When we ditched the grains years ago, pancakes were one of the foods my kids missed most. I lost no time trying to figure out a healthy grain-free pancake recipe that could fill the void. After many (sometimes failed) kitchen experiments, we settled on these coconut flour pancakes as our new Sunday morning pancake recipe.
We rotate these pancakes with our favorite almond flour pancake recipe for variety. Both are a great choice and have about equal flavor and fluffiness (although admittedly are more dense than regular pancakes).
We’ve seen so many health improvements that we won’t be going back to the traditional version any time soon. Besides, they’re delicious!
Coconut Flour Pancakes for a Crowd (Paleo & Low Carb)
As I said, I tried a lot of different types of pancakes in my quest to develop a grain-free pancake recipe. I tried sweet potato pancakes, almond flour pancakes, and several different variations of coconut flour pancakes. Eventually, I realized that the recipe was right in front of me. I found I could make my coconut flour apple cinnamon muffins recipe into pancakes with very few changes!
This recipe makes 12 pancakes which may not sound like a lot, but thanks to the healthy fat, protein, and fiber from coconut flour and eggs, you don’t need to eat a stack of pancakes to be full.
I often double the recipe and keep some in the fridge for an easy on-the-go snack for the kids. (This works especially well because the pancakes are a little sweet on their own thanks to the applesauce and optional honey. No maple syrup needed!)
These guys also make pretty good “bread” for a breakfast sandwich. Add a fried egg and bacon for a delicious combo of slightly sweet and savory.
Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Pancakes: What to Expect
The batter for these pancakes is pretty different from traditional pancake batter, but it turns out great in the end. Don’t worry if it seems too thick or doesn’t bubble the way regular pancake batter does. I scoop the batter with a ¼ cup measure and then use the bottom of it to spread the pancakes out a little bit.
These pancakes also take a little longer to cook than regular pancakes, so don’t rush them. They’re ready to flip when the spatula will slide underneath without them falling apart. (Look for the bottom to be nicely browned). To speed up the cooking process, I suggest using a griddle so you can make more at one time. And make sure you grease it with butter or coconut oil between batches.
Toppings and Variations
Sometimes we add different mix-ins like bananas, blueberries, or even a few chocolate chips for some fun pancake variations! If you just love drizzling something on your pancakes, skip the honey in the recipe and give this wild blueberry maple syrup a try.
Coconut Flour Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup applesauce
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 2 TBSP honey (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together with a blender, whisk, or immersion blender and let sit 5 minutes to thicken.
- Fold in mix-ins like fresh blueberries if desired.
- Heat a large skillet or pancake griddle.
- Grease skillet or griddle with 1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter.
- Use a ¼ cup measure to scoop batter onto cooking surface, using the bottom of the measure to spread the pancakes out a little.
- Cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side until it is browned on the bottom and easy to flip. These do take a little longer than "regular" pancakes, so don't rush them!
- Grease skillet or griddle with additional butter or coconut oil as needed between batches.
- Top with butter (it makes everything better!) or ghee and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes twelve 4-inch pancakes
- Make this recipe without the cinnamon for a great breakfast sandwich bread
Nutrition
Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!
Have you made real food pancakes? I’d love to hear your favorite recipe! Talk to me below!
These were awesome! Our batter was really thick…had to spread it out with bottom of measuring cup to flatten quite a bit. And this was still to get a nice, thick pancake. Maybe because we used fresh pureed apples instead of the applesauce? But didn’t really matter because they were moist, flavorful and had a great texture. Topped with butter and a small dribble of maple syrup. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
How did you get yours to be moist? Mine were tasty, but pretty crumbly and a bit dry for my liking. I used an entire cup of applesauce and a good slop of coconut oil and they still turned out dry. More oil next time?
Wellness Mama – I’m new here but wanted to say thanks for this website and sharing your ideas. It has been fun to explore. I’ve come across tapioca flour – flour from a cassava root – and am anxious to try it to compare to the coconut and almond flours. Is there any reason you are aware of to avoid this flour – I’m assuming it is OK since it is from a cassava. Any thoughts would be appreciated and thanks again for your efforts.
Mike.
Cassava root has to be processed to remove cyanide! I stopped using it when I found out it is processed out of the country where there is no way to regulate the process. If you do use it and notice a metalic taste then the cyanide is still present. A built up of cyanide in the body will cause irreversable paralysis.
Wellness Mama, can I refrigerate the batter and use next day?
These are great! thank you! Will they stay together? I dont have a hand mixer…my last ones from another website fell apart while cooking! 🙁
Yay!! I have been trying various pancake recipes for weeks trying to find one that tasted good and cooked well. I had some success with an almond flour recipe, but they stuck badly to my skillet. Probably operator error 🙂
This recipe turned out great! Nutritious and tasty and, best of all, no frustration. You have saved our Saturdays!!
Can I freeze these?
Yep… they freeze well!
What can I replace the applesauce with? I generally try to stay away from sugar, even if it is from fruits. Maybe upping the oil or adding something like heavy cream?
