Coconut Flour – from dried coconut
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Coconut Flour
In several of Nouveau Raw’s recipes, you will see coconut flour being used. Even as you travel the web of raw recipes, you will see other chefs using it as well. But before you run to the cabinet and measure out the flour, stop and make sure that you know exactly what they are referring to. Coconut flour can mean one of two things; they are either using raw coconut flour that you can purchase at the grocery store, or they are making their own.
Here are just a few ways that you can make coconut flour:
- You can make homemade coconut flour using dried coconut flakes and blitzing them to a powder in a blender. This flour has a higher fat content and won’t be as drying to a recipe.
- Highly processed, ultra-white coconut flour. This flour isn’t raw, and I don’t recommend it.
- Store-bought raw coconut flour. I recommend the Coconut Secret brand.
- Raw coconut flour made from coconut milk pulp, which is made by placing dried coconut and water in a blender. After blending, strain the milk through a nut bag. The stuff that is left in the bag is called pulp. Spread this on a dehydrator sheet, dry, then process it into fine coconut flour. This type of flour has less fat.
I will always be using one of two types of coconut flour; store-bought raw coconut flour or the type of flour that is made from dried coconut that has been blitzed into a powder. Keep in mind that they can’t be substituted for one another. The reason for this is that the store-bought coconut flours absorb a lot of moisture from the recipe, which can make the outcome dry and crumbly. And as I mentioned above, when I powder dried coconut, it is higher in fat; therefore, it won’t absorb the moisture in your recipes. I don’t make coconut flour from coconut pulp only because I never have enough of it on hand.
What You Don’t Know about Raw Coconut Flour:
It is 100 percent gluten-free: Since there is no gluten in coconut flour, this ideal for anyone with gluten intolerance.- Coconut flour is a high fiber food: Contains more fiber than any other flour — almost 58 percent more, which makes reaching your daily fiber intake possible!
- Can help assist in weight loss: Since dietary fiber assists in controlling glucose levels, it may help control blood sugars.
- Very low in carbs.
- It has a mildly sweet coconut taste.
- Sometimes it will be necessary to increase the liquid content in coconut flour recipes. Coconut flour loves moisture and will absorb a lot of the liquids in recipes.
- Dried coconut is an excellent source of copper, which helps to maintain the health of your brain. It activates enzymes responsible for the production of neurotransmitters.
- Always use unsweetened dried coconut, sweetened dried coconut has 2 teaspoons of added sugar per ounce!
- Dried coconut is cholesterol-free, very low in sodium, and high in manganese.
Homemade Coconut Flour with Dried Coconut:
Ingredients:
Yields 1/2 cup powdered
Preparation:
- Place the shredded coconut in either a blender, spice, or coffee grinder. Blend until it reaches a powder form. That’s it!
- Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan
Hi Amie Sue, great idea! Does it have to be shredded coconut or will desiccated be ok? xx
Hello Shelley,
Desiccated coconut is coconut meat which has been shredded or flaked and then dried to remove as much moisture as possible. Desiccated coconut is unsweetened (but always check the ingredient label), this is not to be confused with coconut flour, which has the fat removed;
Dried coconut content tends to have a higher moisture content than full-on desiccated coconut.
I thought I would share that in case others are not sure what the difference is between the two. To answer your question, yes, using either should be fine. Just know that the desiccated coconut might be a bit “drier”.
