Besan chilla is a savory, protein-packed north Indian style crepe made with chickpea flour, vegetables and herbs. I love loading it with veggies for a healthy and fresh start to the day. This simple and easy recipe comes together in minutes and every kid - and adult - I've ever served it to has loved it.
Table of Contents
What is besan chilla?
Besan chilla (also called besan cheela or puda or pudla) is a north Indian pancake made with finely ground chickpea flour or besan. It bears a skin-deep resemblance to an omelet, although it tastes nothing like one and is delicious in its own right. India's large community of lacto-vegetarians doesn't consume eggs and you can often find besan chilla in restaurants listed on the menu as a "vegetarian omelette" or "vegetable omelette".
The reason a chilla is so delicious is the perfect alchemy between chickpea flour, onions and cilantro. These ingredients are made for each other and they create a wonderful harmony for the tastebuds - an experience that's not unlike eating a vegetable pakora, which has many of the same ingredients.
Another very good reason to eat besan chilla is that it is extremely nutritious: it is low in fat, the chickpea flour has heart-healthy protein and other nutrients, and it typically contains other healthy ingredients like onions, green chili peppers, vegetables like tomatoes or bell peppers as well as spices like turmeric and cayenne. The recipe is soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free and it takes minutes to make. In fact, it's perfect for beginners. This is hands-down one of my favorite Indian breakfasts and I make this easy besan chilla or sprouted moong chilla every week.
I make this at least once a week for my six-year-old son. It's the only way that I can get any veggies into him. Thanks for an awesome recipe. Five stars! - Preeti
Recipe card
Besan Chilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour (besan or gram flour or garbanzo bean flour)
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 1-2 green chili peppers (like serrano or jalapeno. Use less and deseed if very sensitive to heat).
- 1 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds, crushed between your palms to release their aroma. You can substitute with cumin seeds).
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 cup baby spinach (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (finely chopped)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or any neutral oil (or cooking spray)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix. Set aside for about 15 minutes. This will give the vegetables time to express their liquids, giving you a better idea of how much water you need to make the batter.
- Pour in ½ cup water, mix, then add a little more, mix again. Don't add all of the water at once. I needed 1 ½ cups water total.
- Heat a cast iron griddle or non-stick griddle. Coat the surface with oil or cooking spray. Pour some batter into the center. I used a ½ cup measure filled close to but not all the way to the brim for each pancake. You can use the bottom of the cup to spread the batter slightly, if needed, and thin out the chilla.
- Cook this chilla until the underside is golden-brown and the top is beginning to dry. Flip over and cook a couple more minutes.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Top tips
- Sift in the chickpea flour to avoid any lumps that could be hard to get rid of once you start adding water to the batter. Don't skip this step! Also add water slowly to avoid any clumping.
- You can make the chilla as thick or thin as you want by adjusting the quantity of water in the batter, but don't overdo it. When you add besan mixed in water to a hot medium, the starches in the lentils bind with the water and firm up as they are heated. This ensures that your chilla will be easy to flip. But adding too much water can create a batter that will not bind. I needed 1 ½ cups of water for this batter, which makes moderately thin chillas. You can add up to ½ cup more, but probably not more than that. The batter should be of pourable consistency and thinner than a regular pancake batter.
- When adding veggies to the chilla, use veggies that cook quickly, like finely chopped greens, bell peppers, green beans, carrots, beets, cabbage and cauliflower. If you use vegetables that express too much liquid, like summer squash, mushrooms and tomatoes, make sure you give enough time for the ingredients to sit around after they are mixed so the veggies express their liquids before you add water.
- Mint and cilantro are amazing with the rest of the flavors in a besan chilla. Use one or the other or both! Or use another savory herb, like rosemary or sage (use less because these are stronger herbs).
Nutrition Information
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How to make besan chilla
Sift the besan and rice flour into a bowl. Add the finely chopped green chilli peppers, onions, ginger-garlic paste, ajwain, cayenne and turmeric powder to the bowl.
Add cilantro and chopped spinach. Add salt to taste.
Mix all of the ingredients and set them aside for 15 minutes so the veggies express their juices into the batter.
Pour in ½ cup water, mix, then add a little more, mix again. Don't add all of the water at once. I needed 1 ½ cups water total.
Heat a cast iron griddle or non-stick griddle over medium heat. Coat the surface with oil or cooking spray. Pour the batter into the center (I used a ½ cup measure filled close to but not all the way to the brim). Use the bottom of the cup (make sure it's heat-safe, otherwise use a spoon or ladle) to thin out the chilla if needed.
