Crispy Mini Chickpea Flour Crust Pizzas (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Options)

Our Nourished Kitchen
Jun 3
3 min read

Updated: 14 hours ago

These Crispy Mini Chickpea Flour Crust Pizzas are an amazing gluten-free pizza option. They are made from a savory garlic-rosemary chickpea batter, then flash-baked at 500°F for a super crispy crust. In our family, we love up a variety of toppings. My kids love marinara sauce and mozzerella cheese and my husband adds roasted peppers, chicken, and olives.

This pizza crust base is known as "socca." Traditionally the batter is made with water, but I prefer using bone broth and seasoning it with garlic and rosemary. This adds a delicious and savory flavor to the crust (if you are vegan/vegetarian you can totally sub out the bone broth for vegetable broth).

As I don't consume dairy, but still LOVE the chickpea crust, I eat mine with our Fresh Dairy-Free Basil Pesto with Toasted Pine Nuts, veggies, and chicken. You can absolutely add shredded non-dairy cheese if you prefer. The crust turns out so crispy and delicious, you can really put ANYTHING on top!

Before diving into the recipe, let's explore exactly what socca is and the history behind this Mediterranean classic

What is Socca? Originating as a popular, late-1800s working-class snack in southern France, socca is a chickpea-flour crêpe traditionally cooked on copper plaques in wood-fired ovens. Still, street vendors in Nice continue to serve this blistered, savory pancake, often consumed in open-air markets. Read the full story at James Beard Foundation.

How to make these Crispy Mini Chickpea Flour Crust Pizzas (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Options)

Start out by making the batter for the crust. Keep in mind, this batter must sit for at least 30 minutes. This provides enough time for the bone broth to hydrate the chickpea flour.

Combine your dry ingredients: chickpea flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh rosemary. Whisk in the bone broth and olive oil then sit for 30 minutes.

While the batter is hydrating, prepare the topping, sauté the peppers and chop up the chicken, (Our versatile Zesty Herb Meal Prep Chicken Recipe goes perfectly on these mini soccas).

Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C). This is very hot but so important to get a super crispy crust.

Put a small pool of olive oil into 24 cups of your muffin tins (approximately 1 tsp of oil in each). Heat the tin in the oven with the oil for 3 to 5 minutes until the oil is hot and just on the verge of smoking. You want it to be very hot and it will spread out at the bottom of the tins!

Carefully pull the tins out, fill each cup with 1 tablespoon of batter, and bake for 8-10 minutes. The sides should look golden and start to pull up and the centers should no longer be wet.

Reduce your temperature to 425°F (220°C). Remove the Soccas and turn them out on a flat baking sheet lined with parchment. Add your toppings then pop the baking sheet back into the oven for 15-18 minutes until the toppings are sizzling, the cheeses are completely melted (if you added cheese), and the crusts are crispy and brown.

My kids love the cheese and marinara sauce, my husband loves them loaded with all toppings, and I prefer them with pesto, chicken, and veggies (no cheese).