Besan and Chickpea flour are Not the same. Besan or gram flour is a flour of chana dal or split brown chickpeas. Chickpea flour or garbanzo flour is ground up white chickpeas. Similar flavors, but not the same flour. Read below for differences and where to use which flour.
Besan or gram flour is a flour of chana dal or split brown chickpeas. Chickpea flour or garbanzo flour is ground up white chickpeas. Both have similar flavor and behavior but enough difference that a substitution can sometimes mess up a recipe.
Pictured above, the top bowl has chickpea flour which is lighter, coarse and fluffy. Bottom bowl has Besan which is finer, smoother and hence more compact.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BESAN AND CHICKPEA FLOUR?
Besan and chickpea flour are not the same. Indian Besan (Gram flour), is the flour of brown chickpeas or chana dal (split brown chickpeas), or sometimes a mix of split chickpeas and split peas. It is a flour of a type chickpeas, so it can be labeled as chickpea flour.
Chickpea flour (in the US) is the flour of white chickpeas and is labelled as chickpea flour or garbanzo flour.
Besan is usually much finer ground and needs much less water than chickpea flour.
White Chickpea flour is a coarse flour and usually will need more water to make same consistency batter. It also yields a dryer result on baking or other kind of use.
They taste slightly different. Sometimes, you have to take these differences into account, when substituting one for the other in a recipe. In some recipes, subs work out just fine, while others need adjusting. They both taste a bit bitter when raw, so they are not a good candidate in raw flour recipes such as edible cookie dough.
More Pictures of pulses, legumes and their names on this Page.
As you can see from the pictures, Chana Dal is basically brown chickpeas that have been split and skin removed. This chana dal is made into a flour for besan. When the besan is of brown chickpeas with the skin, then that kala chana besan has a darker hue and earthier flavor. This besan is not used as commonly as regular chana dal besan.
Recipes for Besan
Besan has a less bitter flavor profile than garbanzo flour. It works great in recipes where the flour might not always get fully cooked/roasted, or used for crispyness. For eg, crepes or thin pancakes like Chilla work best with besan. Steamed savory cakes (dhokla), fried fritters(bhajji/pakora), soups(kadhi).
For recipes like Burfi (chickpea flour and coconut fudge) or Flan, where the flour is used as a thickener or in smaller amounts, either flour will work.
Besan also works better in baking where it is used for flavor and not volume. like cookies. But there are exceptions!
I prefer besan in my Gluten-free Baked Lemon donuts and in my Gluten-free Cinnamon Bread! Although both of these recipes need volume flour which would mean you opt for chickpea flour, that is generally not a good option. Chickpea flour in leavened gluten-free baking tends to dry out a lot more and not have enough baking time to cook out the flavor. While besan will make a more moist and more pleasant tasting result! Chickpea flour works in these baked recipes too. Just add additional icing for moisture.
More Besan Recipes
- Besan Halwa
- Besan Ladoo Balls
- Besan Burfi – Fudgy Bars with vegan condensed milk
- Burfi (chickpea flour and coconut fudge)
- Steamed savory cakes (dhokla)
- Kadhi: Yogurt and Besan Soup.
- Flan (Vegan Caramel custard)
- Gluten-free Baked Lemon donuts
- Gluten-free Cinnamon Bread!
Recipes for Chickpea flour/garbanzo flour
For pies, quiches, frittatas or anywhere you want things to set more, or baking with thicker batter ie. it depends on volume, use chickpea flour. Eg Chickpea flour frittata, and baked fritters.
Chickpea flour has more hold and works well to use in volume bakes such as fritters. Chickpea flour tofu (Burmese Tofu)made with chickpea flour is firmer and more sturdy than the one made with besan, which will be soft and more gel-ly.
For omelets, it depends on what you prefer, thinner, moist result or fluffier. For fluffier thicker omelets use chickpea flour. although it dries more, so you would need moist stuffing and some dressing.
Chickpea flour has a stronger flavor and is a dryer flour. the flavor takes longer to cook out into a nutty pleasing state. So recipes where the flour gets variable cooking times are not great with chickpea flour. Raw Chickpea flour tastes very bitter and the flavor will show easily. Use it in pies, baked fritters where volume and the mixture setting tot more solid state is important. Besan will be more souffle like while chickpea flour will set.