Cook until the underside is golden-brown and the top is beginning to dry. Flip over and cook a couple more minutes.
Besan chilla FAQs
Rice flour makes the chilla extra crispy around the edges. You can skip it if you don't want to use it.
Besan chilla goes very nicely with a zesty Indian chutney, like mint chutney or onion chutney. You can also serve it with a spicy Indian pickle, like lime pickle or carrot pickle, or with vegan yogurt. Kids love it with tomato ketchup!
Because the chilla is low in calories, high in fiber and protein, and quite satisfying, it is a great food to include in a weight-loss diet. You can further reduce the calories by cooking the chilla with cooking spray instead of oil.
There are 13 net carbs in each chilla, so it can be part of a sensible low-carb diet. You can cut down the carbs to 11 grams by skipping the rice flour.
Some cooks add a pinch of baking soda to the recipe, to make the chilla lighter and crispier. If you want to add baking soda, add no more than â…›th of a teaspoon or a generous pinch to the batter right before you cook the chilla. Be sure to mix it in!
You can make a chilla oil-free, but using a little bit of fat to coat the non-stick griddle or skillet helps create crispy edges. For best results use a cast-iron skillet. For even crispier edges, you can drizzle a bit of oil along the edges of the chilla as it cooks, like you would with a dosa.
Besan chilla tastes best when it's made fresh. But if you have leftover chillas, refrigerate them in an airtight container and reheat on the griddle before serving. Or just store the batter in the fridge and make the chillas right before serving. The batter will keep in the fridge for up to three days.
Joe says
These are mildly addictive. I will cut the cayenne back a little and either super chop the onions or soften them a little before coking the pancakes. They are really delicious and quite good.
Vaishali Honawar says
So happy you loved them!
Rose_Anne says
Thank you very much for the detailed instructions as well as comments about oil / no oil and alternative seasonings. Can't wait to try it!
Katie S. Irani says
I love veg food, the chilla recipe looks simple and great in taste. thank you. will make it soon and bless you
Vaishali says
Thanks, Katie!
Preeti says
I make this at least once a week for my six-year-old son. It's the only way that I can get any veggies into him. Thanks for an awesome recipe. Five stars!
Vaishali says
So lovely to hear, Preeti.
Gina says
can i replace the flour with almond flour????
Vaishali Honawar says
I don't think almond flour will hold together the way chickpea flour does.
Fareeda says
I meant to give a five star rating, but the screen changed after I touched the first star.
Fareeda says
I made the chillas again for breakfast. I added finely chopped spinach and 1/4 cup of boiled quinoa to the batter.
Very delicious indeed. Thanks
Sid says
By far the best chilla recipe I've ever had, and I've tried quite a few.
vic lee says
Thank you for this and other delicious recipes...bless your lovely kitten and all the rest of us. My mother always includes mushrooms to her critters food. It help keep tumors down so I've been feeding my critter friends with it too. Thank you! Namaste`
Vaishali says
Thanks, Vic, I didn't know mushrooms are good for animals. I have to try in my critters' food. 🙂
Traditional Indian Bhaji says
Nice post. It seems like a much healthier counterpart to egg omelets and it tastes great. Thanks for posting.
Natalie Zeifman says
I don't like mushrooms so I made this with tomato and green pepper and it really turned out egg-like. It was great except for the fact that I was a bit too stingy with the salt. I think it would be good with something sweet added like corn.
mike says
most of those spray oils are hydrogenated and terrible for your health esp. soy but i don't want to get into that arguement. I would opt for and recommend un hydrogenated coconut oil. virgin (evco) is good. Eggs have a bad rap, also i love the smell of them, they have good cholesterol(hdl) and make bad cholesterol(ldl) into larger particles making less % change of clogging. cite: seem pretty reputable as they have also citations.
I'd love to try this recipe though as my daughter is allergic to egg whites and it upsets her greatly that i'm unable to share morning omelettes with her. (shes 17 months and cries when im unable to share food off of my plate, lol.)
Angela says
Hi Vaishali:
I actually didn't buy the garbanzo fava flour because they had the garbanzo flour by itself, but I probably would have if wholefoods didn't have it stocked. In the near future, I will attempt to make it at home one day when I have more time, and a grinder!
I am not usually one who likes to substitute (Just think that it will always alter an already perfect dish, even if slightly) but, as you may know, there are very few Indian grocers near me, and sometimes they don't have certain herbs, etc. that I need for a recipe.
Glad you agree that coriander and cilantro are the same, because I can't find coriander anywhere!
