The Ultimate Guide to Coconut Flour

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 1998 and began using coconut flour shortly thereafter for my gluten-free baking.

Now that I have a couple of decades worth of experience under my belt, I’ve created The Ultimate Guide to Coconut Flour.

The Ultimate Guide to Coconut Flour

In The Ultimate Guide to Coconut Flour, you will learn the following:

• Health Benefits of Coconut Flour
• How to Use Coconut Flour
• Best Brands of Coconut Flour
• Best Coconut Flour Recipes

What is Coconut Flour?

If you’re wondering, “What is coconut flour?” I’m here to help.

Coconut flour is made from coconut meat that’s dried then ground into flour. It’s a very light and “airy” flour, perfect for cakes, muffins, and breads.

How to Use Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is different than other flours, a little goes a long way. This flour is very dry; like a sponge, it sops up moisture.

You can find recipes that use ½ cup coconut flour and 4 eggs, plus ½ cup maple syrup (my recipe for Strawberry Cupcakes in Gluten-Free Cupcakes).

That is a fairly wild wet-dry ingredient ratio, but necessary when cooking with coconut flour.

Benefits of Coconut Flour

The benefits of coconut flour are numerous. First, because a little goes such a long way, it’s far cheaper than other low-carb flours such as almond flour. Second, it tastes incredible. Finally, it’s very healthy and perfect for those with special diet needs. To sum it up, the benefits of coconut flour are:

• Incredible Taste
• Cost-Effective
• Healthy

Is Coconut Flour Healthy?

If you’re wondering, “Why is coconut flour healthy?” that’s a no-brainer. Coconut flour is gluten-free, low-carb, and high in fiber, making it a perfect food for those with the following health conditions:

• Celiac Disease
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy

Is Coconut Flour Gluten-Free?

Over the decades that I’ve used it, many have asked me, “Is coconut flour is gluten-free?” Yes, coconut flour is gluten-free and you will find it widely used in gluten-free recipes.

I have many gluten-free recipes using coconut flour and a cupcake book that’s filled with coconut flour recipes.

	Carbs	Protein	Fat
Almond Flour	6g	6g	14g
Coconut Flour	16g	5g	5g

Is Coconut Flour Low-Carb?

At first glance, it would appear that coconut flour is not as low-carb as almond flour. That is true when the two flours are compared ounce for ounce.

However, you can use twenty-five percent of the amount of coconut flour that you would in a typical almond flour recipe, making coconut flour a clear-cut winner.

Is Coconut Flour Keto?

If you’re wondering “is coconut flour is keto?” I’m here to help.

Coconut flour is not only a great low-carb flour, but it’s also perfect for the Keto Diet. Looking for more info on keto baking? Check out What’s the Best Sweetener for the Keto Diet.

Best Coconut Flour Brands

It’s important to use high-quality ingredients that work every time. When it comes to the best brands of coconut flour, I recommend Pamela’s, Healthworks, and Nuts.com.

In the photo above I take you right into my test kitchen so you can see how various brands of coconut flour hold up in a real-life coconut flour recipe.

To test the various brands I use my Cranberry Orange Biscuits recipe. The results? Some brands of coconut flour yield a perfect biscuit while others form a large flat disc that spreads out.

I’m not sure why Natural Grocer’s and Bob’s Red Mill do not yield the desired results, I’m simply sharing my findings.

Many thanks to all of the commenters on my Cranberry Orange Biscuit post, who brought the issue of varying results in utilizing different brands of coconut flour to my attention!

The Best Brands of Coconut Flour

• Pamela’s
• Healthworks
• Nuts.com

How to Store Coconut Flour

I store coconut flour the same way I store almond flour, and a multitude of other ingredients in my pantry –I use glass jars.

How to Measure Flour

As I’ve previously mentioned on my Almond Flour page, there are various ways to measure flours. I use the “dip and sweep,” method which is generally not considered the standard culinary technique.

This method entails dipping the measuring cup into the flour and scooping the flour into the cup; then sweeping over the top of the cup with a knife to level off the measurement.

I do not pour the flour into the measuring cup because this will yield significantly less flour than one of my recipes call for.

For your reference, when ¼ cup of coconut flour is called for in one of my recipes it will need to weigh about 1 ounce to yield the proper results.

¼ cup coconut flour = 1 ounce

Coconut Flour vs. Almond Flour

The texture of coconut flour is quite a bit lighter than almond flour, and their utilities are different. Almond flour is wonderful for cookies that require a crunch, whereas coconut flour is great for muffins or scones.

I have a great post on the differences between Almond Flour and Coconut Flour.

Can Coconut Flour be Substituted for Almond Flour?

Because they are so different, it is not possible to substitute coconut flour for almond flour in my recipes.

Coconut flour is light and fluffy and very dry, whereas almond flour is dense and oily. These are two very different ingredients that share few qualities in common.

Coconut Flour Recipes

Check out my coconut flour recipes, which by the way are gluten-free and for the most part nut-free. If you’re looking for exclusively nut-free recipes, check out my nut-free recipes.

My Favorite Coconut Flour Recipes

Since I started baking with it a couple of decades ago, I’ve perfected low-carb coconut flour recipes. Check out my favorites below!

Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake

My light, spongy, vanilla cake has six ingredients total and is so easy my boys used to bake it in grade school.

Layer with strawberries, then smother in Whipped Cream, and you’ve got a magically easy Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake recipe.

Nut-Free Carrot Cake

In general, healthy recipes have tons of ingredients, take too much time to prepare, and don’t taste great at the end of all that work. With few ingredients, my Nut-Free Carrot Cake is an exception because it’s a breeze to make that’s a beloved fan favorite.

Additionally, while most gluten-free desserts use almond flour and most carrot cake recipes contain nuts, I’ve changed it up and created this carrot cake recipe with no nuts or almond flour.

Low-Carb Chocolate Donuts

These adorable rings of delight are the first donut recipe I made and came out a massive success. My family couldn’t love this Low-Carb Chocolate Donuts recipe more.

Nut-Free Egg-Free Pie Crust

A Nut-Free Pie Crust? An Egg-Free Pie Crust? BOTH? My Nut-Free Egg-Free Pie Crust is a fantastic base for both refrigerated and baked fillings.

Keto Nut-Free Zucchini Bread

Looking for the best Keto Nut-Free Zucchini Bread recipe? This one’s not only gluten-free, sugar-free, and nut-free… it’s easy to make, totally healthy, and mouth-wateringly delicious!

It’s wonderful for dessert, and every bit as good for breakfast or a snack.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

My nut-free, egg-free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are crispy on the outside and have an incredible crumb on the inside, making them the perfect nut-free cookie delight.

Coconut Flour in Cookies

I don’t often use coconut flour in cookies, although my fan-favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies above are an exception that’s amazing. If you’re in need of gluten-free coconut flour scone recipes you’ll want to try my Chocolate Chip Scones and my Cranberry Orange Scones.

The Best Coconut Flour Recipes

All of my coconut flour recipes are gluten-free and refined sugar-free. If you’re looking for something you didn’t see here, leave a comment and let me know.