Both of these Nut Free and Paleo Pancakes are big, soft, tender, and fluffy. One is made with coconut flour and one is made with cassava and coconut flour.
I have been obsessed with making paleo pancakes lately. I’ve been making them every single Sunday morning for the past 4 or so months trying to perfect my recipe. But I have not only 1 recipe, but TWO for you today- YAY! Both of these nut free and paleo pancakes are big, fluffy, soft, and absolutely delicious. One is made with coconut flour and one with coconut and cassava flour. Have you heard of cassava flour? It seems to be the upcoming Paleo craze, so I’m going to get sidetracked a bit and review cassava flour – if you’re not interested just skip to the last subheading 🙂
cassava flour
I had never heard of cassava flour until I recently started seeing it pop up in some Paleo recipes so I decided to do some research. And after reading up on it, it almost sounded too good to be true. They claim that it can be used as a 1:1 replacement for wheat flour, is Paleo, nut free, and AIP compliant – WWHHAAT!?!
Ottos Cassava Flour
I had to try this out for myself, so I decided to buy some. I went ahead and bought some from Otto’ s Naturals, because they claim that they make their flour differently than other brands and theirs isn’t gritty and doesn’t have a strong taste, even though it was $18 for a 2 Lb bag! But if their claims are accurate, I can justify spending the money. Plus, they now sell it at my local health food store so I don’t have to pay shipping – YAY!
So you might be wondering, “Is it all it’s cracked up to be?” Well — yes and no. Yes because I really like the flour and I think it’s a great Paleo option, and no because I don’t think all their claims are accurate. Let me explain. When I first got it I couldn’t help but notice that it had the look, texture, and feel of regular flour, that was a plus. But how would it taste, and can it be used just like wheat flour as a 1:1 replacement? While it does taste like regular flour, the taste is noticeably stronger. It’s not necessarily bad, just stronger and noticeable. And what about using it just like wheat flour?
can it be used as a 1:1 replacement for wheat flour?
In most of the recipes that I tested I had to add additional liquid because it was really absorbent! Then I found out that you can only use the cassava flour as a 1:1 substitute if you are talking in terms of weight, and I usually only cook by volume. When measuring by volume – the way I usually do – there can be a significant weight difference since cassava weighs more than wheat. 1 Cup of wheat flour weighs around 120 grams and 1 C of cassava flour weighs around 140 grams. When converting a recipe I like to start with 3/4 C of cassava per cup of wheat and go from there.
Also, since cassava doesn’t have gluten it doesn’t have the same stretch as wheat flour. For that reason, I like to add either coconut or tapioca to the recipe to give it some stretch and softness and sometimes even ground flaxseed to help give it a “bready” flavor and add even more stretch, depending on what I’m making.
But with that being said, I would still give the flour an ‘A’ because I think it could be used to create some fantastic recipes! And even though it might not work as an exact substitute for regular flour in every instance, it’s pretty close and still easy to use.
Now with that out of the way, back to pancakes!!!!
These paleo pancakes taste like something you would get at a good pancake house or small town diner. They are big, soft, fluffy, and taste amazing. The only problem is deciding which recipe is my favorite and which one to make next. What about you? Have you tried cassava flour? Which pancake recipe do you like best?
*Note on cassava flour pancakes as of 3/17:
Cassava flour seems to be very effected by the weather, the way it’s measured, the brand, etc, so I’ve update the recipe to include coconut flour to ensure a perfect, fluffy pancake every time. Then, just use milk as needed to thin it out to a good pancake consistency. The amount of milk needed varies greatly from person to person.
Looking for more breakfast recipes? Check out my Paleo Waffles, Paleo Biscuits, Paleo Crepes from Elana’s Pantry, and my new Keto Breads Cookbook
Pancakes - Paleo & Nut Free
For grain free baking powder, mix together 1 part baking soda with 2 parts cream of tartar and 2 parts starch (tapioca, potato, or arrowroot). *Note on cassava flour pancakes- The cassava flour seems to be very effected by the weather, the way it's measured, the brand, etc.... so use the milk as needed to thin it out to a good pancake consistency.
Ingredients
Coconut Flour Pancakes:
- oil for greasing pan
- 4 large eggs large
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 T honey
- 1/4 C tapioca flour
- 1/3 C + 1 Tbsp. coconut flour
- 1/4 C non-dairy milk
- 1/4 tsp. distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. grain free baking powder*
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
Cassava Flour Pancakes:
- oil for greasing pan
- 1 Cup cassava flour stir before measuring
- 1/4 Cup coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp. grain free baking powder*
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 Cup + 1 Tbsp. Non-Dairy Milk + more as needed
- 1 tsp apple cider or white vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. coconut oil melted
Instructions
Instructions for both pancakes:
- Heat a griddle or pan over medium-low heat.
