Gluten Free Recipes - Elana's Pantry

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Coconut Flour


tropical traditions coconut flour


Coconut flour is my new favorite flour. I have been experimenting with it for a while --that would be more than 2 years. During this time I have come up with some delicious recipes that lend themselves perfectly to coconut flour.

This flour is a bit lighter than almond flour, which makes it perfect for cakes, muffins and breads. Further, it is gluten free, high in fiber and low in carbohydrates, making it an ideal ingredient for celiacs, diabetics and those concerned with GI (glycemic index).

I have not found coconut flour available for sale in stores in my area to date. I order mine online from Tropical Traditions Amazon.com.

During the next few weeks, I will be debuting some of my coconut flour recipes, including my favorites for blueberry muffins, vanilla cupcakes and devil's food cake. As with my other recipes, these use just one type of flour (rather than the complex combination typical of many gluten free creations) and are lightly sweetened with agave.

Please note: coconut flour and almond flour have very different properties; substituting one for the other in my recipes will not work.


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20 comments leave a comment

  1. ~M

    I'm excited! Is there a reason you chose/recommend this brand (tropical traditions) or is it just the best price?

    I have seen some interesting recipes that mix almond meal and coconut flour so you might want to look into that...if I see a specific recipe, I'll let you know! :)

    Thanks, Elana!

  2. Ya’ara

    Hi Elana,

    I've been entering (and re-entering ☺ )your beautiful blog for almost a month now, and the simple and tasty looking recipes have been a great inspiration..

    A note/question regarding Coconut Flour:

    It is rich in saturated fats (8 grams saturated fats of 8.7 grams of total fat ).
    Comparing it with Blanched Almonds flour: only 1 gram of 14 grams of total fat.

    I am sure it tastes great, nontheless..

    Happy to read you opinion,
    Ya'ara

    • amorphous

      Allopathic medical staff continue to be baffled by the growing scores of people who have diets rich in saturated fats and have incredibly healthy cholesterol levels and arteries that are clean as a whistle. The difference is the elimination of grains and processed sugars, prepared/fast foods, and simply eating a balanced diet (without all the junk, including grains/sugars/fast foods).

  3. Hi M-

    I chose tropical traditions as it has the best texture. Yes, I have seen some recipes that use a mixture of coconut and almond flour that looked interesting. As always thanks for your comments!

    Elana

  4. carrie

    elana,
    i found your blog through the mid-hudson valley gluten free group and have absolutely loved making some of your recipes! in fact, i am making the shrimp cakes for the 3rd time tonight. every time i've made them, i have used coconut flour instead of almond and wanted to let you know that it works wonderfully! thank you for informing me of them both as yummy, healthy options.

    carrie

  5. I can't wait to see what you come up with- My husband is a prediabetic and so we are always looking for ways to lower carbs. This sounds like a great alternative!

  6. Ghislaine

    Hi! I've got a bag of that same flour in my pantry! I'm currently using Bob's Red Mill brand that I had found in my grocery store. I'm still experimenting. I'm severely allergic to eggs so I won't be making your blueberry muffin recipe, but I'm thinking about trying it in your Apple Crisp recipe since I'm also allergic to almonds!

  7. Gluten-Free Primer | Flavorista @ flavorista.com/the-ingenuity-behind-gluten-free

    [...] her food. She is very creative and the site is easy to use. One of her cake recipes features coconut "flour". I haven’t been able to find it in my local grocer yet, but look forward to playing with [...]

  8. Teresa

    Just stumbled onto this website and wanted to make a comment about allergy to eggs. I know the above is an old comment, but this might help others. I am allergic to chicken eggs, but can eat duck eggs with no problems. My ND says the protein is different in each egg, so some (or most?) people may be able to sub duck or quail eggs for chicken eggs. Can't wait to try the coconut flour recipes!

  9. Thanks Teresa! Great suggestion.

  10. debbie

    HI Elana-great to find your website as I have 3 boys with celiac including 1 with Type 1 diabetes. Do you have a simple bread recipe using coconut flour. I want to start baking bread instead of buying kinickinick or whole foods!

    Thank you so much!!

