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
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- 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.
Stacey says
Yummy! The best taste and texture coconut flour pancakes yet! Thank you.
Carolyn says
So glad you think so!
Jennifer says
I finally found time to make these and we loved them! We have tried 2-3 other recipes over the last year or so and we don’t need to look anymore. My 7 year old told me to “never lose the recipe” and “make them all the time”. High praise from him since he hasn’t liked many of the low carb recipes I’ve tried. Now that I think of it, the ones he has liked have been from you! 🙂 Thank you!!
Samantha @FerraroKitchen says
Wow this is fascinating! I love coconut but have never seen the flour…I do work at Whole Foods so I’ll check next time I’m working..lol I love your introduction..and your persistence to make it the best you can!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Samantha. It takes some getting used to but it’s a great healthy ingredient!
Laura E says
Hi Carolyn would these be ok to freeze? Thank you!
Carolyn says
Yes, I make big batches and freeze them all the time!
Molly says
Well I. Itially accidently used half the coconut flour and the pancakes I made werer beautiful and delicate. Then I added in the other half when I realised my mistake and the mixture curdled !! So I panicked and threw in another 4 eggs …… And its stayed curdled !!
So I cooked it up anyway 😀 Tasted FABULOUS – thumbs up from DH and three hungry boys.
I’ve been looking for something I can put into school lunches which is tatsty and grain free and I’ve experimented with flax meal, cream cheese pancakes, oopsie rolls, psyllium bread etc etc and the were all either euw or hideously expensive, or both. But these pancakes are perfect 😀 I’m going to fill them with butter and Vegemite(a yeast spread, most people apart from Australians think its disgusting) and roll them up to make scrolls..
I’m SOOOOO happy this recipe popped up on Pinterest ! Thankyou so much for posting it 🙂
Carolyn says
Not sure what you mean by curdled? I assume you mean it got thick and clumpy, which I suppose would happen if you added the coconut flour at the end.
Molly says
No, it actually curdled – wheat flour cakes do this sometimes too – the mixture split… Cooked and tasted just fine though ! Such a fab recipe 🙂
Heather says
These are amazing!! Thank you for getting me excited about low-carb cooking again. You are truly an artist with food.
Leslie Gooding says
I made these for supper tonight and they were awesome. My husband said they taste like cake and didn’t need even syrup. Lol
Carolyn says
I love pancakes for supper!
Donna says
Do you have any recommendations for replacing the eggs used in this recipe?
Carolyn says
I am afraid not. Coconut flour relies heavily on eggs to get the right texture. People have tried it with egg replacers and it simply doesn’t work.
cathy says
Could I use whipping cream instead of almond milk? Or would that be to thick?
Carolyn says
Too thick. Try half water, half cream.
Danielle says
Can this be done with egg whites, our sites it have to be the whole egg?
Carolyn says
I’ve never tried it with just whites. You’d have to add more to make up for the difference in volume.
Mrs h says
Could these be made without the salt I wonder?
Carolyn says
Sure.
FrenchSophie says
Yeah ! for the first time I baked something with coconut flour that did not turn as a spongy dry disaster kinda cake. Thanks for the recipe !
Any suggestions on pancake toppings that would be low carb ?
Thanks again for your fantastic recipes !!!
Mrs h says
I really did not like these apart from the strong coconut flavour which I could get used too if I was really needing a treat on my low carb diet, but the saltiness is really hard to stomach! I even used less than the above receipe requires and it was still too salty! I’m devastated as it’s Pancake Tuesday and I was looking forward to them ;(
Carolyn says
Sorry to hear it. Not sure what made them so salty as no one else has really had this issue.
Sylvia says
If you used salted butter, that might have made them taste saltier. Also, if you use baking soda instead of baking powder that can make things taste saltier.
Mechille says
New to coconut flour. Made these and they looked beautiful…but the young one asked me why I was feeding him egg cakes after tasting them. Added a few tbs fava bean flour-new to that too.(Idk why…I just like the texture it lends) another .5 tsp vanilla and several pinches of cinnamon. The adapted recipie got an “ehh” from the bottmless-pit-teen-child. Which does count as a win. I can’t wait to try them with some homemade strawberry sauce!