- Melt the coconut oil and set aside.
- Mix the non-dairy milk with vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients (including the milk mixture) except the coconut oil, so it doesn't solidify.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, then stir in the coconut oil. Batter should not be lumpy and will be thick but creamy. If batter is too thick, add additional non-dairy milk 1 Tbsp. at a time until desired consistency. Batter tends to thicken over time as the flour absorbs the milk.
- Add about 1/2 - 1 tsp. of oil and swirl around pan until it melts to grease pan.
- Pour 1/4 C of batter into the preheated skillet and slightly spread out the batter with the back of a spoon so it's not too thick. Cook until the edges look dry and the bottom is a nice golden brown.
- Flip and cook until cooked through. Set aside and repeat with remaining pancakes.
Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
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Hi Cassidy–I really appreciate this review and both recipes! Those pancakes look absolutely divine! 🙂 I just got some Otto’s cassava flour, too, and for the same reason you did. I was really surprised when I read the one-for-one substitution advice on the bag, so you sharing your experience is timely and will probably save me some disasters. I don’t need disasters at $18 a bag. 😉
Thanks, dear! xo,
Shirley
Thanks Shirley, I hope my review helps! …Let me know how the cassava flour works for you, I’ll be anxious to hear! Happy experimenting 🙂
Thank you for all the information on cassava flour. I had never heard of it yet so thanks for enlightening me!
Thanks Elle, I hope the info is useful for you 🙂
I have some cassava flour and I REALLY need to get to using it! It’s not going to use itself sitting in my PANTRY!
I haven’t tried the cassava flour so thanks for the review. My kids love to have pancakes quite a bit.:)
Thanks Barbara, I hope my review helps you and you like the pancakes 🙂 🙂
-Cassidy
The cassava recipe is terrific! For anyone who wants to know, I used apple cider vinegar instead of white, skipped baking powder, cut honey in half, and used 3 small eggs. Instead of coconut oil used palm shortening. They were delectable! Also I was impressed by how much batter the recipe made; I felt good about that given the price of the flour. Thanks for this great guide! Eager to try more of your recipes. 🙂
Thanks Ruthie, I’m so happy you liked them!!! Thanks also for letting us know that your substitutions worked – I love hearing how other people adapt my recipe to fit their tastes and needs 🙂
These look amazing!!! Is cassava the same thing as tapioca flour? Also could I make a bunch and freeze then pop in the toaster in the morning? Can’t wait to try both of these.
Hi Jill! While tapioca flour is made from cassava, it’s a little different and you can’t use tapioca in place of the cassava flour, sorry! I’ve never tried freezing them but if you get a chance to try it let me know how it works 🙂
XO,
Cassidy
Thanks so much for reviewing the cassava flour! I bought a bag and have failed three times at creating things. Wish I saw your comments first. 🙂
For the cassava flour pancakes, do you think it would be possible to use flax or chia eggs?
Thanks Jen! From what I’ve read, cassava flour should work with egg substitutes but I’ve never tried it. If you try it let me know how it turns out!!
I cook with Otto’s Cassava flour quite a bit. Our house is completely gluten, egg, dairy, soy, corn and oat free. I have never successfully used their cassava in a recipe calling for more than one egg. I have been able to sub one egg with acceptable results. That said, my best recipes using cassava are naturally egg free. It makes excellent pie crust and tortillas for example. It works well for chicken pot pie also. With those types of recipes I do use cassava as a one to one replacement for white or wheat flour in a recipe adding extra amounts of spices or seasoning eliminates the strong flour taste. . You can also use cassava to replace one of your flours in your gluten free flour blend if you are making your own blends. I have used it in blends as a replacement for oat flour and mixed it with sorghum flour, potato starch and arrowroot starch. This helps when needing to replace eggs as cassava works best with other gf flours when using egg replaces. Cassava from Otto’s is life changing in the gluten free kitchen. Thanks for sharing your recipes and your honest review of the flour
Thank you so much for your comment and all the helpful information Juli!!!!!
Do you have a blog with all your cassava recipes? We just cut out grains and cassava is great but I’m a novice and still in the trial and error stage.
Hi Karen! I’m actually new to cassava flour too so the only recipes I have so far are these pancake and cassava flour tortillas. You can find the link here 🙂 : https://cassidyscraveablecreations.com/2017/04/cassava-flour-aip-tortillas-paleo.html
I know this thread is super old, but we are just experimenting with cassava flour ourselves. Our first batch of pancakes were super gummy in the middle, so we are going to try this recipe with the coconut flour added. I am just wondering what you find best for egg replacer. We can’t use the boxed ones. But we have tried applesauce and sometimes psyllium husk. Thanks so much!
