Have you ever made Chickpea Fries? Also called Chickpea Panisse, these healthy oven baked fries are vegan, gluten-free, and packed with protein. Made with chickpea flour, for a street food style recipe that's an amazing appetizer or snack, these chickpea fries are simple to make and delicious.
Grab a bag of chickpea flour
Oh chickpeas, is there anything you can't do? From proposal-worthy Marry Me Chickpeas to our community fave Chickpea Blondies, I am of the opinion that chickpeas are the queen of beans.
And now, dear chickpeas, we're turning you into fries?! We sure are, friends! Grab that bag of chickpea flour you've got rattling around the back of your cupboard (maybe you have some left over from making our internet-famous Savory Cottage Cheese Muffins?) and get ready for your mind to be blown.
Making chickpea fries may sound daunting, but it's as simple as stirring together a pot of polenta, only you're using chickpeas flour instead of cornmeal. Stir in some herbs and seasoning, and then all you need to do is chill the batter, slice it into fries, and bake until they're golden and crispy on the outside and creamy delicious on the inside.
You're gonna love it.
🧑🏻🍳 A note from Katie: If you're looking for chickpea flour, it may also be called besan or gram flour, or garbanzo bean flour, depending on where you buy it.
Let's make chickpea fries together!
Step 1: make the batter
First, you're going to bring a big pot of water to the boil. Sprinkle in your chickpea flour a bit at a time, and whisk vigorously to combine.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and keep whisking until the mixture has thickened like polenta and is pulling away from the sides of the pot.
There will probably be some lumps remaining. No biggie, you won't notice them when the panisse is baked.
Once your chickpea panisse mixture has thickened, add the fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well.
Step 2: press and chill
Scrape the chickpea panisse out of the pot and into a 9x13 rectangular baking dish. Be sure to grease the baking dish with olive oil beforehand, and don't be shy about it.
Use your spatula and / or wet hands to smooth the panisse out into a mostly even layer. Now place the pan into the fridge to chill for at least one hour.
Step 3: slice
Turn the panisse out onto a cutting board. It should come out easily so long as the pan was oiled well.
Use a sharp knife to cut the panisse into chickpea fries.
Step 4: bake
Transfer the chickpea fries to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and brush with olive oil.
Then you'll bake them in a pre-heated oven until they're nice and crispy, about 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with sea salt, pour yourself a nice glass of rosé, and enjoy!
Crispy Chickpea Fries (protein packed!)
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 3 cups chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tbsp parsley finely minced
- 2 tablespoon oregano finely minced
Instructions
Make the Chickpea Panisse
- Generously oil a 9 x 13 baking sheet and set aside.
- In a large pot, bring the water to the boil over medium-high heat.6 cups water
- Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the chickpea flour a little bit at a time.3 cups chickpea flour
- Continue whisking for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and smooth (I find that a few lumps are unavoidable, but you won't notice them later).
- Stir in the olive oil, herbs, and a bit of salt and pepper to taste.1 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper, 3 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoon parsley, 2 tablespoon oregano
- Pour the chickpea mixture into the greased baking sheet and spread out into an even layer. Once it has cooled slightly, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Make the Chickpea Fries
- Pre-heat your oven to 400°F / 200°C (this is a good place for your convection fan, if you've got one).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Slice the firm batter into sticks for chickpea fries.
- Line them up on the baking sheet, and brush with a bit of olive oil.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then turn to the other side, brush again, and replace in the oven to bake for another 10 minutes. They should be slightly golden and crispy on the outside.
- Remove from the oven, salt generously, and serve with dip and a glass of rosé.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
- Can I make chickpea fries in advance? You sure can! Mix up the panisse and keep it covered in the fridge for up to one week. When you're ready to make chickpea fries, simply remove them from the fridge and slice them into thick pieces.
- You can also bake the chickpea fries and then reheat them by baking them again. I did this with leftover panisse from this photo shoot and they were the crispiest and most delicious chickpea fries I've ever had.
Brian Stockwood says
After spending the whole morning stirring a bubbly mess of simmering water and chickpea flour and sticking the batter in the fridge overnight, even baking these for an hour did not result in "crispy" anything. In the end, they stuck to the parchment paper and were a nightmare to get off. I don't think I'll be making these again...
Katie Trant says
Bummed it didn't work out for you, Brian.
Maggie says
Brilliant recipe. I've tried numerous, and this one is excellent. I think next time I may throw in some crystallized lemon powder.
Katie Trant says
Oooh, that sounds delicious!
Kim says
I’m in the middle of this process. I tried baking a small amount before I bake the rest for company tomorrow. They didn’t crisp at all, even left in the 400 degree oven longer than 20
min. I’m debating making something else and possibly tossing this mixture. What did I do wrong?
Any suggestions?
Katie Trant says
It's so hard to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you. The mixture should be firm, like polenta that you can slice into firm sticks. There needs to be an adequate amount of fat (olive oil or other) brushed onto them in order for them to crisp up.
Kim says
Thank you so much for your prompt reply. They are very soft and moist. I’ll be hopeful that todays batch crisps up. I’m thinking I’ll try a hotter oven…..
Katie Trant says
If they were soft and moist, my guess is that the chickpea batter wasn't cooked for long enough on the stovetop. It needs to be stirred until quite thick and pulling away from the pot, then chilled until firm before you slice it.
