This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Make your own Chickpea flour Tofu. 10 min Non soy tofu made with Chickpea flour or Besan / gram flour. Easy Homemade Burmese tofu. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Tofu Nut-free Recipe. Pin this post!  Jump to Recipe Â
Burmese (chickpea) tofu is made by cooking split pea flour or chickpea flour and water batter until it thickens and can set. One of the other methods is to soak the split chickpeas, blend and use that batter. I make my chickpea tofu with chickpea flour and with less liquid so it is a sturdier, and quick version of Burmese tofu. This recipe makes about 2.5 to 3 cups cubed tofu which can be stored for a few days refrigerated.
The tofu can also be made with Chickpea flour (which is ground garbanzo beans (white chickpeas), pure besan / gram flour (which is flour of brown chickpeas (kala chana) or split brown chickpeas (chana dal)), or mixed flour besan which can have 2 different types of chickpea / split pea flour, or yellow split pea flour. Each of the flours need different amounts of liquid. Besan (gram flour) is also ground finer than white chickpea flour. Because of these differences, chickpea flour generally makes a thicker batter and needs more water to achieve the similar consistency as besan batter if the recipe was written with besan. Besan will need less liquid to make an equally sturdy tofu as Chickpea flour tofu. The tofu recipe below made with any of the flours, without adjusting the recipe will still be usable wherever needed. Depending on the flour used, the resulting tofu cubes might be soft or firm. Use less water for firmer and more water for softer chickpea tofu.Â
Chickpea flour is mixed with water to form a smooth batter. The batter thickens into a thick custard like consistency which sets and can be easily sliced. I use these properties of chickpea flour in many recipes, like this nut-free Nacho cheese slice, these chickpea flour pasta noodles and more.Â
This recipe is adapted from the spiced chickpea tofu in my book. You can use it as a substitute for soy tofu in many recipes. It does well in curries, tossed in dressing, in wraps, salads, also makes a great morning scramble, or egg salad!, breaded tofu etc. It also sticks to the pan like regular tofu while stir frying, if your pan isnt good ;).Â
Made these Buffalo Tofu Wraps with Chickpea flour tofu tossed in buffalo hot sauce.Â
More chickpea flour recipes from the blog
- Chickpea flour Pancakes – Indian Chilla
- Veggies in Chickpea flour Sauce- Sindhi Kadhi
- Besan Burfi – Chickpea flour fudge with condensed non dairy milk
- Fluffy chickpea flour Omelet
This tofu might not absorb marinades as quickly. So I generally prefer to flavor the tofu itself while making it. Â Mix in herbs, spices and flavors into the batter before cooking it. That way the tofu is already infused with a profile depending on where you are using it. I usually add garam masala and cayenne when using in curries and some soy sauce and lemon when adding to asian fusion, some italian herb blend for other uses like a mashed up marinated tofu salad.Â
Blend the chickpea flour water and spices into a smooth batter. Cook over medium heat. the batter will start to get lumpy after a minute or so.
Keep stirring frequently. The batter will eventually thicken evenly and become custard like.Â
Cook for another 2 minutes so the chickpea flour is cooked through. You can taste the mix carefully at this point to ensure that the chickpea flour doesnt taste raw and adjust salt if needed. the mixture will also start to come away from the pan.Â
Transfer the custard to a parchment lined container. Cool for 10 minutes then refrigerate for about an hour.
Remove from parchment, cube and use.Â
Keep refrigerated for upto 4 days.Â
Chickpea Flour Tofu Recipe
Ingredients Â
- 1 cup chickpea flour/ garbanzo bean flour, , or if using besan, use 1 1/4 cup besan/ gram flour
- 1/2-3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric, optional, for color
- 1/4 tsp cumin or garam masala, optional
- 1 3/4 cup water
InstructionsÂ
- Grease a bread pan or line with parchment and keep ready. (9 by 5 rectangle or any similar rectangle or smaller square pan).
- In a bowl whisk all the ingredients under chickpea tofu until there are no lumps, or use a blender..(or you can add the ingredients directly to the pan and whisk to combine). I use a blender for quick and smooth batter.
- Pour the chickpea flour mixture into a deep saucepan. Cook over medium heat. Stir continuously. The mixture will start to get lumpy as the pan heats up (see video) and then thicken evenly and considerably. 4 to 5 mins.
- Once the mixture is evenly thick and stiff, keep cooking for another 2 minutes so the chickpea flour gets cooked through. Also tap the spoon or spatula to drop the mixture stuck to it to the pan. If the mixture is starting to brown, reduce the heat to medium low. You can taste test the mixture at this point carefully, to ensure that there is no raw chickpea flour flavor and adjust salt if needed.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan or parchment and even it out using a spatula or another parchment if needed. Let it cool, then refrigerate for atleast an hour to set.
