That colour! Not only did I want something bright and cheery, but I also wanted something flavourful, something that holds together well, tastes delicious, keeps for a few days (or freezes), and serves both hot and cold. And then I invented a gluten-free beetroot flatbread with chickpea flour. Magic!
I call it beetroot flatbread, but it’s much more than a ‘bread’. It works very well as a feature in a main meal along with salads, veggies, grains, or potatoes. I’ll also serve it alongside a soup or stew in place of regular bread.
Using chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour to make gluten-free flatbread
You will need chickpea flour for this recipe. I live in Britain, however, chickpeas are called garbanzo beans in the USA. Chickpea flour is also called gram flour, garbanzo bean flour, or besan flour. You can use these interchangeably as they are pretty much the same thing.
Chickpea flour is a staple ingredient in the Indian Subcontinent. It is available in any good supermarket in other countries. I frequently find it in the world food section here in the UK.
Chickpea flour is incredible gluten-free stuff that creates a base that holds together to perfection. I’ve used this flour over the years in a multitude of recipes, but adore making baked pakora with it or pancake-like flatbreads in my skillet.
Beetroot in your bread – say what?
The humble beetroot (referred to as beets in North America) thrives in temperate climates and can usually be harvested all the way up to late autumn.
I am always finding reasons to weave beetroot into my cuisine to make use of the abundant local produce here in Wales.
Beetroot is jam-packed with health-affirming goodness. This little treasure trove of goodness is known to be supportive to blood health whilst being high in antioxidants such as glutathione, polyphenols, and betalains. Anti-oxidants play a key role in the prevention of most chronic diseases, due to their ability to counteract the effects of free radical damage on human tissue. If you are interested in beetroot and health read here: https://www.kindearth.net/the-health-benefits-of-beetroot/
Watch my quick gluten-free beetroot flatbread video tutorial

Gluten-free Beetroot Flatbread with Chickpea Flour
Gluten-free beetroot flatbread using chickpea or garbanzo bean flour as the base. Delicious, jam-packed with goodness. Serves hot or cold and freezes well if you make too much.
Ingredients
- 1 large beet (300g)
- 250g chickpea flour (garbanzo bean or gram flour)
- 350ml passata (or blended canned tomatoes)
- 150ml filtered water
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
- 1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon onion powder (or granules)
- 1 heaped teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (or to preferred taste)
Instructions
- Grate the beetroot. If it is organic then you can leave on the skin as long as it is clean.
- Finely grate one teaspoon of fresh ginger. If organic, you can grate your ginger with the skin on.
- Put the chickpea flour and onion powder in the mixing bowl first and press down with the back of a spoon to make sure there are no lumps.
- Next, put all ingredients into the mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly until everything is evenly combined.
- Pour into a parchment paper-lined baking tray or oven dish. I used and approximate size 30cm x 25cm (12inch x 10 inch) for this recipe. Something a little smaller would work too.
- Place on the top or middle shelf of a pre-heated oven. Temperature 180C/350F on a fan oven works well. If you are baking something else at a slightly hotter temperature, then it will work fine too. It's quite forgiving at different temperatures.
- Bake for about 25 minutes.
- You can serve immediately as hot slices. Simply place the flatbread, with the parchment paper onto a chopping board and cut into slices. When hot, you will have to peel the slices off the parchment paper or get a cake slice/ or flat side of chef's knife underneath them to peel them away.
- These gluten-free beetroot slices serve well hot as part of a main meal with veggies, salad, rice, quinoa or potatoes. They also work as an accompaniment to bread or stew. You can also keep them in the fridge, once cooled, and enjoy them as a snack or with lunch over the next few days. They freeze well too.
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Is there a substitute for tomatoes
I have a allergy to them
Is it possible to have a night shade version???
Yes – you can substitute for water – super easy. I often do. The only thing is that you will need a little less water (the passata is thicker). Look at the video and notice the consistency of the batter as I pour it into the tray before baking and aim for that. I don’t have measurements to hand.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.
This looks wonderful, dear… will look forward to making it soon.
Thank you for all of your wonderful Vegan Compassionate recipes.
You are most welcome
Yum! Tried making this one for my kids and they love it! Definitely recommended. Surprisingly perfect combination too for my coffee filtered by sustainable hemp coffee filter.