Flourless Chickpea Pancakes – Made with Canned Chickpeas
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These Flourless Chickpea Pancakes are made from canned chickpeas, meaning they contain plenty of protein and they taste delicious, making them a wonderful post-workout or weekend morning breakfast recipe.
I absolutely adore these chickpea pancakes, and I know you will too.
If you didn’t already know, I love adding chickpeas to recipes. Whether it’s straight out of the can like in this mediterranean chickpea tuna salad, or roasting them like these roasted chickpeas recipe, I find them to be incredibly versatile.
Did you know you can also use them in place of flour in pancakes?! That’s right — these chickpea pancakes are made without flour.
See, I’m always looking for ways to sneak in natural sources of protein. That’s not to say I dislike protein powder (see my protein overnight oats as proof that I do), but if you can get protein in the form of food, then why wouldn’t you?!
I’ve seen a handful of recipes that call for chickpea flour, but I think using canned chickpeas is a little more practical because 1. it’s cheaper, and 2. not all grocery stores sell chickpea flour.
Recipe features
- They’re packed with protein — 1 cup of chickpeas boasts 39 grams of protein! You can read more about the benefits of chickpeas in this Healthline article.
- Delicious on their own
- Even more delicious when topped with peanut butter + maple syrup
- Perfect for weekend mornings when you’re craving something sweet, but need something that will keep you full
Ingredient notes:
Chickpeas – Canned; any brand. I’ve tested this recipe using both the 89 cent canned chickpeas, and then the slightly pricier organic chickpeas and both turned out great.
Eggs – Think of the eggs as the glue that holds everything together in this recipe. If you consume eggs, definitely make the recipe with them. If you do not, you could try using a vegan egg substitute, though I haven’t tested them myself.
Peanut butter – Can sub any kind of nut butter.
Maple syrup – The recipe calls for only 1 tablespoon, so you can use your sweetener of choice if maple syrup isn’t your thing.
Milk – Any kind! I used almond milk and it worked great.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Rinse the chickpeas. The first step is to pour the chickpeas into a strainer, then run water over them for 20 seconds or so, which will remove any of the liquid from inside the can.
Step 2: Blend. Transfer the chickpeas, along with the remaining pancake ingredients, to a high-power blender and blend for about 30 seconds or until the batter is smooth.
Step 3: Cook. Grease a griddle or nonstick skillet with a little coconut oil, then heat it over medium heat. Pour batter onto the griddle and cook the pancakes for 1-2 minutes per side.
Tips and FAQs
-Always, always, always rinse the chickpeas before adding them to your blender; we want to remove the liquid from inside the can.
-If the pancakes seem to be browning too quickly, reduce the heat from medium to low.
-Some people say toppings are the best part of any pancakes recipe. Here are a few fun topping ideas: banana, peanut butter/almond butter, chocolate chips, maple syrup, fresh berries, or chia seeds.
Can I make these vegan?
I’ve tried a few different vegan variations, but unfortunately none of them have yielded the same results. If you happen to try an egg replacement and it works, please let me know!
What should I serve alongside these pancakes?
Truthfully, any other breakfast food you can think of! Some of my favorites include my tofu scramble, baked vegan donuts, sun-dried tomato frittata, or my cauliflower crustless quiche. Any of these would be delicious alongside chickpea pancakes!
More easy pancake recipes:
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Flourless Chickpea Pancakes
Ingredients
- 15 oz. chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp milk of choice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Pour chickpeas into a strainer, then rinse them off completely; then, pour chickpeas into a blender.
- Add the remaining ingredients into the blender and pulse for 30 seconds or until the batter is smooth.
- Grease a griddle or skillet with coconut oil or nonstick spray, and heat over medium heat. Pour batter onto the griddle, and once it starts bubbling, use spatula and carefully flip the pancakes over. Once both sides are cooked, remove from heat. Continue process until batter is gone.
- Top pancakes with extra peanut butter, fruit and/or chocolate chips and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in April 2015. It was updated with new text and photos in January 2021.
My Sunday breakfast usually vary since Saturday is either oatmeal/toast with banana and peanut butter pre-run. I love that you used real chickpeas – not chickpea flour – for these. And those toppings? OMG. #foodporn
GARBONZOOOOSSSS – sooo addicting!!
These look soo amazing! About a year ago I tried to test a recipe using chickpeas for a healthier sweet treat and it turned out disgusting! Ever since, I’ve had an aversion to chickpea baked goods but these pancakes are convincing me to give them a try again.
Ohhh no! The only two times I’ve used chickpeas in baking I’ve used peanut butter as well–I think it helps so you can literally not taste the chickpeas at all!
Awesome that is why I was reading the comments because I also used chickpea flour for something and then hated it. But if this works it is going to be a stable food in my diet.
Woa! These look absolutely divine. I still can’t get over the fact that they are made with chickpeas and not a lick of flour. Can’t wait to give these a try. We are peanut butter fans in my house. Btw. . .I haven’t had a PB&J sandwich in my house in years.
I hadn’t either–so good! Let me know if you try the pancakes 🙂
Chickpeas – what can’t those little wonder legumes do? I’m not a pancake person – I knooow – but your idea is genius either way. I’d be curious about the texture of these versus flour-based pancakes yet I don’t eat eggs. And yes to the syrup action.
oh. my god. if i could marry some pancakes, those would be them. i saw this picture on instagram first thing this morning and was so so so disappointed i couldn’t make them for myself :(. chocolate pb oatmeal just wasnt quite the same…
Hhahah noooo sorry to temp you! Hopefully you are able to make them sometime soon! Pancakes>oatmeal 😉
Very cool and creative way to get some more protein in pancakes! And then top it with all that deliciousness of which you definitely do not use too much.
Thanks Chris!
I would never have thought to try chickpeas in pancakes. Do you think it’d work without peanut butter??
I think it would work, but I don’t think it would taste as good because you’d clearly be able to taste the chickpeas (I’m guessing). If you try them, let me know!
Mmm peanut butter pancakes sound amazing. I could eat PB every day!
OOh Erin – these are tantalizing! I just had to put a dollop of PB and a handful of chocolate chips into my oatmeal – alas I am out of chickpeas! Love your use of them in these! I’ve used chickpea flour in pancakes before but not chickpeas – such a brilliant idea!
Thank you! 🙂