- Remove the set slab from the pan. Slice into cubes. Store in an airtight container refrigerated for upto 4 days. The tofu can leak some moisture while it sits. drain and use.
Video
Notes
Add nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor or other herbs and flavors of choice.  To use in stir fries or curries: Crisp in a tsp of oil until golden on some edges. (see this recipe).  Nutrition is for 1 serve
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this recipe and taste tested as I was stirring it in the pot. It had a bitter aftertaste.
The bitter taste remained even after cooling the tofu.
I used besan.
What am I doing wrong?
You might need to cook it longer so it cooks through. Have you tried besan in things like besan pancakes or some other way and have you liked that flavor?
If it’s been more than 4 days but it still looks okay can I still ue it, is it bad/dangerous to use after that time?
4 days is ok in the fridge. it keeps leaking moisture, so check by smell or anything fuzzy , black or white on it.
Hi,
I followed this recipe and the texture was thick and lumpy by the time it had cooked that I couldn’t pour it in the tray. It felt like it needed more water, but was too late to add it I guess. What am I doing wrong? This is the second time I’ve tried a chickpea flour tofu recipe after eating it in Myanmar. I usually cook at home and would say that I can follow recipes so not sure what is going on here.
Hi Bel,
You can add more water in the beginning. The resulting tofu will be less firm tofu. the mixture does get lumpy quickly and cannot be poured like a batter into the storage container. You can just dump it there and press with a spatula to shape. since I use chickpea tofu in curries and other ways, I need a firmer tofu and this water ratio works best. If it cools down completely into whatever lump shape it was, you can still chop it up and use as tofu or make a scramble.
Can I use non dairy milk instead of water?
water works best. non dairy milk can add flavor and texture( as some milks thicken oddly)
Thanks for your reply Richa. I tried to make it again and the consistently was definitely better, but the texture still doesn’t seem right. It was a bit grainy and not as jelly/firm like. Even when I used less water, once set I was able to cut without it falling apart, but once I tossed it, then it did start to break a bit. I remember when I ate it in Myanmar it had the same texture as silky tofu and it sounds like you and others who make it have the same outcome. I’ve tried the different flours and different ratios of water, and it’s just still not right!
The traditional burmese tofu is made differently. It can be made with soaked split peas, combination of split peas, or chickpea or split pea flour/flours that have been soaked overnight. The cooking process might be slightly different as well, like boiling water and adding a thick batter into it or something else.
This is a quicker version. You can mix the batter and leave it overnight and then cook it to see if that makes a difference. What brand flour are you using?
I have tried the Mary’s Test Kitchen version of this and it was very watery and started leaking in the fridge, will I have to worry about that with this? Also, that recipe fell apart when I tried to brown it in a skillet, did anyone try sautéing this tofu, and if so did it hold together?
Hi Ashley, i checked Mary’s recipe and that will yield a softer tofu. This is a firm tofu and should not fall apart in tossing. This recipe has less liquid to make a firm tofu that holds well. Chickpea flour tofu (soft or firm) will leak some water as they sit. You can pat it down with a paper towel before use. For sauteeing, I would suggest using some kind of coating on the tofu like cornstarch, flour, breadcrumbs and spices.
Thanks so much for your advice, I’m really excited to try this!
one of my fav food iteam – chickpea made as a tofu ..wow
I’m cooking for 5 adults so I made this using 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill stone ground garbanzo bean flour and a carton of veggie broth(4 cups), garlic and onion powder, salt, white pepper, and cumin. It is Aaaaamazing!!! I hope it sets up as expected because I am hungry!
This recipe looks great! Do you think it could work with other legume flours, such as lentil, lupine, or cowpea flour?
Hi Lena, each bean/lentil flour is different in terms of thickening. Some might need less liquid and some more. Some might thicken but set more like a jello, some might never fully set and so on. You would have to try each and see how it works. I have used chickpea flour, chickpea + fave bean flour, gram flour, split pea + gram flour, and they all work. Hope this helps.
Richa
I finally made this – so easy and so good!
A friend on Facebook said that when you heat chickpea tofu, it gets softer – is this true? And if true, I wonder what I could put in the batter to prevent that. I have cornstarch and agar – does this sound feasible to you?
Thanks for this recipe – thanks for all of your recipes!
Liane
Thanks! It depends on how much liquid you put in the batter. More liquid with make a softer tofu, which will soften quicker on being heated. This recipe uses less water to make firm tofu and you can heat it in sitr fries and curries for 8 to 10 minutes. Longer heating time might soften it a bit. It also depends on how you use the tofu. If you bread the tofu( either of soft or firm) and bake, it holds it shape.
I just made it again and used only 1 1/2 c. of water, and it came out great much firmer. I love this stuff, even on its own. I just had some with rice – delicious!