These Coconut Flour Pancakes are delightfully fluffy and incredibly easy to make. And with less than 3g net carbs per serving, they make an ideal keto breakfast!
I often joke that working with coconut flour is like entering an alternate universe. If you’re used to wheat flour, you will find that this common keto ingredient defies all expectations.
But once you get the hang of it, you realize that it can be incredibly useful. It works well in both sweet and savory recipes, everything from Keto Bagels to my famous sugar free Chantilly Cake.
For the uninitiated, these Keto Coconut Flour Pancakes are a very good place to start. It’s an easy recipe that provides you with a good sense of the ingredients. And it doesn’t hurt that you get some tasty keto breakfast out of the deal!
If you prefer other flours, I have some great keto pancakes with almond flour too.
Why you need this recipe
This was one of the first keto pancake recipes I ever created and it’s been a fan favorite ever since. But over the years, I’ve tinkered with it and perfected it to make them truly light and fluffy.
One of the best tricks I discovered was the addition of sparkling water rather than still water. The carbonation adds air to the batter, which in turn makes the pancakes lighter. Since coconut flour can often be dense and heavy, you need all the added lightness you can get.
Coconut flour pancakes require a surprising amount of eggs. But, done correctly, they don’t end up eggy or rubbery at all. And with some added vanilla, you don’t taste don’t get an overpowering coconut flavor.
One reader says: “This was my first time using coconut flour, and my pancakes turned out delicious! They are very buttery, which is just the way I like them.”
It’s also a fabulous make-ahead recipe. The pancakes can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for several months. So you can make a big batch and enjoy a healthy breakfast for days.
Ingredients you need
This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Coconut flour: Coconut flour varies a great deal brand to brand and some are more absorbent than others. I recommend using Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Baking for consistency, but if you use a different brand, you may need to adjust. If the batter is very thin, add another tablespoon or two of flour. Read my tutorial on baking with coconut flour for more information.
- Swerve Sweetener: I recommend using erythritol-based sweeteners, such as Swerve, for this recipe. Using another sweetener may change the texture and consistency. Allulose is not a good choice, as it tends to make things brown more on the outside, which will leave your pancakes looking and tasting burnt. Learn more about keto sweeteners here.
- Eggs: Make sure to bring the eggs to room temperature before adding them, otherwise they will cause the butter to clump up.
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted, as you prefer.
- Sparkling water: The carbonation gives the pancakes a lighter, fluffier texture. But you can just use regular water instead, if you don’t have any sparkling.
- Oil/butter for the pan
- Pantry staples: baking powder, salt, vanilla extract.
Step by Step Directions
1. Whisk the dry ingredients: Whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder, and salt. Break up any clumps in the coconut flour.
2. Add the wet ingredients: Add the eggs, butter, and vanilla and stir to combine. Add the sparkling water and whisk until smooth, then let the batter rest a few minutes to thicken.
3. Add the batter: Heat the skillet and lightly grease with oil or butter. Scoop two or three tablespoons of batter onto the hot skillet and spread into a 3 to 4 inch circle. Keep them small so that they are easier to flip.
4. Cook until golden: Cook the pancakes until the bottoms are golden brown and the edges are set and dry. Flip carefully and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, then remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining pancake batter.
Expert Tips and FAQ
If you’re new to coconut flour, you may find it a bit tricky to work with. Here are some added tips for success:
- Keep them on the small side for easier flipping. 3 to 4 inches in diameter is about perfect.
- Just like regular pancakes, you want to see some little bubbles appear in the top before you try to flip them. Then carefully wiggle your flipper under the bottom side and flip over in one quick motion.
- Different brands of coconut flour vary in absorbency so it can be tricky to know if your batter is right. Try one mini pancake before you go and do them all. The batter shouldn’t be so thin that you can pour it. You should have to scoop it onto the skillet and then spread it into a circle.
- If your batter is too thin, simply add another tablespoon of coconut flour. If it’s too thick, add another tablespoon or two of water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coconut flour makes excellent pancakes but it’s not as simple as replacing regular wheat flour cup-for-cup. It is extremely absorbent and requires a lot of eggs, fat, and liquids to make good pancakes. You also use significantly less coconut flour than regular flour. I recommend following this coconut flour pancake recipe as written.
