ALL RECIPES
Inspiration from Meghan

The Best Banana Pancakes with Chickpea Flour

 

Summer is rolling to a gentle close and I am celebrating my favourite season of all by taking some time off-ish. That’s usually how I do it. A little work each day, but mostly maxing and relaxing as I gear up for another busy fall of fun. And this time of sleep-ins and late breakfasts has spawned the absolute best banana pancakes made primarily with chickepea flour.

Chickpea flour, often referred to as garbanzo bean flour, is made from chickpeas. This makes these pancakes grain-free, but also protein powered without needing to grossify your pancake-aroos by adding protein powder to them.

If you care about protein grams and enjoy turning meals into math equations, you might like to know that one cup of chickpea flour works out to about 21 grams of protein. The recipe I have for you today serves two and has a nice little dose of 10 grams of protein per serving right there.

Gluten-free chickpea flour banana pancakes

I have slowly but surely begun to embrace chickpea flour as one of my favourites for gluten-free baking. I am not sure I would make it into a cake just yet – the high fiber and protein would make the cake mighty dense, but it is excellent in muffins, cookies, gluten-free pizza crust and, well, these pancakes.

5 Reasons Why Chickpea Flour Is Awesome

  1. Rich in protein: This will help reduce blood sugar fluctuations and make us feel full longer.
  2. It bakes up beautifully with a bit of a dry, crispy outer later (pancake perfection!)
  3. It’s flavour works with both sweet and savoury.
  4. It’s gluten-free! That always wins with me!
  5. It’s not too heavy and not too light. Some white rice flours are just too starchy for my liking, while nut meals or coconut flour are very heavy or dry. Chickpea flour is just in the middle!

Gluten Free Chickpea Flour Banana Pancakes

Print
clock icon cutlery icon flag icon folder icon instagram icon pinterest icon facebook icon print icon squares icon heart icon heart solid icon
Gluten-free Banana Pancakes

Chickpea Flour Banana Pancakes


  • Author: Meghan Telpner
  • Total Time: 18 mins
  • Yield: Serves 2

Description

The best gluten-free banana pancakes made with chickpea flour


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup water or coconut milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ghee or coconut oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients into your high speed blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
  2. Melt 1 Tbsp of coconut oil or ghee into your pan. Using your 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup measure (whatever size you like best), scoop the batter and pour onto your medium heat skillet.
  3. Let cook until you see bubble throughout the pancake, and then flip. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side.
  4. Serve with your favourite pancake toppings.

Notes

Optional Toppings
Sliced banana
Walnuts
Pecans
Shredded coconut
Ground goji berries
Ground flax seeds
Fresh fruit
Maple syrup
Honey
Ghee or coconut oil

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 8 mins
  • Category: Breakfast

One more extra little nugget for you with this recipe. I love maple syrup as much as the next Canadian, but it is also mighty sweet. I love melting together maple syrup or honey with either coconut oil or ghee. Bringing that fat in will further reduce effect on blood sugar, cut the sweetness and enhance the flavour. You know how I love extra fat in my breakfast!

Food photography: iStock: Anna Shepulova and Paul Biryukov

100 responses to “The Best Banana Pancakes with Chickpea Flour”

  1. Susan says:

    Hi. These chickpea flour pancakes look delicious! Just wondering how you feel about chickpea flour if you have an autoimmune disease? I’m sick of coconut flour! Thanks.

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      If you’re having an active flare-up, you may be best to avoid the starchy carbs. For regular maintenance, you should be fine!

  2. Krupa says:

    Does Chia Egg work in this to replace the egg?
    Thanks
    Krupa

  3. Bianca says:

    How would you recommend making these if one is avoiding eggs? Thanks!

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      I have not tested any egg-free options, but you could try the “chia-egg”. 1 Tbsp ground chia mixed into 1/4 cup of water. Let sit until gelled and them mix in.

  4. Steph says:

    Though they tasted delicious I found these really stuck to the pan, even when I loaded it up with coconut oil between each batch. I did make them with a “flax egg replacer” – not sure if that’s what made them stick so much.
    They were still a tasty gf/dairy/egg free pancake if a little imperfect looking.

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      Hmmm – it could have been the flax. I’ve only ever tried with egg and didn’t have any sticking issues at all so not sure. The temperature of the pan at cooking may also be a factor.

