Chickpea Flour Dutch Baby

This chickpea flour dutch baby is naturally gluten free and dairy free and SUCH a good brunch staple. I love that it’s just the right amount of savory, just the right amount of pancake-y, but also definitely something entirely its own.

I use it as a base for what I call a Very Good Brunch. You can top it with a basil oil salad (as seen in this blog post) or a drizzly pesto, or even some sort of cheese-roasted-vegetable concoction. It’s a protein-packed base that is delicious first, but also so versatile.

And also, SO easy to make. Let’s get into it.

What is a dutch baby?

Think of a dutch baby as a giant pancake. It an be either sweet or savory, but it tends to trend sweet. Dutch baby pancakes are also known as “German Pancakes,” but the closest thing they relate to in American baking is a popover. Think of a Dutch baby as a giant popover.

No one knows for sure where the Dutch baby got its name, but many believe that it was the Americanization of the term “Deutsch” into “Dutch” – and that’s how this German pancake got its Dutch name.

How is this recipe different from a classic dutch baby?

This recipe still relies on eggs as a large base of the ingredients, but it subs out all-purpose flour for chickpea flour, and leans more towards savory elements as opposed to sweet.

This dairy free and gluten free Dutch baby still “pops” up the same as a classic Dutch baby, it’s just the texture and flavor profiles that differ.

Ingredients you need for this chickpea flour dutch baby

• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 cup chickpea flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 cup plant-based milk, or milk of choice
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 handful of fresh thyme
• 1 large pinch of salt
• Crack of fresh ground pepper to taste

How to make this chickpea flour dutch baby

• Set your oven to 425F. Put a cast iron pan in the oven to preheat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, plant milk and eggs until well-combined and there are no clumpy bits. Chickpea flour likes to clump, so take your time with this!
• Remove the thyme leaves from the stems. Add in the salt and pepper and thyme. Mix well.
• Remove the cast iron from the oven and pour in the 4 tbsp of olive oil, it will seem like too much but trust the process!
• Pour the batter directly in the center of the pan, it should sizzle slightly.
• Move the pan to the oven and bake at 425F for 18-22 minutes or until the dutch baby has puffed around the edges and sunk in the middle.
• Remove from the oven. It will still have some oil in the center, so I use this to either dress any greens or toppings I’m adding to the dutch baby. But you can always pat it away with a paper towel if that’s your preference.
• Add any savory toppings you love (salads, cheese, pesto, oh my!) and serve.

Looking for salads to serve this dutch baby with?

Here are a few ideas!

And that’s it for this chickpea flour dutch baby!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3