Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes

These pancakes are made with coconut flour and they are fluffy - which is a bit harder to achieve when using almond flour (what I usually bake with). There are many virtues to coconut flour, but more importantly, the test for really good pancakes is the fluff factor, and these deliver the fluff.

Update I've expanded my fluffy pancake recipe.

I purchase coconut flour here, and it is organic too. Life is good sometimes. These folks offer an amazing array of great food and baking supplies. 

So, what's your favorite topping on pancakes? The latest around here is grade A medium amber pure maple syrup (Costco has it if you're a Costco shopper - I think it's the Kirkland brand usually). Another favorite is cinnamon and muscovado unrefined sugar (yes, I keep this sugar in the house for special occasions - you can read about it here). And, if you have any chocoholics in the house, you can make a chocolate chip sandwich out of two pancakes and some chocolate chips.

This recipe makes about 5 to 6 medium-size pancakes.

Update on 12/6/09 The best way to insure fluffy pancakes is to separate the egg whites, whip them until you have fairly stiff peaks, and then blend the egg whites back into the batter.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs or 4 small eggs
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil (or your oil of choice)
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of coconut flour
• fresh or frozen blueberries (optional)

Preparation

1. In a bowl, add all the wet ingredients and whisk together until well blended.
2. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and whisk mixture again until well blended and frothy - this will get them even fluffier!
3. Add additional olive oil or butter to a frying pan on medium to low heat and let warm for a few minutes. Next, pour the batter into small circles in the frying pan without letting the edges of each circle touch. Keep the heat fairly low and let the pancakes heat up slowly and rise - about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Wait until there are several bubbles appearing on top of the pancake circles and the edges are cooked, and then flip each pancake to cook the other side. This will not take long, so watch them carefully, and then move the pancakes onto another plate. Continue this until all the batter is gone.
5. Enjoy!

Comments

[Emilia]

Those look delicious, everything on your blog actually looks delicious :)

I have been eating coconut flour pancakes everyday for the past month now, they just taste so good with strawberry jam and whipped cream.

[Erica]

Thanks!

I want to try your Tamarind ice cream with coconut milk...

[Ellen]

Hello, I tried this recipe and I think you mean baking powder, not soda. Mine came out very soda-y.
Just thought I'd let you know!

[Erica]

Hi Ellen,

I avoid using baking powder because it has starch additives. Feel free to substitute baking powder for baking soda - I haven't done it yet, but I'm pretty sure it would work just fine.

Another option is to reduce the amount of baking soda to 1/4 teaspoon (or none), and then really whip up the batter to add air bubbles to it so it is fluffier without the use of a rising agent (like baking soda or bakign powder). Thanks for the feedback!

[Del]

Erica,

You can make your own baking powder by using cream of tartar. You mix 2 parts cream of tartar with 1 part baking soda. Then, you can use the measure of the combined mixture that the recipe calls for. I too go starch free, due to AS, and had read about this on other sites.

I did this just the other day, and the pancakes came out fine, although I thought that just the soda worked well too.

[Erica]

Great to know about this combination! Thanks, Del.

[Kelley]

Hi,
I tried to make these and they are paper thin, any suggestions? Do I need to use beaters instead of just a whisk? Thanks for your help, mine look nothing like the picture and the picture looks so good! :)

[Erica]

Hi Kelley,

Sometimes mine come out thin as well. Yes, try beating the eggs or the entire batter. Also, maybe a pinch more baking soda (or if you use baking powder, I think that might help as well).

[Tara Belland]

Do they taste really coconuty? i tried making rolls tonight with almond "flour" (it was pretty course) and they were barely edible. They were very course and mealy and erm... felt like sand in my mouth.

Sigh... this grain free baking is obviously going to be a learning curve,

[Erica]

Hi Tara,

They don't have much coconut flavor at all, oddly.

Regarding the rolls, did you use almond meal or blanched, ground almond flour? Big difference, especially for some of the "bread" recipes.

See this post for more explanation: http://www.comfybelly.com/2009/01/the-scoop-on-almond-flour.html.

[Kelly]

Mmmmm. I am going to try these tomorrow morning! Regarding the baking powder: my daughter is allergic to corn, so I found that Bakewell produces starch free versions of their double acting baking powder and the Bakewell Cream. I special ordered it and use it for all my baking now. I love coconut flour!

(My own personal opinion about almond flour/meal - Bob's Redmill is the coarsest grind there is and stinks for baking! Honeyville Farms produces a great fine milled almond flour that is fabulous for baking.)

[Erica]

Thanks, Kelly. Great tip on the Bakewell Baking Powder! Where do you order from online?

[Kelly]

I got mine from newenglandcupboard.com but I know there are other sites too like yankeeharvest.com that also carry it. I found it by googling starch free baking powder and just went through the first site I found. I think this was the only double acting starch free powder, the others I saw were just single acting which means timing is more important in the recipe. I wonder if a grocery store like Whole Foods would special order it for you... they are adding in a specific allergy section in our local store right now which will include corn free options. Pretty cool.

[Erica]

Thanks for listing your sources. I didn't know about the "double-acting" effect so thanks for that tip as well!

[Kathy]

I like to try making coconut pancakes but I am allergic to eggs. What should I replace them with?

[Erica]

Kathy, good question - I don't know though. I am aware that there is a powder egg replacement, but I don't know if it works well. The eggs work as a binder, so maybe some kind of replacement binder?

[marisa]

I've used 1 T ground flax seed mixed with 3 T water and set aside for a few minutes to thicken which replace one egg, and it's worked fine. Love the recipes!

[Erica]

I've been experimenting a bit with this recipe, and the best way to insure fluffy pancakes is to separate the egg whites and beat them until fairly stiff peaks form. Then blend the egg whites back into the batter.

[Shannon]

There seems to be a dearth of liquid - are the eggs and one teaspoon olive oil really the only liquid? What about some coconut milk?

[Erica]

Hi Shannon - I actually have the opposite experience - a bit runny. In any case, you can certainly add some coconut milk to the recipe. But check your other measurements as well - maybe you're adding too much of something else?

[Kay Lynne]

I just tried the coconut pancakes, I also ended uo with a dense pancake that did not cook all the way through. And even tho I only used 3 large eggs, it was very "eggy" tasting? Other than adjusting the amount of flour, do you have anyother suggestions?

p.s. love your site!

mahalo from hawaii!!!

[Erica]

Thanks Kay! I'm quite baffled at the array of results - too thin to too thick. I'm not sure what else to say except to try adjusting ingredients and double-check the measurements. This pancake is a bit more runny and thinner than a regular pancake. Yes, it can be a bit eggy too - it does call for a higher ratio of eggs than a normal batter. Also, try the pancake 2.0 recipe.

[Jane Daniel]

I tried these pancakes but I found that by adding just 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the recipe it made them really fluffy. I love coconut flour! It has saved my life. That and xylitol (unable to have any sugars at all).
Anyway, the pancakes are to die for. I sent the recipe to my daughter who also suffers from my affliction [no sugars, no starches, no bovine dairy ... except butter (thank God) and whipping cream]. Thanks for the wonderful recipes. Life is good.
jane

[Triple Beam Scales]

I am new to gluten free cooking, and I didn't even know about coconut flour! These turned out perfectly! I was so happy I froze a bunch and now my daughter eats them in the morning during the weekdays. Thanks so much for this delicious recipe.
-Sylvia