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This chickpea crust pizza is naturally grain free, needs no yeast, and is made on the stovetop in minutes. A healthy pizza crust that you can make in minutes, and even reheat and eat.
Table of Contents
- What is chickpea crust pizza?
- Is this chickpea crust pizza the same as Banza pizza crust?
- How is this chickpea pizza crust pizza made?
- What kind of texture does this chickpea crust have?
- Chickpea crust pizza: Ingredients and substitutions
- Chickpea crust pizza recipe
- Chickpea Crust Pizza | Grain Free Recipe
What is chickpea crust pizza?
This crust isn't made with chickpeas, but instead with chickpea flour (also known as garbanzo bean flour). I think the Banza brand chickpea pizza that's sold in frozen food sections of many grocery stores is made with whole canned or dried chickpeas.
I chose to make this recipe with chickpea flour because the flour has no moisture, which makes it easier to control the balance of ingredients. It does have a chickpea aroma, but I barely taste it in the pizza.
I don't often bake with chickpea flour, but it really works here. It, along with some tapioca starch/flour for texture, makes a high fiber batter that doesn't need to be shaped or baked in the oven.
If you were looking for a recipe for “chickpea pizza,” that's a standard pizza crust topped with whole chickpeas and often bbq sauce. This isn't that!
Here, the crust itself is made of chickpea flour, which is simply dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans that have been ground into a fine powder. I did not grind my own chickpea flour, since buying it is rather easy and relatively inexpensive.
Is this chickpea crust pizza the same as Banza pizza crust?
No, this recipe for chickpea pizza doesn't make a crust that is exactly like Banza pizza crust. But if you compare the main ingredients in frozen Banza pizza crust (Chickpeas, Water, Tapioca, Cocoa Butter, Olive Oil) with the main crust ingredients here (chickpea flour, tapioca flour, olive oil, and water), they are relatively similar.
How is this chickpea pizza crust pizza made?
Think of chickpea crust pizza as a dressed up version of socca, or a similarly unleavened chickpea flour flatbread. It's also made in a pan, usually with equal amounts' chickpea flour and water.
I've made socca before, and it's lovely in a very uncomplicated way. I like it best when it's super crispy on the outside.
This chickpea crust is made with a combination of chickpea flour and tapioca starch/flour, and has added oil and cheese, along with water, in the batter. I like to add a few different dried herbs and spices to the batter, too. Unlike banza pizza crust, the cheese is on top—and also in the crust itself.
The simple batter is poured into a hot skillet with rippling hot oil, topped immediately, covered, and cooked until browned on the bottom. Then, the top is broiled to fully melt and brown the cheese and create crispness.
What kind of texture does this chickpea crust have?
Adding olive oil and cheese to the crust itself provide richness and savory flavor. The tapioca starch/flour adds chew and substance to its texture.
The grain-free starch added to the batter also helps the crust brown and crisp first on the stovetop and then under your oven's broiler.
If you place small, horizontally-sliced tomatoes on top of the raw batter, cut side up, and then cover them with cheese and spices, they soften in the heat but hold their shape. Only when you bite into the pizza do the tomatoes release their juices, though.
Chickpea crust pizza: Ingredients and substitutions
Grain free free dairy chickpea crust pizza
There is dairy in the pizza dough/batter in this recipe in the form of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. There is also cheese on top, in the recipe as written here.
It's easiest to replace the cheese on top with dairy-free shredded cheese (I like Violife best, but Daiya is also good). You can even use one of those cheeses to replace the shredded Parm in the batter itself, but they will have more moisture, so I recommend reducing the water by about 1 fluid ounces (2 tablespoons).
Do you have to use tapioca starch/flour in this chickpea crust pizza?
Yes! You must use tapioca starch/flour in this recipe for it to have the proper texture. You cannot use Expandex modified tapioca starch, which chemically modified and behaves very differently.
Can you replace the olive oil in this gf pizza recipe?
I like to use extra virgin olive oil in both the batter/dough and in the pan to cook the crust. It adds a richness and flavor that add body to the taste.
You can really use any oil the taste of which you like. I don't recommend using butter in the dough, but you can use it in the pan to cook the crust.
Chickpea crust pizza recipe
Chickpea Crust Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
For the pizza base
- ⅔ cup (93 g) chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
- ¼ cup (32 g) tapioca starch/flour
- 1 tablespoon dried herbs, (I like a combination of oregano and basil)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) lukewarm water
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated or ground (See Recipe Notes)
Topping options
- Handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
- Shredded and/or shaved cheeses, (I like a combination of shredded mozzarella cheese and shaved Parm) (See Recipe Notes)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Dried oregano and/or basil
Instructions
Make the pizza base.
