Have you ever tried socca? This gluten-free chickpea flatbread hails from Nice, France, and it makes a delicious appetizer, side dish, or light meal.
When Jack and I visited Nice, France, I ate two things as much as I could: Niçoise salad and socca. If you’re not familiar with socca, it’s a savory chickpea pancake with crisp, golden brown edges and a moist interior. It’s popular throughout southern France and northern Italy, and once you try it, you’ll see why. Chickpea flour and olive oil give it a rich, nutty flavor, and its crispy edges are so tasty that you won’t be able to help reaching for a second slice.
Served plain, it makes a delicious appetizer, side dish, or snack, but with the right toppings, this easy socca recipe can pass as a main dish too. At this time of year, I love to pile it with a flavorful sauce, fresh herbs, and veggies and call it dinner.
Socca Recipe Ingredients
You only need 4 ingredients to make this simple socca recipe:
- Chickpea flour – This grain-free flour is made from finely ground dried chickpeas. Also called garbanzo bean flour or besan, it’s easy to find online, but many regular grocery stores carry it too. Look for it in the gluten-free section or baking aisle of your store!
- Water – It mixes with the chickpea flour to create a pancake-like batter.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – It adds richness and depth of flavor.
- Sea salt – It gives the socca a yummy savory flavor and highlights the chickpeas’ earthy, nutty taste.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
When you’re ready to cook, whisk together the chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt.
The socca batter should be smooth, so whisk until there aren’t any lumps. Then, set it aside to soak for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475 with a 10-inch cast-iron pan inside it.
When the batter’s ready, remove the pan from the oven (careful, it’ll be hot!), and brush it with 3/4 tablespoons of oil. Pour in the batter, and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the socca is well-browned and crisp around the edges.
Allow the socca to cool slightly before you use a spatula to remove it from the skillet. Then, dig in while it’s still hot!
Socca Recipe Tips
- Don’t forget to preheat the pan. It’s essential that your skillet is hot when you add the socca batter, so put your pan in the oven as soon as you turn it on. If your skillet is too cool, the socca will stick to it, and the edges and bottom won’t crisp up as they bake.
- Don’t cut the soaking time short. Chickpea flour takes longer to hydrate than wheat flour does, so giving the batter time to soak is crucial for making a moist, cohesive flatbread. Let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours before you cook it.
- Eat it right away. Socca is best hot from the oven, when the edges are still nice and crisp. If you have leftovers, store them at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze them for longer storage. Reheat them on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven until the edges become crisp again.
Serving Suggestions
The rich, crispy socca is fantastic plain, but it’s even better with toppings or dips. Have fun experimenting with different ways to dress it up! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Top it with a drizzle of olive oil and za’atar for an easy, flavorful appetizer.
- Shower it with grated Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Slather it with labneh, hummus, baba ganoush, or tzatziki.
- Drizzle it with green goddess dressing, tahini sauce, pesto, or vegan pesto. Then, layer on thinly sliced beets or radishes and fresh herbs to make a light, refreshing meal or snack. Pickled red onions would be great here too.
- Use it as a gluten-free alternative to regular pizza crust. Top it with your favorite fixings, or make a socca pizza recipe! I love this Falafel Flatbread and the Spring-On-A-Plate Socca Flatbread on page 153 of Love and Lemons Every Day.
Serve this socca recipe as an appetizer for pasta, polenta, or your favorite protein, or make it the main event! It’d be delicious with my Greek salad, Caprese salad, strawberry salad, or grilled vegetables on the side.
I also love using plain socca to scoop up shakshuka, baked feta, charred cherry tomatoes, and grilled zucchini with lemony yogurt.
How do you like to eat socca? Let me know in the comments!
Socca Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1 cup water
- 1¾ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475°F with a 10-inch cast-iron skillet inside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour, water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and whisk until smooth. Cover and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
- Using a potholder, remove the preheated skillet from the oven and add the remaining ¾ tablespoon olive oil, brushing to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until the socca is well-browned and crisp around the edges. Do not underbake - the crispier the better. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and then use a spatula to loosen and transfer the socca from the skillet to a serving plate.
- Enjoy as a flatbread served with suggested spices, herbs, dips and/or toppings listed in the post above.
I didn’t have the proper skillet so I used a Dutch oven and it worked fine. The socca is very good (my first time having it!) I added red pepper flakes, taziki, and fresh basil. Without toppings it’s not as good
The first time I coated mine with a bunch of chopped up Kalamata olives on half and pesto on the other half. Both were great.
