Recipe from Nourishing Days
Mr. “He Cleans” requested pancakes for breakfast this weekend, and I was happy to give them a try. I haven’t made pancakes since we went gluten-free and I wasn’t too sure how they would turn out. My experience with almond flour is that it holds up pretty good unless you get sauce or syrup on it, whereupon it turns to mush. Coconut flour is notoriously difficult to work with, since it is a “thirsty” flour that soaks up unbelievable amounts of liquid like a sponge. So, turning to the internet, I looked for the most reliable looking, tried-and-tested recipe I could find for coconut flour pancakes. I found this recipe at Nourishing Days, which not only looked really good, but included a highly entertaining commentary by Shannon on the comments she has received about her pancakes. Be sure to go read it, here!
I followed her directions exactly, except I used 1 cup of half and half instead of milk + cream. (That really can’t be too different…) You can also make this a dairy free recipe by using coconut milk, if you wish. The pancakes were fluffy as advertised, with a faint taste of coconut that made me feel like I was having real cake for breakfast. In fact, I like these pancakes FAR more than conventional pancakes, and look forward to making them again!
Ingredients: (makes about a dozen very filling, small pancakes)
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup half & half or coconut milk (full fat)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (I recommend Coconut Secret brand)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- coconut oil or butter, for frying (optional if using non-stick pan or griddle)
In a small bowl, beat eggs vigorously until frothy, about 2 minutes. (There’s your exercise.) Mix in milk, vanilla, and honey.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients (coconut flour, baking soda, salt).
Stir the wet mixture into the dry; mix WELL. There is no need to worry about over-beating with coconut flour. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes. Batter should be really thick, like brownie batter.
While batter is thickening, preheat a griddle over medium to medium-low heat. Add butter or coconut oil, if needed. Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle, spreading the batter out to 2-3-inches in diameter. Cook for a few minutes, until the top starts to dry out and the bottom is lightly brown, then flip the pancakes over and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot with butter and maple syrup, or with fruit.
UPDATED: I have adjusted some of the instructions due to problems people were having with their pancakes. I use Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Flour. It may behave differently than other brands. Here are some more tips for working with coconut flour that you might find useful, from Health, Home & Happiness.
Today music doesn’t have much to do with pancakes…oh well! Ornette Coleman has been a legendary, groundbreaking artist since his debut in 1950s. One of the first players in what became known as “Free Jazz” (after his 1960 album of the same name), he’s not always an easy listen, but once hooked, you’ll want to hear more. First up his latest album, Sound Grammar
Then, from 1998 with his funk group Prime Time comes Virgin Beauty
Dear GOD but those look so scrumptious!
Thank you, they were! And this photo was taken with the leftover pancakes, a day later, after being microwaved! They were delicious on day two also! You can see I was eating them as I took the photos.
Wow, these look pretty awesome. I tried almond meal pancakes once several years ago and wasn’t impressed….so I haven’t ventured back to try to make grain-free pancakes again since then. But I just might have to give these ones a try – I love how fluffy they are!
Carrie, I think you will like these and it will give you another breakfast choice besides eggs! (BTW, I love your ham combos you just posted!)
Fluffy is an understatement!! LOL. So good looking! Sexier than Ryan Gosling those pancakes are!
These look amazing! You just convinced me to add coconut flour to my shopping list! : )
These sound amazing! Looking forward to making them this weekend. And Ornette Coleman is awesome.
Wow, those look great! I’ve not tried coconut flour, but this looks like a good excuse to give it a go.
I just made these for the first time. My son took one bite and yelled “Yummy! We are having a special treat for breakfast!” They were really good, thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the comment! Those little pancakes are indeed a treat. We yell “yummy” when we eat them too.
I just made these this morning and they are AWESOME! I cut the recipe to fourths but I will make the full recipe the next time since you’re saying their just as tasty the next day . . .
I just made a ton of these and wow… awesome! I’ve been searching for a coconut flour pancake recipe and this is the one. Fluffy just about sums it up perfectly. They seem to melt in your mouth! Yum! The only problem I had was flipping them. But then again I’ve never been so great at flipping pancakes!
My pancake flipping isn’t the best either… I just don’t take photos of the crumpled up pancakes.
Glad you enjoyed them!
what an awesome recipe! these were fluffy and light, with crisped, flaky edges. they had no eggy texture, and tasted like birthday cake batter! i had no issues flipping them.
my husband put cream cheese on his, but i wanted to keep my pancakes light, so i went for melty butter and warm maple syrup.
thanks a billion!
I can imagine how amazing and decadent these pancakes would be with cream cheese – wow! Thanks for putting that into my brain…not!
We’re happy you enjoyed them!
I am so happy I found this recipe. We just finished eating them and they are so tasty! I’ve been really tired of eating eggs and was looking for something to fit our paleo lifestyle. These were perfect!