Coconut flour requires a lot of eggs to hold together properly. Most coconut flour recipes take at least 6 eggs per half cup of flour. Resist the urge to skimp on the eggs or to thin the batter with another liquid, as you will end up with a goopy mess that won’t cook through properly.
These coconut flour pancakes are a deliciously healthy option for keto breakfast. They have 5.9g of carbs and 3.3g of fiber, so they come out to 2.6g net carbs per serving. They also have more protein than regular pancakes, so they will keep you feeling satisfied for much longer.
What to serve with coconut flour pancakes
So now that you’ve made a big stack of these delicious pancakes, how do you serve them? You’ve got many great options!
- I love them with a smear of peanut butter or my Keto Nutella as a quick on-the-go breakfast.
- For a decadent brunch, try topping the pancakes with Pecan Praline Syrup or Wild Blueberry Syrup.
- All-U-Lose maple-flavored syrup is my top choice for store-bought pancake toppings.
- ChocZero has a wonderful collection of flavored syrups, everything from caramel to peach!
Coconut Flour Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup Swerve Granular
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ to ¾ cup sparkling water (or regular water)
- Additional butter or oil for the pan
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder, and salt. Break up any clumps in the coconut flour.
- Add the eggs, butter, and vanilla and stir to combine. Add ⅓ cup of the sparkling water and whisk until smooth. Add more water, a little at a time, as needed. Let the batter rest a few minutes so the coconut flour absorbs the moisture.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brush lightly with oil or butter. Using about 3 tablespoons of batter at a time, scoop onto the skillet and spread into a 3 inch circle.
- Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, the top is set around the edges, and a few bubbles appear in the top. Flip carefully and continue to cook until the second side is golden brown.
- Remove from pan and keep warm on plate or baking sheet in oven, while repeating with remaining batter.
Nedra says
I’ve tried many pancake recipes since going low carb. This is by far the best. Very tasty. Great with blueberries too.
Cheryl says
I am new to low carb eating, but after a week my blood sugar and weight is down. I was so sick of eggs for breakfast that I decided to try this recipe. I followed the directions, but cut it in half and used 2 packets of Spleda Naturals as my sweetener. After I let it set with the sparkling water for five minutes, I added a big handful of blueberries and a few chopped macadamia nuts. This recipe is absolutely fantastic in flavor and texture, very light and fluffy. Thank you for posting.
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Kim says
Wow your pancakes are beautiful. Have you tried making these in a cast iron pan? I don’t have non stick.
Rachel Lauren Jones says
Delicious delicious recipe! Thank you for including a nut free recipe! Will be repeating this recipe. Doesn’t need a thing changed! Perfect as is.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Rachel!
Denise R Nagelschmidt says
In a word yum! This will, for sure, be in our regular weekend rotation!
Terri says
they were very yummy! They really do fluff up. Definitely will make them again.
Jax says
I made these today and they’re a keeper! I love them. I didn’t have seltzer but used unsweetened cashew milk and for some reason only needed half the amount of liquid called for. I funneled the batter into a squeeze bottle and piped them onto a griddle lightly greased wth butter in the shape of animals for my kids. Next time I’ll add some Cinnamon and nutmeg! Also I used kerigold butter which has a great flavor. Thank you so much for this new keeper pancake recipe!
Carolyn says
Sounds great!
Greg says
Delicious pancakes. I used honey for sweetener and turned out fine. I was not going for total low carb. Thanks for the recipe.
Kathryn says
Thanks for this fantastic recipe! I had King Arthur’s Coconut flour in the pantry, doubled the vanill to avoid the kids saying “ugh, all I taste is coconut,” and since my only sparkling water on hand was Dasani berry-lemonade, I ended up with a fun light flavor. Even the kids liked them! This will be my new Keto pancake go-to from now on. “A-ha” moments along the way for me were: the batter was more yellow than I expected and “blobby” before it fully mixed and got smooth; it took longer to get bubbly on top than my usual cream cheese pancake recipe; and flipping these is going to be something I will get better at with time. YUM!
