Chickpea Flour (Besan): Nutrition, Uses, Gluten and Allergy

Chickpea flour is dried chickpeas ground into a pale yellow powder. It is also sold as besan or gram flour, and it is the base of pakoras, socca, farinata, chilla pancakes and many egg-free batters. In USDA data, one cup of chickpea flour (92 grams) has about 356 calories, 20.6 grams of protein, 9.9 grams of fiber and about a full day’s Daily Value of folate. Below are the chickpea flour nutrition facts, how besan compares with wheat and oat flour, what the small studies found, and what to know about gluten labels, allergy and raw flour.

Peptide Labs does not sell chickpea flour or chickpea products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

Chickpea flour nutrition per cup

The table uses the USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entry “Chickpea flour (besan)” (FDC 174288), converted to USDA’s portion weight for one cup (92 grams). The percent Daily Value (%DV) uses the FDA Daily Values printed on Nutrition Facts labels.

Three things stand out in the chickpea flour nutrition data. Protein is high for a flour, about 45% of the Daily Value per 100 grams, which is why besan appears in guides to protein-rich foods. Folate is very high, naturally present rather than added; our methylfolate guide explains the different forms of folate. And USDA lists about 11 grams of total sugars per 100 grams, far more than wheat flour; the raw chickpea entry lists nearly the same, so this reflects the legume itself. Bags vary, so the Nutrition Facts label is the final word.

Chickpea flour also carries potassium, magnesium and iron, covered in our guides to potassium in foods, magnesium in foods and iron in foods. For the whole legume, cooked or canned, see our chickpeas guide.

Besan, gram flour and chickpea flour: are they the same?

In US stores, yes for practical purposes. Besan and gram flour are names you will see on bags in South Asian grocery aisles, garbanzo bean flour is another label for the same idea, and USDA files its entry as “Chickpea flour (besan)”. Some bags are milled from small split brown chickpeas (chana dal) and some from the larger cream-colored chickpeas sold in most US supermarkets, so color, texture and flavor can differ a little. The ingredient list tells you which you have. Roasted besan has a nuttier taste than raw-milled flour.

Chickpea flour vs wheat and oat flour

The table compares 100 grams of USDA entries. Almond flour has no SR Legacy entry, so blanched almonds stand in as the nearest entry and are labeled that way.

Compared with enriched white flour, besan has about twice the protein and four times the fiber per 100 grams, and more folate even though white flour has folic acid added. It is lower in carbohydrate than wheat or oat flour but far higher than almond, which is mostly fat, a point that matters if you follow our guide to low-carb foods. Our sibling guide to oat flour covers the oat side of this table.

Cooking with chickpea flour

• Batters and fritters: besan thickens into a smooth batter with water, which is why it coats vegetables for pakoras and bhaji.
• Flatbreads and pancakes: socca and farinata are thin, crisp-edged chickpea flour pancakes, and chilla is a savory, thinner style often cooked with vegetables.
• Egg-free cooking: chickpea flour batters set when cooked, so they appear in eggless omelets and as a binder in veggie burgers.
• Baking: with no gluten, it does not rise like wheat dough; most bread and cake recipes blend it with other flours.
• Taste: raw besan tastes beany and bitter, and cooking it through removes that taste (see raw flour safety below).

What research says about chickpea flour

Chickpea flour has been studied mostly as a partial swap for white flour in breads and pastries, in small, short meal tests.

• Lebanese pastry (2018): 16 healthy young women ate a mankoushe pastry made with 30% chickpea flour or 100% white flour at the same calories. The chickpea version gave a modest drop in blood sugar and insulin, but appetite ratings and later food intake did not differ.
• Bread with intact chickpea cells (2023): in a double-blind crossover trial in 20 healthy adults, white bread made with 60% of a novel “cellular” chickpea powder raised GLP-1 and PYY, gut hormones linked to fullness, and lowered the glucose response compared with plain white bread. This special powder keeps chickpea cell walls intact, unlike ordinary milled besan, and the study was funded by a UK government research council.
• Pulses in general: diets that include beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas have been studied for blood fats and fullness; our lentils guide and hunger hormones guide summarize that research.

Single meal tests in a few dozen people show how one food behaves, not what happens over months. Chickpea flour is a nutrient-dense ingredient, but no flour melts fat or replaces medical care; our low glycemic foods guide explains why fiber and protein shape the after-meal blood sugar response.

Chickpea flour, gluten and digestion

Chickpeas are legumes, not one of the gluten-containing grains (FDA lists wheat, rye, barley and crossbreeds such as triticale). Mills that also handle wheat can cause cross-contact, though. Under FDA’s voluntary gluten-free labeling rule, a food labeled gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. The Celiac Disease Foundation describes celiac disease as an autoimmune disease affecting an estimated 1 in 100 people worldwide, so anyone with celiac disease should choose chickpea flour labeled gluten-free and work with their care team.

Chickpea flour can also cause gas. Lab studies describe chickpeas as rich in raffinose-family oligosaccharides, fermentable carbohydrates that the gut does not fully digest, and fermenting chickpea flour with lactic acid bacteria reduced them in the lab. Our guides to gas and bloating, the low FODMAP diet and fermented foods explain why. Adding fiber gradually and drinking fluids helps many people adjust.

Chickpea allergy and raw flour safety

• Allergy: chickpeas are not one of the nine major food allergens that US labels must declare, although peanuts and soybeans, also legumes, are. A 2021 scoping review of 47 studies found that chickpea, pea, lentil and lupine allergies are frequently involved in severe reactions, and a 2014 lab study found cross-reactivity between chickpea and pea, lentil, soybean and hazelnut. Hives, swelling or breathing trouble needs urgent care; for unclear symptoms see an allergist, and our elimination diet guide explains why testing should be supervised.
• Raw flour: FDA says most flour is a raw food that has not gone through any step to kill bacteria and that Salmonella and E. coli outbreaks have been linked to flour. FDA advises never eating or tasting raw flour, dough or batter, so cook besan batters all the way through and skip raw chickpea flour in no-bake snacks.
• Storage: keep chickpea flour airtight in a cool, dry place, and refrigerate it if you use it slowly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Oat Flour: Nutrition, Oat Flour vs All-Purpose Flour, How to Make It, Chickpeas: USDA Nutrition, Protein, Fiber and Canned vs Dried, High Protein Foods: USDA Values for Meat, Dairy and Plant Sources.