Coconut Flour Pancakes: A Melt-in-Your-Mouth Gluten-Free Breakfast

You don’t have to be gluten-free to enjoy these tender, melt-in-your-mouth coconut flour pancakes. But there are some tricks to making them over-the-top delicious.

I love pancakes. I especially enjoy making huge, dinner-plate-sized ones, either studded with cinnamon and chocolate chips, or mixed with fresh fruit and drizzled with pure maple syrup.

So the first time I tried making coconut flour pancakes, I was beyond frustrated.

Look, I’ve tried my hand at other alternative flours. The results were delicious! My einkorn rye chocolate pancakes were beyond amazing, and my whole wheat pancakes I made last weekend were a big hit.

But this coconut flour version stumped me. But only at first.

If this is your first time making pancakes with this alternative gluten-free flour, then let me tell you: this process is not going to be exactly the same as what you’re probably used to, if you want the best results.

Based on what I’ve learned from numerous failed attempts, here are the 5 most important tips for success when making coconut flour pancakes at home:

• Do NOT substitute another type of flour – it won’t work.
• Preheat the skillet or griddle only after your batter is made.
• Don’t over-grease the pan.
• Make them small, otherwise they won’t flip.
• Use a thin spatula for flipping.

Let’s break each of these recommendations down a bit more…

To start, I’m here to help you to understand the answer to two important questions:

What is coconut flour? And what makes it different?

Coconut flour is made from dried coconut meat. It is naturally gluten free, and can easily be made at home. However, if you want to buy it from the store, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that it’s generally cheaper than other alternative flours.

Nutritionally, it is high in fat and protein, while being low in carbohydrates. As a result, you’ll often see it used in paleo or low-carb recipes.

It’s also a good source of manganese, which is an essential mineral that plays a role in bone and skin health.

When using this particular flour, one of the biggest differences between it and other flours (including gluten-free ones) is that it loves liquid – and I mean loves it.

It is very good at absorbing liquid. As a result, using it can dry out your breakfast treats and baked goods.

In order to keep our pancakes tender and moist rather than dry, you’ll notice we have a lot of liquid ingredients in this recipe in relative proportion to a small amount of flour.

This is the main reason why you can’t substitute other gluten-free flours – the texture of the final product would be totally off.

This brings us to tip #2: wait to preheat your skillet until the batter is made.

While it doesn’t need a ton of time, giving the batter a few minutes to sit before you cook helps allow the coconut flour to absorb some of the liquid, resulting in a thicker batter and fluffier pancakes.

Next up: don’t over-grease your pan.

Since the batter contains a good amount of fat, I’ve never had a problem with it sticking to the pan.

A little butter, coconut oil, or cooking oil spray on the skillet can help these pancakes to brown nicely. But if you grease your pan too much, the batter will spread, creating thinner rounds with a greasy texture.

If I had to rank these, the fourth tip is perhaps the second most important: keep the pancakes small.

Remember how I said I was frustrated the first time I made these? It was because I tried to make them as large as traditional ones. I know I said up above that I have a passion for giant flapjacks, but you’re going to want to stick to something a little more petite with this type.

Coconut flour doesn’t contain gluten, so the texture is much more tender and delicate than those made with wheat flour. If you try to make large or even what some might call “normal-sized” pancakes, when you go to flip them, they will completely fall apart.

While I’ve had limited success using 2 or 3 tablespoons of batter per round, I’ve had the most consistent results by using just 1 tablespoon of batter each.

I know, that’s teeny-tiny. But do you remember loving those cute silver dollar pancakes when you were a kid? Trust me when I say that it’s time to embrace the idea of this miniature breakfast. It’ll save you a lot of frustration and heartbreak, plus they’re cute and delicious, and you can eat a whole bunch of them.

You’re welcome!

On to the final tip: use a thin spatula.

These are very delicate, and I’ve found that a thinner spatula is less likely to result in breakage when you go to flip them. A thin, flexible spatula is your best friend here.

If you only have a traditionally proportioned flipping utensil, then I recommend using a rubber or silicone spatula instead. Gently ease each mini flapjack onto the spatula before flipping.

Something like a fish spatula will also work nicely, just remember to be gentle on your frying pan or griddle surface, to avoid scratching.

Now that you have your plate of adorable, melt-in-your-mouth gluten-free pancakes, it’s time for the fun part: toppings!

Even though these don’t have a strong coconut flavor, I thought it just felt right to go all-in on the tropical theme with banana slices, diced strawberries, and coconut flakes.

Whatever toppings you choose, I know you’re going to love breaking out of your breakfast comfort zone with a (mini) stack of these flapjacks!

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Measure Ingredients and Melt Coconut Oil

Measure out all of your ingredients.

Note: Coconut flour absorbs liquid differently than other flours. Do not substitute in another type of gluten-free or all-purpose flour. For the milk, feel free to use regular cow’s milk, or a plant-based option.

Microwave the coconut oil or butter in 15-second intervals until melted. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

Step 2 – Whisk Together Wet Ingredients

Crack the eggs into a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk until slightly frothy. Add melted coconut oil, milk, and honey. Stir until just combined.

Step 3 – Add Dry Ingredients

Add the coconut flour, baking powder, and salt to the liquid ingredients, and stir until just combined. Set aside.

Step 4 – Heat Pan and Cook

Place a large skillet over medium heat. You can also preheat an electric griddle to 325˚F instead.

Once heated, lightly grease the pan or griddle with coconut oil, butter, or cooking spray. Do not grease the pan excessively, or the batter will spread too much, and your finished product will have a greasy texture.

As coconut flour pancakes are very delicate and not easy to flip, I recommend making the mini-sized. To do this, drop 1 tablespoon of batter per round onto your lightly greased pan.

Cook for 1 minute, or until the bottoms of the pancakes are starting to brown, and bubbles are forming on the top.

Flip with a thin spatula and cook for another 30-60 seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with the remaining batter.

To keep them warm until you’re ready to serve, either place on a plate and cover with foil, or place in an oven preheated to 175˚F, or the lowest setting.

If you want to try making them slightly larger, you can use 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake, but any more batter than that will likely spread too much and break each time when you go to flip it.

Step 5 – Serve and Top

Serve and enjoy! For a tropical feel, I topped mine with banana slices, diced strawberries, coconut flakes, and maple syrup. Though I recently made a batch of strawberry syrup, and that was fantastic drizzled over the top of the pancakes.