- In a small bowl or other mixing container, place the chickpea flour, tapioca starch/flour, herbs, salt, and pepper, and whisk to combine.
- Add the water and 1 tablespoon (14 g) of the olive oil, and whisk until smooth. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and mix to combine.
Prepare and cook the pizza.
- Place a 10-inch cast iron or other heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat the oil until rippling.
- Pour in the batter and shake and spread it out into an even layer. Top with the sliced tomatoes (cut side up), shredded and/or shaved cheeses, pepper and herbs.
- Cover the pan and allow the pizza to cook until set in the center and browned on the underside (5 to 7 minutes).
- Uncover the pan and place under your oven’s broiler. Cook until the top is browned and bubbling (about 3 minutes).
- Remove from the oven and transfer the pizza to a wire rack to cool for a moment, until the cheese sets.
- Transfer the pizza to a flat cutting surface, slice it into 6 pieces and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was a hit! My youngest eater was suspicious (no pizza sauce?) until he took a bite. He loved it as did the rest of us. Yum! I hadn’t cooked with chickpea flour before and was surprised by just how good the flavor and texture are. I am making this again quite soon.
I’m so glad, Erin. Chickpea flour is a tricky proposition, since although I adore chickpeas and hummus, the flour can have a strange odor. I’m very sensitive to that, so I promise never to share a recipe that doesn’t smell anything but delicious. :)
I have found that very lightly warming, not quite toasting, the chickpea flour gets rid of the odour. Only takes 7-8mins. Let cool before using. Makes even the loveliest cake with no chickpea or weird flavour …
Baking chickpea flour has an initial odor, and the final baked goods usually don’t, but it doesn’t behave like a rice-based flour blend, under any circumstances.
After being on a gluten free diet for 10 years now and having to watch my husband eat artisan bread daily, I’m a sucker for anything remotely pizza – like, and this looked like a low investment recipe, as far as time and ingredients was concerned. I had all ingredients on hand, having recently made socca, so I went ahead and made this for lunch today.
Overall, I consider it a keeper, because of the little time it took and the very satisfying taste!
While the base was still not crispy after 7 minutes in a cast iron pan on medium heat, I took it out, worried that it might otherwise stick to the pan irretrievably, and popped it under the broiler.
I know now that I could have left it to fry in the pan longer without harm and it would eventually have reached crispy stage.
Either way, despite my first try being a bit on the spongy side, the flavor was very good and I devoured most of it, leaving a mere quarter for my husband to try, who is not gluten intolerant, but liked it a lot, too.
Thank you for generously sharing your recipes and sparking little bouts of satisfaction for so many dietary challenged people daily!
I love using chickpea flour dough for my pizza bases, easiest, quick way to make pizza. They reheat great too. Didn’t know how to make in a pan on stove though, so thank you!.
I really like this recipe and I appreciate your willingness to share it! So nice of you. What do you think, would pea flour work also in place of chickpea flour? I think it would change the flavor, but I wonder about the consistency. What do you think?
I’m afraid I really can’t recommend that, Mary Ann. If you’d like to try, I urge you to first make the recipe as written before modifying it. Chickpea flour isn’t particularly difficult to find, and isn’t particularly expensive.
Why do the photos show parchment paper under the pizza in the pan?
In one photo, there is parchment paper in the pan from reheating it. The recipe is correct as written, and parchment paper is not used in creating the pizza.
I like a pizza sauce especially with a little fennel seed or sausage in it. Does this fit into your recipe? Stu Borken
Sure, Stu! That sounds delicious. I wouldn’t put any sauce on until after the batter/dough is nearly set, though. Try holding back on the shredded cheese until after the pizza has cooked on the stovetop, covered. Then, add the sauce, and the shredded cheese, then put it under the broiler.
What size skillet are you using?
Hi, Lisa, I’m so sorry I thought I had added the diameter of the skillet! It’s 10-inches, and that information is now in the instructions. Thank you for asking.
Is there another flour you can use? I am allergic to chick peas . But adore pizza.
Thank you
Lauretta
I’m afraid not, Lauretta. I recommend searching “pizza” on the blog, using the search function. You’ll find tens of other recipes!
Delicious and easy to make! It had crispy edges and chewy middle.
Loved it!
So glad, Dixie! I’m happy you were willing to give it a shot.
Do you have a brand of chickpea flour you recommend?
Hi, Nic, That’s a good question, especially since I’m normally quite picky about flour brands! But I’ve used everything from Nuts.com to Bob’s Red Mill brand and Authentic Foods (called “garbanzo flour”), and they’ve all been fine.