Angie C says
My fries didn't get firm enough to cut and ended up baking into one melted formation despite following exactly.ncluding 3 hours fridge time .Can ithe fries be saved?Do you have any idea what went wrong?
Katie Trant says
It's super hard to know what went wrong without being there in the kitchen with you. I suspect if they didn't firm up that the chickpea flour mixture was not cooked long enough on the stove top - it should be super thick and pulling away from the edges, as if you were cooking stovetop polenta. All the fridge time in the world won't get them to thicken up if the water hasn't cooked off / chickpea flour hasn't hydrated stovetop. Bummed this didn't work out for you 🙁
Angela says
I've never tried something like this. I might have to try these out.
Nancy MacMinn says
I made these tonight to go with a Navy Bean Soup. As an alternative to tea Biscuits. I followed the instructions and they were very easy to make. And my husband thought they were tasty. Just wondered if they should have been cooked a little longer. The outside was golden and crispy, but the inside was still very soft. I think I would have like them a little firmer. Going to try reheating them tomorrow to see if they firm up.
Thanks for the recipe.
Donna in Brooklyn says
Is the pan in the photo really 9" by 11" ? I ask because the longer side looks considerably longer than just by a couple of inches. My guess is it's a 9" by 13". Anyway do you think this recipe would work out in a 9" by 13" pan? thanks.
Katie Trant says
You know what, you're right! I pulled the pan out to measure and saw that it says 9x13 right on it 🤦🏻♀️ I'll update the recipe accordingly.
Donna in Brooklyn says
I’m glad, because that means the pan I have will work - ha! Listen, what kind of sauce do you serve them with? The sauce in the photo looks good - what is that? I plan to make these tomorrow (the cashews are soaking right now 😉
Katie Trant says
The sauce in the photo is just plain yogurt with some chipotle paste swirled in to make it look pretty. Add a squeeze of lime juice and it's super tasty!
Donna in Brooklyn says
Great, thanks!
Christina says
Can I freeze these? They are delicious!
Katie Trant says
I have frozen the chickpea base before cooking the fries, and it has worked out fine. Just thaw, slice, and bake when you're ready for them.
Emily says
These made a HUGE batch and I'm taking them with me to a NYE party on Friday. Already they are crispy and delicious. Can't wait to try them re-heated in the oven for extra crisp.
Steve Zabinsky says
These came out really well, I appreciate the recipe.
A simple question though. For your panisse (and also for polenta) all the recipes suggest adding the chickpea flour (or cornmeal) a little at a time to the boiling water and stirring like crazy to avoid lumps.
When I thicken sauces or gravy with cornstarch or similar, I add a little cold water to the starch so that the it blends well, then add the slurry to the hot liquid.
I've been doing this with polenta for decades, add a little cold water to the cornmeal and whisk it smooth, then add this to the boiling water. No lumps! This also worked great for your panisse recipe.
Is there a reason not to do it this way? (I'm a lazy cook. I make risotto in a pressure cooker...)
Best wishes,
Steve
Katie Trant says
Great idea, Steve! I'll have to give that technique a try.
Debora Gray says
Oh. My. Goodness! These were to die for. I think I & my elderly parents all could have made a meal with these alone!
I served them alongside vegan shepherds pie, with cauliflower “potato” salad, & fresh cantaloupe & tomatoes from the garden.
WHAT A FEAST!
Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe!
Michelle says
ROFL, Al Gore! Had forgotten about that, now I’m waxing nostalgic at what we used to find scandalous coming from our leaders...
Ok Katie, THIS is the something new I learned today (and It’s only 7:30 am, so yay me!)! I’ve never heard of these before and I’m a little weary tbh but I have a bag of neglected chicken pea flour so I’m giving this a go. I hope mine taste as good as yours look!
Thanks for blowing my mind today.
Katie Trant says
Try them! They're crispy and delicious and a really great snack or appetizer. Let me know how they turn out if you do 🙂
Jake Sterling says
Have you tried adding sunflower, pumpkin, flax, or sesame seeds (or a mixture)? It adds the texture that straight chickpea flour lacks and that you want in a burger. What I do is add the seeds just at the end of the boiling process, just before pouring the chickpea batter out to cool.
Katie Trant says
Ooooh, that's a great idea! Thanks for the tip!
Phô mai que says
I love your burger. They look so yummy! I'll try to make it for my family some time. Thanks for the recipe!
themuffinmyth says
Thanks! Give it a try and let me know how your family likes it!
Leanne says
AMEN on the breadiness!! I feel exactly the same, and burgers are one of the very few meats I miss. I'll have to try both these panisses, and an added bonus is that they both seem like they'd appeal to the toddler crowd.
themuffinmyth says
I bet you could make little panisse nuggets for the toddler. Hand held, dippable, and tasty. Total win!
LFFL says
Great pictures. Never heard of chickpea fries before.
themuffinmyth says
Thanks! You should try them, they're really good 🙂
Joihn says
Try them sweet! Leave out all seasonong except a very little salt. Deep fry as usual & sprinkle with icing sugar
Katie Trant says
Sounds delish!
Kathryn says
I love polenta fries but I've never thought of doing the same with chickpea before - what an excellent idea!
themuffinmyth says
Thanks Kathryn! They're really excellent! A much more complex flavour, and so much more nutrition packed in.