One of the most common substitution questions I get asked is, "Can I substitute coconut flour for x flour?" The answer is always and forever a NO of epically firm, unwavering proportions. Why? Because in my nearly seven years of blogging experience, nothing is a more ferocious destroyer of delicious things than coconut flour. It's not you, it's coconut flour.
If I had a penny for every time a kind soul commented or emailed with something along the lines of...
I tried this recipe with coconut flour instead of x flour, and it turned out terribly dry and crumbly. Any ideas what could have gone wrong?
...I'd have a big ol' bucketful of pennies.
Coconut flour. It was the coconut flour that went wrong.
Heck, if I had a penny for every time coconut flour single-handedly destroyed my own baking attempts, I'd have at least 30 cents.
I once tried to make gluten-free pasta by mixing together flax eggs, olive oil, water, and you guessed it, coconut flour. Took about a gallon of water and two glasses of red wine to erase that mistake from my mouth.
I've received so many questions and comments like the one above, that I started adding notes to recipes in an effort to preemptively deter any unassuming coconut-flour owners from making the swap.
But the questions continued to pop up and the dismayed coconut-flour-fail comments continued to pour in, so it's time to give crazy ol' coconut flour a fun-loving (but slightly serious) roast post.
Why? Because coconut flour fails happen. (And sometimes phallically arranged coconut flour pancake fails happen, too.)
Sure, coconut flour has a time and a place and a purpose. But its time is not every day, its place is not in every baked good, and its purpose is most definitely not a 1-to-1 substitute for any other flour.
In fact, coconut flour is a better 1-to-1 substitute for a sponge than it is for a flour. It's so highly absorbent that it will suck the life (and liquid) out of baked goods unless it's used incredibly sparingly, in conjunction with other flours, or alongside considerably more oil/butter/eggs/liquid than typical flours.
Enough's enough, coconut flour. You've destroyed too many delicious things without remorse. It's about time you owned up to your unsavory truth.
A quick Google search for "'I used coconut flour' dry crumbly," turned up not one but 19 instances of coconut flour destruction within the first few pages alone:
1. The problem is definitely the flour.
This is exactly what happened to me. I added almond milk, applesauce and coconut oil. It still looks horrible. I stuck it in the oven but it's not looking good. I'm wondering if the problem is the flour..I used coconut flour instead of almond. —Comment on Zucchini Bread recipe
2. Nothing missing, but something disastrous is present.
I made this recipe & the batter was very crumbly so when baked was almost like a streusel—fell apart. What is missing in the recipe? I used coconut flour – would that have been the problem? —Comment on Blueberry Muffin recipe
3. Girl, it's not you or the directions, it's the coconut flour.
I followed all the directions exactly, except I used coconut flour instead of almond (my husband doesn’t like almonds). The “batter” was completely dry. I had to add a lot of applesauce, and coconut milk…. Did I do something wrong? —Comment on Paleo Pumpkin Muffins recipe
4. You're a real gloss-stealer, coconut flour.
Hi I just made this and found it very crumbly and dry. I used coconut flour rather that spelt—would that make a difference? I also ended up adding more butter & coconut oil and also water & still couldn't get it glossy. —Comment on Chocolate Coconut Slice recipe
5. Coconut flour + coconut oil does not a coconut butter make.
I’m sure I did something wrong, but mine were horribly dry. I didn’t have any coconut butter, so I used coconut flour and coconut oil. —Comment on GF Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe
6. Coconut flour happened.
Oh my, they came out very crumbly, what could've happened? The only ingredient I changed was peanut flour, I used coconut flour because that's what I had in the pantry… could it have made them dry? They taste great but aren’t holding up! Help! —Comment on Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies recipe
7. Coconut flour did you and your clean kitchen wrong.
I’m not sure what I did wrong. I used coconut flour in place of almond floor but it was too crumbly to 'roll in to a ball'. I tried adding more liquid but still couldn’t cut pre-baking because of the consistency. It turned a nice golden brown in the oven but basically fell apart and were so dry on their own. In the end we crumbled it over plain greek yogurt and it tasted great but not at all like a scone. Made a mess of my kitchen – crumbs everywhere!! —Comment on Paleo Blueberry Scone recipe
8. Fruit cake has a bad enough rap on its own, but thanks to coconut flour it's now "...just a dry powder with fruit and nuts in it."