Why not zucchini purée (or a winter squash with season changing)? You may want to skin them if the skins are bitter. I’ve made “apple crisp” with no apples by using zucchini slices.
What are some good sources for the coconut flour?
I get mine from TropicalTraditions.com, but you can also find on
Amazon and in some local stores, depending on where you live.
Thanks for the link for the coconut flour as I’m not sure we have it here in town. We do have almond flour and I was wondering what are your thoughts on that and on wheat flour?
Almond flour is good, though not interchangeable with coconut flour
in recipes. I recommend avoiding wheat in all forms completely.
I tried Almond flour pancakes and they sat on me like a ton of bricks..I was not so happy with the results, I am looking forward to trying these! NO Grain is good!
I get my coconut flour at TJMaxx!
Hi, Joannesjazz – sorry to sound dense here, but did you really mean TJMaxx that sells clothing? I believe you, just making sure it wasn’t one of those darn-you-autocorrect phone funnies. Thanks!
Yes TJMaxx. They have a great selection of health foods, oddly enough!
I bet TJ Maxx has the same shelf life storage policy for their food and clothing.
Made this for breakfast this morning! My kids LOVED them!
Any idea what could be used besides applesauce?
I would think that any kind of fruit, or even vegetable puree could
be used, though I’d up the oil or flour accordingly. I’ve been
thinking of trying with a carrot puree with more coconut oil.
I made the applesauce muffins with pumpkin puree and they were great! So, I am guessing that you could have some delicious Pumpkin Pancakes!
that sounds really good, I will have to try the pumpkin puree, the applesauce made the pancakes to sweet for my taste. Thank you for sharing
You can add a little almond milk and organic raisins. I did and it was delicious.
This recipe looks flavorful – I’m excited to try it! We made coconut pancakes using Mark’s Daily Apple recipe – they were good… but needed ‘something’. Thanks for the recipe!
Me again — I’ve been following this thread and love coconut flour pancakes. If you’re interested in a bit of a tangent from coconut flour, this is a protein-packed take on grain-free pancakes: 1/4 cup ground almonds, 1 banana, 3 eggs. Blend in food processor. Fry. Delicious and so simple! I make these more than I care to admit- great protein first thing in the AM :).
Thank you so much Niki, your recipe was fantastic and I was finally able to make some ‘normal’ pancakes. I love that they also taste of banana. Everything I’ve tried so far with almond/coconut flour has turned out flaky and I failed to get the correct pancake consistency. They tasted good but broke apart in the pan. I added raisins to the recipe too because I love them warm.
Gorgeous! Thank you again 🙂
Can I use almond flour?
yes you can! There is a very detailed explanation here: http://www.paleoplan.com/2014/03-25/substitute-coconut-flour-almond-flour/
🙂
Thank you Niki for sharing your recipe.
While I was about to make my own coconut flour-I noticed your comment sharing your simple recipe and I tried it out right away with ground coconut instead of almonds (I Love almonds, but was out of stock at the moment), the other day I took a scraped carrot instead and along with bananas, eggs and vanilla – it tasted great! I liked to make them with coconut oil on a high heat and they turned out yummi! My kid literally couldn’t wait to get some more! So simple, quick, tasty and most of all – Healthy!!! Thank you Katie for an amazing website & Thanks everyone for your comments!
No luck with this recipe. Thick and sloppy. Unable to flip. Thinking my coconut flour is the issue. I use Arrowhead Mills. Are the pancakes in your picture using this recipe? My batter was darker from the apple sauce. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!
The pancakes pictured are from this recipe. These do behave a little differently from those made with wheat flour. I had to spread them out a little bit with the bottom of the measuring cup after I scooped it onto the griddle and they took significantly longer to cook before flipping. And I’ve found that I sometimes have to add extra coconut flour depending on the brand I’m using and make sure to let the batter sit for a few minutes before cooking. Good luck!
Thanks for this site!! I love it!
I tried a combo using ingredients I had on hand. My child is off wheat to see if it helps her. My whole family is intolerant to it, and it’s all she wants, but she has problems with allergies.
I tried this because my kid doesn’t do banana flavor, but with half, you can’t taste it.:
INTO BLENDER COMBINE:
½ c coconut and almond flour (fine grind)
3 eggs
Tiny bit vanilla extract
Tbl greek vanilla yogurt
Fish oil- lemon flavored 2 tbl (costco)
Turbinado sugar 1 tsp melted in micro with water to cover
½ a banana
Water to thin
Bit of salt
Bit of melted butter
*Fry in butter and canola spray, spray the spatula to keep it from sticking. Do silver dollar size, and allow plenty of cook time.
Would be great with blueberries!
I tried this recipe this morning, and the pancakes didn’t turn out. The batter was thick but didn’t hold together. Trying to flip the pancakes was like flipping applesauce. The pancakes fell apart although they turned dark brown as if they were “done.” I used homemade applesauce, so maybe that was the problem???
I used store bought applesauce with no added sugar. Once the griddle was hot I turned it down to a low setting. This worked fine.