amie sue
hi…I am a bit slow when it comes in homemade gf flour so plz could you help me?now store bought coconut flour is expensive,so I buy coconuts instead.now to make coconut flour same as store bought to use it in recipes that absorb liquid as store bought….what should I do?first make coconut milk and then dry and grind?or just shred fresh meat,dehydrate and grind it?i know you said it somewhere above in the article but like I said…I am a bit slow…hahaha.sorry.i have tons of recipes but I cant buy expensive flour and prefer to make it my own but at the same time I don’t want to ruin the recipes and lose all the ingredients too.thanks
Good morning Demi,
I haven’t made my own coconut flour from fresh coconut meat before so until I do, I can’t give you instructions with confidence. You can make coconut milk and then dry the coconut pulp, thus grinding that into a flour but not sure it will end up just like store bought. I am afraid that is a different process all together since it is a processed product at the store. Are you baking with this coconut flour or are you wanting it for raw recipes? Have a blessed weekend, amie sue
thanks…i wonder if i make coconut milk and make coconut flour from the pulp…will it be th esame ratio in recipes call for coconut flour?like all these recipes that need half cup flour with many eggs,will homemade do the job and be more moist or it wont be same as store bought?i am afraid i will ruin the recipes i have found online that uually call for store bought
Great question Demi but I don’t know the answer to that. I don’t do any real baking and I know coconut flour works in certain ways in recipes. My best advice to try one recipe and see how it turns out. amie sue
I love your site, very informative! Thanks for posting! How do you dry your coconut?
Thanks,
Alyssa
As of yet, I don’t dry my own coconut Alyssa. I purchase it dried. :)
Thanks for this explanation, now I understand why the things I made with store bought coconut flour were so dry and disappointing. I love this idea of making your own!
Grace
I am happy that this posting helped you Grace. Have a great day, amie sue
Amie-Sue, thank you so much for another great tip! I’ll be trying the coconut pieces/water version, myself. Sounds great!
I love the beautiful look, and also the efficiency (lovely when you can get both looks and practicality all in one!), of the lovely 3-bowl with lid storage you’re picturing here. Is this something that you put together that just worked, or did you buy this as a set! I think keeping 3 types of flour in it is brilliant!
Good morning Diana,
Your welcome. :) You can get these containers here if interested. They come in several sizes…
https://nouveauraw.com/equipment/storage-containers/global-amici-z7jk002gbr-3-tier-cannister-set-185-ounce-large/
and
https://nouveauraw.com/equipment/storage-containers/global-amici-z7jk001gbr-3-tier-cannister-set-48-ounce-small/
Have a great day! amie sue
Amie Sue,
You made my DAY! Thank you so much for this……yesterday I made treats for my dogs. The coconut flour I bought it to make the biscuits turned into dry crumbly. I was sort of not happy about this and wonder WHY! You have answered mine. You rock!
One more thing..I love the glass of bowl demonstrated here. Where can I find it? I love how you decorated this. Awesome!!!
Have a good day!
Elzbieta
Your welcome Elzbieta… are you referring to the 3-tier glass container?
You can order them here..
https://nouveauraw.com/equipment/storage-containers/global-amici-z7jk002gbr-3-tier-cannister-set-185-ounce-large/
and
https://nouveauraw.com/equipment/storage-containers/global-amici-z7jk001gbr-3-tier-cannister-set-48-ounce-small/
Have a blessed day, amie sue
Sooo, how does one know when to use which?
Hello Leslie… it will always depend on the recipe and what the end result is that is being desired. For the most part, the store bought raw coconut flour will be used in small quantities, never the main “flour” being used. There isn’t a black and white answer to this question. I would use the store bought in conjunction with other flours. If you make your own just by blitzing the dried coconut, you can use it as the main flour because it won’t be too dry and crumbly. If you ever come across one of my recipes that has coconut flour in it and you question which one is being used, just ask me. amie sue
I was to tickled to see your “coconut flour” this morning. A couple of days ago after making my own coconut milk I noticed the amount of pulp I had was building up. I thought, “hmm, I wonder if I can make flour from this if I dry in first in my dehydrator”. Well I was so proud of myself when after drying the pulp and placing it in the Vitamix I had this great flour. I was sure I had seen recipes that call for it or figure I can even substitute it for other flours (I am celiac). Now after reading the above, I am even more pleased! Thanks again for sharing. You’ve made my day!
