These chickpea flour muffins are easy to make for breakfast or a snack. Sweetened with bananas instead of refined sugar makes this a healthy option for when you want something cakey and sweet!
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The Story Behind These Chickpea Flour Muffins
Growing up, I only consumed chickpea flour during Ramadan when my mom made pakoras for Iftar (the meal with which we break our fast at sunset). In Bangla, we call chickpea flour besan, and because I only had it in a classic South Asian dish, I didn’t instinctively know that besan is made out of ground chickpeas. Chickpeas are my favorite legume to eat in curries and salads. I asked my mom what besan is made from and when she told me, it blew my mind. The humble chickpea is so versatile!
So last Ramadan, I decided to expand the horizons of this ingredient even further- by using it to make baked goods. And of course, because I was developing a recipe for this blog, I knew I had to make it healthy by cutting out the refined sugar. As a bonus, chickpea flour is also naturally gluten-free!
What is it?
I make these with chickpea flour, aka garbanzo bean flour. While using bean flour seems like a relatively new concept, especially since gluten-free baking has made many strides lately, people have used chickpea flour in South Asian cooking since the times of Ayurveda. Chickpea flour tends to give baked goods a nutty taste and chewy texture. However, combining different flavors with chickpea flour is straightforward to take on whatever taste you want. For this recipe, I use bananas to impart the flavor of this fruit and as the primary sweetener.
Why These Chickpea Flour Muffins Are Healthy For You
Chickpea flour is high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Besides being an excellent ingredient for gluten-free recipes, it is also great for diabetes as it affects blood sugar way less than wheat. The protein and carbs in chickpea flour can also help you feel fuller for longer.
Besides chickpea flour, other healthy ingredients in this recipe include ripened bananas (instead of refined sugar) which means these muffins won’t cause a sugar high.
How To Make these Chickpea Flour Muffins Nutrient-Dense
- Use sprouted chickpea flour: Legumes contain an organic compound called phytic acid. Phytic acid prevents the absorption of several vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium, and B vitamins. Studies show that sprouting can reduce phytic acid, therefore making sprouted grains and seeds healthier to consume.
Tips
- Use spotty brown bananas to get the most sweetness in this recipe.
Variations
- Experiment with different kinds of fruit. I used blueberries, but other small fruit or chopped pieces of fruit work well in this recipe.
Other breakfast recipes to try
Chickpea Flour Muffins
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chickpea flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp ghee
- ½ cup yogurt
- 3 ripened bananas
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup small berries or choice of chopped fresh fruit
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Sift together all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- In another mixing bowl, crack open the eggs and discard the shells. Whisk together the eggs, ghee, yogurt, and vanilla extract.
- Peel the bananas and discard the skin. Mash the flesh with a fork in another small bowl until it's as smooth as you can get it.
- Add the mashed banans to the wet ingredient mixture and whisk until homogenous.
- Fold in the dry mixture into the wet until thoroughly combined.
- Fold in berries or chopped fruit of choice.
- Grease muffin tin with extra ghee or coconut oil. Alternatively, you can also line the slots with parchment paper cups.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin slot.
- Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 15 to 18 minutes, depending on how fast your oven cooks.
- Serve these muffins and enjoy!
Notes
- Use spotty brown bananas to get the most sweetness in this recipe.
- Replace the yogurt with plant-based coconut yogurt and the ghee with virgin coconut oil to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Experiment with different kinds of fruit. I used blueberries, but other small fruit or chopped pieces of fruit work well in this recipe.
gluten-free, muffins, refined sugar-free, vegetarian