Pancakes are one of those comfort foods that everyone loves. So now that we’re eating less gluten and grains, I thought it would be fun to try coconut flour pancakes, especially since there seems to be such strong opinions about what makes a great coconut flour pancake.
Well, in my humble opinion, the fluffier (and fruiter) the pancake, the better. And after making way too many batches, I’ve found that the key to fluffy coconut flour pancakes is two things: Separate your eggs, so you can fold well-whipped, fluffy egg whites into the batter, and keep the pancakes small – silver dollar size to be exact.
So if you enjoy the flavor and texture of coconut flour, we think you’ll find these pancakes quite tasty, especially with fresh organic blueberries added. They’re also delicious with fresh diced organic strawberries, or diced banana with a sprinkling of crispy walnuts. Mmm! Just see note below about how to properly add fruit to pancakes. Enjoy!
Whipping the egg whites is key to fluffy coconut flour pancakes!
The trick to perfectly flipping pancakes … wet your nylon spatula with a little water before flipping. It helps to keep the spatula from sticking to the pancakes. 🙂
Adding fruit directly to the top of each cooking pancake (rather than adding it to the batter) ensures that the pancakes cook through evenly.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (or coconut oil), melted
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup pure coconut milk (or whole milk yogurt or whole milk kefir)
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Fresh blueberries (or your favorite fresh fruit)
Instructions
- Preheat griddle over medium to medium-low heat.
- In a small bowl combine the coconut flour, baking soda, salt and pinch of ground cinnamon.
- Next, separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk in the melted butter. (Be sure the melted butter has cooled to touch before adding, otherwise you may end up with some cooked egg-yolk bits.) Next, whisk in the maple syrup (or honey), vanilla, coconut milk and apple cider vinegar.
- Then, add the dry mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking well to thoroughly combine, making sure there are no lumps in the batter.
- Using a clean large wire whisk, whisk the egg whites rapidly until very foamy (about two minutes).
- Then, use the whisk to fold the whipped egg whites into the batter; by gently turning the batter over and over again, until well combined. Allow batter to sit about 3-5 minutes for coconut flour to absorb the liquid. Note: Batter should be somewhat thick. But if batter is too thick for your liking, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Grease preheated griddle with butter (or coconut oil).
- Ladle a spoonful of batter onto the griddle to form a silver dollar size pancake (about 3” in diameter).
- Top each pancake with a few fresh blueberries, if desired (see note below). Cook for a few minutes, until the tops begin to dry out and the bottoms are a golden brown. It’s important to keep a careful eye on them as coconut flour pancakes burn easily. (I like to take a little peek under one of the pancakes to check, before flipping.)
- Carefully flip and cook another few minutes until done, but not over-browned.
- Serve hot off the griddle with butter, pure maple syrup and a medley of fresh berries.
Notes
Fabulous Fruity Pancakes: To make fabulous fruity pancakes, do not add fruit directly into the pancake batter. Instead, once you ladle out the batter onto the hot griddle, add a small amount of fresh whole blueberries (or other diced fruit of your choice) to the top of each pancake prior to flipping (see photo above). This ensures that the pancakes cook through evenly. It's also best to use fresh fruit, since frozen fruit tends to be excessively moist and may result in a soggy pancake.
*Note about Substitutions: For best results, use pure canned coconut milk (not light coconut milk or coconut milk beverages). Or if you're not dairy-free, use whole milk kefir or whole milk yogurt. Either way, it's the higher fat content that contributes to the fluffiness and flavor of the pancakes. (Note: Native Forest brand canned organic unsweetened coconut milk is BPA-free.)
Time Saving Tip: Make a double batch and allow extra pancakes to cool on wire rack. Then place cooled pancakes on baking sheets and place baking sheets in freezer. Once pancakes are frozen, remove from baking sheet and place frozen pancakes in freezer-safe container. Store in freezer for up to one month. No need to thaw, simply reheat frozen pancakes in toaster oven (at 275 degrees) for a quick, healthy breakfast.
