Chickpea flour

One US cup of chickpea flour weighs 92 grams. Going the other way, 100 grams is about 1.09 cups.

Chickpea flour is milled from dried chickpeas (Cicer arietinum), also called garbanzo beans. It is one of the oldest pulse flours in continuous use, dating back several thousand years in Indian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking, and has re-entered mainstream American cooking through the popularity of gluten-free baking and interest in higher-protein plant flours.

USDA FoodData Central publishes 1 cup of chickpea flour (besan) at 92 grams (FDC 174288), giving a bulk density of 0.3889 grams per millilitre. King Arthur's ingredient weight chart publishes the same product at 85 grams per cup and 0.3593 grams per millilitre. The two figures agree within 7.9 percent, inside the 10 percent tolerance we apply to the milled category, though not tightly enough that a home baker measuring by cup can ignore which source their recipe used.

Chickpea flour is one of the lightest flours by volume in this dataset, roughly two-thirds the weight of all-purpose flour per cup. This is characteristic of pulse flours: legume flours in general (chickpea, lentil, fava, pea) mill into softer, bulkier powders than cereal flours because the protein and starch structure of a legume seed is different from a wheat grain. The high protein content (about 22 percent by weight, roughly double that of all-purpose flour) is another marker — it explains why chickpea flour holds together in batters without needing gluten to bind.

Regional names for chickpea flour reflect its long history in different cuisines. Besan is the standard Indian name and usually refers to flour milled from chana dal (split brown chickpeas), producing a slightly coarser, more yellow flour. Gram flour is the British usage, most often the same product. Garbanzo bean flour is the American name, typically for flour milled from the pale yellow chickpea (kabuli variety) rather than the darker brown desi variety used in most Indian production. All three names cover essentially the same ingredient for cooking purposes, though a purist might distinguish besan (from desi chickpeas) as slightly more flavourful than garbanzo bean flour (from kabuli).

Culinary uses vary widely. In Indian cooking, chickpea flour is the basis for pakora batter (fried vegetable fritters), boondi and ladoo (sweet fried droplets), besan chilla (savoury pancakes), and thickening for many curries. In the Mediterranean, it is the flour for socca and farinata (crisp Provençal-Ligurian flatbreads baked in a hot oven), and for panisse (fried chickpea polenta). In gluten-free baking, it is common in flour blends to add protein, structure and a slightly nutty flavour.

Related products this entry does not cover: sattu is roasted chickpea flour, a distinct Indian ingredient made from pre-roasted chana dal that is measured similarly but has a toasted flavour and is not interchangeable in recipes that expect raw chickpea flour; lentil flour, fava bean flour, and other pulse flours have similar low density but different protein content and flavour; and cooked-chickpea flour, occasionally sold in specialty shops, is milled from pre-cooked chickpeas and has different water absorption than raw chickpea flour.

FDA has no identity standard specific to chickpea flour; it is regulated under general food safety and labelling rules. The Codex Alimentarius standard for pulses (CXS 171-1989) covers whole and split pulses but does not address pulse flours. Neither publishes a bulk density.

The category here is 'milled' because chickpea flour behaves like other fine milled powders in a measuring cup — it clumps, bridges over air pockets, and its density depends on scoop method. The 10 percent tolerance applies, and both sources sit inside it. The relatively wide gap between them (7.9 percent) is more likely a real product variation across brands and grinds than a measurement disagreement.