Eggless and vegan Frittata With Chickpea Flour, flavored with herbs is a healthy and easy to make recipe that is gluten-free too.
This healthy Frittata recipe is made without using any baking powder, baking soda, yeast or even curd. Then what does it have?
Though made with chickpea flour only but is very different from Besan dhokla in taste as well as texture.
Frittata is just loved at my place. Though perfect to have in the breakfast but at my place, it is mostly had at dinner time. The fact that you can pick a piece just like that of pizza, makes it more appealing. Also, I make it in the Italian style by adding lots of oregano, basil, parsley, chilli flakes which makes it more appetising.
My family loves it because of the taste and I love to make because of two reasons. Any guesses? Okay, I will tell you. Yes, the first is that it is super easy to make. Easier than you can think of! Just wait for few more seconds and soon, you will agree with me.
And the second reason is that it is super-duper healthy. It is gluten-free, vegan and is loaded with veggies. An excellent way to feed veggies to your loved ones.
And the fact that it is made with minimal oil using chickpea flour, it’s not heavy on digestion too.
Some other breakfast recipes that you may find interesting are:
- Pizza Muffins
- Millet Upma (Gluten-free)
- Ragi Dosa (Gluten-free)
- Jowar Koki (Gluten-free)
What is Frittata?
Before we proceed with the recipe, for those who have any doubts, let us first spend a few minutes in understanding what exactly a frittata is.
The word ”Frittata” means fried in Italian and it is an egg-based dish more or less like an Omelette. You can also call it a crust-less quiche. How does frittata differ from an omelette? The method of cooking is the main difference between the two. Apart from this, one Omelette is for one person whereas one frittata can be easily shared by two or more people. Also, frittata fillings are mixed in with the eggs in the pan rather than folded in the centre. (Source)
Now, you must be wondering that you landed up on a vegetarian and eggless blog then how come there’s an egg recipe? Let’s see…
Frittata Without Eggs
The very word ”Frittata’ raises eyebrows of all those who do not eat eggs. Just like Omelette means an egg omelette only, similarly, Frittata implies that it is made with eggs only. But hold on friends. The recipe that I am sharing with you is not only eggless but is vegan too.
Few years, I attended a mini cookery workshop, wherein the chef had demonstrated certain recipes. There, one was Frittata!
He gave the demo of it, obviously using’eggs and I being a non-eggetarian, was simply yawning during the process as I knew I would not be making it. Then, after he finished with it, he unlocked a secret by saying that it could be made without eggs too. And then my ears started fluttering and I just came back to paying attention to his words. He said, that vegetarians can make it using chickpea flour aka besan. Sounded interesting!
But I was sceptical if chickpea flour would set properly once baked? And if it sets, then would it not be hard? Anyways, I gave it a try and since then it’s a regular at my place.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Super-easy to make.
- A quick, just 5-minute recipe.
- Very delicious and flavorful recipe.
- Very healthy recipe.
- Can be served hot or at room temperature.
- Fits in breakfast, brunch, teatime as well as in dinner time.
- Perfect as a lunch-box dish too.
- Loaded with veggies.
- No leavening agents, like baking powder/soda or yeast is added.
- It’s vegan.
- It’s gluten-free.
- Can be made in a variety of flavours.
- A very free-style and versatile recipe
How To Make
- If you have been making Besan Chilla then half the recipe is known to you. The best thing is that nothing is fixed in this recipe, no measurements are there, no measuring cups are needed. I baked it in pie form but you can bake it in any glass or aluminium or steel pan. It can be round or square. A very free-style and versatile recipe.
- Simply make a batter using chickpea flour and water, just ensure that there are no lumps in it. Add salt, herbs and oil to the batter. Let it sit for 10 minutes at least. During this time, chop whatever veggies you wish to add to it. Like, I added onions, peppers, capsicum and spinach. Chop these very finely. I prefer chopping these in my food processor as the job is done in less than a minute and also, these are chopped very finely.
- Thereafter, mix in all the chopped veggies in the chickpea batter. You may add as many or as few veggies as you prefer. Though, I usually keep it slightly more than the chickpea flour. For example, if I take 1 cup flour then add 1.5 cups of veggies. But this is just a rough estimate.
- Put this batter in the greased pan or pie dish. And now bake this in the preheated oven for 3o to 35 minutes. You can do a skewer test but actually, it’s not needed. When you press it with your hands, you can feel whether it’s done or not. If set then this means that it is done. If not dried then bake a little more.
- Now just loosen the edges with a knife. Keep this pie tray on a container/vessel. Just ensure that it is slightly smaller in diameter than your pie dish. As soon as you place it on that container, the rim of the pie dish will be separated and you will be left with your pie.
FAQs
Q. Is Frittata a fermented food?
A. No! Frittata is not at all a fermented food. The batter is mixed up, rested for 5 to 10 minutes and then baked straightaway.
Q. Is Frittata crisp like a Pizza?
A. No! Frittata is not crisp. Infact, it is firm and soft just like a brownie (but savoury, not sweet).
Q. Is Frittata spongy like Dhokla?
A. No! Though the basic ingredients of Frittata are same as that of Dhokla but the former is not spongy. But it is soft and firm. As no leavening agents are used, it does not rise at all but gets its texture as it is cooked thoroughly.
