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.
Julie says
Could I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead?
Carolyn says
Sure.
sabihaikhlas says
Hi,coconut flour is not available in saudi arabia can I blend dry coconut to make coconut flour ?
Carolyn says
No, that won’t work I am afraid. Coconut flour is the dried leftover coconut meat after all the oil and milk has been pressed out of it and there is no way you could get the same consistency at home.
Kitty says
There are recipe’s to make coconut milk from the dried coconut very easily.. if you take the residue and dry it and grind it it should be close.
Eunice Dockrell says
I tried the pancakes this evening (for breakfast tomorrow am) and only after I had all the ingredients I found that I only had 3 eggs but went ahead and made this. Really nice, used only 2 tbsp Erythritol as I don’t use a lot of sweetness. Really. Ice and fluffy, hope this is going to be the case tomorrow morning. I put some of my berry compost on (low carb) and tried one, enjoyable.
Kitty says
Compost is rotted waste used to fertilize your garden, but compote is a fruit medley that’s fermented for a short while to bring out the juices and flavors.
Stacy Hayes says
Hi! These pancakes turned out great! i had to use Splenda, but they were yummy…my picky eaters ate them up! Thank you.
Carrie says
Just made these. Yum!
Paulette says
These were absolutely delicious. I served them with sliced strawberries sprinkled with Swerve. It is so nice, after two years of low carb eating, to be able to eat pancakes.
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!
Danelle Johnson says
Are these pancakes THM friendly and if not do you have a THM friendly pancake recipe?
Carolyn says
Yes, these work for THM.
Michelle R says
I just made these this morning, as I have been craving pancakes. They were delicious! The only changes I made to the recipe was using 5 eggs (that is all I had in the house) and added a tsp of cinnamon to the batter. Definitely a keeper! Thank you for providing all of these great low carb recipes, to make this lifestyle so much easier to navigate. I truly appreciate it!
Holly says
Just tried these with Bob’s Red Mill organic coconut flour and they were a winner! First time I’ve ever used coconut flour, also. I was craving some pancakes and these did the trick. I am going to freeze the extras for a quick breakfast or dinner. Now I’m going to seek out some LC syrup recipes. If you make them no larger than 4 inches and cook them 3/4 of the way on the first side. They flip well. Thanks, Carolyn!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!
Amanda says
I just tried these and I have to say, these are the best low carb pancakes I have ever attempted to make and have ever eaten! I am so impressed with all your recipes. Mine were not quite as fluffy as yours look, but this was my first time working with coconut flour. Excited to try more recipes!
tiara says
Hi! Do these taste eggy at all or do they taste like regular pancakes?
Carolyn says
Nope not eggy at all.
Kelly E says
Do you think it would cause any problems to cut this recipe in half? Do the pancakes keep for freezing or for the next day?
Angie says
They definitely have flavor, but I didn’t get a whit of fluffiness out of these pancakes 🙁 Guess I’ll have to keep making them (my family has NO objections) until I get it right.
Tabitha Shadle says
I just made these because I was craving some pancakes, and I love coconut so I wanted to find a coconut flour recipe rather than one with almond meal. I also added a little bit of unsweetened coconut flakes to the batter (maybe 2 TBSP). When I was mixing the batter, I was like ‘there is no way this is right, there is so much liquid’ but I was wrong, that coconut flour soaked it up and they were perfect. I have been on a low-carb diet for a few years and have been buying sugar-free pancake mix from the store (we only have pancakes maybe twice a year), and I didn’t really like it, but it also wasn’t a huge deal to find a recipe on my own, but I will definitely save my money and make these from now on, I loved how they were almost just like “regular” pancakes. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
Carolyn says
Such a great review, thanks so much!
Lisa says
Makes great waffles — you can achieve crispiness!
I usually add some flaxseed flour to add fiber.
Kitty says
Coconut flour is essentially all fiber, since it’s a ground fiber that remains after making coconut milk or oil.and even if you make it yourself from from whole coconut flakes, coconut has Loads of fiber. that’s the beauty of it. not much carbs and almost no starch.
Lisa says
Yes, delicious. I like adding the flaxseed flour… I forgot to add the Swerve when making pancakes with this recipe and decided to freeze them to use for pizza crusts. Still fab.
Lisa | Drop The Sugar says
Picky eater approved! That’s me. 🙂 Will be adding this to my recipe file.
Made these this morning in a pinch, and these came out tasting really great! The only difference was I had unsalted butter to work with. I usually make mine with greek yogurt, and a few other things to get that eggy taste out but I didn’t have my usual ingredients on hand.
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Lisa | Drop The Sugar says
Made some small changes since trying the original; reduced the almond milk, reduced the granulated erythritol, increased the vanilla extract, added maple extract and added stevia. Still delicious! I’ve been using a wide mouth canning jar top to make mini ones. Made 16 batches. I’m going to freeze these to see how they do.
If I post this to the blog, will link back. Thanks for the inspiration! Had it this morning with two scrambled eggs, and two strips of bacon, and topped the pancakes with 1tsp organic maple syrup (4 carb/sugar). I am getting looked at for a few things (thyriod, diabetes, etc) so really trying to refocus on my eating more since I haven’t been feeling well past couple of months.
Akeelah Brew says
I made these yesterday and they are DELICIOUS! My hubby prefers almond flour pancakes but I can’t get with the nuttiness. I love these! Thanks for the recipe, Carolyn!
Misti Barbee says
These pancakes turned out great for me and I wouldn’t even call myself a cook. Thank you!
Diana says
YUM! Thank you, Carolyn for another wonderful recipe! I made these about 4-5” and got 6 servings of 3 small pancakes each. We put blueberry sauce on top (blueberries simmered with lemon juice and Monin o’Free blackberry syrup) and they were excellent! I reduced the eggs to five since mine were extra large, and and used a mixture of whole milk and water for the liquid. I had to add about 1/3 cup more liquid to make the batter pour-able, and then I spread the pancake batter slightly with back of a spoon after ladling it onto the griddle. They took longer to cook than “regular” pancakes, but it was evident when they were ready to turn. I will freeze the leftovers if I can get DH to stop eating them!
Tracey says
I just made these pancakes, and I have to say that I’m actually mad at myself for not making these sooner. I’ve been saving your recipes on Yummly and each one I try is better than the next. Having tried my fair share of LC pancakes over the years, I was very skeptical that these could actually taste like pancakes but….WOW! They looked exactly like pancakes. They tasted exactly like pancakes. The mouth feel and texture were exactly like pancakes. The only slight difference I noticed was the subtle nuttiness of the coconut flour, which was a welcome addition. I wondered if I served these to someone who thought they were made with Bisquick or regular flour would even notice the coconut. I think I’m going to try adding a handful or so of chopped pecans (I LOVE pecan pancakes) to see if the slight coconut flavor melds with the pecans to give it more of a umm pecan-y taste. Thank you so much for this recipe and all the others! You make this lifestyle so much easier, and you’re greatly appreciated.
Carolyn says
Thank you, Tracey. And pecan pancakes sound wonderful to me!
Hazel Porter says
Thank you for the nice recipe. I too had to use a bit more coconut flour, used Bob’s Red Mill. These were light and fluffy, and I didn’t think they were eggy at all. It cooked so many pancakes though, I will be eating them for breakfast all week 🙂
I am always thrilled with a new recipe! Keep up the great work.