Besan is also known as gram flour or chickpea flour, and is a staple ingredient in Indian cuisine. Besan is made from chana dal, or split Bengal gram, or brown/kaala chana, a chickpea. Chickpeas are legumes with a mild, nutty taste, and besan is gluten-free.

Besan can be used as a substitute for gluten-free flour in some recipes, but the recipe may need to be adjusted. The recipe may have more flavor and sweetener, and may take longer to bake to cook out the raw flavor.