Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes

Grain-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly fluffy coconut flour pancakes recipe is for those who have multiple dietary restrictions and/or follow a paleo lifestyle. Everything you need to know about making the BEST coconut flour pancakes is right here!

I’ve been making coconut flour pancakes since circa 2011, back when finding coconut flour in grocery stores was like spotting a Sasquatch in the wild. In spite of how many times of made them, I simply never tire of them!

The pancakes turn out tasting rich, are moist, and have a fluffy texture. Ideal for a lazy Sunday morning!

So I’m here with my goof-proof, go-to recipe for fluffy coconut flour pancakes. 

For me, it’s the ultimate recipe that works every time!

The main ingredients for coconut flour pancakes are: coconut flour, tapioca flour (optional), eggs, full-fat canned coconut milk, coconut oil, and pure maple syrup.

All things considered, these coconut pancakes are grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly, and high in fiber.

If you follow a low carb or keto diet, make my Keto Pancakes.

Let’s chat about the simple ingredients for coconut flour pancakes, as each one serves an important role. The great news is most grocery stores now carry all of the ingredients.

Coconut Flour Pancakes Ingredients:

Coconut Flour: The main ingredient here in a coconut flour pancake recipe. Coconut flour is high in fiber and is a completely different ball of wax from all other flours. It absorbs three to 4 times the amount of liquid as any other flour, so it cannot be substituted for any other flour in a 1:1 replacement without making several changes.

Tapioca Flour: While I used to make this recipe without tapioca flour, I have found tapioca flour substantially elevates the texture. For this reason, I sincerely recommend it. If you don’t have it on hand, simply omit it and the pancakes will still be lovely, albeit a little crumbly.

Eggs: In addition to more liquid, the amount of eggs needed for coconut flour recipes is much higher than recipes made with all purpose flour. Without the use of many eggs, it is overly dense and doesn’t become fluffy.

For this reason, this recipe may look very odd to you, as there is a lot of eggs and milk with very little flour. Don’t panic, this is normal.

Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: I prefer using full-fat canned coconut milk because it adds natural sweetness and also brings fat to the recipe, which creates moist pancakes. I recommend sticking with the canned coconut milk for the best results rather than replacing it with any other milk.

Coconut Oil: In addition to coconut milk, melted coconut oil helps bring moisture and richness. It can be substituted for melted butter or avocado oil.

Pure Maple Syrup: Bringing a delightful sweetness to the recipe, pure maple syrup enhances the experience.

This recipe is one of the first pancake recipes I created when I did my long paleo stint a number of years ago. It was how I got my sweet tooth fix both at breakfast and snack time. While my diet no longer resembles anything close to paleo, I still love these coconut flour pancakes and appreciate their health benefits.

Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla brings warm flavor to the pancakes. Skip it if you don’t have it on hand.

Baking Soda and Sea Salt: We need baking soda for the leavening agent and a pinch of salt to enhance the flavors.

Now that we have the basic ingredients covered, let’s make a batch of healthy pancakes!

How to Make Coconut Flour Pancakes:

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the wet ingredients until well combined.

Stir in the dry ingredients until a thick smooth batter forms.

Heat coconut oil, cooking spray, avocado oil, or butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Wait several minutes for the skillet to heat up all the way.

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure a scant 1/4 cup of batter. Carefully pour it onto the hot skillet and repeat for as many pancakes as will fit on the skillet. 

Allow the batter to sit for 4-5 minutes, or until it appears as though the edges have firmed up. This is much more time than traditional pancakes made with regular flour. 

Carefully flip and cook pancakes for another 4-5 minutes or until pancakes are cooked through. Repeat this process for the remaining batter.

Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Troubleshooting:

• If at any point the pancakes become too dark, decrease the heat to medium-low heat. If the pancakes aren’t becoming golden brown, increase the heat slightly.
• Depending on the type of coconut flour and coconut milk you use, as well as the elevation you cook at, you may need to change the measurements slightly to get a batter that works.

I have an arsenal of tips, tricks, suggestions, and adaptations to share with you. So without further delay, here are my..