These are the best grain free pancakes ever!!! I used half cup almond milk and half cup eggnog in place of the coconut milk. I also used Agave instead of honey. Delicious! And so easy!! Definitely a keeper!!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. The pancakes were yummy! And adding a little Ornette Colman to the mix is a fantastic idea. What a wonderful Sunday morning! Btw: Love the picture at the top with Thelonius Monk & turntable : )
Ah, Ornette makes any dish super…thanks for noticing the music!
I should have trusted your directions, but I doubted that the batter was “right” when it was so thick, so I added the rest of the wet ingredients, and even added more milk. Then they wouldn’t hold together. So I added another egg and that helped, as long as I made the pancakes very small. That coconut flour is a different animal — very absorbent! My sweetie and I really enjoyed the pancakes, and will definitely try this recipe again.
It is the thickest batter I’ve ever seen – hard to believe it makes such good pancakes. Coconut flour is strange to work with. Thanks for the comment!
These we’re amazing! We couldn’t get enough of them! Def as fluffy as described. This is our new pancake recipe for sure! Thanks so much!!!
I don’t think I’ll ever make a different kind of pancake….they are tasty! Thanks for commenting!
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I must have done something wrong because my batter looked thick like cookie dough. I tried to add more half and half and egg to loosen the batter so it could lay in the pan and then it was too loose, wouldn’t bind and we couldn’t flip them. Maybe cookie dough appearance was just what I needed?
Sorry that didn’t work out, Cara. Yes, the batter should be REALLY thick. Like cookie dough or brownies. When you put the batter on the griddle, you actually have to mash it down to spread it out. I hope you can try them again and make sure not to add any more liquid. Coconut flour is just different to work with than regular flour.
They were ok, but nothing to be enthusiastic about. Sorry. Difficult to flip but burn really quick, not a good combination. My family disliked the consistency (grainy),they tasted too coconuty and were not as fluffy as normal pancakes. I’ll stay with my traditional buckwheat-buttermilk pancake recipe. And yes, I followed the instructions a 100%. Even watched the clip.
If you saw a video, you must have been at the Nourishing Days website (I don’t have a “clip”). When you were there, perhaps you noticed the “tricks and tips” section – in particular the part about grainy pancakes. Most likely you were using inferior coconut flour that had been exposed to moisture. I’d suggest trying it again with another brand, but if you don’t like the taste of coconut, I’m afraid coconut flour is not for you. Sorry!
The flour I used was fresh, I just bought it to make these pancakes. But as you said, maybe coconut flour is not for my family, or I should try some different recipes.
I just made these and they were eggy and the texture was very poor. Coconut flour made these pulpy and dry in texture. Very disappointing.
I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. I have not had those problems, and have made these multiple times. Judging by the large disparity in people’s experiences, I feel that some of the problems are due to differences in the quality of coconut flour they are using. They are not all created equal – and some may have been stored in poor conditions before they were purchased.
My recommendation for coconut flour is Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Flour. It is made from unheated coconut, is 100% organic, GMO-free, and unbleached. It also comes in a can with a resealable plastic lid, which is important in keeping moisture out of your flour.
Those look unbelievably fluffy and scrumptious!
Thanks, Julie!
These were so good! I tried a different coconut pancake recipe yesterday and it was awful. Thanks for this! I’m emailing it to my mom. She’ll be thrilled to have something besides eggs to eat for breakfast.
It’s nice to have something besides eggs for breakfast – even when it is full of eggs. Pancakes are more fun! I’m glad our recipe worked for you. Thanks!
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So, I made these pancakes, but mine were the exact opposite! They were super runny and didn’t work at all. Any ideas what I did wrong?? B/c your look awesome!
Sam, I’ve never heard of that problem with coconut flour. It adsorbs tons of liquid and the batter is always stiff. Maybe you don’t have real coconut flour, or the flour you have has been exposed to moisture and isn’t able to handle that much liquid. That’s the best I can come up with! You can try adding 1 less egg and less liquid and let it sit about 10 minutes to see if that helps the batter situation – or try a different brand of coconut flour. If you find a way to fix it, let us know in case anyone else has that problem! Thanks for commenting!
Can you substitute almond milk instead of coconut milk?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t know of any reason that would not work. Give it a try!
I can’t wait to try these! I wonder how they would be with buttermilk?
Lillian, I think buttermilk would work fine. Let us know if you try it!
I had the same problem with runniness. I added a few tablespoons of arrowroot powder thinking it would fix the problem, but it was still too runny. So, I decided to turn them into a dutch baby style pancake. Baked it in a skillet with a couple Tb of coconut oil, and dusted it with nutmeg. It worked GREAT–very fluffy and much easier than trying to flip them. My kids and I gobbled it up! I baked it at 350 for about 15 minutes in a large skillet, for anyone else who has the same issues and wants to try it,
GREAT suggestion, Allie! Thanks for sharing!
