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    Home » Breads

    Indian Spiced Chickpea Flatbread {Socca}

    Published: Feb 29, 2016 · Modified: Aug 10, 2021 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 20 Comments

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    This socca recipe produces a wonderful savory chickpea flatbread that happens to be vegan and gluten free. It's great for eating on its own or dipping into stews or curries. Thank you to USA Pulses and Pulse Canada for helping me to share this recipe with you.
    Indian Spiced Chickpea Flatbread (Socca)…You will not be able to stop eating this! 100 calories and 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

    Indian Spiced Chickpea Flatbread (Socca)…You will not be able to stop eating this! 100 calories and 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

    Sometimes you make a recipe that garners all sorts of adoring looks from your family, with multiple requests to make it over and over again. This is one of those recipes. Honestly, I don’t know what’s taken me so long to make socca, a flatbread made with chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour. Not only is it very versatile, but it really couldn’t be any easier to make.

    In Italy, this thin flatbread is called farinata and in France it’s known as socca. It could be compared to a pancake or even crepe, though it’s a little thinner than a pancake and slightly thicker than a crepe.

    Indian Spiced Chickpea Flatbread (Socca)…You will not be able to stop eating this! 100 calories and 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

    The beauty of socca is that it takes only three ingredients to make a basic version: chickpea flour, water and olive oil. Chickpea flour can be found in many grocery stores and health food stores, online or in Indian markets (sold as besan).

    When making socca, be sure to plan ahead because the batter should sit for at least two hours before cooking. You could even make the batter in the morning and cook the socca just before dinner.

    If you’re following a gluten-free diet, chickpea flour is a great alternative to regular flours. In fact, all pulses are gluten-free, and be used in a variety of recipes.

    Do you remember when I talked about the International Year of Pulses last month when I posted my Baked Red Lentil Cakes? Pulses are a category of legumes that includes dry peas, lentils, beans and chickpeas. If you haven’t already, be sure to pop over to take the Pulse Pledge. Eating pulses at least once per week has many health benefits and you’ll want to check out the Pulse Pledge site for more great information and recipes.

    Indian Spiced Chickpea Flatbread (Socca)…You will not be able to stop eating this! 100 calories and 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

    I decided to change things up a bit and mix some spices and savory ingredients into this socca. Believe me, that was a good call! A mixture of ground coriander, cayenne and turmeric, as well as caramelized onions, tomatoes and garlic, gave the flatbread an Indian flair. In fact, this version would be perfect for dipping into a curry in place of naan bread, or serve it with a pot of Curried White Bean Soup.

    Grab some chickpea flour the next time you’re at the store. I promise you’ll be hooked on socca from now on!

    Other recipes using chickpeas and chickpea flour:

    Healthy Chickpea Recipes
    Cookin' Canuck's Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Skillet
    Cookin' Canuck's Pomegranate, Clementine, Herbed Chickpea & Arugula Salad
    On the DF's Dairy-Free Savory Chickpea Pancakes
    Green Healthy Cooking's Vegan Leek Quiche
    Chef de Home's Mediterranean Chickpea Cucumber Salad with Shallot Dressing

    Indian Spiced Chickpea Flatbread (Socca)…You will not be able to stop eating this! 100 calories and 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

    Indian Spiced Chickpea Flatbread {Socca}

    Indian Spiced Chickpea Flatbread (Socca)…You will not be able to stop eating this! 100 calories and 3 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
    5 from 3 votes
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    Course: Breads
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
    Servings: 2 Flatbreads
    Calories: 99.8kcal
    Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup chickpea or garbanzo bean flour
    • 1 cup water
    • 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
    • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • ½ medium yellow onion chopped
    • ⅓ cup diced tomato
    • 1 garlic clove minced
    • 2 tablespoon minced cilantro
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    Instructions

    • In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, water, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, salt, ground coriander and turmeric.
    • Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
    • Preheat the broiler, with the rack set 7 to 8 inches from the element.
    • Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat.
    • Add the onion and cook until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir the vegetables into the chickpea flour batter.
    • Place a large (10-inch) cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat for 5 minutes.
    • Using an oven mitt or potholder, carefully remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Pour in 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.
    • Pour in half of the batter and immediately swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
    • Place under the broiler and cook until the top and edges are starting to blacken and blister, 4 to 6 minutes.
    • Carefully transfer the flatbread to a cutting board, cut into 8 wedges, garnish with cilantro and serve.
    • Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, batter and cilantro.