Cynthia, my son has a chicken egg allergy. Have you tried duck eggs? They have been a lifesaver for us!
Hi. What did I do wrong? I just made these and the batter was much thinner than expected – did you measure the flour packed? Also, it was very lumpy so I think I may have overmixed it yielding very flat, slightly rubbery cakes.
The good thing was they were still edible despite my disappointing first try 🙁
Hi Lorien, I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. Yes, I measured the flour packed. But my batter wasn’t lumpy so you might try sifting your flour next time – I imagine that might have been why they were flat and the batter was thin. Sorry!!!!
I found that a typical wooden spoon doesn’t work to mix the batter. A wisk is a must or even a stick blender. The batter should not be lumpy. That being said I have made this recipe a half a dozen times and it is quite a thin batter. I have to add probably at least 1/3 c more flour. In fact I started to add 1/4 c coconut flour instead so I could stretch the more expensive cassava flour. And that has worked out really well for a nice thick pancake batter. These are still the best pancakes my gluten-free family has ever had. We love it.
Thank you so much Alicia! And thank you for letting me know your adjustments, I will try adding the 1/4 C of coconut flour that next time!
-Cassidy
Thank you for the tip Alicia. I made the Cassava flour recipe as suggested but it was too watery for my liking. I thought ¼ cup coconut flour might be too much but they turned out amazing. The texture of the Cassava flour and coconut flour blend was spot on. I’m still not too crazy about the taste of the Cassava flour but maple syrup helps. And it hands down beats the texture of coconut flour. I’ve been on a histamine intolerance diet for a little over a month. As a weekly pancake eater I’ve tried almost every grain free, nut free, dairy free recipe out there. Luckily I’ve been able to reintroduce eggs without any symptoms so I can’t say how the recipe would work with an egg substitute. Next time I’ll try adding alcohol free vanilla extract. Oh and I substituted maple syrup for the honey because honey isn’t HIT friendly.
I have an allergy to tapioca and have read conflicting reports about Cassava flour and if I can eat it or not. What is your opinion on what you know. And I realize it is only your opinion 🙂
Hi Sheree! I really don’t know if you can eat it or not. I don’t know if this helps or not, but they are both made from the cassava root but tapioca flour is the bleached and extracted starch and the cassava flour is the whole food 🙂
-Cassidy
i need some help! Haha my pancakes (cassava flour only) turned out gummy. What do you do to fix that? There very thick
*they’re. Not pourable :/
Hi Allison! I’m sorry the pancakes were too thick and turned out gummy, I haven’t had that problem? 🙁 You can add additional non-dairy milk to the batter to thin the pancakes as needed and that would probably help. Sorry again!!!
I’m just wondering, why the vinegar? Does it make them fluffier? Can you taste it? Also, do you think it would be beneficial to soak the flour overnight to reduce any lectins? Thanks! !
Hi Donna, I add the vinegar to make “buttermilk” which makes them fluffier and you can’t taste the vinegar at all 🙂 … I’ve never soaked my flour so I can’t give you any advice about soaking or how the pancakes would turn out, sorry!!! If you make them let me know how you like them!
-Cassidy
Our FAVORITE pancakes! Thank you for sharing. I’m making them again right now. I just put all the ingredients into my blender. So quick, easy, and delicious.
Awesome Shanna, I’m so excited that these are your favorite pancakes!!! Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
XO,
Cassidy
I used home made applesauce instead of coconut oil for less calories. I am addicted to these!
YAY, I’m happy to know that applesauce works in place of coconut oil – so happy you like them!!!
XO,
Cassidy
I read on another site concerning the use of cassava to replace wheat flour. The advice given was to weigh the amount of wheat flour and then use that weight for the cassava. SInce my hubby still uses wheat flour, I can get away with weighing it. We are going to try the pancakes for dinner tonight. What can I say? It’s snowing out and I want comfort food. This will be my first foray into cassava since being diagnosed with celiac disease in June.
Thanks Julie, that’s a good idea!! I hope you like them 🙂
-Cassidy
I made the coconut flour/tapioca flour recipe, and the pancakes turned out perfect and very tasty. I used cider vinegar for the white vinegar and culinary coconut milk for the non-dairy milk. Great with maple syrup.
I just made the cassava flour version this morning for my teens who have recently (by their request for different reasons) taken gluten and dairy out of their diets. The pancakes were perfect and everyone was so excited! The recipe made 15 (1/4 cup) pancakes and they disappeared quickly! I think we’ll try the coconut flour version next week! Thank you!