It seemed to me that something is missing. After I put all the ingredients together it was just a dry powder with fruit and nuts in it. It needed a lot more oil, more eggs and some water to become something I could work with. I used coconut flour instead of almond flour because that’s al I had. Would that be the reason? I am baking it now, I hope it will be as good as everyone says. —Comment on Paleo Fruit Cake recipe
9. Nope, this desert-like paleo pizookie is not right at all.
Uh, I’m making this now. I used coconut flour, cause had it already. It’s so dry, and completely crumbly…is this right? —Comment on Paleo Pizookie recipe
10. This failed apple crisp sounds a lot like my first twisted tango with coconut flour. At least we can both laugh about it now.
I wish I would have read the comments first! I used coconut flour thinking I’d kick the ‘healthy’ up another notch…and it turned out SO sandy and dry! I’ve just started experimenting with it, and did not realize how absorbent it is! Now I know lol. —Comment on Vegan Apple Crisp recipe
11. It was definitely the lack of almond flour (Read: it was the coconut flour).
I made these for breakfast – dinner tonight and I’m not sure what went wrong but it was bad news. I used coconut flour entirely and added banana and cinnamon. What is the purpose of the almond flour? That was the only difference and they stuck to my non stick coconut oiled pan and never really cooked. Stayed mushy. Must’ve been the lack of almond flour but what a bummer. —Comment on Paleo Pancakes recipe
12. Sounds like it's time to file those "treats" away in the garbage can.
I’ve just cooked these as a treat for my Husband. I used coconut flour as it’s all I had could this be why they have turned out very dry. I’m sure it’s something I’ve done wrong, but I’m so disappointed any ideas? —Comment on Blueberry Muffin recipe
13. Self-corrected coconut flour fail.
I just made these and the dough was really dry—which is confusing me because all of the other comments refer to how wet the dough was! I don’t know what I did wrong—I did substitute white sugar for the cane juice—maybe that’s what it was? The cookies taste good but they’re basically big bunches of crumbs (but still tasty). UPDATE: I just realized what I did—I used coconut flour when I ran out of almond flour—I just looked it up and found out that you should use much less coconut flour as it sucks up all the moisture—problem solved! —Comment on Almond Flour Snickerdoodles recipe
14. Yep, it was the flour.
I used coconut flour and they didn’t rise or bind at all. Big mess and tons of wasted ingredients. Do you think it was the flour? —Comment on Jumbo Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe
15. Yes, that matters.
I tried to make these, but mine were so dry! I am not sure what I did wrong. I used coconut flour. Do you think that matters? —Comment on Grain-Free Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
16. Crumbly coconut flour cookie hand rolls. Yum.
Was tasty but [mine] did not look like ur pic. It came out very crumbly and I'm not sure why. I used Coconut flour would that had been the cause? Should have not made a difference. I added more maple syrup and apple sauce but still did not hold together like it looks in ur pic. I had to actually hand roll it in order to hold it together. Do u have any suggestions because was very tasty just attempting to get the consistency correct. —Comment on Oat Cookies recipe
17. A kind warning to others:
DO NOT SUBSTITUTE COCONUT FLOUR FOR MILLET FLOUR.
So I tried this recipe. The only thing I substituted was I used coconut flour instead of millet flour. The dough was SOOOO crumbly. I could barely roll it out. It just crumbled into a million pieces. I tried adding water again and again, but it remained crumbly. I’m baking it anyway and it looks nice, but I know when I cut into it it’s going to fall apart. Oh well…will try again another time. —Comment on Perfect Gluten-Free Vegan Pie Crust recipe
18. Insanity is coconut flour.
"Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results, and for some insane reason I keep trying to act like coconut flour can easily replace other flours. It doesn’t work. At all." Complete with fail photo 1 (paleo bread destroyed by coconut flour) and fail photo 2 (coconut flour "tortillas"). —Blog post on self-admitted coconut flour fails