More Chickpea Flour Recipes
- Socca is better with chickpea flour.
- My Gluten-free Naan is better with chickpea flour
- Chickpea flour tofu – firmer and sturdier with chickpea flour
- Chickpea flour omelet
- Chickpea flour frittata – no soy
- Chickpea flour Scramble
- Gluten-free flatbread
- Cheese slices! no nuts.
Can I make Chickpea flour at home?
Yes! If you have a high speed blender, blend dry chickpeas until preferred fine consistency. Blend chana dal to make besan. It might not be as fine as store bought.
Can I use chickpea flour as a substitute for wheat flour?
Nope. Direct substitution for with-gluten flours like wheat or all purpose will rarely work.
Can I use chickpea flour or besan as a substitute for gluten-free flours in gf baking
It depends. For most baked recipes the flour will leave a raw bitter after taste. For some recipes, chickpea flour or besan can substitute a portion of the gluten-free flour blend. The recipe has to be adjusted and made especially for these flour for best results. The recipe will most likely have more flavor and sweetener and longer bake time to cook out the raw flavor from the flour.
The flavor is also a matter of getting used to. If you frequently try chickpea flour in various ways, you will most likely not find the flavor as bitter. Besan is not as bitter and might be a better substitute in some cases.
How to store chickpea flour and besan?
Like other types of flours, chickpea flour and besan should be stored in a sealed container to keep out moisture in a cool place. It stays fresh for upto 6 months, and longer if refrigerated. Besan from Indian stores sometimes is already a few months old and has been stored in hot conditions. So I generally use it up within months or refrigerate.
I tried a recipe that called for Chickpea flour or Besan and it didn’t work?
This can easily happen for several reasons
- The recipe uses chickpea flour and since besan is not the same, it might need a bit of adjustment to work perfectly, like more besan or less liquid.
- Quite often non-Indian brands use both labels on the flours, so even though you have a flour labelled besan, it might actually be chickpea flour and vice versa.
- Similarly websites and blogs where it is assumed that the flours as the same, might use either in a recipe. So they might have used besan in a recipe but since it is labelled both, the reader wouldn’t know and when using chickpea flour the recipe might not work well.
Want more recipes? Check out my cookbooks!
What other questions do you have about these 2 flours! Leave me a comment below and I will try to add answers to the post.
Conclusion: Besan is Brown Chickpea flour, is finer and milder flavor. Garbanzo bean flour (white Chickpea flour) is coarse, dryer, more bitter flavored and needs more moisture. A generic Chickpea flour label can be used for either depending on your location(country), brand etc. Read the description if provided to check what chickpea is the flour of, as they both behave very differently.
Natalie
Thanks for this explanation. It sounds like the main difference is how they are ground, which leads to a different density in the flours. If I am weighing my ingredients rather than measuring by volume, does it make as much of a difference? I like using chickpea flour or besan mixed with liquid as an egg substitute. Lately I have been using besan because it is cheaper, but I’m not sure whether I have to adjust my recipes.
Richa
They are different chickpeas. In fact they are a different family of legumes. Brown chickpeas are bengal gram and white chickpeas are garbanzo beans. Same amount of white chickpea flour is thirstier than besan and will need more liquiq, even when using coarse besan (so texture is similar to white chickpea flour
Annie
This makes so much sense to me. After reading various recipes and comments it’s an enlightenment for me. On my last shop I ordered gram flour, believing it was chickpea flour…. when checking the ingredients it doesn’t have any chickpeas in it….seeing as it’s now readily available in supermarkets I’ll just need to tweak some of my experiments.
Vegan Richa Support
Success
Riv
What is the difference in nutritional profile between the 2 flours?
