Have you tried chickpea pancakes yet? I’ve seen recipes for these floating around (also under the name of ‘chickpea omelettes’) for probably upwards of a year, and I only recently got around to finally trying them. I think I’m hooked! They’re so simple – made of scarcely more than chickpea flour and water. They’re so tasty, nutritious and filling. And, they’re so infinitely customizable! I made mine into loaded Greek chickpea pancakes by adding a cornucopia of my favorite Greek-inspired ingredients. It’s kind of like a stuffed pita, but made totally vegan and without any of the refined carbs!
Some claim that these chickpea pancakes taste like eggs, hence the ‘omelette’ moniker. I don’t think I’m on that team. My partner (who does eat eggs) tried these and agreed: these are really, really delicious but we don’t personally get a eggy vibe from them. That said, in terms of being a vessel for assorted tasty things, they can definitely compete with omelettes. I envision making these in the future as a way of using up vegetables in the fridge that have seen better days. And they are also similar to egg omelettes in that, when added to a hot pan, they seem to magically cook into a cohesive texture.
I have seen this done in a different way, where the mix-ins are added directly to the batter. That’s a great way of doing it too! I just really wanted to fold these up and eat them taco-style, so I kept it separate.
I think these Greek chickpea pancakes do need some kind of sauce – otherwise it might be a little too dry. Some whole grain mustard, ketchup, or your own favorite vegan mayo, sour cream or vegan tzatziki sauce would work really well. I have a vegan tzatziki recipe available along with my tofu gyros recipe if you want to make your own.
Loaded Greek Chickpea Pancakes
Ingredients
For the lemon garlic roasted potatoes:
- 2 medium gold potatoes scrubbed and cubed, skins intact
- small drizzle of oil
- zest of 1/2 of a lemon
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- pinch turmeric
- freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
For the quick-roasted peppers and onions:
- 1/2 of a large red onion sliced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and sliced into strips
For the chickpea pancakes:
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp ground flaxseed
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 cup water (plus more as needed; see instructions)
- vegetable oil spray
For assembling the pancakes:
- lemon garlic roasted potatoes (see above)
- quick roasted peppers and onions (see above)
- fresh parsley
- fresh dill
- chopped green onion
- sliced cucumber
- sliced kalamata olives
- vegan tzatziki sauce (optional)
Instructions
For the potatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the cubed potatoes in a baking dish and add a drizzle of olive oil to coat, stirring to distribute evenly. Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the potatoes with the lemon zest, garlic, and spices, and stir. Continue baking, stirring occasionally, until done all the way through, about 15-20 more minutes.
For the quick-roasted peppers and onions:
- Turn the oven up to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
- Line up the peppers and onions on the baking sheet, spreading them out as much as you can.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until starting to brown but still slightly crisp.
For the chickpea pancakes:
- Combine everything except the water and oil spray in a mixing bowl.
- Start with stirring in the first 3/4 cup of water, and add more as needed until the batter reaches a pour-able consistency. I used closer to 1 cup.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and lightly spray it with oil spray.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet and tilt it around to spread the batter out into a circle. Cover the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes, until the underside is firm enough to flip the whole thing over.
- Flip over the pancake, cover again, and let cook for about another 3 minutes, or until firm but pliable all the way through.
- Remove from the skillet, spray a bit more oil, and repeat with the remaining batter.
Make the stuffed pancakes:
- Top a cooked chickpea pancake with a variety of the toppings listed above, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Pancakes adapted from Susan’s chickpea flour omelets and Vaishali’s besan chilla.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Deepika says
Can I use besan instead of chickpea flour for these?
Suzanne @ hello, veggy! says
I loooove chickpea pancake! Thanks for linking up! 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
So good, right? Thank you for hosting 🙂
Amy @ parsley in my teeth says
I think this is great – Greek tacos! I’ve been looking for a gluten-free solution to tortillas or something to use as a bread replacement for sandwiches and this looks perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Amy! I think these would work for wraps if you added a little more liquid to the batter.
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
Those are gorgeous! I really need to try them. I have a bunch of chickpea flour that I’m not really sure what to do with! Would you say these are more pancake or crepe?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hmm… I would say more pancake. It’s thin enough that you can fold it in your hand and hold it like a taco, but it doesn’t stay folded over by itself, if you know what I mean. However, I tried the batter with a couple of different amounts of water and it always came together fine, so I would think you could thin it out even more and go crepe style!
Melissa @ Nourish By Melissa says
Chickpea pancakes?! So cool! 🙂 By the way, I nominated your blog for a Liebster award since I love it! Check out the post about it on my blog today and join if you’d like 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Melissa!
Laura @ the gluten-free treadmill says
I feel like I say the same thing over and over about your recipes – but these seriously look so good. They seem like they’d be good on their own or with the delicious veggies you have pictured here! Thank you for sharing!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks Laura! I think it would definitely be good with just about any filling. I can’t believe it took me until now to jump on this chickpea omelette bandwagon.
Nancy A. says
These look so good, but where do you get chickpea flour? Never have saw that and sounds interesting. I have everything else needed to make these! Thank you!!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Nancy, I bought my chickpea flour online from Barry Farm (http://www.barryfarm.com/flours.htm) because I was already ordering some other stuff from them. I have also gotten at the Indian grocer in my area, and the natural section of my local supermarket. I know Bob’s Red Mill makes it so I am guessing it’s also available on Amazon. Hope that helps!