This clean eating recipe for fluffy coconut flour pancakes makes a delicious breakfast treat that is gluten free, grain free and paleo friendly.
Dear sweet friends,
you have loved these fluffy coconut flour pancakes a LOT since I first posted them at the beginning of the year. I mean, of course! What's not to love about fluffy pancakes that are good for you - satisfyingly filling and won't crash your blood sugar levels an hour or two after breakfast.
All your pancake loving inspired me to create a whole new category for my Coconut Flour eCookbook. Yes, I was already in the process of writing a coconut flour recipe book, and now I added an entire coconut flour pancakes section for all you fellow breakfast lovers!
After a looong time of recipe testing, photographing and editing the book is finally ready for launch *happydance*
------->>>>>>Â My eBook is now available HERE! <<<<<---------
To celebrate the release I made you a video showing you exactly how to make these wonderful coconut flour pancakes (scroll to the bottom).
Enjoy! I am going to leave you with the original post and recipe below.
Original post from Jan. 16 2016
Coconut flour has to be my favorite alternative flour! My first experience with coconut flour were pumpkin spice muffins. They were so well received and are a very popular recipe on Leelalicious to this day, that I developed a few more coconut flour muffin recipes.
Next, I ventured on to coconut flour mug cakes. They are perfect! Within a matter of minutes I can satisfy my dessert cravings with a healthy treat that uses no refined ingredients. What's not to love about that.
Last fall, I went through a little obsession with fluffy whole wheat pancakes. During that time I received requests for coconut flour versions of those pancakes. I loved the idea!
However, we were already in Thailand and quite ironically, Â I couldn't find a single place that sells coconut flour here. No coconut flour in the land of coconut palms!
Fast forward to December, my sister was about to come visit us here in Thailand and asked for things that we were missing, so she could bring them for us from Canada. Yay! Of course I requested a BIG bag of coconut flour and I have been experimenting ever since.
I tried a number of coconut flour pancake recipes that I found online, but I wasn't completely happy with any of them. They either seemed overly eggy or gritty. So I set out to come up with my own recipe delicious and fluffy coconut flour pancakes.
Back in my coconut flour muffin experimenting days, I learnt one trick that resulted in a finer texture that was more similar to wheat muffins. The trick was to add some tapioca flour into the mix. Arrowroot powder works similarly, but here in Asia, tapioca is what I have access to.
From my research tapioca or arrowroot flour are:
- perfectly fine for a gluten free diet
- ok in moderation if you eat paleo
- but probably not great for a low carb/diabetic diet. In that case, you can still make the pancakes with only coconut flour - the texture will be a little more coarse. You'll also want to swap maple syrup for a low carb sweetener like monk fruit syrup.
Coconut flour, not unlike most other alternative flours, has its own specific temperament. It is incredibly thirsty (scientific term is hygroscopic). It absorbs a lot of liquid and expands in the process. That is why you only need ¼ cup of coconut flour for this recipe.
These fluffy coconut flour pancakes can also be difficult to flip. To ensure success, make them smaller than regular pancakes - only about 2 tablespoons of batter for 1 pancake. I also use 2 utensils for flipping, either 2 spatulas or a fork + a spatula, to avoid the pancakes falling apart in the process.
Serve the pancakes hot. (If you have any leftovers, they reheat well in the microwave.) Use your usual favorite pancake toppings. Fruit and maple syrup are my go-to. Unless you are avoiding dairy, a dollop of butter is also wonderful.
Whipped coconut cream also makes a great dairy-free pancake topping.
Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes (Grain Free)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- â…› cup tapioca flour or arrowroot powder, optional
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- ¼-1/2 cup coconut milk
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup optional*
Instructions
- Heat a lightly greased pan or griddle to medium-low.
- In a small bowl whisk together coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda and salt until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, coconut oil, â…› cup coconut milk and maple syrup. Add the dry mix and whisk until fully combined. Since there is no gluten in this recipe, you don't have to fear overmixing.
- Let the batter stand for 3-5 minutes. It will thicken as the coconut flour absorbs much of the liquid. The batter should be quite thick after resting. If, however, it seems dry and clumpy, add the remaining coconut milk 1 tablespoon at a time, until a thick batter forms.
- Drop 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake onto the preheated griddle or pan and spread the batter out a little. Cook for about 3 minutes before flipping carefully (I use 2 spatulas, or a spatula and fork). Then cook the other side for a couple more minutes.
- Keep a close eye on the pancakes, as they burn easily.
- Serve hot with toppings of choice (butter, whipped coconut cream, maple syrup etc.)
Notes
*To further reduce the carb count, omit arrowroot/tapioca. You can also omit the maple syrup or use a sugar-free sweetener alternative.
Nutrition
PRODUCTS USED FOR Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes:
  
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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support in making Leelalicious possible!
Sherry
Thank you for this recipe. I have made them three times and they were enjoyed by adults and childern, paleo eaters and non paleo. Sometimes I wish they didn't like them so I would have leftovers. I like that this recipe uses coconut flour, because it uses so little and it is way less expensive tha almond or other nut flours.
Regina
Wonderful to hear how everyone is enjoying these pancakes. I also love coconut flour for being so economical!
Megan Wulff
I would like to try make the coconut flour vanilla mug cake
Christina
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It's my new Sunday morning go-to pancake recipe! I didn't have maple syrup on hand, so I substituted honey. It was just fine, but I may "have" to try this recipe with maple syrup before next Sunday rolls around! Not sure I can wait that long. 😉
Regina
Thank you for your wonderful feedback Christina. We do honey on pancakes a lot, but there is nothing quite as satisfying as maple syrup on pancakes 🙂
Stefanie
I made the pancake mix, but it's extremely thick???? Is this what the consistency should be like?