Vegan Richa Support
good question – I’ve never looked into it
Julian
Hmm I thought I got (white) chickpea flour from the store, but I guess I actually got besan / gram flour instead. Extra confusing before reading this article because the label says 100% chickpea without specifying brown or white. Now I know! I got it for making falafels. Now come to think of it, are falafels made of white chickpeas? Can I use besan anyways though? I got such a big bag (only option) and I really don’t feel like getting another bag of white chickpea flour 😂
Richa
Falafels are made while white chickpeas. Dry chickpeas are soaked overnight, then processed with spices and parsley to a coarse texture. That soft coarse dough is fried or baked.
Yes many times the flours just say chickpea flour. If it’s Indian brand then it means it’s brown chickpea flour. If it’s a US brand then it’s mostly white chickpea flour
Shivani
Thanks for this detailed post!
I just watched a youtube video making chickpea fries using Bob’s Red Mill Chickpea flour. They used spices and water and chopped the batter up and threw in the oven. I only have besan – would that be ok? I’m ok with a different flavor.
Richa
Yes use besan, use 2-3 tbsp more besan as besan doesnt thicken as much as chickpea flour
Amy`
Thank you for clearing up my confusion!
Connie
Can I use Besan/Gram flour (recipe calls for chickpea flour) to make gluten free tortilla? Thanks
Richa
You can. Add a bit less liquid
Suzanne Shah
#goodjob
Jennifer
I am using cooked chickpea flour will that be ok, it required more water than your recipe like double the amount.
Brand is Peliza
Vegan Richa Support
did you already make it
Bay
Hi, thank you for the detailed write up.
I’m in Nicaragua with limited resources and trying to make dahi kadi. can I use chickpea flour in dahi kadi?
Vegan Richa Support
you’re very welcome. yes, chickpea flour will work
Mary
Hi:
I am in Canada and I bought Desi Chickpea flour and Chickpea flour besan. Both PTI brand but the chickpea flour besan says 100% chickpea flour. HELP HUN. Is this garbanzo flour? When a recipe calls for it, can I use these.
Vegan Richa Support
Besan and chickpea flour are not the same. Indian Besan (Gram flour), is the flour of brown chickpeas or chana dal (split brown chickpeas), or sometimes a mix of split chickpeas and split peas. It is a flour of a type chickpeas, so it can be labeled as chickpea flour.
Chickpea flour (in the US) is the flour of white chickpeas and is labelled as chickpea flour or garbanzo flour.
garbanzo flour chickpea flour are the same though – so it depends on which recipe. you bought 2 different products.
Richa
The besan chickpea flour is besan(from the pti brand site) . The desi chickpea flour is flour of kala chana(brown chickpeas). If the brown Chickpeas haven’t been skinned then it will be darker. If they have been skinned then both are the same.
Sarwat
I have also noticed that a lot of Indian brands will translate besan as chickpea flour. I have also seen besan translated as gram flour but seems like chickpea flour is a very common translation for besan which can cause a LOT of confusion.
Richa
Yep. It is a chickpea flour. Just not the white chickpea flour but the brown chickpea flour. They are both chickpeas. 🙂
Susan
I just saw a chocolate chip cookie recipe on another site and it suggested baking the chickpea flour for 1-2 hours in the oven at 225 degrees F. that will release a gassy sort of smell from the flour. Let it cool before using it in your recipe and this should take most of the bitter taste out of it. what are your thoughts on this?
Richa
Chickpea flour is generally roasted before using in Indian sweet recipes too. So the oven roasting might work.
Teri
This is super helpful! One quick question – do you know if the chickpeas used in making besan flours from India have been subjected to glyphosate? I am trying to source a brand that is “clean.”
Richa
no idea there, you could write to one of the organic brands offering besan and ask them
Seth Gordon
Hello. Very interesting. Which would you recommend for frying? Either as a dry flour with egg wash, or to make a batter… I’m not vegan, so I’m imagining frying both fish fillets and/or vegetables like broccoli, zucchini and cauliflower. Thanks so much 😉
Richa
either will work for frying. chickpea flour batter will be thicker while besan will be thinner and crispier. Depends on the use
Seth Gordon
Great. I’m going to try to make English style Fish and Chips… I think I will try chickpea flour first… Thanks
LNystrom
I get the comparison with chickpea flour and the color differences between whole garbanzos and Chana Dal, howe, I have a bag of Chana Dal and the beans are the same beige color as larger garbanzo beans. There must be different kinds of Chans Dal
Richa
you can see the difference on this post https://www.veganricha.com/indian-dals-names it has pictures of the dals and beans and chickpeas
Chana dal is basically brown chickpeas which are skinned and then split. Brown chickpeas are also beige/yellowish inside. And yes there are varioous vareties of garbanzos depending on the region as well as various varieties of brown chickpeas and hence chana dal. They vary in size and color.