  5. Caroline says:

    This is a really great yet simple recipe. I used almond milk because thats all I had and I tried with the “chia egg” you suggested, it worked just fine. I will for sure be making these again.

  6. Samantha says:

    Can’t wait to have these tomorrow! Could I use tapioca instead of arrowroot?

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      Hi Samantha – I haven’t tried that. If you do, let me know how it goes!

      • Wendy Wismer says:

        I subbed tapioca flour for the arrowroot and there was a very slight bitter taste, could it have been that? Otherwise they turned out really well!

        • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

          Hi Wendy, it could have been the tapioca flour as this recipe is usually not bitter in taste. I’m glad you enjoyed them!

  7. Leslie says:

    Hi Meghan – I made these last weekend as I promised my husband pancakes for Thanksgiving brunch! I don’t know what went wrong but the batter was thin, they didn’t puff up and they didn’t cook inside. I also used tapioca as I did not have arrowroot Any thoughts?

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      I don’t know! I’ve made these several times following the recipe exactly and have had great results. They do cook a little differently than your regular fluffy white pancakes. Perhaps let your batter sit for 10 minutes and see if that thickens it up.

  8. Abby says:

    These are amazing. My pancake loving children devour them!!

  9. Ina says:

    Hi, would this recipe work for waffles? Or any other GF or paleo recipe? Just got an amazing waffle maker n would like to explore some healthy options apart from premixed GF flours. Thank you:)

  10. Karen says:

    Thanks Meghan. I found your receipe through a google search. I’ll try this today.

  11. Laura says:

    Tried these for the first time this morning (recipe as is, first time using chickpea flour for anything) and they were amazing! My kids even loved them! I love that they are high in protein too! Will be looking for more chickpea flour recipes. Win-win-win!!
    Thank you!

  12. Tamara says:

    The perfect delicious and fluffy pancakes!! And grain free! Thank you for sharing! This recipe brought lots of joy to my house this Sunday morning :)

  13. gabriel vazquez says:

    love this website! can’t wait to try more recipes, making the pancakes right now.

    1 TBSP of baking soda seems like a lot for 1 cup flour no? I’ve done other recipes that were less than half the amount soda and double the flour?

    but i also don’t know much about baking or baking soda.

    just wanted to confirm its 1 TBSP not 1 tsp

  14. Marina says:

    Wow! Just started experimenting with all gluteen free flours…usually avoiding pancakes…but this chickpea banana pancakes blew me away! :D I added home made fresh raspberry and honey sauce! Magnificent! Even mesurements were exact. Thank you for sharing the recipe. :-)

  15. Noelle says:

    These sound great. Can we omit the arrowroot starch?

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      Hi Noelle! You could – the arrowroot helps to lighten the batter up a bit, but you can definitely omit if you’d like.

  16. Rica says:

    I’ve made this over 5 times, it is so unbelievably delicious and filling. Adding blueberries and chocolate chips (one or the other, then stacking) makes this recipe PERFECT. thank you for sharing!!!

  17. Michael says:

    Can I make waffles from this recipe instead of pancakes? Do I need to add or change anything? I’m about to try it out.

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      Hi Michael, I haven’t personally tried making waffles with the recipe, but I’m sure it could work! Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

  18. Rose says:

    Mine came out incredibly runny. Did I miss something do you think?

  19. Wendell says:

    These look fantastic! But … what can I use instead of egg. I didn’t see a vegan option with this recipe but may have overlooked it. Thanks!

  20. Anouk says:

    I am working on a farm in France at the moment and wanted to make some nice Sunday breakfast but could only use the ingredients I could find here. There was chickpea flour so I ended up with this recipe and my pancakes were delicious, the flavor was so great! However instead of starch I used tapioca, but I think that didn’t work too good because they were very liquid. So I ended up adding about 1/2 cup more chickpea flour. Any ideas why or what I could use next time if I don’t have the starch (I couldn’t find any other starch either). I roasted some pears in cinnamon and added a tablespoon of coconut oil cause I used water instead of coconut milk. But superb breakfast :P. Thanks for the recipe!

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe and your roasted pears sound delicious! Tapioca starch is fine for substituting if you can’t find arrowroot. Pancake batter is supposed to be pretty liquidy so I wouldn’t worry about that too much, though it sounds like you found a workaround by also adding more flour. My recipes are very forgiving so as long as you liked them, enjoy in good health!

