Is Gram Flour and Chickpea Flour the Same?

November 23, 2025 •

4 min read

Gram flour and chickpea flour are often used interchangeably, leading to confusion for many home cooks and bakers. While both are made from chickpeas, their fundamental differences lie in the type of chickpea used and the milling process, impacting their texture, flavor, and culinary applications.

Quick Summary

Gram flour, or besan, is made from split brown chickpeas, resulting in a finer, denser flour with a milder flavor profile. Chickpea flour, typically made from whole white chickpeas (garbanzo beans), is coarser and fluffier with a slightly more robust taste.

Key Points

Source Chickpeas: Gram flour (besan) comes from split brown chickpeas (desi), while standard chickpea flour is made from whole white chickpeas (kabuli).
Texture Differences: Gram flour is finer and denser, whereas typical chickpea flour is coarser and fluffier.
Flavor Profile: Besan has a milder, earthier flavor, while chickpea flour can have a stronger, slightly bitter raw taste.
Cooking Behavior: The finer gram flour absorbs less liquid and creates lighter batters, while the coarser chickpea flour absorbs more and creates denser, more cohesive results.
Culinary Application: The flours are best suited for different dishes, with besan being traditional for Indian sweets and fritters, and chickpea flour often used in Mediterranean flatbreads like socca.
Interchangeability: While often used interchangeably, adjustments to the liquid amount may be necessary when substituting one for the other in a recipe.
Gluten-Free: Both gram and chickpea flour are naturally gluten-free and can be used as alternatives to wheat flour.

Understanding the Raw Material: The Tale of Two Chickpeas

To understand the differences between gram flour and chickpea flour, you must first look at the source ingredients. All chickpeas are legumes, but different varieties are used to produce these two distinct flours.

Desi Chickpeas vs. Kabuli Chickpeas

Gram flour, known as besan in India, is traditionally milled from desi chickpeas. Desi chickpeas are smaller, darker, and have a thicker, rougher outer coat. They are often hulled and split before being ground into flour, known as chana dal. This process yields a very fine, dense powder that is a staple in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent.

Chickpea flour, commonly labeled as "garbanzo bean flour" in Western markets, is generally made from kabuli chickpeas. These are the larger, lighter-colored, and smoother chickpeas that most people are familiar with. Milled from the whole, raw garbanzo bean, this flour is typically coarser and less dense than its gram flour counterpart.

Texture, Flavor, and Culinary Behavior

The difference in their source material and processing leads to important distinctions in how these flours behave when cooked. While they can often be used as substitutes, being aware of their unique properties is key to achieving the desired outcome in a recipe.

A Deeper Dive into Differences

Flavor Profile: Gram flour has a distinct, earthy, and nutty flavor that is less pronounced when raw compared to regular chickpea flour. Chickpea flour made from garbanzo beans can have a stronger, slightly more bitter raw flavor that requires longer cooking to mellow out.
Texture and Consistency: Due to the milling process, besan (gram flour) is notably finer and smoother. This texture is ideal for creating light, crispy batters for fritters like pakoras and creamy Indian sweets like besan ladoo. Garbanzo bean flour, being coarser and fluffier, creates a denser, more cohesive structure, making it better for dishes like savory pancakes (socca) or binding ingredients in fritters and baked goods.
Moisture Absorption: The particle size directly affects how each flour absorbs liquid. The denser, finer gram flour typically requires less water to form a batter of a certain consistency compared to the coarser, fluffier chickpea flour. This is a crucial detail for recipes where batter thickness is important.

Comparison Table


Feature	Gram Flour (Besan)	Chickpea Flour (Garbanzo Bean)
Source	Split brown desi chickpeas (chana dal)	Whole white kabuli chickpeas
Milling	Finely ground and dense	Coarsely ground and fluffier
Flavor	Mild, earthy, and nutty	Stronger, more pronounced chickpea flavor
Texture	Smooth and fine powder	Coarse and grainy
Best For	Indian cooking, fritters (pakoras), thickening sauces, and delicate sweets (ladoos, dhokla)	Mediterranean cooking, flatbreads (socca), binding in baked goods, and vegan egg substitutes
Consistency	Requires less liquid for batter	Requires more liquid for a consistent batter

Culinary Applications and Substitution

Knowing the distinctions helps you choose the right flour for your culinary needs. For instance, you could substitute chickpea flour for besan to make pakoras, but the result would be a slightly thicker, denser coating that might not be as light and crisp as the traditional version. The reverse is also true; using besan for a recipe intended for coarser garbanzo bean flour may lead to a different batter consistency.

However, for many recipes, such as thickening sauces or acting as a gluten-free binder, the two can be used interchangeably with minor adjustments to the liquid ratio.

Binding Agent: Both flours work well as a binder in vegan and gluten-free recipes, replacing eggs in pancakes, fritters, and burgers.
Thickener: The binding properties of both flours make them excellent natural thickeners for soups, stews, and gravies.
Baking: While both are used in baking, the choice depends on the desired texture. Besan is preferred for recipes needing a delicate, soft texture, whereas chickpea flour can be used for denser, more structured baked goods. For an in-depth look at using chickpea flour in vegan baking, check out this guide.

Conclusion

While grammatically and botanically, the terms can be used broadly, the culinary reality is that gram flour (besan) and chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour) are not exactly the same. They are derived from different varieties of chickpeas and milled differently, resulting in subtle but important distinctions in flavor, texture, and cooking behavior. For Indian cuisine, besan is the fine, authentic ingredient, while Western recipes are more likely to call for the coarser garbanzo bean flour. Ultimately, understanding these nuances empowers you to make an informed choice and get the best results from your recipes. Knowing the difference between gram flour and chickpea flour is the secret to mastering both traditional Indian delicacies and modern gluten-free baking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Besan is a type of chickpea flour, but not all chickpea flour is besan. Besan is specifically made from finely ground split brown chickpeas (chana dal), while generic chickpea flour is typically made from coarser ground white chickpeas (garbanzo beans).

Yes, but with some adjustments. You may need to use more liquid with coarser garbanzo bean flour to achieve the desired batter consistency, as it absorbs moisture differently than the finer besan.

Gram flour (besan) has a milder, nutty, and earthier flavor. Standard chickpea flour can have a more robust, and some say slightly bitter, flavor when raw, which requires more thorough cooking to eliminate.

Gram flour (besan) is traditionally preferred for making light and crispy fritters, such as pakoras, due to its finer texture and ability to create a smooth batter. Chickpea flour will work but may produce a denser result.

Yes, both flours are naturally gluten-free since they are made from legumes, not wheat.

Check the label for the source and processing details. Authentic gram flour will likely be labeled 'besan' or state it's from chana dal. Standard chickpea flour may be labeled 'garbanzo bean flour' and will have a coarser texture.

For many simple thickening or binding applications, the difference is negligible. However, for recipes where texture is key, like light fritters or delicate baked goods, the distinction between fine besan and coarse chickpea flour can significantly impact the final result.