    Video

    Notes

    Weight Watchers Points: 3 (Freestyle SmartPoints), 3 (SmartPoints), 3 (Points+)

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.25Flatbread (2 Wedges) | Calories: 99.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.9g | Protein: 2.8g | Fat: 6.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.9g | Sodium: 153.7mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 1.6g
    Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

    Disclosure: This post was sponsored as part of an ambassadorship program with USA Pulses and Pulse Canada. All opinions are my own. This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Lynn

        August 13, 2017 at 6:19 pm

        5 stars
        Searched up chickpea flatbread and found your recipe - thanks! Excellent as written. I did not plan ahead so probably only rested for an hour and 15min - still worked fine. And didn't top with coriander - too hungry! Ate with a tofu saag and an indian tomato-bean dish. Will check out some of your other recipes now 🙂

        Reply
      2. Lorena

        March 29, 2016 at 9:53 pm

        Thank you so much for sharing my recipe Dara!! That is so kind of you. I really appreciate it 😀

        Reply
      3. Diane

        March 23, 2016 at 11:52 am

        Any suggestions for replacing the oil? I don't use it. Thanks for any suggestions.

        Reply
      4. Monique @ Ambitious Kitchen

        March 07, 2016 at 5:24 am

        I've been wondering what to do with my bag of chickpea flour. Crushing on this oh so much!!!

        Reply
      5. Gina @ Running to the Kitchen

        March 05, 2016 at 8:22 am

        This is inspiring me to finally try socca. With all the healthy and alternative stuff I eat/make I can't believe I've still never tried it OR tried chickpea flour, making this a 2016 goal! haha

        Reply
      6. Amanda

        March 03, 2016 at 7:14 pm

        Everytime I come here you open my eyes to new wonderful products that I NEED in my life!!! Thank you!

        Reply
      7. marnely

        March 02, 2016 at 7:24 pm

        I think I'll try this with coconut oil to see how it works - looks amazing!

        Reply
      8. KalynsKitchen

        March 01, 2016 at 7:05 pm

        I have a recipe for Socca on my blog. Thanks for the reminder that I need to make it again; yours looks great.

        Reply
      9. eat good 4 life

        March 01, 2016 at 10:24 am

        Wow this looks incredible. I love Indina food so I am sure this would be right up my alley 🙂

        Reply
      10. tanya

        March 01, 2016 at 10:04 am

        I'm hooked and I have even tasted this! I love that this only has three ingredients! Yes it may take time but its so easy!!

        Reply
      11. Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze

        March 01, 2016 at 1:59 am

        Oh my I'm craving some of this yummy flat bread. I've never heard of it before but it looks out of this world. Love seeing and creating new recipes!!

        Reply
      12. Michelle @ The Complete Savorist

        February 29, 2016 at 10:48 pm

        I haven't heard of socca before, but I don't know why it looks great. I think this would be great for those who are gluten free and those who are not. It is only 3 ingredients it is worth it for everyone to at least try it out.

        Reply
      13. Des @ Life's Ambrosia

        February 29, 2016 at 8:47 pm

        Ok I am totally LOVING this. I bought some of those quick lentils for lunches and I think this would be the perfect thing to serve with it!

        Reply
      14. Nutmeg Nanny

        February 29, 2016 at 8:24 pm

        LOVE this flatbread! It looks packed full of flavor and I sorta want to eat it right now 🙂

        Reply
      15. Megan

        February 29, 2016 at 8:23 pm

        I have the perfect dish to go with this recipe! Just what I was looking for!

        Reply
      16. Liz @ The Lemon Bowl

        February 29, 2016 at 6:33 pm

        Ok I wish I had seen this yesterday! We had chicken curry for dinner and this would have been perfect with it! Saving for later!

        Reply
      17. Heidi @foodiecrush

        February 29, 2016 at 11:18 am

        And look at that! I totally learned something new today. I've never heard of socca but love garbanzos so the flour sounds like a healthy addition to my get it in gear efforts! Great recipe Dara!

        Reply
      18. monica

        February 29, 2016 at 9:38 am

        Living in Toronto , born in Uruguay we have the same but called "'Faina" which originates from the Italian "Farinata:
        We eat it with pizza always.. Pizza and Faina go so well together that we even eat one slice of faina on top of a lice of pizza called horse-back..
        It i s cooked in a cookie sheet but I love your idea of the cast iron since it needs to be super hot.
        I will make this very soon for sure.
        Thank you for your wonderful ideas..

        Reply
      19. Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness

        February 29, 2016 at 7:10 am

        How have I NEVER heard of socca? This sounds like something that the hubs and I would LOVE. We're big on anything Indian and I've been eating chickpeas like they're going out of style lately. I need to get my hands on some chickpea flour...and then stuff this into my face forever and always the end. Pinned!

        Reply

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