Pulses are key sources of protein that are linked to sustainable food systems; however, the presence of anti-nutrients and off-flavors limit their widespread applications. Here, we used Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (ATCC 533) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (ATCC 356) to ferment whole chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) over a 9 h period and assessed the impact of this pre-treatment on the nutritional and physicochemical properties and flavour profiles of the flour samples generated. The impact of lipoxygenase (LOX) and lipase activities on their ‘beany’ off-flavour profiles was also evaluated. Fermented samples registered significantly (p< 0.05) higher water holding capacities and water absorption indices, but no differences in protein and fat contents or lipase activity were observed. In terms of the amino acid composition, compared to the unfermented samples, there was a also significant reduction (p< 0.05) in the relative abundance of all of the beany flavour markers; however, this varied across different fermentation times. In three of the five markers (2,4-Decadienal (~42%), 2,4-Nonadienal (~36.4%) and 2-Pentylfuran (~40%), the greatest reduction in the relative abundance values was observed after fermenting for 5 h. Conversely, the greatest decreases in the relative abundance of 1-hexanol and hexanal were observed at T0 and T30 min, respectively. The decrease in beany off-flavours was attributed to the positive correlation with LOX activity, and the strongest association was with 2,4-Decadienal (0.7). A panel of thirty panelists also rated their overall liking of the plant-based cheese formulations made with the fermented chickpea flours, and the appearance and flavour received average scores of 7.0 and 6.5, respectively, on a 9-point scale. Overall, fermentation can be used to modify the nutritional and functional properties and beany off-flavours of chickpea flours, which in turn can improve the quality and consumer acceptability of these ingredients and the plant-based cheese formulations developed.