Cassie Thuvan Tran
Thank you so much for this clarification! I think some people view this differentiation similarly to whole wheat flour versus white whole wheat flour. One uses red spring wheat and the other uses white or yellow wheat flour. I would love to try making the chickpea tofu recipe you have, it looks absolutely marvelous!
Vin
Another valuable clarification from that brilliant mind and generous hearts of yours, Richa!
Is there a general formula of how much water to increase in a recipe when switching from besan to the drier chickpea flour?
Richa
i’ll figure that out and add that to the post eventually:)
Zanna
I just tried it today and the flour quickly came out really fine and fresh-smelling and I made yummy chickpea tofu with it! The blender I have bought here is way better than any blender I’ve had in UK and it was a lot cheaper as well. It has 3 jars – the middle sized one has a blade that goes close to the sides for grinding dry spice mixtures. I use that jar for making rice flour and it worked for the chickpeas too.
Richa
Yes the Indian grinders, blenders if you get the right ones, are superior. Its hard to make a good Idli batter even in Blendtec which is a high powered blender here in the US. People end up buying a wet grinder specially for idli dosa batter!
Zanna
Yeah, I’m super grateful to Indian consumers for demanding blenders that actually work. I used to live in a flatshare that had a £600 blender and it was made of plastic and wouldn’t even puree spinach properly. I think UK blenders are designed just to make smooth soup (and I prefer mine chunky!) People here tell me they manage to use a blender for idli/dosa (I found it impossible in UK!) but I have bought a 2l wet grinder since I feel it does a better job (fluffier batter), is easier (press button, come back in 30 minutes, voila) and with the blender it’s hard to stop it heating up too much (killing off the microorganisms). It works better on soybeans etc too and it wasn’t expensive. It’s just cleaning it that’s a bit of a hassle! But I’m drifting from the topic here…
Zanna
OMG thank you so much for sharing this expertise!
Especially for the tip that we can make chickpea flour by grinding at home. Here in Chennai I can’t find chickpea flour but can buy white chickpeas everywhere (and besan of course), so this post has unlocked a whole bunch of recipes for me 🙂 It’s so good when you realise the limits you perceived are not real!
Richa
🙂 you will need a good blender or a grain mill for a good flour
Sue
Richa, this was such a comprehensive post. I’ve asked for clarity in the Indian store before and they were nowhere near as helpful as you! Thank you. You and your review are truly the best! ❤️Sue
Richa
I think its a matter of not knowing. Indian store people might not have ever seen or used the garbanzo flour. I hadn’t seen it in India and used it only here. While Non-Indian people might have never heard of besan. So either of them might not have the answer.
School Night Vegan
Can’t tell you how crazy useful this is!!!
I use chickpea flour in my recipes all the time and strangely the brand I use says both chickpea AND besan on the front! It’s much more pale than the black chickpeas in your photos so I’m guessing it’s just standard chickpea flour…
Anyway – I now know theres a difference between the two, thanks you YOU! Big love!
Richa
it probably is besan and not white chickpea flour. As i said besan is a flour of skinned brown chickpeas, so they are still chickpeas and its still a chickpea flour. But non Indian brand chickpea flour in Us and other countries is generally garbanzo flour. make chickpea tofu with it and you’ll know if its besan 🙂
School Night Vegan
AAAH that clarifies things! (funny coincindence – just tried chickpea tofu for the first time today!) I’m using KTC brand which I’m pretty sure isnt Indian… Such a good explainer – thanks again!
Richa
You are in UK right, i googled the brand most options are besan -gram flour :), let me know if you find garbanzo flour there and what is it called
D.
Thank you for this!! Very helpful. I had no idea. I just thought chickpea flour and besan were the same.