Christina
All coconut flours differ...sometimes a lot. Don't be afraid to add more milk here, a little at a time. I had to add an additional 1/4 cup when I made these pancakes, and they turned out great! My flour comes from a bulk food store, so I'm unsure of the brand, but I've noticed I need more liquids in most of the recipes I try. I added milk to this recipe until the batter was the consistency of...hmmm...hot oatmeal fresh out of the microwave (thick but easy to spoon up and/or pour).
Regina
Very good observation, Christina! I agree that there can be quite the variance with coconut flours. So yes Stefanie, don't be afraid to add more liquid.
Luba
I have made 4 batches of these and they come out great using 2 TBSP of psyllium with 1/2C of water and let it sit for a few minutes to become egg-like. They come out great with every batch. Even my 21yr old daughter gives me a thumbs up for these...thank you for the great recipe. I use psyllium in everything even in the whipped coconut cream...just a tsp and it does the trick. No one sees it and no one knows that I used it...:)
Regina
Amazing!! I am so happy to hear you found a way to replace the eggs in this recipe. I get asked that question often, but nothing I've tried worked so far. I will have to find psyllium and will for sure recommend it to others!
Kelly
Made your pancakes today and love them! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Regina
Wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and share your feedback, Kelly!
Wendy
What about chia gel in place of eggs? 1 egg = 1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons water = about 1/4 cup gel
Regina
Hi Wendy, I have never tried to use chia egg replacement in coconut flour recipes (because they tend to be finicky). But please let me know if you end up trying.
Veronica
Finally I have found a gluten free pancake recipe that produces light, fluffy absolutely delicious pancakes! Thank you for this wonderful and very easy recipe. I used my homemade almond milk instead of coconut milk and added fresh blueberries into the mixture. They were so good and I will definitely be making these again!
Regina
Thanks for the awesome feedback Veronica! Blueberries in the batter sound wonderful
Dhai
Anyone try and make batter ahead of time? I am thinking about mixing it up before I go camping and use to use pour and make pancakes a day or so later.
Regina
Hi Dhai, I haven't tried making the batter ahead, but my guess is that it should work. There is no gluten that could over-develop etc. Maybe have a little extra coconut milk ready, in case the batter dries out a little.
Eva
Thanks for your reply Regina!
Eva
Hi! Would it be ok to use Almond flour? Thanks!
Regina
I am not sure. I don't think almond flour requires quite as much egg and liquid as coconut flour. I think you'd be better of with another pancake recipe specifically developed for almond flour. I wouldn't want you to waste any, since almind flour can be quite expensive.
Mindy
I thought they were great, I added a little sorghum four instead of the tapioca because that what I had around and almond milk in stead of coconut milk but still came out wonderful! Thanks for the recipe!
Regina
Great feedback Mindy! I've figured from other commenters that this seems to be one of those recipes that comes out well even with a number of substitutions 🙂
Katie
Yum! Best cocnut pancakes I've made to date. I had a splash of vanilla and pinch of cinnamon too! thanks for sharing
Regina
Thank you for the wonderful review Katie! SO happy you enjoyed the pancakes 😀
Alexanderia
Seriously, syrup makes all the difference in the world. And I think butter plays a fair hand in it as well! Lol, there is nothing I love more than maple syrup on top of some buttery pancake greatness... Waffles...omg. Help me.
Regina
I totally agree, I need maple syrup with my pancakes always!!
Tatum
This is now my go-to recipe for coconut pancakes! Finally, an easy recipe that uses coconut flour and they're SO GOOD! I have substituted the Tapioca Flour with Oat flour and/or Flax Meal, sometimes both, and get great results. I also use Almond Milk most of the time instead of coconut milk. Thank you!
Regina
Thank you for this wonderful comment Tatum! I am so happy to hear this has become your go-to recipe. And o good to hear about your substitutions that also work successfully.
Lauren
Disregard my previous comment, I just saw the recipe says you can use arrowroot flour. This recipe is great! I ended up adding the additional coconut milk, and it was perfect! Finding a gf pancake recipe that my daughter likes has been difficult, and she's scarfing down these, I'll have to make more! I yielded six 4" Pancakes 🙂
Regina
Wonderful! Thank you for your feedback Lauren. I am so happy to hear your daughter is enjoying these pancakes. In regards to your previous comment, I have never tried oat or rice flour since most of my readers interested in coconut flour recipes avoid grains altogether. But I would think that at least the brown rice flour might work, but I am happy to hear arrowroot did the trick for you 🙂
Lauren
Can substitute the tapioca flour for oat or brown rice flour? Would it work the same way, or should I look up conversions? I'm happy to have found a coconut flour recipe that uses coconut milk, as that's our choice of dairy alternative.
jacquee | i sugar coat it!
Planning to give these a go this weekend!!
Regina
Awesome! Would love to hear your feedback
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado
I love using coconut flour! Im a huge fan of the sweet taste and soft texture it adds in baking! Im super excited to make these fluffy pancakes, I might add some chocolate chips:)
Regina
Absolutely, add chocolate chips or whatever else your heart desires.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I need to play with my coconut flour more! Since I don't consume eggs, it can be tricky, but all the more fun to experiment!
Regina
Coconut flour without eggs is tricky indeed. I haven't found a way to make it work yet, but let me know if you do.
Luba
I use 2 TBSP of psyllium with 1/2 water for the eggs and works out great
Nico
Use ripe bananas
Lauren
This is where I've been failing! We're trying to substitute out eggs and it's been hard! Have you found anything that works?
Nico
Use ripe bananas