Coconut flour waffles revisited..and now pancakes!

Wow! When I posted my recipe for coconut flour waffles on this blog almost exactly two years ago, I had no idea what type of reception it would get. To date, that recipe has been viewed over 20,000 times, and has been (re)pinned on Pinterest more than 6000 times.

I have had a few comments on it though which made me look at the recipe again. It is also time for a confession regarding that recipe—I don't really like it. Don't get me wrong though. For a 100% gluten free, very low-carb waffle recipe, it isn't bad. Obviously people have been looking at it, and I would wager that some have even tried it successfully. But I don't use that recipe any more.

The journey for a really, really good recipe for a waffle/pancake began because of CSID, a genetic enzyme deficiency which equates to sugar/starch intolerance. My two older sons have this deficiency, but for some reason, they still want to have breakfast in the morning.

Anyway, I wasn't happy with the texture of the waffles produced by my original recipe. They fell apart a little too easily and didn't reheat well in a toaster. So, I figured I could use my food science savvy to engineer a slightly better option. The result you see before you.

And yes, I do realize that the pictures in this post are for pancakes. There's a very good reason.
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Alright, fine. I just wasn't making waffles the day I took these pictures. But I promise it started out as a waffle recipe. The information below still applies in any case.

An important note for those with CSID or who are making food for those with CSID—this recipe does contain starch. If you(or your CSID patient) cannot tolerate starch please exercise caution before consuming food made from this recipe.

Oh by the way, if you aren't interested in the tutorial and just want the recipe, just click here.

The recipe starts with 6 tablespoons of coconut flour.
Coconut flour is very high in fiber, which means that you need a lot of water in your batter. Using eggs to make up this moisture adds stabilizing protein, but eggs are expensive, so I use a combination of eggs and milk. You want to have around 1 1/2 cups of liquid total—I use 1 cup milk and 2 large eggs, but you could add an extra egg and reduce the milk to keep the total volume around 1 1/2 cups.

The problem with coconut flour is that it doesn't provide much structure. Well, the two structural components of a waffle/pancake batter are protein and starch. Let's address protein first.

There are few different sources of protein that we could use here. I've already mentioned eggs, which are great, but adding too much egg makes scrambled eggs, and I don't want that. I could use milk protein powder, but to be honest I have never worked with it before, and I don't have it around the house. Which leads me to vital wheat gluten. Gluten is a much maligned ingredient in the popular media, but for the purpose of low-carb baking it is almost essential. It creates a very strong network of protein upon sufficient agitation and would give much strength to my waffle. We will use it to the tune of oat flour. Oats are high in fiber, but they also contain starch. We will avail ourselves of the use of 2 tablespoons.

Lastly, to bulk out the batter a little bit, I will add 2 tablespoons almond flour. I don't really have anything to say other than almond flour is very popular in low carb baking because it is a good bulking agent, and darn tasty too.

Also joining the party are 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp sweetener, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Step 1:

Preheat the waffle iron.

Step 2:

Whisk together 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 2 Tbsp oil, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Step 3:

Combine 6 Tbsp coconut flour, 2 Tbsp gluten, 2 Tbsp oat flour, 2 Tbsp almond flour, 2 Tbsp sweetener (I use dextrose most frequently), 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.

Step 4:

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until all the lumps are gone and the mixture is homogeneous.

Step 5:

Pour the batter into the waffle iron and let it cook undisturbed until it is done.

By the way, this batter also makes really good pancakes. You may have to thin it out very slightly. Just make sure to cook them at a lower temperature than regular pancakes.


Also, I have had a lot of success freezing the waffles (and pancakes) and treating them just like store-bought frozen waffles.

Coconut Flour Waffles/Pancakes:  Yields 4 medium (8-inch) waffles OR 16-18 3" pancakes

Wet Ingredients		Dry Ingredients
2 large Eggs 1 cup Milk 2 Tbsp oil 1 tsp Vanilla		6 Tbsp Coconut Flour 2 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten 2 Tbsp Oat Flour 2 Tbsp Almond Flour 2 Tbsp Dextrose 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Salt

Whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Combine the coconut flour, gluten, oat flour, almond flour, dry sweetener, baking powder, and salt. Add to the egg mixture. Whisk until completely smooth. The batter will thicken slightly as it rests. Use the batter for your desired application.

For waffles:		For pancakes:
Preheat your waffle iron to medium heat. Spray the waffle iron with nonstick spray. Pour the batter into the waffle iron and allow to cook undisturbed until steam no longer rises from the waffle iron, or until done.		Preheat the griddle to 325°F. Spray the griddle with nonstick spray. Deposit the batter onto the griddle using a spoon or disher, leaving enough room for spread and expansion. When the pancakes are done on one side, flip and allow to continue cooking.

Serve with butter and syrup, if desired.