Don’t you just love how things work out sometimes. :) That is just awesome Tricia. I am so sorry to hear that you are celiac but so thankful that there are wonderful alternatives out there…in the long run being forced to omit gluten out of your diet just might be a blessings in disguise. Have a wonderful day, amie sue
Hi Amie Sue,
We just relocated to the Big Island of Hawaii and our son is a gatherer of MANY coconuts. Yesterday we made the best milk with the shakers and the young coco water from the others. OMG it’s like the best cream in the world. I took some of the younger meat and blended it with tamari, ginger and other spices and made leather in my Excalibur to make noodles from for pad thai. I felt so wastelful throwing out the pulp but didn’t want to use it to make the flour because I want it to have the fat. Do you think I could dry some of the meat and then grind it to make my own flour instead? LOVE LOVE LOVE your site and recipes. ALWAYS inspiring! xoxo
Ohhh I wish I was there to enjoy your abundance of coconuts! How divine! :) Making leathers from coconuts are just so wonderful and versatile. You can surely dry the meat and grind it down but I think it would have close to the same amount of fat as the pulp, if not more since nothing is being strained out. Does that make sense? I would still always dry the pulp if you find yourself making more coconut milks. Even just using in small quantities would add such wonderful nutrients to recipes. Or find a friend who might want it. :)
I am so happy that you are enjoying my site. Please keep touch and enjoy the warmer weather! hugs, amie sue
Amie Sue,
I sent the message this morning and have not posted it up?
Where did you get that 3 glass bowls with lid? Testing to see if this message gets it through or not.
Have a good day!
Elzbieta
Hi Elzbieta… just so you know… when you post a comment it doesn’t show up immediately. It waits for me to approve and answer it. :) I do my best to answer all the questions on my site, every day! This way, questions don’t go unseen and unanswered, plus I can control spam. I just answered your question so refer to that for where to get the glass containers. Have a great day, amie sue
Hi Miss Amie! I love your site, it is incredible. Do you make your own shredded coconut? I just read a previous comment up there where you said you don’t dry your own coconut.
Does this mean you buy your shredded, dehydrated coconut flakes in the store and then you make the flour out of those? Has it ever been of interest to you to make the shredded coconut flakes fresh from scratch with your dehydrator and fully intact cconuts?
Hello Andrew :)
So happy that you are enjoying me site.
That is correct, I don’t make my own dried coconut. I purchase mine right now. Whole, mature coconuts are not a main staple in the grocery store and they are spendy… so I just buy it dried. One day though, I would love to give it a try. :) Do you make your own? Have a great evening, amie sue
Hi there, i am based in South Africa and at the moment everyone is on the banting diet (LCHF) and of course this has led to a high demand in all the natural baking ingredients. One in particular is Coconut Flour and if it is available it is in small volumes and not to forget the price is very high.
So for me it is with extreme interest i ask the following question: can i make coconut flour out of coconut flakes, as per the instructed diagrams above and secondly what would be the shelf life from date of blending?
Thanking you in advance,
Julia
You sure can Julia… that is what this whole post was about. :) I don’t know the exact length of time but if you can store it in the fridge or freezer it will extend the shelf life. Maybe 3-6 months if well sealed.
Have a great day, amie sue
Does it have to be unsweetened? All I can find at the store is sweetened.
That will be your judgement call Robin. It will add sweetness to recipes which might be welcomed or not. Personally, I would then order it online (if possible for you). Do they have a bulk section or a nutrition section in the store? Those areas tend to carry the unsweetened versions. Good luck! amie sue
Hi Amie,
where do you buy your dried shredded coconut?
What brand is it?
I want to be sure if it is raw.
Thank you so much!
Blessings,
Christa
Good evening Christa,
One brand that I really love and use is Earth Circle Organics http://earthcircleorganics.com/.
Have a wonderful evening, amie sue
Hi Amie-Sue,
I looked for the dried shredded coconut, but I can not buy it there. It is only for companies. Not individual.
The shops they mention don’t sell this.