Just made the pancakes this morning. When at first I flipped them over in the pan, they felt super dense, and I was worried about how they might taste. But, while they are “sturdy,” they are also quite light.
The flavor is interesting. Not bad, just different. I quite enjoyed them, and will likely make them again. I might try whipping the egg whites separately, and folding in as the last step, to see if that makes them a little lighter.
Thanks for your review Christine! Let me know what you think of the them if you try whipping the egg whites separately 🙂
-Cassidy
An update: I made the cassava pancakes again today, and followed the directions verbatim. Only this time, I didn’t cook them as long.
Fluffy and delicious! 🙂
I’m so happy you liked them Christine!!! Thanks for taking the time to comment and give us an update 🙂
-Cassidy
I have never had a total disaster recipe until I tried the cassava four pancake recipe WITH gelatin eggs as a substitute. Stuck to the bottom of the pan, as I tried to scrape it, it became sticky ball of gloop. Wow. Totally chemistry change right before my eyes. Unless you have any advise, I guess I’ll have to wait until I can reintroduce eggs back into my diet. Thanks. (I’m giving 5 stars bc I hate when ppl give a poor rating based on their altered, not-the-same recipe as I did with the eggs.)
Oh no Terri, I’m so sorry!!!! Thanks for letting me know that the gelatin eggs didn’t work, but again, I’m really sorry 🙁
XO,
Cassidy
P.S.- thanks for not giving it a low rating because the gelatin eggs didn’t work!
I used flax eggs (1TB ground flax to 2TB water, mix and let the consistency gel) and the pancakes were awesome. I also added swerve sweetener which gave the pancake a slightly sweet taste and counteracted the slight bitter taste.
So glad the flax eggs worked!!!! Thanks for letting us know 🙂
-Cassidy
Hi, I had the similar problem, but I manage to overcome it with backing them much longer on the less heat. Like half of the heat for the “normal” pancakes. But, also, I do use egg yolk. Anywaz, worth a try, good luck!
Hey Cassidy,
the recipe is terrific. Texture and Taste of the pancakes are perfect. Thank you very much for sharing it.
Regards
Erik
Thank you so much Erik!!!!! So excited that you liked them, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment:)
-Cassidy
I made the cassava flour recipe with a couple tweaks:
Some arrowroot instead of all cassava flour
apple cider vinegar
cooked in a mix of coconut oil and bacon grease
add cinnamon
They were delicious!
Awesome Christine, I’m so happy you liked them… thanks for letting me know your changes!!!
-Cassidy
We made the coconut flour pancakes this morning, and they were great! I used canned coconut milk, but I think I will try almond milk next time as they were very thick, but still delicious.
I really liked this recipe. Had a slight “eggy” taste that reminded me of french toast, but I still liked it. My 12 year-old son also was a fan and I would make this again. Thanks!!
18$ for a small bag too rich for my budget. 🙁 However, I don’t eat a lot of bread/buns/pasta/cake etc. So when I do I just get a brand I can understand every ingredient. Even then I only eat a small portion. Good thing we are not pancake ppl, though I love a good crepe- which is super ez to make healthy with standard ingredients. Thanks for your recipes and ‘testing”.
My only change was apple cider vinegar for vinegar. It ended up as a total gooey mess, I am on the hunt for a different recipe. Not sure what went wrong :/ I do live at high altitude but that usually leaves things dryer, not “gooier”.
I’m sorry these didn’t work for you Heather 🙁 Which recipe did you use?
-Cassidy
Hi Heather, again I’m so sorry these didn’t work for you. I assume your problem was with the cassava flour pancakes. After many reader comments, feedback, and me experimenting with them, I’ve found that additional flour takes care of the problem. I don’t know why sometimes they are fluffy and sometimes they seem gummy but I’ve updated the recipe to ensure a perfect pancake every time. Sorry again.
-Cassidy
Hi Cassidy,
Love the cassava pancakes. I made up the dry ingredients into a mix and took them camping. Added wet ingredients at camp and cooked on the camp stove. Worked great! I like to thin them out a little, bot so excited to have a great camping recipe as well as one that works at home.
I made the cassava flour recipe and loved them! They will be my new go to pancakes, thank you so much for the recipe!
Made the cassava/coconut flour pancakes this morning and they were great! This recipe will definitely be my new go to!
Wow FINALLY!!! A pancake recipe for AIP that works and tastes delicious…I used the cassava recipe, my first time working with cassava flour, but not my last…and I added about a 1/4 cup additional coconut milk as the batter was very lumpy when I first mixed it…maybe sifting would have eliminated that, but adding the milk was easy.