  21. Carla Flaim says:

    These were really tasty but a bit mushy. Any suggestions? The pancakes were very brown so didn’t want to cook too long. The only difference I made was to use a flax egg. Thanks

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      Hi Carla. Perhaps try cooking them at a lower heat for a longer time. If the heat is too high, the outsides will brown very quickly but the middle will be undercooked.

  22. Maura says:

    I loved these. I also experimented with a savoury version, substituting the banana with 1/3 cup sweet potato and the cinnamon with herbs. I served with sauerkraut and sour cream and it was a big hit.

  23. Noella M Thompson says:

    Just tried my first batch of chickpea pancakes. AWESOME! My new fav. So nice and fluffy and satiating. Yum. Yum. Thank you Meghan Rose!

  24. Gina says:

    The BEST gf pancake recipe I’ve made! And trust me I’ve made them all! Wow!

  25. Deb says:

    Made these for supper. Surprisingly delish! Didn’t have arrowroot so subbed corn starch, low on c-pea flour so used 1/2 br. rice flour and went with flax eggs. Turned out well.. happy happy … Thanks so much !

  26. N says:

    is the arrowroot important? could i leave it out and still get a good result?

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      The arrowroot adds some lightness and helps to bind. You could use tapioca instead, or try more chickpea flour.

  27. Piera Bizzarri says:

    Tried these for the first time. Truly are the BEST GF pancakes. Loved that you used chickpea flour. Been looking for a recipe with this flour. These pancakes were so light, fluffy and delicious. 😋😋😋👌🏻Yum.

  28. https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/db01602a4a020c27a1d464eaa0f001d8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Susana says:

    Great recipe and the pancakes are super light and delicious!

  29. Nicole says:

    Hey Meghan my one year old daughter and I Loved these- I did however find they kept sticking to the pan and weren’t the prettiest looking but tasted delicious- I tried three different pans ugh! any tips here?
    Thanks

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      What kind of pan were you using? We have a green pan that we use for pancakes only. I know these also work on cast iron. Heat plays a role as well – if the heat is too high, they will burn on the outside and be gummy/sticky. Better to cook on a slightly lower heat, especially if your burners run hot.

  30. Pat Volza says:

    These are the only pancakes I make. We love them. Thanks for this recipe!!!

  31. Kelly C. says:

    These were so delicious. I made with coconut milk not water and substituted cornstarch for the arrowroot. My girls and I are vegetarian. We also try to avoid white flour and are always on the look out for recipes that supply extra protein. We all agree that this is the best pancake recipe we’ve found so far.

  32. Alexis LaPietra says:

    Do you think I can substitute the egg for a “Flax egg”?

  33. May says:

    Made these and they turned out super flat – not sure if that is how they should be? The pictures look more fluffy.

  34. Dara says:

    You posted this recipe link in an article denouncing aquafaba, which comes from beans, because it’s full of anti nutrients, hard on digestion, etc. But aren’t totally unprocessed beans bad too – not soaked at all or rinsed of their soaking liquid – which is essentially what chick pea flour is. Isn’t it hard on digestion??

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      For some people, consuming beans of any kind (homemade, canned, flours, etc.) don’t agree with them. Taking steps to make them more digestible can help; still, some choose to avoid beans entirely.

  35. Gail says:

    These look lovely and I’d really like to try them. I am recently 100% grain free – a bit challenging. Does anyone know of a baking powder brand that is not made with cornstarch? This has been a big challenge in my grain free baking lately and I’d love to find something that would still give a nice rise to the pancakes without that baking soda taste.

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      You could try making your own baking powder and use arrowroot instead of cornstarch. There may be corn-free brands out there too that I’m not aware of, though!

  36. Joy Brandys says:

    I made these this morning and they were delish!!! I had all the ingredients except the arrowroot or any substitutes( I’m moving and a lot of things are packed) I looked around my kitchen and found some organic vanilla pudding mix and sure enough there was corn starch in it so I used 2 TBLS of that. Worked like a charm.

  37. Lesley honour says:

    Absolutely yummy delicious could eat them every day!!!!