Pc says
Most of the low carb recipes for pancakes I’ve tried taste real eggy…These for me didn’t come out that way…Maybe my eggs were smaller, don’t know 🙁
Kelley says
These were delicious! Thank you so much for this and all your other wonderful recipes!
Carolyn says
You are most welcome, Kelley.
Nguyễn Bảo Trân says
Coconut flour is very cheap in my country, about $2.5/ 2lbs, but almond is hard to find. Can I use coconut milk instead of almond milk? 🙁
Carolyn says
Sure.
Minuet says
I want to tell you I’ve made tons of low carb pancakes and these are by far the best pancakes I’ve ever tasted. They were so good I could eat them all by themselves. I will now throw out all my other low carb pancake recipes!! LOVE!!! 🙂
Carolyn says
Thanks! It’s our favourite too!
Wanda says
I tried these this morning. They are so much better than almond flour pancakes. My problem is no matter how long I allow them to cook, they end up slightly doughy. I have tried lowering heat as well as raising heat. What am I doing wrong? Your pancakes look fluffy.
Carolyn says
Doughy in the center? Hmmmm. What brand of coconut flour are you using? That might be it. You could also try reducing the eggs by one but I wouldn’t reduce more than that or they won’t hold together very well.
AmyG says
These were fantastic!! I think you just saved my low carb diet forever!!!, thanks for sharing your recipes
mary beth brown says
We’re back to carb watching after the indulgent holidays. But I wanted to make a special treat for Sunday morning breakfast. When I saw this recipe, I was so excited. The excitement was well founded, I made these pancakes this morning and they are wonderful !! Light, fluffy and coconutty. Can’t wait to have them again !!
Jessie says
Very nice recipe. One of the best glutenfree ones I’ve tried. Really fluffy and not doughy in the middle. I used cream instead of almond milk, and didn’t melt the butter. I whipped those 2 ingredients together a bit and added the eggs. I used a teaspoon of coconut sugar instead of erythitol. Cooked 75% of the time on the first side then flipped and cooked the remaining 25%.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Margaret says
I recently started experimenting with different flours and coconut flour is a new one for me. These cooked up beautifully, fluffy and all but when I tasted them, I did not like them at all. The texture was very gritty and mealy and except for the blueberries that I put in them, rather flavorless 🙁 I used Bob’s RedMill coconut flour and subbed coconut oil instead of butter. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Are all coconut flour recipes like this texture-wise? Maybe I’m just not used to coconut flour? I’ve made lots of GF pancakes with other types of flour and they were actually better than the regular wheat flour versions. Nothing personal, but I won’t be making these again. Hopefully I’ll have more luck with other recipes! 🙂
Carolyn says
Mine have never been gritty and I always use Bob’s so I really don’t know what the problem is here. What kind of sweetener did you use?
Margaret says
Hi Carolyn,
I used Stevia sweetener because I didn’t have Swerve. I thought it was strange too with all the glowing reviews.
Carolyn says
I can’t imagine that stevia would make it gritty, but I can tell you that I don’t think going all stevia would taste very good! What kind of stevia was it?
Margaret says
It was just the Stevia used for baking. The powdered form, not the liquid. I even offered one pancake to my roommate and he ate a couple of bites, looked at me strangely and threw the rest out and he’s not even a picky eater. Anyway, I’ll continue experimenting with coconut flour but will only use it together with other flours so that it’s not the “main flour” in the recipe. I’m very reluctant to waste expensive ingredients.
Carolyn says
I think it’s got to be the stevia somehow, because the coconut flour pancakes are a favourite with everyone! They don’t taste off or feel gritty at all.
Margaret says
OK. Maybe you’re right. I might venture another try when I’m feeling a little more courageous 🙂
Thanks again Carolyn!
Jospry says
Try them with another type of oil besides coconut. For some reason it does give pancakes a weird “mouth feel.” Go with canoloa or melted butter.
Heather says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. These were delicious! I was afraid they contained too much butter, but they turned out perfect. I didn’t need to butter the pan. Took a bit longer than regular pancakes to firm up before I could flip them.
I added some cinnamon, topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
Carolyn says
I find in a really good pan, I don’t need any butter or oil either.