19. And my favorite: "Play-doh textured hockey pucks."
Wish I had found the comment about subbing in coconut flour needing more liquid. I just made them following the recipe except I used coconut flour. They turned out like play-doh textured hockey pucks. Off to the store to buy almond flour to try again. —Comment on The Ultimate Paleo Sandwich Rolls recipe
Shannon says
I enjoyed this greatly :D I can definitely relate.. and I feel like I could made a similar post about times people substituted gluten-free flour for gluten-ous flour in a yeast bread recipe and expected the same results :/ what really blows my mind with coconut flour in particular is that if you love coconut flour enough to substitute it for every dang thing then how do you not know about its completely unusual properties? Anyway, thanks for bringing a little humor to my day. This was awesome :)
Stefani says
Heehee, this article cracked me up! I learned all my coconut flour lessons trying to make dog treats. Comments like those above demonstrate mainly two things: people don't know their ingredients (I didn't then), and nobody reads other people's comments (I have learned to do just that because they are frequently helpful).
Crystal Ramirez says
I am also making dog treats peanut butter dog treats to be exact and I use coconut flour raw honey organic peanut butter and one egg and one cup of water and it looks so dry and crumbly I added another cup of water and it's still crumbly I don't know if I should add more water or an egg help me please
Mel | avirtualvegan.com says
I love this!!!! ❤️As a fellow food blogger I have had so many comments like your examples above. Coconut flour is wonderful if used correctly but it must be the most misused ingredient out there. Hats off to you for writing about it. I will be sharing this with my readers to hopefully thwart any future coconut flour monstrosities before they happen ! 😉
Candyce says
😂love this. I made the worst chocolate cookies ever with my coconut flour!!
Ashley says
Haha, oh no! Coconut flour is always good for a "worst recipe ever" experience!
Carla Canavo Joy says
So What IS the correct way to use coconut flour, or should I just give it a miss? by thetime I had added more eggs, honey and juice, the cost of ingredients was off the chart!
Jenn says
Oh, I'm dying. I love this so much! Why do people insist on always subbing ingredients? If you don't have the correct ingredients, go find a recipe that calls for the ingredients you do have! Stop the coconut flour madness!!! HaHa!
Hangry Hanna says
This is why I do not share recipes. Ever.
Hats off to cooking bloggers; I’m in awe at your tenacity through all the nonsense comments you’re subjected to by people who should just use mixes and eat fast food.
Missy says
Agree! Every comment I read anymore includes a subtiute like it's a pissing contest on who can change the damn recipe the most!! Ludicrous!! Most people have to clue of "Why" each ingredient is in there and "What" they do! If you do go subtiute crazy then DONT COMPLAIN!
louise says
So when is coconut flour good?
Ashley says
When used very sparingly and in conjunction with other gluten-free floors (e.g., oat, brown rice, almond, arrowroot, etc.) and with enough liquid/oil to balance its highly absorbent nature. :)
Aleksandra says
Oh my God, this made me laugh so much. I once had an epic fail with coconut flour. It was a coconut berry cake for my daughters birthday and I substituted a large amount of the flour with coconut flour and it turned into a dry brick of a cake. At the time I wasn't laughing but crying. What a great idea of yours to record all the mishaps. It was really informative to read and also very funny. Thank you so much!
Gwen says
Everyone who bakes or even has the thought in their head of using coconut flour should read this! If I had a dollar for each time a reader emailed me or commented telling me that their recipe failed because they substituted with coconut flour, I'd be a rich girl! (I had many coconut flour fails myself when starting out with gf baking ;) )
Linda @ Veganosity says
I love this! Is there anything quite as frustrating than receiving a negative comment about a recipe, only to find out that the person substituted ingredients, or didn't follow the instructions? 🤣🤣
Ashley Madden says
I love this post Ashley! I find people often sub any old flour for another gluten free flour and the results can be disastrous! I've had many of the above experiences with people subbing rice flour!
This is super helpful for whole food bakers! Def sharing!
xo
Ashley
Celeste Jackson says
This is good to know...I generally am consistent in sticking to the flour listed however there are times I have been tempted because I happen to have some for something I made who knows when. Maybe it's time to dump it to eliminate the temptation. There's nothing more frustrating then putting your time, effort and other quality ingredients into a recipe and having it fail. Yuck! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Lauren says
Bahahahaha! Hilarious Ashley. What sucks is it's not just the flour itself, but different BRANDS vary too! Such an a$$pain, lol.