I have yet to find curry leaves, but I will keep trying. If I have to order every herb and spice, I will; that's how much I love Indian foods.
I will do exactly what you advised about storing leftovers.
I haven't tried the Holiday "Gardein" roast, and really don't need the meaty textures as much anymore, but it's so nice to have for the holidays. Read that "Trader Joes" has a nice meatless roast also. I guess you know that many markets do nowadays. Hope your husband likes it, and if he doesn't, he is free to eat whatever he wants.
Thank you so much again for your generous recipes.
I'll be reading, and love your photos, too.:)
Angela
Angela says
Hello again, Vaishali: Went to wholefoods (here in Florida, USA) and bought Garbanzo bean flour for the Besan Chilla. They have one package that says "Garbanzo bean and fava bean flour" and I was wondering if that would also taste good with your recipe?? I also "had" to grab "Gardeins holiday roast" which looks just awesome? Maybe your husband, Desi might like it...haha! Just kidding! Anyway, the dish came out delicious (have a great love for garbanzo beans, too) I even put mashed potato inside, and made the coconut chutney. Just added spinach as a side dish, and wow! Being new to cooking these foods makes it even more exciting! Thank you again. Just have a couple of questions? How do you best store leftovers? Also, I was told that "fresh cilantro" in the USA is the same as " fresh Coriander." And "bay leaves" are a good substitute for "Curry leaves." Do you agree? Happy Sunday. Angela
vaishalihonawar@gmail.com says
Hi Angela, never heard of a garbanzo-fava flour mix-- sounds like it worked in this recipe! I love the idea of mashed potato in there-- more spuds never hurt a body. 🙂 With the leftovers of the besan chila, I would just store the batter in the refrigerator and make the chila hot before serving. Already cooked chilas won't taste so great warmed up. And yes, coriander and cilantro are one and the same. But bay leaves are definitely not an appropriate substitute for curry leaves. Curry leaves have a very distinct and strong aroma and are quite different.
Will try the pot roast on Desi! 🙂
Superb Recipes says
I love besan chilla and this recipe is very similar to what I use. Love quick snack recipes like these as they really help break the monotony of a bread-omellete breakfast and bread-jam evening snack routine.
Connie Fletcher says
I have to agree with Melina...this is FABULOUS!!! It is truly delicious. I have seen this before, but never made it until today. I had some wild ramps and some fiddleheads that I included. The ramps were fine diced and the fiddleheads were steamed and eaten as a filling of sorts. Delicious!!! Wonderfully seasoned!! Thank you!!!
Melina says
If you were in front of me, I'd kiss you!! hee heee. I've been looking everywhere for a recipe that reminded me of an omelette. Not just because I used to like omelettes, but I used to like their versatility and the ability to throw anything I want in there and feel satisfied. I have tried all sorts of vegan 'replacements' with tofu and tahini and all sorts of things, but none have worked. THIS WAS AMAZING. I've had it about 5 times in 3 days, not kidding. It is so so easy, it cooks well, it holds together and actually flips over, it is versatile and it tastes great! thank you thank you thank you!!!!
Barry williams says
From Australia, love your ideas and Indian food. This recipe look great.
Vaishali says
Pradeep, This is a vegan blog so there are no foods with cholesterol -- like ghee-- here. Cholesterol is entirely an animal product and it does not exist in vegetable foods. Maybe it's time you stopped eating those eggs because they're clogging your arteries with every bite.
Anonymous says
I just happened to pick up some besan today from my local Indian market to use in a recipe from The Sexy Vegan cookbook. I was curious as to what else could be done with besan. I just came across your website about an hour ago. I am happy to report that my tummy and tastebuds are completely pleased because I wasted no time making a chilla with the veggies I had on hand. Where have chillas been all my life?!!! They will be making regular appearances from now on in this household.
Dianne Grover says
This is quite interesting. I have never tried this in my entire life. I do love eggs so maybe I will miss the egg flavour with this dish; however, this will certainly be a healthy choice. Thank you again for this post. I hope you keep posting recipes like this.
Thamarai says
This is also known as Besan Puda in India. We add finely chopped cabbage to the besan batter along with spices and make thin dosas out of it. Just for your info 🙂
Anonymous says
How fabulous is your blog! I really enjoy your writing and your photography. I look forward to making your bean and oat burgers very soon. I made a version of a chilla this past week.
Vaishali says
Hi, I tried leaving a comment on your spinach chillas, but something seems to be off. I really loved the idea of all that spinach in the pancakes and will be sure to add some spinach to the chillas the next time I make them. Thanks for your kind words about Holy Cow!