    Debhie

  11. Hi Debbie, and welcome! Sounds as though you have your hands full over there :-) I don't have any bread recipes utilizing coconut flour as of yet, however I will keep this idea in mind as I continue to develop recipes. Thanks so much for your comment.

  12. elaine

    Elana and everyone, I saw coconut flour in an Indian grocery store. To those who notice that coconut is high in fat, many people say that coconut oil speeds up your metabolism, there is much to read about that on the 'net'. I only found it to be true when I ate alot of it, when I made doughnuts in it and sweetened them with fructose. There was no sugar in the mix. I just used self-rising flour and water. To those who can't eat flour, ignore this, and I apologize.

  13. Theimmortaltroll

    Very excited to try Coconut Flour in recipes. I ordered some today.

    On a side note, to the person having trouble with eggs. I've always had severe stomach pain when eating anything with chicken eggs until I started eating only "organic free ranged eggs" cooked well. No more pain. Cooked well seems to change the protein situation. Half cooked Soupy scrambled eggs like they are so prone to do in restaurants almost hospitalizes me.

    • Cathy

      Try asking for real eggs when you eat out and see if that helps. Most eggs served in restaraunts are barely egg at all, instead coming from a powdered mix that has egg as one of the many ingredients. My husband gets sick as well when he trys to eat scrambled eggs at a restaraunt as well- we are not sure which ingredient in the mix makes him sick, or maybe a combo. We've learned to ask for real eggs when we do eat out, which is less and less frequently. (we are getting tired of all of the sodium, msg and other gross additives restaraunts use!)

  14. Elisabeth

    I just got back from my first shopping trip to the amish grocery stores. They have coconut flour and all the other ingredients I've been seeing in these recipes in bulk bags. I even found a tiny bread loaf pan. Living in a small midwestern town that has little good in the grocery stores (imagine what a rural walmart would offer), I started ordering online. Pretty expensive. But, the amish are very much into natural medicine and cooking and their prices are cheaper. So, if you live anywhere near them, go check out their grocery stores! I can't wait to try my first GF bread now!

  15. Mase

    Hey Elana, I was just wondering if it was possible to make coconut flour at home by grinding some unsweetened coconut flakes maybe?
    Thanks

  16. How to Meal Plan for a Very Limited Grain-free, Dairy-free and Egg-free Diet | Heart of Cooking @ heartofcooking.com/2009/07/how-to-meal-plan-for-a-very-limited-grain-free-dairy-free-and-egg-free-diet

    [...] quinoa amaranth chia seeds potato starch sweet potato flour yam noodles pumpkin seed flour coconut flour almond meal pecan meal and other nut meals (made from grinding any nut very finely) blanched almond [...]

  17. Jess

    *~Hi~*

    I would just like to tell all those out there who don't want to use eggs for one reason or another that you can replace eggs with ground flax seeds. For each egg to be replaced, blend in a blender/food processor 1 tablespoon flax seed with 3 tablespoons water until the mixture is thick and creamy. I haven't actually tried it that way, but I have heated that ratio in a saucepan until gooey (about 2 minutes on low, stirring constantly) with fantastic results in many recipes. Give it a try! Paz y amor!

  18. Patti

    Hi Elana, I would like to make homemade donuts with coconut flour and deep fried in coconut oil. I can't find a donut recipe made with coconut flour anywhere on the internet, and I'm afraid to experiment on my own! Have you tried this, or do you know of a good recipe?

  19. Kristin

    Hi Elana,

    I was wondering about this because I love coconut flour. Can I sub it for almond flour quantities in your dessert recipes until you release recipes? I hate trial and error baking....it's too expensive!!! Thanks!!

  20. Candi McCool Sharpe

    Elana,

    Just want to say your site is amazing. I just pulled a batch of the blueberry muffins out of the oven and they smell and look WONDERFUL!! Question for you: the recipe calls for sifted coconut flour. Does that just make them lighter?

    Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!!

    Candi Sharpe

Before you leave a comment...

"Check out Elana's FAQ page for info on substitutions -- there are just too many possibilities so she can't answer all of these : ) But the Forums are an excellent resource and I highly recommend posting your substitution questions there; everyone is friendly and helpful." -Katie


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