John Myers
For a gluten-free and protein-rich diet, chickpea flour is a very good substitute for conventional flour. Especially allergy sufferers and vegans should try it once.
A high-protein alternative
The chickpea from Asia is a legume and has a slightly nutty taste. The flour is obtained from peeled chickpea seeds. Both are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. This is therefore ideal for a low-carb diet. In addition, chickpea flour is gluten-free and much better tolerated by allergy sufferers than, for example, wheat or spelled flour.
Make your own chickpea flour
You don’t have to buy expensive chickpea flour either, you can easily make it yourself at home. You will need a high-powered blender and raw, undercooked chickpeas. Don’t be alarmed: the hard chickpeas can make a lot of noise when mixing. That’s how it works:
- Place chickpeas in a blender.
- Then mix at the highest level for 1-2 minutes until a fine flour is formed.
Alternatively, you can grind the chickpeas in a grain mill or use a food processor.
Before use
The chickpea flour, like the chickpeas themselves, must not be eaten raw. The toxins from the group of lectins are only destroyed when heated. If you use chickpea flour when baking, your dough can be a bit stiffer and drier because the flour absorbs more liquid than conventional wheat flour. To compensate for this, you can increase the proportion of liquids in the recipe or use less chickpea flour.
Tip: To replace conventional flour with chickpea flour in recipes, you have to adjust the number of grams slightly. 75 g corresponds to about 100g of wheat flour. It is, therefore, best to always use three-quarters of a flour specification. Because its consistency is slightly moister than other flours, it binds faster.
Amount of wheat flour – Amount of chickpea flour
- 100g – 75g
Versatile
A classic that can be made with flour is definitely the falafel. It can be used in a variety of ways. For example, it is suitable for:
- Glutenfree bread
- vegan scrambled eggs
- gluten-free pizza dough
- Chickpea Tofu
- gluten-free cake
- vegan dips
Note: Note that chickpea flour has a more intense flavor than regular flour. You can mix it with another flour to soften the taste.
Nutritional values
100g therefore also contains chickpea flour:
- Energy: 362 kcal
- Fat: 6.7g
- Fiber: 11.0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.0 g
- (of which sugar: 2.0 g)
- Protein: 20.0g
In addition, chickpea flour is also rich in vitamins and minerals.