Do you buy it in bulk?
Do you know this one? http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Do-Organic-Shredded-Unsweetened/dp/B000F4D5GC
Have a wonder-ful day,
Christa
Hello Christa,
I don’t buy any foods in bulk (usually) because I worry about how long they have been sitting there. I have used the brand that you linked too and do like it. I don’t think it is raw. I am not 100% raw so I pick my “battles”. :) Though I haven’t tried these (http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Dehydrated-Degrees-Unsweetened-Certified/dp/B0082CVI2M/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1423689902&sr=8-4&keywords=raw+dried+coconut)…. I do love the other products that this company sells, so based off of that, I would recommend them.
Blessings, amie sue
hello amie-sue,
do you know if shredded coconut is indeed raw? i was looking up some DIY recipes for them on the internet and a lot of people were baking them as a part of the process for the DIY. im wondering if the store bought shredded coconut is also baked as well?
There are manufactures who make raw shredded coconut… just have to seek them out. I never see them in the stores so I would recommend looking on-line. If you are ever in question about a brand, shoot them an email and ask them what their method of drying is. Have a great evening, amie sue
hi.if i make coconut flour from pulp…will it be the same as store bought in recipes?will it absorb th esame liquid?in recipes like elana;s pantry or other gf recipes?what i if i dry coconut meat and grind it?will that absorb same liquid as store bought?
Good morning Sara,
Great questions and ones that I don’t know the answers of with 100% confidence. My area of expertise is with raw foods not baked goods. If you are making Elana’s recipes, you really should ask these questions on her site…. but I will share what knowledge I have.
Many people make coconut flour from:
Whole, dried mature coconut meat.
Pulp from coconut milk made with whole, mature coconut meat
Pulp from coconut milk made with Young Thai coconuts
Pulp from coconut milk made with dried, shredded coconuts
Homemade coconut flour is not as fine in texture as compared to commercial coconut. Therefore, I don’t find it quite as absorbing. When making the flour from coconut milks… it will yield a different structural makeup than the coconut flours sold commercially in stores, and may react differently when used in a recipe that was created with commercial brands. That’s why contacting the recipe developers, regarding a particular recipe is the best advice I can give.
If anyone else reading through these comments have more experience with “baking” with the different types of coconut flours… please share! :) amie sue
I have blended unsweetened dessicated cocnuts flakes and drained the liquid using a milk bag, the liquid was ofcourse coconut milk.
The pulp that was left, i then spread on a baking sheet and dried in the oven. After i was drid i then blended the pulp again to get a more flour like texture.
It does appear to look and feel like flour, and still has the slight natural sweetness of cocnuts
Perfect Sahmeed. I do that too! Don’t you just love that nothing goes to waste. :) Thank you for sharing and have a blessed weekend. amie sue
Can you use the store bought coconut flakes to make coconut flour. Like Angle Brand flake coconut in a bag.
Good afternoon Dianne,
Yes, you can use storebought dried coconut flakes. I wouldn’t recommend Angle brand because of the ingredients….
INGREDIENTS: COCONUT, SUGAR, WATER, PROPYLENE GLYCOL (PRESERVESFRESHNESS), SALT, SODIUM METABISULFITE (RETAINS COCONUTWHITENESS).
Try to find a dried coconut that doesn’t have anything added to it. Good luck and many blessings, amie sue
Hi Amie,
Your post is so helpful! Just a question: Will dried desiccated coconut absorb less moisture than coconut flour?
Thank you!
Good morning Rajeshwari,
You are correct. They react completely different in recipes. :) Blessings, amie sue
This clumped up and broke two coffee grinders we had, because when the first broke I didn’t believe it and had to go ahead and break the second.
You broke two coffee grinders, powdering dried coconut? I can’t imagine why?
The coconut was so fatty it didn’t rain through into the container below, but clogged the blades and exhausted the engine.