Tonight I’ll try something else yet to be determined. Maybe a bunch of fresh oregano and basil before it freezes out.
sounds delish, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
could i pour this on a seasoned and hot pizza stone to cook? i don’t have a cast iron skillet.
Hi Deb, no the batter is too thin for that.
what can i do if i don’t have an iron skillet?
I’m sorry, this recipe requires a cast iron skillet.
Really wanted to make this, but am now following the blood tupe diet, and Chickpeas are on my avoid list, as well as all things corn. Can I substitute another flour? Like Millet?
Hi Linda, I don’t think another flour would be a 1:1 swap.
Would love to try this but don’t have cast iron. Would a preheated stovetop non-stick griddle work? I could flip it halfway, like a flat bread. What do you think?
Hi Bunny, this one requires a cast iron skillet. I don’t know if it would flip halfway without falling apart, the batter isn’t thick like regular pancake batter. It might work with less batter, but I can’t say for sure without testing it.
Made this earlier for lunch and it was fantastic. I put white mushrooms and and spinach with Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute. So tasty..making this my “pizza”. Cannot have fresh tomato and based sauce because it causes my GERD to flare up
Thank you for sharing this!
I made this last night to go with some leftover groundnut stew. It was so yummy dipped into the stew. I can’t wait to explore some of the other ways to dress it up. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Lorraine, I’m so glad you loved the socca!
if using a pizza crust alternative, would you bake fully then add pizza toppings?
I love socca and always looking for recipes! Thank you for posting!
Hi Danielle, yes, bake it fully first. It starts out as batter vs. a workable dough, so it’s important to cook it first. I’d take it out when the middle is set (about 17 mins) but before the edges get too brown so that they’ll continue browning as you bake it longer with the toppings. Hope that helps!
How long can you let it rest? Overnight? Should it go in the refrigerator! Can’t wait to try it but not feeling like getting the kitchen hot tonight..
Hi Angie, up to 12 hours – store it in the fridge if you’re going to go that long. If you’re going to make it within a couple of hours, you can let it sit at room temp. Hope that helps!
I’ve been making this with rosemary and also sprinkling in Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning. I tried to make a spicy one with smoked paprika and chili pepper flakes but I couldn’t taste any of it. If I try that again, I’ll be heavier-handed with the pepper flakes. Finally, I’ve been known to smear a piece with honey and call it “dessert!”
Hi Betty, ooh thanks for the flavor combo ideas!
Hello!
I have a small 5X8 inch cast iron pan! Would that work for this if I just did multiple batches?
Hi Leah – yep, that should work! I’d do 2 batches. Just be sure to wipe out the skillet and then preheat it again in the oven for a bit so it starts off hot for the second batch.
Is there a substitution for the oil or can I just leave it out? Will I get similar results?
Hi Joyce, I think the batter would stick to the pan and also be pretty dry, so I’d definitely recommend using the oil.
I have to bring chickpea flour because I can’t stop myself from making this delicious socca recipe.
I don’t have a cast iron pan, can I use a
10” cake pan?
Hi Carm, I’m sorry, this one really requires a cast iron pan in order for it to cook properly. A 12-inch cast iron pan will work too.
Hi, I have just made Socca in small non-stick shallow pie tins in my air fryer at 200c for approx. 8 mins cooking time. Put a knob of ghee in the pans first then pre heated pans. Pour in the mix as thin or as thick as you like then cook until done. No expensive oven to put on wasting time and money. Chuffed with the results, small individual “biscuits” of Socca ready to eat or keep.
Thanks for this. I’ve been searching for a better gluten-free pizza base than those made with tapioca / rice / maise flour. I also like the air fryer technique to save time (even though the pizza will go in a standard oven)
In all the pix, except the one in the frying pan,
there appear to be herbs or something in or one the socca. Are they added before or after baking?
They’re all added after baking – see the serving suggestions listed in the post. You can sprinkle with herbs, spices, or drizzle with sauce after the socca is cooked.
Is the texture of socca supposed to kind of resemble cornbread then? I’ve made them kind of like crepes and then kind of like cornbread, trying to figure out how they’re supposed to be. Regardless, the flavor is bomb!
Thinner than cornbread – I’d say they’re more like a flatbread, not quite as thin as thin as a crepe.
and king of crumbly, right? Not really flexible like a tortilla.
it’s not flexible like a tortilla
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