Tips & Tricks:

1. The pancake batter is thick – This is normal. After preparing the batter and allowing it to sit, do a trial run by cooking one pancake. If it turns out too dry or crumbly, add a small amount of coconut milk. If the pancake won’t flip after several minutes of cooking without turning into a scramble, add a small amount of more coconut flour. Note that a tiny bit of coconut flour goes a long way!
2. Patience, grasshopper – These pancakes take much longer to prepare than regular pancakes. You’ll want to allow the batter to sit for about 10 minutes after preparing it, and the cook time on these is about 10 minutes per pancake. To make the process quicker, break out your large pancake griddle or multiple non-stick skillets in order to fire a bunch out at one time.
3. Use plenty of oil – Be sure to keep your skillet/griddle well-lubed, as the batter has a tendency to stick. You can add a small amount of coconut oil (or any cooking oil of choice) to the skillet between batches.
4. While cooking the pancakes, little or no bubbles will rise to the top, unlike other pancakes. Don’t be alarmed- this is normal. You’ll know the pancake is ready to flip when the sides firm up and you can get the spatula underneath the pancake easily without it spreading. In this sense, remember these pancakes do require a substantial amount of time to cook properly.

Looking for ways you can customize this recipe? Here are some helpful hints.

Recipe Adaptations:

1. Almond milk can be used in place of coconut milk, but the texture won’t be quite as moist or fluffy and the pancakes will crumble slightly. 
2. You can halve the recipe if you’re making pancakes for 2, or make the whole batch and enjoy the pancakes as a snack or breakfast during the week. Also check out my Blueberry Coconut Flour Pancakes for One if you’re cooking for just your onesie.
3. Note that the tapioca flour in this recipe is optional. I always use tapioca flour in my grain-free recipes, because it helps with binding and fluffing. Don’t have tapioca flour on hand? There’s no need to make an extra trip to the store; however, a fluffy pancake
4. tapioca flour. When omitting the tapioca flour, reduce the amount of coconut milk to 2/3 cup and add 1 tsp baking powder.
5. There is no easy replacement for the actual coconut flour in this recipe. The recipe itself is very specific to coconut flour, so please do not try to replicate the recipe using any other flour. If you’re looking for pancake recipes using other flours, I encourage you to check out my Almond Flour Pancakes recipe, or have a look at my whole kit and caboodle of pancakes recipes.

Looking for creative ways of topping your delicious pancakes? Here are some of my favorites.

Best Pancake Toppings:

• Homemade blueberry syrup/compote (or any fresh fruit compote for that matter)
• Almond butter + maple syrup or chocolate chips
• Butter + maple syrup
• Greek yogurt and fresh fruit.

You can get ultra creative with your toppings as well as the flavors you add to the batter itself.

Make a big batch to have leftover pancakes on hand for weekday breakfasts.

If you fall in love with these coconut flour fluffy pancakes, also try my Lemon Poppy Seed Coconut Flour Pancakes, Fluffy Apple Walnut Pancakes, Lemon Ricotta Coconut Flour Pancakes, and Coconut Flour Zucchini Pancakes. Plus, I have a whole kit and caboodle of pancakes made with all sorts of other grain-free flours.

Questions? Comments? Results? Let me know! Enjoy your stack of coconut flour pancakes!

Basic Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes

4.88 from 8 votes

Grain-free pancakes made with coconut flour are dairy-free and paleo friendly

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 9 Pancakes

Equipment

• Large 12-inch Skillet
• Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk*
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour*
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Pinch sea salt

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, followed by the dry ingredients until a thick batter forms. As an alternative, add all of the ingredients for the pancakes to a blender and blend until smooth. The batter will be very thick.
• Heat a griddle or skillet to medium and add enough coconut oil (or cooking oil) to coat the surface, about 2 tablespoons. Wait 3 to 5 minutes for the skillet/griddle to heat up all the way before cooking the pancakes.
• Measure a scant 1/4 cup of batter and pour onto the hot surface. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the sides of the pancake begin to firm up. Carefully flip and cook on the other side an additional 2 to 4 minutes, or until pancake is cooked through. Repeat for remaining batter (Note: I cook 3 pancakes at a time on a 10-inch skillet).
• Serve pancakes with choice of toppings

Notes

*you can also use almond milk, but coconut milk results in a more moist and texturally pleasing pancake

**replace the coconut oil with olive oil, grapeseed oil, almond oil, etc if desired.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake · Calories: 162kcal · Carbohydrates: 10g · Protein: 4g · Fat: 11g · Fiber: 2g · Sugar: 4g

Author: Julia

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: breakfast recipe, coconut flour pancakes, healthy recipe, the best coconut flour pancakes

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More Grain-Free Pancake Recipes:

• Chocolate Buckwheat Pancakes
• Almond Flour Pancakes
• Lemon Ricotta Coconut Flour Pancakes
• TigerNut Flour Pancakes
• Grain-Free Almond Butter Protein Pancakes
• Crispy Cinnamon Swirl Paleo Pancakes

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