What kind of coffee grinder did you use? Can you send me a link? amie sue
These two, “Capresso”. Hey, I understand it was my own fault. I could’ve stopped when the first one broke. For some reason I thought it was the machine that was faulty, and didn’t check the cogs and blades that were full of buttery ground coconut. https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/19598777_1912286635696965_2570721448805763691_n.jpg?oh=4a70a8f0881059dd3d629064ce8c210a&oe=59C946E5
Hi there Fanny, thanks for sharing what model you used. I’ve never used this style for grinding nuts, seeds, or coconut in. When I have had to use a coffee grinder in the past, I have a this one: https://nouveauraw.com/equipment/food-processors-grinders/krups-gx4100-electric-spice-herbs-and-coffee-grinder-with-stainless-steel-blades-and-housing-grey/
Granted you have to do realy small batches. Now I use my blender or food processor, just depending on how fine I need it. If I am making it just for a recipe, I tend to use my Magic Bullet which works great. https://nouveauraw.com/equipment/food-processors-grinders/magic-bullet-deluxe-25-pc-set-blender-mixer/.
Sorry that you went through this. I think we all at some point experience it. Enjoy the weekend, amie sue
Hi there, I have successfully made coconut flour out of fresh coconut pulp. I made coconut milk a couple days ago and had the leftover pulp just sitting in my fridge so I decided to dehydrate it as to not waste any of the coconut. I dehydrated it on my Presto for about 6 hours (dried super quickly compared to fruits!)
I just finished grinding up the coconut flour and it smells delicious. One coconut yielded about 1 1/2 cups of coconut flour (maybe even a bit more since mine may have been packed down a bit once I jarred).
Thanks for all the tips you have! I do have one question, what is the fat content like for homemade coconut flour? I would expect it to be relatively close to store bought coconut flour but the fat content must be higher since it has not undergone and factory processing.
Thank you so much for sharing Sonny. There are so many wonderful ways to make coconut flour. I have a posting on creating coconut flour from the pulp… https://nouveauraw.com/members-only/coconut-flour-from-coconut-milk-pulp/
I can’t really say what the fat content is. There isn’t a way of knowing without having it tested. Surely some of the fat is extracted when making the coconut milk.
Blessings, amie sue
Amie Sue since I already have store bought coconut flour in the freezer and would like to use it, should I be increasing liquid in the recipe to offset the dryness. I’m thinking of trying this for my husband’s birthday next week.
Thank you!
Good day sweet Glorianne :) Always nice to hear from you!
To answer your question… it will all depend on the recipe. Store-bought coconut flour is very different from making your own with dried shredded coconut. You can’t exchange them equally. You are right in thinking of adding more liquid when using the store-bought version since it sucks up moisture real quick. If you can share the recipe with me that you want to make for your husband, I can better help with how to tackle the ratios.
blessings and health! amie sue
You are so sweet and so quick! I want to make your carrot cake with the buckwheat flour and coco flour.
Well, that’s why I am here… to help (when I can). :)
Ok, for this particular recipe – https://nouveauraw.com/raw-recipes/desserts/raw-carrot-cake-with-pumpkin-spiced-frosting/. I would actually replace the coconut with almond flour. If you don’t have the flour, you can grind down almonds to more of a powder, but stopping before it starts to make nut butter. The reason being is that 1 cup store-bought coconut flour would create a VERY VERY dry cake. You wouldn’t be happy with the results.
If you are set on using some of the coconut flour in your freezer I would only use 2 Tbsp worth and make up the rest of the volume with another flour. Cassava flour is another option since it is slightly sweet and neutral in flavor.
I hope some of this helps. If you have more thoughts or questions, just let me know. :) hugs, amie sue
Hi, Best recipe I have found yet!
I was wondering if I could use fine coconut instead, will it still work ?
Thx
Good day, Chocolate Queen,
Yes, you could use dried fine coconut just don’t let your eyes off of it while grinding it because it will break down fast. :) Have a great day, amie sue