What is Coconut Flour?
Coconut flour is a gluten-free and grain-free flour that is rich in dietary fiber, which helps support your digestion, heart health, immune system, and weight. Coconut flour is dried, ground up coconut meat. It is great for baking, and making such dishes as chocolate chip cookies, coconut pumpkin bread, banana nut pancakes, pizza and many more recipes!
What Is So Great About Coconut Flour and How Do I Use It?
So just what is this flour that everyone is talking about? Coconut flour is a gluten free and grain free flour that can be used to substitute out traditional grain based flours. This flour is also high in fiber and is a good source of protein. It is low in carbohydrates and is very filling (probably because of the higher fiber content). It is naturally sweet so you don’t need as much sweetener when baking with this flour. For many of us, this is all great news! I try my best to eat as little grains as possible and avoid sweetening my foods when possible. But coconut flour can be very tricky to cook with. I didn’t realize this until I posted a recipe, coconut flour chocolate chip cookies (pictured below), and so many of you wrote me that your cookies were not turning out. So I want to share with you all a few tips to follow when using coconut flour.
- When using a recipe, different coconut flours have different consistencies and can alter the recipe significantly. It is important to look at the consistency of what you are baking. Let’s use my cookies as an example. I use Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour, which is very dense. 2 tbsp was plenty for me to create these cookies but when I posted the recipe, most of you suggested using 3 tbsp of coconut flour. It is important to compare what a traditional cookie dough batter looks like compared to what you have in your kitchen. If the dough is very soft and not stiff, then you probably need to add another tbsp of flour. If it is stiff and firm like a traditional cookie dough then you are fine with the amount of flour you have in your recipe. Try placing 1 cookie in the oven to test the dough to make sure it will hold up. After that cookie is done, adjust the recipe if necessary and proceed with the cookies.
- A little coconut flour goes a long way. For every cup of all purpose flour (grain flour), you only need 1/4-1/3 cup of coconut flour.
- For every ounce (1/4 cup) of coconut flour, you typically need one egg and sometimes you might need more. Coconut flour does not have gluten in it and eggs are needed to keep the product together. Eggs also help the product rise.
- Coconut flour is very dense. It absorbs a lot of liquids. So for each portion of coconut flour you use, you will need to add equal amounts of liquid (water, coconut oil/butter, coconut milk, raw milk etc). So if you use 1/4 cup coconut flour, you will need to add 1/4 cup of liquids or a combination of liquids. Once you add the coconut flour to the liquids, allow it to sit for several minutes to see how it absorbs. If you need more liquids to get the desired consistency, then add more at this time.
- Practice and patience are necessary when using coconut flour. Use a trusted recipe source when baking with coconut flour. Once you get some practice with using this flour, you will find that it is quite easy to use and well worth the efforts.
Where Do I Get Coconut Flour?
There are many places you can buy coconut flour. Most health food stores or local co-ops carry coconut flour but the prices can be a little steep! Keep in mind, you are using much less. Remember for every cup of all purpose flour you only need 1/4 cup of coconut flour, so a little goes a long way when it comes to coconut flour. You also want to buy coconut flour that is not highly processed or sometimes it is called “Ultra White Coconut Flour.” This form of coconut flour is highly processed to look more like all purpose flours. You want your coconut flour to be a slightly creamed color. I have found that it is best to buy my coconut flour online. I purchased mine from one of these two sources: Tropical Traditions and Wilderness Family Naturals. Both offer a great source of coconut flour that works nicely in all of my recipes.
Coconut Flour Recipes
Interested in some more great recipes? Click here to view some more great recipes.
Do You have any question, great tips or recipes using coconut flour? If so, share them in the comment section below!
Don’t be shy, we would love to hear your feedback!
I’m so glad that is on your website Halle. I haven’t baked in so long, but I didn’t want to lose this. Thx!
Your welcome Debbie 🙂 I am going to try to touch on a lot of the ingredients I use. Coconut oil down, raw honey done, coconut flour completed. Hmmm, what is next…grass fed meats, dairy, almond flour and other alternative flours?
Halle, thank you so much for sharing such delicious recipes and tips. With gluten being an issue for so many people these days, using coconut flour is definitely a great alternative that I’m looking forward to trying for sure!!!:-)
Hi just wanted say I tried a scone recipe that called for all purpose flour but didn’t have any so I substituted it for coconut flour using only 1 and 3/4 cup of it. Also added 3 eggs and the dough was soft and a bit crumbly but it held together. The end result was very cakey and thick textured scones but very delicious although I don’t think people who don’t like coconut will like these as they also have a grainy taste that reminds me of cornbread lol.
Hi,
Quick question – does cooking time change when replacing flour with coconut flour?
Thanks 🙂
I’m so glad you have this, Thank you! Unfortunately I read this after my baking didn’t turn out, as I had replaced coconut flour to regular flour 1:1. I did notice the sawdust like consistency and kept adding water, orange juice, oil, until it was more muffin like, but clearly I did not add enough, as I needed about 4 cups of water to eat one muffin. Oh well, live and learn.
This may sound crazy but canyon use yeast with coconut flour to make bread?
No. When baking with yeast, you need gluten. A few recipes without gluten grains can use yeast, but they’re finicky and need other substitutes, like xanthan gum.
(Gluten is stretchy, kind of like a balloon, so it expands and traps the gases produced by yeasts. That’s what makes yeast bread rise.)
Not in any traditional sense of what you would probably think of as a yeast bread. Yeast breads need the gluten proteins to be hydrated and then kneaded to form a elastic structure that will trap the carbon dioxide that is given off when the yeast grows. No gluten in coconut flour = nothing to trap the CO2, In many gluten free “breads” yeast is added a a flavoring agent to better replicate the aroma and taste associated with yeast breads. Good luck with your baking journey
I want to bake oatmeal cookies that requires 3/4 whole what flour, but I want to substitute it for coconut flour. How much coconut flour do you think I will need since i know 1/4 is about a cup of regular flour.? Please help bahaha 🙂
*wheat sorry
3/4 of 1/4 cup would be 3 Tbsp.
Can you use coconut flour as a coating for frying or oven fried foods?
Not really Vee. It would leave your food more soggy rather than a crispy fried texture.
Practice and patience NOT PATIENTS — the latter means a person who may be ill
Auto correct sometimes gets the best of us. Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention!
Great recipe! Could you substitute pumpkin for egg?
Depending on what you were making, I think pumpkin could work.
Thank you so much for this (particularly the conversion info). Used it with great success today!