type of pulse flour made from dried chickpeas, a member of the legume family. Depending on the chickpea variety used to make the flour, it is also known as garbanzo bean flour, besan flour, or gram flour. The chickpea flour sold in grocery stores is stone-ground to a fine powder, but you can make your own by pulsing dried chickpeas in a food processor or spice grinder.

Chickpea flour is a popular flour in gluten-free baking, where bakers use it to make treats like chocolate chip cookies, flatbreads, and biscuits. You can also use the flour alternative in the following dishes:

1. 1. Crêpes: Along the Ligurian Sea, locals use chickpea flour to make a thin pancake or crêpe. In Nice, France, this is known as socca, while in Italy, it’s known by many names: cecina, torta de ceci, farinata, or fainâ.
2. 2. Falafel and hummus: Chickpea flour is the secret behind a crumbly, moist crumb for deep-fried falafel or an extra-velvety hummus dip.
3. 3. Laddu: Gram flour (made from gram chickpeas) is used in various sweets across the Indian subcontinent, like laddu, a combination of flour with ghee and sugar that occasionally features nuts and dried fruit.
4. 4. Pakora: Chickpea flour lends a light-yet-hearty consistency to the batter for Indian pakoras (spiced fritters).
5. 5. Pizza: Chickpea flour is a great option for a healthy spin on traditional pizza. The gluten-free flour creates a dense pizza crust and can be prepared in under an hour. Make a Mediterranean-style pizza with toppings like artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes, and a hummus dipping sauce for the chickpea crust.

There are a few differences between chickpea flour and wheat flour. Chickpea flour is higher in protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber than whole-wheat flours like all-purpose flour.

Unlike wheat flour, chickpea flour is gluten-free and naturally dense, making it an ideal alternative flour for pizza dough because it produces less stretchy air bubbles and more crunchy surfaces.