How to make chickpea flour

Update: After making my own chickpea flour, I found some by Bob’s Red Mill in my local health food store, and it’s quite a bit finer than what I was able to get, despite having a good food processor and a lot of patience. I think it’s worth splurging on, if possible. But consider the recipe and the texture you’re aiming for to make the best decision.

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If you bake often, there’s a good chance you’ve come across a recipe that calls for chickpea flour. This is made from finely ground dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), and can be found in a number of ethnic and gluten-free dishes.

I found the best way to grind these was to use an immersion blender with a chopper attachment. A small food processor, coffee grinder, or product like the Magic Bullet would work as well. The main point is to process the chickpeas in small batches.

If you have earplugs, you might want to wear them. Dried chickpeas are HARD, and processing them is LOUD.  This is not something to do at 10 p.m. if you have any neighbors living within a 10-mile radius.

When you start to see some flour-like texture developing, sift it into a large bowl.

Process the larger pieces a second time, and sift again. I found that I was left with granules that simply would not process, so I threw them out. I’m not positive about this, but I suspect the chickpea might have an anatomy similar to a grain, with these pieces being the germ.

When you’re ready to use the flour, sift it into your recipe again. You’ll likely find even more pieces that stay behind, and the smoother your flour is, the smoother your baked goods will be!

One cup of dried chickpeas yields a little under one cup of flour.