Chia chapati is an Indian flatbread made with 100% whole wheat flour and chia seeds. This is a fantastic option to include whole grains and superfoods into our daily menu. Chia seeds add a nice little crunch. While these chapatis will not be as soft and fluffy as phulkas, their texture and taste make them the perfect flatbread for wraps / frankies that you can use for weekly school lunches, picnics, or a day hike. They can also be used instead of a regular chapati/roti/phulka and paired with your favorite curry dishes. Let’s get to rolling…
WHAT YOU WILL NEED for CHIA CHAPATI
Ingredients
Note: 1 cup = 235 ml
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour + ¼ cup to dust the dough while rolling
- 2 Tbsp. chia seeds
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 – 1 ½ cups water (start with 1 cup and adjust based on the flour)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ cup ghee, melted – optional

Kitchen Tools
- Medium sized bowl
- Tea cloth or plate
- Rolling pin
- Cast iron flat griddle
- Flat flipper spatula or metal tongs
PREPARATION – CHIA CHAPATI (with step-by-step photos)
Step 1 – In a medium-sized bowl, mix together 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour, 2 Tbsp. chia seeds, and ¼ tsp. salt. Knead this to a soft dough with hands by adding water little by little. When the dough stops sticking to your hands and to the bowl, you know that it is at the right consistency. This will take about 3 minutes
Step 2 – Using your hands, coat the dough with 1 Tbsp. olive oil
Step 3 – Cover the dough with a tea cloth or place a plate on the bowl and allow it to rest for 1 hour. Resting the dough will yield soft chapatis

Chia needs more time to soften. So unlike regular rotis where ½ hour resting may be enough, you’ll need to double that time here
Step 4 – After the dough has rested, set a cast iron flat griddle on medium heat

Step 5 – Ensure you have a clean surface – approx. 15” x 15” in size – to roll the chapatis. Sprinkle that surface with a little dry flour and knead the dough for a minute. Then divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll each one into the shape of a ball. Press each ball slightly between your palms to flatten it
Step 6 – Dust each flattened dough patty with dry flour and use a rolling pin to make a flat chapati roughly 10 inches in diameter
Step 7 – Place the rolled out chapati on the hot griddle and cook for half a minute. When tiny bubbles appear, flip the chapati with a flat flipper spatula or a metal tong. Flip back and cook on both sides until well done
Adjust the heat every few minutes to avoid burning the chapati
Step 8 – Remove the cooked chapati from the griddle and place it on a paper towel or towel and repeat the process for the other dough patties. Coat the chapatis with a little melted ghee on both sides

Step 9 – Enjoy your sublime chia chapatis with your favorite side dish or make a delicious wrap 😋
Nuts and seeds should be part of your daily diet. My hubby and I love loading our homemade yogurt with chia seeds for a mid-morning snack. But it was a challenge to get my kids to savor them on a regular basis. I tried various ways to include chia into kid’s meals and when I looked at multigrain loaves of sliced bread, I figured I could probably include these in my Indian flatbreads. Thankfully, these chia seed chapatis were an instant hit with my little ones, and ever since, there has been no looking back. We roll our chapatis or laccha parathas with chia in them. During the morning rush, I have tried to make these chia seed chapatis without resting the dough and that results in hard and dry chapatis, so I recommend you don’t rush through that step when making these healthy chia chapatis😊
Chia Chapati
Course: BreadsCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy8
Chapatis1
hour5
minutes10
minutes1
hour15
minutesChia chapati is an Indian flatbread made with whole wheat flour and chia seeds. These whole grain chapatis are a healthy option to our daily menu.
Note: 1 cup = 235 ml
What You Will Need
- Ingredients
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour + ¼ cup to dust the dough while rolling
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
¼ tsp. salt
1 – 1 ½ cups water (start with 1 cup and adjust based on the flour)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup ghee, melted – optional
- Kitchen Tools
Medium sized bowl
Tea cloth or plate
Rolling pin
Cast iron flat griddle
Flat flipper spatula or metal tongs
Preparation
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour, 2 Tbsp. chia seeds, and ¼ tsp. salt. Knead this to a soft dough with hands by adding water little by little. When the dough stops sticking to your hands and to the bowl, you know that it is at the right consistency. This will take about 3 minutes
- Using your hands, coat the dough with 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- Cover the dough with a tea cloth or place a plate on the bowl and allow it to rest for 1 hour. Resting the dough will yield soft chapatis
Chia needs more time to soften. So unlike regular rotis where ½ hour resting may be enough, you’ll need to double that time here - After the dough has rested, set a cast iron flat griddle on medium heat
- Ensure you have a clean surface – approx. 15” x 15” in size – to roll the chapatis. Sprinkle that surface with a little dry flour and knead the dough for a minute. Then divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll each one into the shape of a ball. Press each ball slightly between your palms to flatten it
- Dust each flattened dough patty with dry flour and use a rolling pin to make a flat chapati roughly 10 inches in diameter
- Place the rolled-out chapati on the hot griddle and cook for half a minute. When tiny bubbles appear, flip the chapati with a flat flipper spatula or a metal tong. Flip back and cook on both sides until well done
Adjust the heat every few minutes to avoid burning the chapati - Remove the cooked chapati from the griddle and place it on the tea towel and repeat the process for the other dough patties. Coat the chapatis with a little melted ghee on both sides
- Enjoy your sublime chia chapatis with your favorite side dish or make a delicious wrap 😋
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Nutrition Facts
8 servings per container
Serving Size2g
Calories107
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Fat
10g
16%
- Saturated Fat 5g 25%
- Sodium 3mg 1%
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Carbohydrate
3g
1%
- Dietary Fiber 1.5g 6%
- Protein 1g 2%
- Vitamin A 6%
- Calcium 22%
- Iron 3%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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I am interested to know whether you happen to have micro nutrients’ information, especially for Carbohydrate, after mixing chia seed powder 2 Tbs with 2 and half cup of atta. My expectation is that carb per chapati will be less as fiber is added to atta.
So happy you asked this question, Partha. By adding 2 Tbsp. chia seeds to 2.5 cups of regular wheat flour (atta), fiber goes up from 1% to 5% DV, and calcium from 0% to 22% DV. No other significant changes.
Tried this today with 1:1 ratio of whole-wheat and Jowar flour. Yielded soft chapatis that went down well with all in the family including children who enjoyed the crunch of the Chia seeds, thanks for the idea Aparna !
Hey Aparna, I am so glad to hear that you loved this recipe. And thank you for sharing how you gave it a twist with Jowar flour. I am going to make it myself the next time!