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Spiced Chickpea Socca Pancake

This crispy spiced chickpea socca tastes deliciously sweet and nutty. It’s a simple batter of chickpea flour, olive oil and water spiced with curry and chile powder. You bake it in a hot cast iron skillet until it’s crisp on the edges. So good!

Socca pancakes are gluten-free flatbread. Socca has plenty of protein and a nutty flavor that’s almost sweet. It’s super easy to make–perfect for anyone who operates on short notice, like me.

To make socca, whisk gluten-free garbanzo bean or chickpea flour with water, olive oil, and salt. In this recipe, I’ve added bright spices and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Bake the batter in a hot cast-iron skillet, in a very hot oven. Five minutes to mix, 10 minutes to rest, and 20 minutes to bake.

Mixing chickpea socca

I’ve wanted to try my hand at socca for a long time. I’d read about the legendary woman who sells chickpea socca at the old town outdoor market in Nice, southern France. Traveling there, my girlfriend and I found her cooking socca on a large charcoal-fired griddle surrounded by a socca-hungry crowd. Needless to say, that taste memory lingers.

Inspired, I bought a bag of chickpea flour, but it sat unused in the pantry. I needed to get my butt off the sofa and make this socca!

plated Chickpea Socca on blue design plate

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Inspiration to finally make socca came from a recipe I found in Gina Hamshaw’s Food52 Vegan: 60 Vegetable-Driven Recipes for Any Kitchen. (Affiliate link.) I took Gina’s basic socca recipe and spiced it like the chickpea flour pancakes in Madhur Jaffrey’s Vegetarian India. (Affiliate link.)

Hamshaw’s recipe says to let the batter rest 10 to 15 minutes. Jaffrey’s says rest the batter 2 hours. The resting time didn’t seem to make any difference in texture or flavor. I’ve read that soaking chickpea flour will help your body digest the beans. So, I aim to mix my socca batter a few hours before I bake it. That is if I’ve planned ahead. 😉

What is chickpea flour?

  • Chickpea flour, aka garbanzo bean flour, (affiliate link) is made from ground chickpeas. That’s it, nothing more than dried chickpeas ground into flour. It’s a high protein gluten free flour.
  • Chickpea or garbanzo bean flour is used in cuisines from around the world. In Indian cooking it’s most often called besan roti–“besan” being the Punjabi work for chickpea flour. In Italy, flatbread made with chickpea flour is known as farinita or cecina (hay-chee-na)–“ceci” is chickpea in Italian. In France, a chickpea flour pancake is socca.
Chickpea Socca wedges on plates next to cast iron skillet with socca

Socca serving ideas:

  • Many people don’t know about socca. Introduce them. Get a party conversation going by serving socca wedges with dollops of something tasty on top.
  • Serve wedges of crispy socca for dinner. Pair as suggested by author Hamshaw, with garlicky sautéed greens and salty olive tapenade.
  • Cut your chickpea socca into smaller wedges. Top them with a sweet and tangy chutney or guacamole. This skinny chickpea pancake is a delicious gluten-free appetizer.
  • For a gluten free dipper, dip the slimmer wedges in cilantro chimichurri sauce.
  • Socca makes an easy gluten-free pizza crust. Partially bake the socca, add your favorite pizza toppings, and finish baking. The same toppings you put on homemade whole wheat pizza crust.
  • For a sweet-savory dessert, top your spiced chickpea socca pancake with fresh fruit, compote, or jam.

Chickpea Socca Pancake recipe note:

  • This socca recipe calls for a 12-inch cast iron skillet. (Affiliate link.) If your skillet is smaller, make two and pour less batter in your pan, about 1/8-inch thick.

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This post includes affiliate links. When you buy products via my links, it doesn’t cost you anything. I earn a tiny commission, which helps me continue to offer free content here on Letty’s Kitchen. Thank you!!

9 comments

  • Sounds so good and I have never heard of socca! Reply · 18 April, 2016

    • Socca will become a “bread” you use all the time–at least it has for me Tammy, now that I finally made it! Reply · 18 April, 2016

    • Fran

      I am planning on making this tonight. I am thankful to see there are other options for gf alternative breads other than rice alternatives. I absolutely loved chickpea and have used the flour for baked goods as well as other foods. Reply · 14 June, 2022

  • I have a HUGE bag of chickpea flour I bough for a specific recipe and have been staring at the remainder ever since. I’ll give this a try. GREG Reply · 24 April, 2016

    • Thanks Greg–let me know what you think after you dig into that bag for your socca-making adventure! Reply · 25 April, 2016

  • I am seeing more recipes that call for curry powder. Do you have a favorite recipe for curry powder? Reply · 14 April, 2025

    • Caron,
      I use curry blends–it’s easier. I like Frontier Coop’s mix. Right now I’m using the Simple Truth curry powder. Even though they’re all very similar, every brand has their proprietary blend. There is a Madras curry powder blend that is spicier than most. Minimalist Baker has a from scratch curry powder recipe. Reply · 14 April, 2025

5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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