These simple lentil flatbreads have just four ingredients. Made out of split red lentils, they're gluten free, vegan and couldn't be easier to make!
We're kinda low on flour right now, so we had a play round in the kitchen to see if we could come up with some tasty flourless flatbreads.
And we're so pleased with the result - we'll for sure keep on making these even when we do have flour again!
We think you'll love how easy these red lentil flatbreads are to make:
- They’re gluten free and vegan
- They’re protein rich
- And there’s no flour, no yeast and no baking powder needed!
There’s just four ingredients:
- Red lentils
- Water
- Curry powder
- And salt
The curry powder and salt are optional, but they make things just a bit more yummy!
The process is simple: just mix all the ingredients together, leave to rest for one hour, then blend together into a thick batter. Then cook them in a pan on both sides. It’s that simple!
STEP 2 - Soak for 1 hour
STEP 3 - Blend until you have a very thick batter
STEP 4 - Cook on both sides in a non stick pan or oiled skillet
What's the texture like?
The texture of these red lentil flatbreads is a bit like a firm pancake crossed with a naan bread. They've got a slightly crispy crust when they are fresh.
The most important thing when making these flatbreads is to blend well, so the lentils are well broken down. If your blender is not so powerful and doesn’t puree the lentils the first time you blend, then let the batter soak for another 15 mins, and blend again.
The resulting batter should be relatively smooth and thick enough to hold it’s shape, but still fluid.
Serve them
These flatbreads are best eaten when they’re freshly made, but you can also heat them up again in a pan or a toaster.
We like to eat them with some mango chutney and a yummy vegan curry. Especially our Apple Curry!
More tasty lentil recipes
We really love red lentils, we eat this Red Lentil Dal almost every week, and we even served it at our wedding!
We also love this satisfying one-pot Potato and Lentil Dahl with Spinach. It’s got a secret ingredient you might not expect!
Hope you enjoy these flatbreads!
Sophie & Paul
Red Lentil Flatbreads
Ingredients
- 1 cup (180 g) red lentils
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) water
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl or directly in your blender
- Leave to soak for 1 hour
- Blend the mixture (don't drain it) until you have a thick batter. The batter should be like very thick pancake batter and relatively smooth (a bit grainy is normal). If your blender isn't very powerful and the lentils are not well blended, then rest for another 15 minutes and blend again.
- Heat up a non stick frying pan or seasoned cast iron skillet with a small amount of oil in
- For each flatbread, spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of batter into your pan. Cook on medium high heat for 1-2 minutes until the surface has some bubbles. Then flip with a spatula, and cook for 1-2 minutes more until lightly brown on the underside and cooked all the way through.
- Continue until you've cooked all your flatbreads. You can keep the flatbreads warm by stacking them on a plate and covering with a tea towel.
Claudia says
Hello! I am Claudia from Italy 🙂 I hope you are doing well! Could you please tell me if the lentils have to be cooked or raw? I suppose they have to be raw, since they are left to soak, but I want to make sure. Thanks!
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Claudia! Yes the lentils are raw to start with, after soaking they swell up and become softer so you can blend them. Then they get cooked in the pan.
Greetings from the UK and lots of love to Italy! Sophie 🙂
Gaynelle Samuel says
Made the flatbreads today to have with some homemade red pepper houmous, and popped the rest in the freezer. Easy to make and delicious - will definitely be using this recipe again.
Sophie and Paul says
Thanks so much Gaynelle! We're delighted you enjoyed the recipe and will be using it again 🙂 The flatbreads with red pepper hummus sounds like a great combination! Sophie
Eafletcher says
I basically hate legumes with the exceptions of garbanzo beans and split green peas, which I love. Not liking most Indian spices I thought out of the box. I tried this flatbread recipe and was astonished to find I liked it with - now don’t gag- tofu and vegan BBQ sauce although the ones with pumpkin pie spice eaten with fruit were also quite good. Plain with molasses was my favorite, sort of like eating a cookie. Anyway, thanks for adding one more legume to my vegan repertoire.
Sophie and Paul says
That's awesome - we're so happy we helped you find a way to enjoy red lentils!
Morgan says
Would split red lentils work?
Sophie and Paul says
Split red lentils are perfect for making the flatbreads! Best wishes
T says
So glad I found you guys! Your recipes and pictures are amazing! Can't wait to try this one 🙂
Sophie and Paul says
Delighted to have you on board T. Happy cooking 🙂
Mike from Ontario says
Made these last night, and wow: colour me impressed! What really impressed me is the flexible texture and it’s gluten free and sooo easy to make. I can see so many possibilities with these. Thanks S&P!
Sophie and Paul says
You're so welcome Mike! Really happy to have shared the recipe with you 🙂 S&P
Silvana says
I've been making these for years, just wanted to give a note: You can't bake these in a cast iron pan! (I cook EVERYTHING in a cast iron pan, but i've had to buy a non-sticky-pan especially for these pancakes)
Sophie and Paul says
Hey Silvana, Thanks so much for your comment! We regularly make these red lentil flatbreads in a well seasoned, preheated and lightly oiled cast iron pan, and have no issues. But a non stick pancake pan that you just use for things like this is a great thing to have too!
Helen says
Hi,
My lentils are in the process of soaking. Cant wait to have this for lunch! Can I ask a qn..would it be possible to use flax egg with this mixture and spinach?
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Helen! Thanks for getting in touch. I'm not sure if I have understood your question correctly? Are you wanting to mix both the flax egg and spinach into the lentil mixture? I think you could add flax into the mix without effecting the flatbreads too much. With the spinach you'd probably want to blend it if you were adding it to the lentils, which is what we do when we make our vegan spinach pancakes. If the mixture gets too thick you can thin it down with some water of plant milk, alternatively if it's too thin then you could add some chickpea flour. I'm not sure how it would be without testing myself, but you could always just experiment with part of the mixture!