Helene D'Souza says
I enjoyed the post, thanks for putting this together. Do you know if it matters to use ready made coconut flour or homemade coconut flour? I used to always dry my scraped coconut and create my own flour and by doing that I never had much trouble using it in my baking. In the tropics it's easier to find free coconuts then a package of coconut flour in a store. However I have to say that I always mix it with another flour, so maybe that's why I never had any dry fails.
Ashley says
Thanks, Helene! Glad you enjoyed it.
Great question about homemade vs. store-bought coconut flour. Have to say, I'm not entirely sure because I've never used homemade coconut flour (so neat that you make it), but I'd say the safest bet is to always use it in conjunction with other flours and to avoid subbing it 1:1 for any other flour.
Hailey says
Yes donut and brownie fail and everything else I tried coconut flour I'm breaking up with you forever
Ginger says
I got a good laugh as I have had some of these things happen to me, but it really can be done. Check out Dr. Mercola's description of how to bake with coconut flour. :)
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/10/26/cooking-with-coconut-flour.aspx
Stacy says
Ha. Ha. I love this. I just made vegan muffins as a kind of experiment. When I tasted them I wondered if all vegan muffins taste this weird. Nope. It was the coconut flour.
Rachel says
Last night I made my grandma's FAMOUS caramel apple pie, which I have made a few times and have never messed it up. It's so delicious and EASY. The recipe calls for very minimal flour. Mix in a few tbsp's with the sliced apples. Mix in a few tbsp's for the crumbly topping. All in all, you use LESS than a half cup of flour. I couldn't find the flour anywhere after I had already mixed everything together (also I cheated and bought a frozen store-bought crust sshhhhh, Full time mom with a full time job = store bought crust, okay?). All I could find was the STUPID coconut flour that never does anything useful and always messes up. But I thought...what the Shell, I'll give it another try, maybe I'm just doing something wrong in previous dishes. I used a little more of the coconut flour than I would normal flour in the recipe, knowing how weak it is at doing it's job as a "flour." The whole pie was runny on the inside! Like an apple soup with a hard caramel crust...WTF?! I was mad. I'm still mad because I really wanted that pie.
DAMN YOU COCONUT FLOUR!
nichole harkins says
HI, its good to know I'm not the only one having this issue! I tried a recipe for homemade dog treats using coconut flour. The recipe called for it though and I followed everything exactly. Why didn't it turn out? An entire afternoon gone.
Brooke says
😭😭😭 my batch of dairy & gluten free chocolate chip cookies is a disaster. I have 1/2 the dough still in the bowl, is there anyway to salvage it into something decent? It didn’t flatten, stayed in the perfect scoop form, and bland!! This is such an expensive way to bake and especially when it’s an epic failure.
Ashley says
Hi, Brooke! I’d have to know more about the recipe and any substitutions you made (guessing coconut flour was one but for which flour?) in order to be of any help! Likely though, you’ll need to add a lot more liquid or oil.
Ashley says
SO I MADE COOKIES WITH COCONUT FLOUR...IT WAS A LITTLE DRY TO START OFF WITH SO I PUT A HEAP OF PEANUT BUTTER IN IT AND THAT REALLY DID THE TRICK, ALSO TURNING MY SUGAR COOKIES INTO PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES BUT THAT WAS OK WITH ME...THEN CAME THE TASTE TEST!.FIRST FEW SECONDS IT WAS REALLY GOOD...THEN CAME THE AFTER TASTE! ME AND M Y HUSBAND BOTH RAN FOR THE TRASH CAN TO SPIT IT OUT! IT LEFT THE WORST LINGERING AFTER TASTE EVER! iF YOU HAVE EVER SMELLED THE SPIT UP OF A FORMULA FED BABY ( WHICH I HAVE TWO OF) YOU WOULD RECOGNIZE THE TASTE THAT I CANT DESCRIBE EXCEPT BY SAYING IT TASTED HOW THE SPIT UP SMELLED...NASTY AND ACID-Y AND JUST GETS STUCK IN YOUR THROAT. i LOOKED UP TO SEE THE SHELF LIFE OF THE COCONUT FLOUR BUT COULDNT FIND MUCH EXCEPT IT LASTS ABOUT 9 MO TO A YEAR AND THIS WAS NOT IN MY CUPBOARD MORE THAN A COUPLE OF MONTHS..i THINK IM JUST GONNA STICK TO ALMOND FLOUR AND FLAX MEAL FOR SURE!