Stacy says
This was VERY similar to my experience today! First time trying the recipe, and first time ever using coconut flour for pancakes. I also only had a flavored sparkling water on hand. Very yellow batter – and honestly, I mostly taste eggs! But the texture is great and they were easy to make, cook, and flip. Calling it a winner – just wish I could tone down the eggy flavor a bit (although I do love eggs).
Carolyn says
It can depend on your coconut flour… what brand were you using?
Nancy says
It tastes like eggs.I kinda figured it would being that the recipe called for six eggs.I guess I was hoping the coconut flour would create some magic,it didnt.????
Carolyn says
I suspect it’s your brand of coconut flour. ALL coconut flour recipes require a lot of eggs to hold together properly but less good ones don’t taste as good. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill.
Katie says
This was my first time cooking with coconut flour, so that’s a disclaimer on my review.
The most prominent flavor in these pancakes was egg, which I’m not used to and wasn’t a huge fan of. Next time I might try adding some additional flavoring, like more vanilla or coconut extract, to alter that.
Otherwise the texture was great.
I added an extra two spoonfuls of coconut flour to get a good consistency to the batter.
They also took significantly longer to brown and get stable than wheat flour pancakes, and I think benefit from being cooked at medium-high heat.
Carolyn says
Tell me what brand of coconut flour you used? That can be a huge part of the consistency. They vary a great deal!
Marcelle says
Carolyn, you have done it again!! I received my Dash Mini Waffle maker two days ago and had this afternoon slotted for making waffles from this recipe – and as usual you did NOT disappoint! I did make a tiny modification by making a half batch with two eggs instead of three and adding a bit more seltzer as well as some cinnamon. I now have five 3.5 inch waffles that I will freeze and then pop into the toaster! You are the Queen of Low Carb! Long live the Queen! Now I just need to find a really good recipe for a healthy breakfast sausage and I think I will be eating breakfast for every single meal for the foreseeable future! WAFFLES AND SAUSAGE AND BACON! OH MY!
Janelle says
Made these for lunch today and they were great! Must be a forgiving recipe as initially I tried to halve the recipe, but put in the full amount of butter and then ended up putting the rest of the ingredients in the mixing bowl and just mixing it up together–but then I forgot the rest of the sweetener and vanilla and sparkling water! So I am thinking next time I will either not put in the full amount of sparkling water or add extra coconut flour. They were absolutely not eggy tasting at all, and only had a slight nuttiness to the taste. Obviously the texture is a bit grainy compared to wheat flour pancakes but all things considered they were good. I topped mine with some extra butter and a little sugar-free syrup. We each had two pancakes and a sausage link, and a couple of blackberries, and we are stuffed!
Kristyn Merkley says
This recipe looks so delicious! I cannot wait to try these!
Allyson Zea says
Low carb?!?! I cant wait to try these!
Natalia says
I think that I love all kinds of pancakes, so I’d definitely try them with coconut flour, as it would be somethnig new for me! Can’t wait to try this recipe out at the weekend! 🙂
Liz says
Oh these look incredible! I love the option of healthier pancakes!
Beth K says
These look great!
Michael Wurm Jr says
I can’t wait to try these! They look and sound AMAZING!! Yum!!
xo Michael
Mary says
This recipe is great, but the pancakes are impossible to flip. they completed fell apart and dripped everywhere. I even added a bit more coconut flour to thicken them up. They taste great but are a mess to make and came out looking like disfigured blobs.
Carolyn says
They really shouldn’t be like that. What brand of coconut flour did you use? What size eggs? I make this recipe all the time so I know it works perfectly…something went wrong on your end.
Valerie Suzanne Marcum says
Fabulous! I’ve made these twice: first time, I had to downsize the recipe because I only had four eggs; didn’t do it quite right so they turned out more like crepes, but the taste was WONDERFUL! Second time, I got fussy with it and beat the whites into stiff peaks, then gently folded them in with the rest of the ingredients. Huge, fluffy, tall, tasty pancakes. Unbelievably good. Can’t wait to make them again!