Q. Is Besan Frittata same as Handvo?
A. No! Handvo is made from fermented batter whereas Frittata is made instantly and that too without any leavening agent.
Q. Can I bake frittata on gas stove?
A. Yes, you can bake it without oven on gas stove. But to get a crispy top, once baked, you need to put it in the oven on broil mode for 5 minutes in the last. You can check the recipe of how to bake in pressure cooker for this.
Step By Step Recipe
- Take chickpea flour in a bowl and mix in all the spices and herbs.
- Add water and make a smooth batter. Add little water at a time to avoid lumps.
- Keep the batter aside and chop the veggies.
- Put onion, tomato, capsicum and bell peppers in the food processor bowl and chop these very finely. I prefer the food processor as the chopping is done in less than 30 seconds and that too very finely. But you can chop in whatever way suits you.
- Mix the chopped veggies and spinach in the chickpea batter.
- Grease a pie dish or any baking pan. I used an 8” pie dish. You can go for same or even 7” would be fine.
- Pour the batter in it.
Tip: If using a pie dish then always hold it with both the hands and that too from the rim. If held with one hand, by keeping the fingers below the base then the base will lift and the batter will spill.
- You may arrange some veggies on the top but that’s totally optional.
- Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 35 minutes or till the top gets firm and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Put on broil mode (means only the top rod is ON) for the last 5 minutes. This is done so that the top layer gets crisp and golden brown.
- Take out, wait for 10 minutes.
- Loosen the edges of the baked frittata using a knife.
- To release the pie dish, keep it on a bowl or container that is smaller in size than the pie dish.
- As soon as you keep it, the base will remain on the bowl and the rim portion of the pie dish will get separated.
- Cut wedges.
- Serve with love, tomato ketchup optional.
Variations
You can make this frittata using the combination of your favourite herbs and veggies. Like, I added lots of veggies and Italian seasonings. The other possible variations you can try are:
- Indian style: Along with the veggies you can add spices like carom seeds (ajwain), asafoetida (jeera), red chilli powder etc.
- Palak Paneer Frittata: Add lots of chopped spinach and cottage cheese pieces. Use Tofu, if want it vegan.
- Cheese Frittata: Add grated cheese in the batter as well as on the top.
- Make Muffins style: You can bake this in muffin moulds and you will have Frittata muffins, no hassle of cutting. These are perfect to be packed in your little one’s lunch box too.
Some other continental vegetarian recipes for lunch or dinner are:
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Eggless Veggies Frittata
Equipment
- Microwave Convection
- Oven
Ingredients
My Cup measures 240 ml. (See Notes)
- 1.5 Cups Chickpea Flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Rock Salt (Kala Namak)
- 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Basil leaves
- 1 tsp Ginger-garlic Paste
- 1 Tbsp Oil
- 1.5 Cup Water
- 1.5 Cups Finely Chopped Veggies (Onions, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers)
- 1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Spinach
Instructions
- Take chickpea flour in a bowl and mix in all the spices and herbs.
- Add water and make a smooth batter. Add little water at a time to avoid lumps.
- Keep the batter aside and chop the veggies.
- Put onion, tomato, capsicum and bell peppers in the food processor bowl and chop these very finely. I prefer the food processor as the chopping is done in less than 30 seconds and that too very finely. But you can chop in whatever way suits you.
- Mix the chopped veggies and spinach in the chickpea batter.
- Grease a pie dish or any baking pan. I used an 8'' pie dish.
- Pour the batter in it.
- Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 35 minutes or till the top gets firm and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Put on broil mode (top rod ON) for the last 5 minutes. This is done so that the top layer gets crisp and golden brown.
- Take out, wait for 10 minutes.
- Loosen the edges of the baked frittata using a knife.
- To release the pie dish, keep it on a bowl or container that is smaller in size than the pie dish.
- As soon as you keep it, the base will remain on the bowl and the other part of the pie dish will get separated.
- Cut wedges.
- Serve with love, tomato ketchup optional.
Notes
- You can use any cup/bowl for measuring chickpea flour. Use the same cup to measure other ingredients, especially water.
- The quantity of water may vary a little depending upon the moisture in your veggies.
- Keep the batter thick initially as the veggies too have water. You may add more water later if the batter is too thick.
- Rock salt (Kala Namak) gives an eggy taste to the frittata.
- After mixing water into the chickpea flour, let the batter sit for 10 minutes at least.
- Feel free to add veggies of your choice.
- The quantity of veggies can be adjusted as per your taste and preference.
- The addition of oil makes the frittata moist as chickpea flour is very dry otherwise.
- Instead of oil, you can add 2 to 3 tablespoons of curd also, but then it will not be vegan.
- Do not make a very thick frittata, that is, do not put the batter in a smaller pan. This is because of two reasons.
- Firstly, it takes much longer to bake, and there is a possibility that remains uncooked from inside.
- Secondly, veggies settle at the bottom and thus the taste is affected.
- You can pour the batter into muffin molds and bake individually.
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Absolutely delicious!Thank you for sharing that tasty food recipe.
Glad you liked it.