Connie D says
I used coconut flour with my sugar & butter......most of it did not Brown.....in the oven for an hour! Doesn't coconut flour Brown?
Connie D says
Oops! Answered it myself......put it back in the oven and bake longer......just don't burn it!
Thanks!
Kalina says
Hi dear,
I just mixed coconut flour, milk and melon and did smoothy. The consistency looked very good and the taste was nice. After not more than 5 minutes, probably there was a reaction between this ingredients and the taste became bitter, so you can't even drink it anymore.
Any idea what has happened?
My kind regards,
Kalina
Ashley says
Hi, Kalina! I'm honestly not sure since what you're referring to isn't a combination I've ever tried myself, but it's likely that the combination of ingredients simply reacted poorly with one another.
MiserableOldFart says
Had good luck using a little coconut flour in pancakes. About 1/3 coconut to white flour, and an extra egg and extra milk to the batter. The pancakes are not very sturdy, so should be kept small, but are very good.
Michelle says
I have had 3 fails with my coconut flour. I get a little depressed each time. I feel better after reading your article. Paid a fortune for this POS flour so I will just let it rot in my pantry so I don’t feel bad. And I don’t know about other coconut flour but the one I bought is so grainy it’s a choking hazard.
Ashley says
Oh no, Michelle! Baking with coconut flour can definitely be a bit discouraging. Rest assured, if you use it sparingly, it can be a wonderful addition to baked goods, but definitely make sure you use a recipe from a chef or blogger that you trust!
Terri Marie says
Just made cupcakes using coconut flour and they were quite moist and not crumbly. First I used a coffee grander (nothing else handy) to make the flour very fine. Second I doubled the amount of fat required. Third I watched them very carefully when cooking and took them out the second they were done. The texture is a little grainy.
Becka says
So I make eight delicious cheesecake it’s very time-consuming it takes about four hours from start to finish with baking it and then you have to let it sit as anyone knows with cheesecake. I substituted my 2 tablespoons of flour with coconut flour and my cheesecake did not taste like cheesecake it was moist but the cheesecake flavor was completely gone and I kept running through my head thinking what did I do different I used Himalaya salt the people know that would’ve done it ! OK maybe I get a little bit too much lemon juice no that would’ve made it you know a little tangier nope that wasn’t it a little bit of coconut flour that I used in my cheesecake completely took the flavor away so after reading this blog I come to the complete conclusion that coconut flour should not be substituted for flower thank you for sharing everything
Marje says
Michelle, I feel your pain. After many fails and wasted ingredients I have given up on using coconut flour. It was an expensive waste of money, along with all the other rubbish I bought when going keto.
Is my only option now to trow it away there must be something I can do with it, other that look at it with resentment and anger every time I see it in the cupboard
Tara Dactyl says
Lol I just made a huckleberry loaf with coconut flour and I added poppy seeds, lemon juice and zest to cover up the truvia taste and it was really dry so I added some yogurt, water, 1 more egg and cream. Turns out I should have double checked my conversion math! The recipe called for 1/2 cup and I used 112 grams ( 1 cup!) It actually taste really good but I had to bake 2x a long and it stuck to the bottom of my loaf pan. Maybe next time I'll use silicon muffin liners or parchment paper and check my math! At least it's edible, which isn't too bad for my first coconut flour recipe and fail in one fail swoop! Lol. In my defense the recipe didn't even list the baking powder so I just used 1.5 tsp . I also made swedish meatballs for the 3rd time and its a keeper. 1st time was almond flour, 2nd was almond and coconut and 3rd time just coconut flour and heavy whipping cream panade. Then I made a stroganoff gravy with bone broth, onion, crimini and wild forged golden chantrelles and thickend with arrowroot, except it was the freaking coconut flour I grabbed and dumped in my HW cream which when I mixed it turned into something like coconut butter so more cream and arrowroot lol BF said it was really good this morning so at least my fails are winning. Lol. I won't blame coconut flour for my mistakes because those meatballs are perfected!