Umm. Delicious! I didn’t have any trouble with the recipe, other than the fact I’m totally impatient when it comes to cooking and I tried to flip them too early. Then I tried a higher heat, and burned them. Once I left it on medium-low heat and waited until they were ready to flip (which was longer than 2-3 minutes for me) they were perfect! I used bobs red milk organic high fiber coconut flour and it worked
thanks!
I do the exact same thing – get impatient with pancakes of any kind. It always takes me a couple of rounds before I get it right. Way to go, sticking with it!
hey- i just wanted to say that i made these again this morning, and again they were so amazing. we used the refrigerated “processed and fortified” coconut milk, and maple syrup in place of honey, and bob’s red mill coconut flour… we’ve never had even one pancake that wasn’t perfect.
thanks again for a winner
Thanks so much for commenting with the details! Maybe that will help some of the people that are having trouble with the recipe.
All the negative comments are killing me! They were DELISH!!! We gobbled them right up! Even my 3 year old!! Thanks!
I don’t get the negative comments either….I’m sorry some people didn’t like the pancakes, but gee whiz. It’s just a pancake, no need to be disparaging.
Thanks for adding a positive experience!
jen-
i’m with you! i have NO idea where the negative comments and issues are! this has been a super flexible recipe for us, so flexible and easy, i’m sure we can add blueberries or choco chips! even my husband executed this one super well.
Mmmm….now I’m excited about blueberries and chocolate chips!
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Looking forward to making these, thanks for taking the time to post the recipe, much appreciated.
Hope you enjoy them!
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Just made these. I saw your comment that buttermilk should work, so I used kefir, as it’s what I had in the house. And then I went to add the vanilla, but didn’t have any, so I added almond extract instead. Wow! These are delicious. Always nice to have a versatile recipe that’s very forgiving with substitutions. I’ve already shared the recipe. Thanks!
It really is pretty versatile! I’ll try them with almond extract next time….sounds good. Thanks for your comments!
These are super good with berries and a little bit of Greek yogurt or even cottage cheese!
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So these are my weekend go to pancakes now. Today I added about 1/4 C each of cacao nibs and goji berries. I used my 1/2 C measuring cup and filled it about 1/3-1/2 way filled. Turned out fantastic!
Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions! The recipe seems to be very versatile…. I tried them recently with a cup of fresh blueberries!
For those of you that got runny batter – that happened to me on vacation! I was at a higher altitude (about 6000 feet), and also was using REALLY fresh eggs and old coconut flour (stored about 2years). Not sure which of those factors made the batter runny! I added a few more tablespoons of coconut flour and let it sit for at least 15 minutes, which seemed to help. The batter was still not as stiff as usual, but the pancakes turned out great.
Seriously!?!? This is the best coconut flour pancake recipe that I have tried and I have tried alot!
Thanks!
Thank you, Michelle! I appreciate you commenting!
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This is the best coconut flour pancake recipe I’ve found. I modified these for the 21-Day Sugar Detox and omitted the honey, but added in about 1/2 cup of mashed green tipped bananas. They turned out great! thank you!
Thank you, Linda. I love your idea of sweetening them with banana!
This was great! Eggs make me bloat really bad, so I only made 1/4 the recipe, but had two nice sized pancakes! Very tasty, and filling! They’d make the perfect breakfast along side some sausage. I added cinnamon, vanilla flavored stevia (no honey), and some almond extract to mine. I fried them in coconut oil. Yum!
Truthfully, two nice sized pancakes is all I can eat, myself! I’m glad to hear the recipe can be downsized successfully. Thanks, Kristen!
Used a hand blended and rum extract since I was out of vanilla bananas and syrup atop _ halved the recipe very filling tropical yum
That sounds absolutely amazing – another variation I will have to try. Love the tropical theme! Thanks for the suggestion!
these were GREAT!!!!…..anyone know the calorie count for each pancake.
I don’t dare count the calories!
So this was my very first experience cooking with or eating a product with coconut flour and I used coconut oil as well. They were very delicious and fluffy.( I maybe on coconut overload as I also put a tsp. of coconut oil in my afternoon cup of coffee.) The coconut texture was a little odd for me.but nothing I can’t get past. I also used my blender for this concoction and instead of honey I used 2 small packets of stevia sweetener. And they turned out perfect.
Happy to hear they turned out well for you! Thanks for commenting, Jessica!
This was amazing, thank you for sharing this. The only addition I made was lots and lots of cinnamon. I gobbled down 6 pancakes by myself!
Thank you for commenting – the cinnamon sounds like a great idea!
I made 2 batches, one using whole milk and one using 1/2 and 1/2. The 1/2 and 1/2 had noticeably better results. Maybe becayse of the fat content? Used almod extract since I was out of vanilla. My whole family loved them. Thanks for posting.
I always say, a little extra fat content doesn’t hurt anything!