Besan Chilla Recipe | Easy Gram Flour Pancake
Breakfast Recipes

Besan Chilla Recipe | Easy Gram Flour Pancake

Siddhi Ballal · June 26, 2026 · 4 min read
Jump to Recipe
Prep 10m
Cook 15m
Total 25m
Serves 2-3
Level Easy

Besan Chilla Recipe | Easy Gram Flour Pancake

Besan Chilla is an easy and tasty Indian breakfast recipe that is made with gram flour, onion, green chilli, spices and water. You cook it on a tawa like a thin pancake. Besan Chilla has a texture inside and it is slightly crisp on the edges.

Besan has a mild nutty flavour. It goes well with spices like turmeric and red chilli powder. When you add chopped onion and green chilli to Besan the taste is warm and comforting. It is also slightly spicy. You can mix the batter for Besan Chilla quickly.


What is Besan Chilla?

Besan Chilla is a tasty Indian pancake that is made mostly from besan, which is also called gram flour. People usually eat Besan Chilla for breakfast. They have it as a snack or sometimes they even have it for a light dinner. The good thing about Besan Chilla is that you do not have to wait for a time for the batter to be ready like you do with dosa or idli batter. You just mix all the things together make a batter and then you cook it on a tawa.


Why You’ll Like Besan Chilla Recipe

I really like this Besan Chilla Recipe because it is simple and easy to make. You do not have to be a cook to make it. The Besan Chilla Recipe is good for people who are just starting to cook.

The Besan Chilla Recipe is an option when you want to eat something that is not too heavy but will fill you up. The Besan in the Besan Chilla Recipe gives it a texture. The onion in the Besan Chilla Recipe adds a bit of sweetness and some crunch. The green chilli, in the Besan Chilla Recipe gives it a bit of heat the turmeric adds some colour and the red chilli powder makes the Besan Chilla Recipe taste better.


Preparation of Besan Chilla

To make a Besan Chilla you need to get the batter right. When you are mixing the batter add water a little at a time. This way you can avoid getting lumps in the batter. The Besan Chilla batter should be smooth and easy to pour. It should not be too thin.

If the Besan Chilla batter is medium thick it is easy to spread. It gives the Besan Chilla a good texture.

You should chop the onion and the green chilli into pieces so they mix well into the Besan Chilla batter. If the pieces are big it can be hard to spread the batter and the Besan Chilla might break when you flip it. Letting the Besan Chilla batter rest for a minutes is a good idea because it helps the besan absorb the water properly. This makes the Besan Chilla batter smoother.


Texture of Besan Chilla

A good Besan Chilla is soft inside. A little crispy on the outside with a nice golden colour. This makes it really nice to eat. When you put the batter on the tawa it should spread out evenly. Make a thin layer that cooks fast but still stays moist inside.

You should put an oil around the edges so that it cooks properly and does not stick. This also makes it taste better.


Serving Besan Chilla

Besan Chilla is best served hot straight from the tawa. It pairs wonderfully with green chutney, coconut chutney, tomato ketchup, curd, or pickle. It can also be enjoyed with a cup of tea as a light and comforting evening snack.

Besan Chilla Recipe | Easy Gram Flour Pancake
Serving of Besan Chilla

You can also try more ‘quick breakfast recipes’ for simple homemade morning meals

Besan Chilla Recipe | Easy Gram Flour Pancake
Snack
Prep
10m
Cook
15m
Total
25m
Servings
2-3
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

Tap to check off as you go

Method

  1. 1

    Take besan in a mixing bowl. Add chopped onion, green chilli, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and salt.

  2. 2

    Add water little by little and mix well. Make a smooth batter without lumps. The batter should be medium-thick and easy to spread.

  3. 3

    Heat a tawa on medium flame. Grease it lightly with a few drops of oil.

  4. 4

    Pour a ladleful of batter on the hot tawa and spread it gently like a pancake. Do not make it too thick.

  5. 5

    Add a little oil around the edges and let the chilla cook until the bottom side turns golden.

  6. 6

    Flip the chilla carefully and cook the other side until golden and fully cooked.

  7. 7

    Remove from the tawa and serve hot with chutney, ketchup, curd, or pickle.

Aaji's Tip

Avoid making the batter too thin, as it can make spreading difficult and affect the texture. A slightly thick batter gives better results and makes flipping easier. Always cook on medium flame to ensure even cooking.

Notes
If the chilla breaks while flipping, it usually means the batter is too thin. Add a little more besan to adjust the consistency. Also, lightly grease the tawa before spreading the batter and wait until one side is properly cooked before flipping.
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From the Kitchen of
Siddhi Ballal

Celebrating the coastal flavours and food heritage of the Konkan coast — one recipe at a time.

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