Marje says
Swedish meatballs, that sounds interesting.
How did you put it all together??
Marje
Monique says
Yes, the definition of INSANITY!! This is the second time I've tricked myself into thinking a coconut flour-based cookie will be creamy and flavourful like coconut cream/milk. Maybe it wasn't insanity... Maybe it was post-traumatic suppression where I tried to ignore the memory of the first time I made the exact same mistake... Dry.. crumbly... Couldn't taste my choc chips, butter, nor vanilla.
No cookies BEATS coconut-flour cookies.
Ashley says
Hahaha, oh no, Monique! And trust me, I'm right there with you—I'm a total repeat coconut-fail offender.
Brenda says
I can't have almond flour or rice flour.... Or any grain flour..... So I'm at a loss on what to do. I was hoping coconut was the answer but after reading this I see it isn't. Any thoughts?
Ashley says
Hi, Brenda! Coconut flour can work on its own in carefully crafted recipes and with extra oil/fat to compensate for its drying effects. Can you have buckwheat flour (its a grain-like seed)? If so, that's another great option, especially raw buckwheat flour.
M says
Hello Brenda,
Yes, totally agree with Ashley. Rather than throw away my coconut flour I made one last attempt at shortbread biscuits.
I used a third extra butter and chopped dates and they came out very nice.
Alexis says
So link me to some of your best coconut flour recipes 😉
Emily says
I'm experimenting with coconut flour pancakes as we speak, tried a mixture of coconut flour with a rice flour "mix" and it is way too dry! Will keep experimenting LOL. Maybe adding a little oil to the mix would help.
Ashley says
Hi, Emily! Yes, I would up the oil/fat in the recipe significantly to accommodate. You could also try using a fruit/veggie puree, too—maybe applesauce, mashed banana, sweet potato puree, butternut squash puree, etc.—if you don't want to increase the oil too much.
Kat says
This post amazes me and puzzles me at the same time because I just got into baking and my best friend is celiac, she can’t have gluten so I thought I’d pick up some good old coconut flour. Never used it before, but I figured I’d give it a try. Anyway long story short WHY WERE MY PASTRIES SOGGY?! They were SOGGY TWICE. Two different recipes, but one was a banana muffin recipe on the back of the actual package. Nothing dry about these muffins. They were horrid, thanks coconut flour.
Ashley says
Ugh, I'm so sorry! So frustrating, especially coming from a recipe on a package. That can be the other issue. Because it takes so much oil to compensate for the dryness of coconut flour, recipes can sometimes over-compensate and swing in the other direction. It's a delicate balance and the reason coconut flour works best in combination with other GF flours.
Nick says
I scanned this and saw no mention of the fact that Coconut flour needs about 1/4 of the amount per liquid c0ntent of other flours! Ignoring that is certainly going to result in crumbly dry results. Also, trying to cook coconut flour-based with yeast just will not work: yeast feeds on starchy, sugary normal flour.
Having said that, even with lesser amounts, I find that I can cook nice light and tasty pancakes etc, I struggle to swallow the gritty flour unless I make a really runny, oily batter. I will try a different brand and see if that helps.
Ashley says
Hi, Nick! I addressed the fact that coconut flour requires far more liquid and/or oil/fat than other flours in the beginning of the post.
Suzy says
Add another search for “why has my coconut flour crumble…”😂😱 I did the swap with flour thinking I’d outsmarted a dish to be sugar free! It tasted good but boy the butter just disappeared! You needed extra saliva! We can moisten it up with fruit juice and custard (and alll the sugar haha!) Thanks for the article though - it was fun to read and now I can duck and dive this issue! 😀
Heather says
Hi, I was wondering if it is possible to substitute a portion of coconut flour in a wheat flour recipe. I am not on a keto diet. I do eat carbs, but I try to keep each of my meals at 20 carbs. I eat bread, but was wondering if there is a way to cut some carbs with coconut flour. I have (managable) gall bladder problems, so I cannot have almond flour due to the fat amount. Thanks for your website!
Ashley says
Hi, Heather! I'm so sorry, but I can't say for certain without knowing the recipe and without testing it myself. Typically you'd have to incorporate more liquid or oil or use significantly less flour than what is called for to make it work. It's not an easy swap to make without thorough testing.