Richa
You are welcome! Now we all know!
Anu
Richa, I Love 💕 your recipes. Have tried Many of them. Fluffy omelette, is a staple in my house, prepare pkts with dry ingredients, so that it does not take too long to whip up a meal. Trying to find Besan gf, Dhokla recipe for Instant pot will check your now!
Always recommend to friends and new Vegans to check out your recipes.
It was so hard to find foolproof gf, and vegan recipes, you made my life easy, now I don’t have to experiment 😉
Richa
Awesome! Thank you!
Richa
Dhokla is gf anyway, use non dairy yogurt instead of regular yogurt and use steam function at low pressure or use saute with the vent to Venting and time it to 16 mins (Instant pot doesnt count time with vent open).
https://www.veganricha.com/2015/09/chickpea-flour-snack-cakes-khaman-dhokla-recipe.html
Angela
Thank you so much Richa. That was so informative, I didn’t know any of that. I’ve only ever seen besan flour but I will have to keep my eyes open now : ) Your recipes are so inspiring – thank you and Hello from S Australia : )
Olwyn
Thank you for clarifying the difference. I have been using besan when the recipe called for chickpea flour – it was a fritter and it worked but I have been trying to determine the difference using google. So pleased you posted this! Huge thank you.
Nithya
Very useful Richa. Thanks. Can u please throw some light on the nutritional value of besan and chick pea flour. Is one better than the other?
Richa
its pretty similar. Besan has very slighly more protein than white chickpea flour and similar calories and carbs. The carb type is probably a bit different because besan is more gassy
Marion
This is incredibly helpful. Your blog posts and your books are the best. I cook from your books every week. A huge Indian Market opened in my town so I am having a great time cooking and eating. Thank you for all you do to make vegan Indian food so delicious
Richa
Thank you Marion!
Laura
Have you heard of using these flours in hair and/or as a face washe? Any information on how to do best use these would be helpful.
Also, any suggestions on where to buy besan? My grocery store doesn’t have it.
Richa
Indian store would be the cheapest option for besan, or buy on amazon https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Besan-Chickpea-Flour-Pound/dp/B004GAVOW8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=besan&qid=1567117645&s=grocery&sr=1-1
Yes, besan is used to make face masks. Mix 2 tbsp besan and 1 tbsp non-dairy yogurt or non dairy milk to make a paste consistency (add more or less as needed) and use.
Esha
Do you know if besan and chickpea flour have the same skin benefits? I can’t seem to find any further informtion on this!
Richa
not really. i think chickpea flour being coarse might be harsher exfoliant than besan which is generally very fine and smooth
Liz
It would be helpful to see a picture of the two different items *before* they are ground into flour. To me, a chickpea is a roundish legume and a lentil is a flat-ish legume, and calling anything that is flat-ish a “chickpea” is confusing (and incorrect?). So maybe I still don’t understand the difference? Or maybe it’s a different use of language than I am familiar with? In any case, a picture of what makes besan and what makes chickpea flour would help clarify. That aside, I love your blog and your recipes. Thank you!
Richa
Yes! I am adding those pictures now. You can also see the pictures on my Dal names page https://www.veganricha.com/indian-dals-names
Liz
The linked page with photos and names is amazing. What a resource! THANK YOU!
Libby F Fife
Richa,
This is a great primer, thank you! I have these two types of chickpeas (in addition to the standard white ones): split chana dal (split desi chickpeas) and black garbanzo beans (really dark brown in color). Which category do these fall into? The white (standard) or the besan style chickpeas? I would like to try both for a socca style pancake.
Thank you for your help.
PS-I have gotten great enjoyment out of your cookbook, Indian Kitchen. It’s my go to source when I want Indian food:)
Richa
I just added pictures to the post. Chana dal is split brown chickpeas(the dark brown ones that you have) that have the skin removed. Chana dal flour is besan. You willget a thinner socca with the chana dal besan
Libby F Fife
Thank you! I forgot about those darn skins! Totally makes sense now. I’ll try it and if I like it great and if not, no big deal.
Thanks again for your help. I appreciate it:)
Libby