Chechebsa
Vegetarian
ጨጨብሳ · chechebsa
A thin griddled flatbread torn into pieces and tossed with spiced butter and berbere. A rich Ethiopian breakfast, served with yogurt and honey.
Chechebsa is an Ethiopian bread, ready in about 30 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, butter and berbere. It serves 3 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 3
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 453
Method
Step 1
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the flour, salt and water to a thick, smooth batter.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 2
Spread the batter in a hot, dry (or very lightly greased) frying pan to make 2–3 thick pancakes (kita), cooking each until browned on both sides.
- 12 min
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Step 3
Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in the pan over low heat with the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger and cardamom (opens in a new tab) for 2 minutes, then stir in the berbere (opens in a new tab).
- 3 min
- low heat
Step 4
Tear the kita into small pieces and toss in the spiced butter (opens in a new tab) until evenly coated and warmed through. Serve with yogurt (opens in a new tab) and honey (opens in a new tab).
- 2 min
- low heat
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Ethiopia · Well documentedAlso eaten in Eritrea; especially popular in Oromia.Also popular in EritreaMore food from Ethiopia
- Dish
- Breakfast · Brunch · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried, Toasted
- Taste
- buttery, spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWithout the optional extras: No added sugarWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Whole-food focused, No gluten ingredients, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free - Good for
- Budget-friendly
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour · Butter · Berbere · Garlic · Fresh ginger · Cardamom
- Techniques
- Toasting · Pan-frying · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)
Allergens
- Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter, yogurt
- Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
- Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
453 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 209 g · recipe makes 3
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 8%
- Carbohydrate 58%
- Fat 34%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 453 kcal | 217 kcal |
| Protein | 9.1 g | 4.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 65 g | 31.1 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 62.2 g | 29.8 g |
| Sugars | 0.4 g | 0.2 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 2.7 g | 1.3 g |
| Fat | 17.2 g | 8.2 g |
| Saturated fat | 10.4 g | 5 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 43 mg | 21 mg |
| Sodium | 746 mg | 357 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1.9 g | 0.9 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 129 mg
- Calcium
- 34 mg
- Iron
- 4.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 24 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 153 µg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 244 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: yogurt, honey.
- Berbere: Blended chili powder (FDC 171319) used as a stand-in; berbere is a chilli-based Ethiopian/Eritrean blend with fenugreek, coriander and warm spices and has a broadly similar profile.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Kita can be made ahead; tear and toss it in the spiced butter just before serving.
Common mistakes
- Burning the berbere — add it to the butter off high heat.
Storage
- Best eaten immediately.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Masalas in this recipe
Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.
Dry spice blend
Berbere spice blend
This recipe uses 1½ tsp (3.2 g for 3 servings).
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 10 min
Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.
Bake · about 20 min
Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.
- Start to finish: about 30 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
If something goes wrong
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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