Coconut Flour Paleo Pancakes

The good news is you can follow a strict Paleo diet and still enjoy awesome tasting pancakes – Paleo Pancakes! The bad news is…well, there IS no bad news. After trying several different recipes for coconut flour pancakes I have finally found one that truly stands out. They are so good I was motivated to go out and buy a new griddle because I know I will be making them quite frequently. (Big Boy is thrilled!)

My husband, G, upon tasting these paleo pancakes, commented “they taste real”. After assuring him the pancakes were not a figment of his imagination we proceeded to devour a couple of stacks each. The first thing I noticed, besides how good they taste, was how similar the texture is to traditional pancakes. But the most impressive difference was how I felt after eating the coconut flour version. There was no woozy feeling I usually get after eating pancakes. I did not feel the urge to take a nap and was not hungry an hour later. In fact, I stayed satisfied until lunch even after a morning workout. It started me wondering exactly what are the differences between traditional pancakes and these coconut flour paleo pancakes that could account for this noticeable improvement. So I did a little research and made a few calculations that show how the recipes “stack” up (pun intended).

[table id=1 /]

Coconut Flour Goes a Long Way

Coconut flour is very dry and absorbent so it takes less total volume in this recipe than if we were to use wheat flour. For example a similar recipe using wheat flour calls for 1 1/2 cups for the same number of servings compared to 1/2 cup of coconut flour in this recipe. That alone accounts for the big difference in calories and carbohydrates.

Paleo Pancakes are Lower in Carbohydrates and Sugar

The lower total carbohydrate means less of an impact on blood sugar making these paleo pancakes much less likely to cause a spike in insulin levels. This recipe also uses less sugar and the coconut nectar it does use is a low glycemic ingredient. Coconut nectar only has 13 grams of carbohydrate in one tablespoon versus the 36 grams of carbs in a similar pancakes recipe. Another benefit of coconut nectar (sap) is it contains 17 amino acids, vitamin C, broad-spectrum B vitamins and a nearly neutral pH. It is also thicker than agave nectar which makes it great for use as a “syrup” for pancakes.

Paleo Pancakes are Higher in Fiber

Coconut flour has significantly more fiber than wheat flour. The table above shows that even with triple the amount of wheat flour in the traditional pancake recipe the fiber content is still pretty minimal especially when compared to coconut flour. The net carbs for the coconut flour is only 12 compared to 126 in the wheat flour recipe. That is a HUGE difference and is a major reason these pancakes keep you fuller much longer.

Paleo Pancakes Have More Protein

Coconut flour has more protein than the same amount of wheat flour. This recipe also contains more protein because it uses so many eggs. There are 4 eggs in this recipe versus 2 eggs in my comparison recipe. That’s an additional 12 grams of protein which means greater satiety after eating.

Paleo Pancakes are Gluten-Free

There is no gluten in coconut flour. As most of us know, wheat flour is chock full of this gut irritant. Eating gluten can be problematic for many people and especially anyone with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. One of the symptoms I get after eating gluten is a feeling of lethargy. The fact that coconut flour does not contain gluten could account for the fact that I was not debilitated after eating these pancakes. Bonus! 🙂

Now for the recipe!

Shannon at www.nourishingdays.com did the hard work of trial and error to come up with this fantastic recipe. Check out her site for some really delectable photos of these fluffy pancakes. I changed the ingredients to make them paleo and changed some instructions based on my own preferences. This recipe is also 100% paleo because it does not contain dairy ingredients. Obviously, if you have no issues with dairy you can easily substitute whole milk and butter for the coconut milk and oil. I recommend keeping the pancakes on the small side to make them easier to flip.

Coconut Flour Paleo Pancakes

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon coconut nectar (coconut sap)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• coconut oil for frying

Instructions

1. Preheat pan or griddle over medium-low heat. Beat eggs in a stand mixer until frothy. Mix in milk, vanilla, and coconut nectar.
2. In a small bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon and whisk together.
3. Combine dry mixture with wet in the stand mixer and beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl then mix on medium to medium-high for another minute or two or until the coconut flour is completely mixed into the batter.
4. Grease pan with coconut oil. Pour batter to create pancakes that are about 3 inches in diameter. If the batter seems too thin you may need to add a small amout of coconut flour to achieve the desired consistency.
5. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
6. Serve hot with coconut oil, coconut nectar, agave nectar, honey, syrup or fruit.

ENJOY!

I’ll be curious to hear how families react to these coconut flour paleo pancakes and how you think they “stack up” to the original.

 

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