I cook a lot, and have worked as a caterer for thirty years on and off, so rarely follow recipes…get an idea of what’s happening Andy then do my own thing. I DID NOT do that with this recipe and am grateful….after more than eighteen months with no pancakes, I am back in business…and I did use the eggs…
Yielded 12 Nic each sized pancakes. As I was finishing the pancakes I noticed some room on the griddle, somtossed on some bacon, un cured and nitrate free. Those last three pancakes tasted extra delicious!
Sliced fresh peaches on top…no need for anything else…THANK YOU!
PS I tried to rate this as a 5 but wasn’t able to get the stars to click on 🙁
I made the cassava flour version with the coconut flour addition and they were excellent! I used apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. The pancakes turned out perfect…nearly identical in texture to traditional pancakes. It was a nice treat for us to have!
I’ve been making the cassava flour pancakes for over a month every Saturday for my family , they are amazing . I have even cutting thr cassava flour by 1/2 and subbing sunwarrior protein to make these more filling and satiating . definitely love these !
These were fantastic! I used almond milk, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Heavenly!
I made these pancakes today with butter instead of coconut oil. The temp seemed low because it would take me 10 minutes to get one done on medium-low temp, so I turned it up to medium-high and it worked better. However, the pancakes would get crispy and brown on the outside but the inside would not finish cooking. I tried turning it back to medium-low, and that didn’t work either. I also tried thinning the batter more. My pancakes ended up like crackers on the outside and wet inside, and I COULD NOT get them to cook well. I loved the taste and they went well with a little honey, but I wanted light, fluffy pancakes and I’m sad they didn’t work out. :~(
I’m so sorry these didn’t cook well 🙁 Unfortunately this could be due to a lot of factors including the humidity, altitude, or the brand of coconut flour – as some absorb more liquid than others. Next time if they aren’t cooking through add additional flour because that means that the flour isn’t absorbing enough liquid. So sorry!!!!
These are wonderful (cassava four selection); I find cooking them at a lower heat setting allows the center to cook and still have a nice texture on the outside. Keeping them warm in a 200 degrees F also helps. I’ve made them several times and never disappointed. My non-paleo husband also loves them. Thanks for an awesome recipe.l
Thank you for the nice comment – and thanks for the tips 🙂
XO,
Cassidy
I’m making another batch right now.
Hi Cassidy, I have only been gluten free for about 6 months so am still learning.
I love it that you combine different flours. My granddaughter and I made pancakes
using coconut flour and they were delicious but hard to flip. So I can’t wait to try your recipe !
Thanks for such a great choice of baked item recipes !
Oh, and also, do you think you can sub sorghum flour for some of the almond flour ?
Thanks Cathi! Sorghum flour and almond flour are quite different so I don’t think it work as a 1:1 replacement. When using almond flour I usually add more than other flours and have to decrease the oil because almond flour has a higher fat content than other flours. I’m sure you substitute sorghum flour with a little tweaking though 🙂 Hope that helps!!!
-Cassidy
We love these! Thank you!
Love this recipe – have made it multiple times for myself (Paleo) and another who cannot eat solids for a while. Cooked slowly while not developing a crust, it literally melts in the mouth and is perfect conduit for butter, maple syrup, etc.; I cook mine a bit longer on low heat also, for a more usual pancake texture. Delicious, and what I love about pancakes.
Hi Cassidy, I’m looking forward to trying your Cassava Flour Pancakes and am wondering if the vinegar is necessary, or if there’s a substitute for it? What does the vinegar do? I don’t seem to tolerate vinegars. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Hi Amneily! The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the pancakes rise, but since there’s also baking powder they should still rise at least a little bit. Or you could use apple cider vinegar or lemon juice as a substitute if you prefer 🙂 Hope that helps!!!
-Cassidy
My first time making baking powder, and using about half the ingredients listed. But delicious! I had to add triple the amount of liquid given to get the right consistency. I also used ghee, which made them extra buttery tasting., although I did use refined coconut oil for the fry pan. I want to try thinning it out even more, adding more eggs, and making crepes. I like my graininess & nuttiness in pancakes, so next time I’ll substitute ground flaxseed for some of the cassava four, and wondering what it might be like to use sunbutter or tahini for part of the liquid.
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These are the only paleo pancakes I’ve made so far that taste like real pancakes! Highly recommend. I made the cassava flour recipe but swapped the coconut flour for tapioca flour (because that’s what I had). It still turned out great!
Thanks Anne, I’m so excited you liked them!!! And thanks for letting me know tapioca flour works in place of the coconut flour 🙂
-Cassidy