Savory Chickpea Flour Waffles – Pakora Waffles

Pakora Waffles! Chickpea Flour Waffles are a fun savory vegan breakfast treat or snack! Veggie Pakora fritters are a staple at most Indian restaurants and now you can have them for breakfast – unfried! Gluten-free too!

So it was definitely time for me to come up with another creative savory use for a waffle iron. Enter Pakora Waffles.

What are Pakoras?

Pakora is a spiced fritter originating from the Indian subcontinent, often sold by street vendors and consisting of vegetables such as potatoes and onions, coated in spiced gram flour and then deep-fried.

These waffles are a fun play on the popular Indian snack. Light crispy waffles made with chickpea flour with plenty of veggie goodness and spices in them!

They are Glutenfree, soyfree, Nutfree and high protein. Great for snacking or breakfast.

Is gram flour the same as chickpea flour?

Besan (gram flour) 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. 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. Read this blog post for differences and where to use which flour.

MORE CHICKPEA FLOUR RECIPES

• Chickpea flour tofu  – firmer and sturdier with chickpea flour
• Omelet with Chickpea flour 
• Chickpea flour frittata – no soy
• Socca is better with chickpea flour.
• My Gluten-free Naan is better with chickpea flour
• Breakfast Scramble with Chickpea Flour
• Gluten-free flatbread
• Cheese slices! no nuts.

MORE SAVORY VEGGIE SNACKS

• Zucchini Carrot Chickpea Fritters
• Baked Broccoli Pakora
• Apple Fritters
• Veggies in spiced chickpea flour sauce. – Sindhi Kadhi
• Baked Dal Samosa.

Ingredients for Chickpea Flour Waffles:

• Chickpea flour  is the  base of our waffle batter. It’s the flour of white chickpeas and is labeled as chickpea flour or garbanzo flour. You can also use besan, you will need a few tbsp more flour
• Rice flour makes these extra fluffy, light and crispy on the outside. If you can’t find rice flour in your local supermarket, try a shop where they sell Indian or Asian food. They’ll probably have it.
• Veggies: your typical veggie pakora add-ins like cauliflower, bell pepper, onion, green chili, fresh ginger, and cilantro.
• Spices: cumin seeds, turmeric, cayenne or red Indian chili powder, and obviously salt
• water

Tips & Substitutions:

• Like other types of flour, chickpea flour and besan should be stored in a sealed container in a cool place. It stays fresh for up to 6 months,  and longer if refrigerated.
• I usually drizzle some oil onto my waffle iron since I like my waffles to get nice and crispy and brown just like pakora fritters
• These waffles are served best when they are warm and crispy, they will soften a bit as they cool off after about 30 mins or so.

How to make Savory Chickpea Flour Waffles:

Chop all of your vegetables and add them to a bowl. Add the rice flour, chickpea flour, salt, spices, cilantro, baking soda and mix everything well.

Add in 1 cup of water to the mixture, stir well until combined and more water if needed. I need just about 1Tbsp more water when I make this, it really just depends on the amount of moisture leaking from your vegetables as well as the chickpea flour you use.

Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes before starting to make your waffles.

Oil and preheat your waffle maker. Pour and spread the thick batter on your waffle maker, spread evenly with a spatula.

Drizzle a few drops of oil on the top as well before closing the lid. Cook until golden brown and crisp, to preference.

Tip: The waffle maker timer for my iron is pretty short, you may have to experiment to see what’s best for yours. Just make sure you cook it to a golden crisp brown to ensure the vegetables are fully cooked and the waffles get crispy.

Remove the waffle from the waffle maker, repeat for all of the batter.

CAN I MAKE CHICKPEA FLOUR AT HOME?

Yes! If you have a high-speed blender, blend dry chickpeas until a preferred fine consistency. Blend chana dal to make besan. It might not be as fine as store-bought.