Almond Flour Pancakes

Why This Almond Flour Pancakes Works

As the batter comes together, the almond flour and tapioca starch soak up the egg and almond milk. The fine almond flour gives the pancakes a soft, tender bite, but on its own it would be crumbly. Tapioca starch fixes that. It swells a bit in the liquid and acts like a glue, so the pancakes hold together instead of falling apart when flipped.

During cooking, the eggs slowly set and give the pancakes structure, kind of like a light net running through the batter. Baking soda reacts with the wet ingredients and starts to puff, so small bubbles form and the pancakes rise instead of staying flat and dense. Once the batter hits the hot skillet, the outside firms up first while the inside stays moist.

With steady heat, the coconut oil coats the surface of each pancake and keeps the outside from drying out. The edges turn golden and slightly crisp, while the center stays soft and a little springy from the eggs and starch working together.

Mistakes To Avoid

Using high heat on the skillet makes these pancakes burn on the outside while the inside stays wet and gummy. Almond flour browns very fast, so the surface can look done while the center is still raw and pasty.

Pouring the pancakes too big causes trouble when flipping. The batter is more delicate than regular flour batter, so oversized pancakes tend to break, spread out too thin, or tear in the middle when turned.

Skipping the tapioca starch or using much less than called for leaves the pancakes fragile and crumbly. Without that bit of starch, they don’t hold together well in the pan and can fall apart when flipping or when picked up to eat.

Letting the batter sit a long time before cooking can change the texture. The baking soda starts working in the bowl instead of in the pan, so the pancakes cook up flatter and denser instead of light and slightly puffy.