  38. IB Goode says:

    Great recipe. I added one half cup arrowroot, another egg, a tbsp of vanilla extract, and pureed 2 bananas with the water. I would have guven it 5 stars, but it needs some salt, in my opinion. Nice and fluffy, and no need to add sugar when you use over-ripe bananas. Thanks!

  39. Vanessa says:

    What type of pan did you use? These stuck all over my cast iron pan.

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      We have a titanium pan that works great. I’ve also made these using non-stick, non-toxic green pans. Was your cast iron pan well-seasoned? You may need to add extra oil when cooking these.

  40. Sherryl says:

    Wow!! Wow!! Wow!! Loved the Success in these GF, DF, Grain-F pancake recipe!! Will be making these A LOT in the future!! Fantastic Indeedy!!! 👍✅👍✅👍

  41. Mirian says:

    Can I make waffles with this recipe?

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      I haven’t tried using this mixture with waffles, but it would probably work! Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

  42. Lindsay says:

    What is a good sub for arrowroot powder?

  43. Michelle Salmons says:

    I don’t like the taste of chickpea flour. Could I sub with oat flour? What about in your all-purpose blend/mix ?

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      You could experiment with different flours in this recipe – other commenters have done so with good results.

  44. Deb Young says:

    For the toppings I found coconut butter to be amazing option for pancakes. Thanks for the recipe. Your timing is perfect.( as usual I might add) I have been looking for a pancake recipe

  45. Ivette says:

    New favorite pancakes according to my daughter!!! She loves them!!! Thank you

  46. Sophia says:

    Love this recipe. The odd chickpea flavour wasn’t strong. I didn’t have arrowroot flour so I made them without and the pancakes still turned out great 👍🏼

  47. Alisa S says:

    My kids and I made a double batch of these this morning. They were delicious! We used coconut milk for the liquid (from a can) and topped with coconut butter. I loved reading the suggestion of diluting maple syrup with coconut oil, the kids didn’t notice or care and I cringed a lot less than when they use pure maple syrup. Mom win!

  48. Sarah says:

    do you need to use banana or banana substitute for this recipe to work??

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      Hi Sarah! I haven’t tested this recipe with another fruit, but if you do let me know how it turns out!

  49. Danielle says:

    We just tried this recipe this morning and they were yummy. The slight banana flavour is nice and I didn’t notice a chickpea flavour at all. Not as fluffy as traditional pancakes, but the family enjoyed them and asked to make them again. Froze the extra pancakes, which I’ll put in the toaster to warm them up. thanks for this.

  50. Sherryl van den Heuvel says:

    Can I leave out the egg or substitute with something else please?

  51. Veronica says:

    I just wanted to say how good this recipe is! The colour was really beautiful with the yellow of the chickpea, banana and yolk! And the crunchy texture outside but soft on inside. Was sweet enough with the banana on its own. Thanks so much

  52. Trins says:

    Wondering if these can be baked instead of fried

    • https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/599ccdf73b6d2f26a247dd52e9e5f8b8?s=51&d=blank&r=g Meghan Telpner says:

      I’m not sure – I’ve never tried it. Pancake batter is usually too wet for baking, but you could try pouring the batter into a larger cake pan or glass dish and then slice it afterward. Let me know if you try baking them if they turn out!

  53. Jacquie says:

    Can you substitute the egg in this recipe? I’ve made this recipe before but doing an elimination diet, so no eggs allowed. Thanks!

  54. Cathy says:

    Can I leave out the arrowroot starch or sub something more common for it?

  55. Roxy Zahradnik says:

    Can I use almond or cashew milk instead of coconut

  56. Michelle Donnelly says:

    Can you make this without eggs?

  57. kandi meg says:

    You lambasted aquafaba so thoroughly, citing the detriments of beans and their “several anti-nutrients and other compounds that can negatively affect us”, I’m surprised to discover this post.

  58. Lisa Evans says:

    Thankyou, they were delicious!! My daughter is on a no gluten, dairy or sugar diet at the moment, and she loved them!

  59. Lizzie says:

    I’ve just made these with flax egg, and added in chopped dates and some coconut sugar for added flavour as in its own the chickpea flour batter was pretty overpowering. The final pancakes were really tasty, I served with strawberries

  60. Chantelle Power says:

    These are fantastic! I didn’t even use the starch because I didn’t have any. Thank-you Meghan! :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

To The Top.