My Gluten Free Girlfriend

I love coconut flour. I bake with it as often as I can and eat it at least once every day. Some people would call me obsessed. Low calorie, high protein, low carb, high fiber, this flour has amazing benefits! What’s not to love? I have tried my fair share of coconut flour recipes from other food bloggers. Most worked out fantastically, but some flopped. After reading a bajillion comments on those recipes the common consensus was that the brand of flour may be the reason for the recipe failure. Coconut flour absorbs a ton of water. Coconut flours differ in how finely they are ground and how much fat they contain as well. I really wanted to figure out which flours worked best and why.

I love to experiment. That is how I come up with my fantastic recipes. My kitchen is like a super messy science lab. My urge to find an answer to which coconut flour works the best led me to contact many coconut flour companies. I asked each if they would be willing to provide me with a sample of flour to use in this test. I would have purchased them myself but blogging does not pay well. I do it for fun. The companies in this test all sent me samples except for Nutiva. Thankfully I use that regularly and had some on hand.

I was a very excited girlfriend when my samples began arriving in the mail. I was not paid by any of these companies to write these reviews and no one approached me with the idea. I just wanted to dance around my kitchen in my lab coat and play food scientist for a bit. Note: I don’t really have a lab coat and thankfully no one was there to see my geeky attempts at dancing.

It took me longer than I ever expected to put this post together. During the last month and a half I busted my chin wide open and had to drink through a straw for about a week. Together Alan and I also shopped for and bought our dream home, a 2008 Forest River Wildwood 26TBSS Travel Trailer. We downsized our lives from an apartment full of stuff to a 200 square foot camper. We had to whittle down our lives to weigh in under 1500 pounds. We will be taking out lives and our websites mobile in the spring and can’t wait to start living our dream life. if you would like to follow the RV part of our lives, we have begun www.roadworkplay.com to chronicle our our lives as technomads.

I hope that the information helps at least a few of you in your adventures with grain free baking. I decided to use my most popular coconut flour recipe on my site my Best Ever Coconut Flour Chocolate Mug Cake. It is seriously the most decadent chocolate mug cake I have ever tasted. I don’t get many comments on my blog, but the ones I have gotten all back me up on how life changing this cake is. If you haven’t tried it please go make one now and eat it while reading this post.

So… In no particular order I give you my coconut flour showdown!

Let’s Do Organic Coconut Flour

2 tbsp = 15 Grams

Calories: 70

Fat: 2.5 Grams

Carbs: 9 Grams

Protein: 3 Grams

Fiber: 6 Grams

Price: Buy in bulk from 6 lbs to 24 lbs on Amazon. You can buy it here.

Let’s Do Organic brand coconut flour worked more like my favorite brand. This flour is slightly more coarsely ground than Bob’s Red Mill and Coconut Secret. When mixing the batter for my Best Coconut Flour Chocolate Mug Cake Ever, it seemed much thinner and runnier than usual and I was wondering if this batch would turn out well.

The cake took the recommended 2 minutes in the microwave and came out beautifully.  Let’s Do Organic Coconut Flour yielded a more moist cake which I prefer over a denser one. This coconut flour has the quality of crunching just a tad between your teeth with each bite. That is a quality I really like in a coconut flour.

Overall I really like  Let’s Do Organic Coconut Flour and would buy it again.   Let’s Do Organic brand is also readily available at Martin’s grocery stores in my area. I would definitely buy this brand over Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour if those were my only available options.

A few of the best options are not sold in stores near me but are easily bought via the internet and at some specialty stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour

2 Tbsp = 28 Grams

Calories: 120

Fat: 2.5 Grams

Carbs: 18.5

Protein: 5.5 Grams

Fiber: 11 Grams

Price: 4.4 lbs for 19.99 plus tax on Amazon. You can buy it here.

Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Flour was also put to the test in my Best Coconut Flour Chocolate Mug Cake Ever. I immediately noticed a strong coconut smell to this flour even before opening the bag. Most coconut flours do not have a coconut smell to me. I think the Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour has a more distinct coconut flavor.  I really like the slight coconut flavor this flour imparts on sweet baked goods. It may work fantastically in things like a Grain Free Banana Bread or any other fruit flavored baked goods.

When I used Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour in my grain free chocolate mug cake, the batter had the right consistency not too runny but not too thick. Once again I did not have to modify my recipe to get good results. The coconut flour chocolate mug cake came out moist and delicious after two minutes and thirty seconds in the microwave.

I don’t think Alan cared for this version of the mug cake. He simply does not like the flavor of coconut and could detect it even through the chocolate.  For someone who loves coconut like I do, the coconut flavor is great in a mug cake, but I was wondering if it would lend itself well to a savory dish. I figured many of you would be curious, so I decided to put this flour through an extra test.

I tried the Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour out in my Southern Style Coconut Flour Biscuit  to see how it would fare in a savory baked good. Usually the onion powder called for in that recipe completely hides any sweet or coco-nutty flavor in the biscuit. With Tropical Traditions I still detected a hint of sweet slightly fruity flavor even through the savory spices. I would not recommend this flour for any savory baked goods.

Omega Nutrition Virgin Coconut Flour

2 Tbsp = 14 Grams

Calories: 66

Fat: 4 Grams

Carbs: 7 Grams

Protein: 2 Grams

Fiber: 5 Grams

Price: Around 13 dollars on Amazon. You can buy it here.

I was extremely happy with the results from Omega Nutrition Virgin Coconut Flour! As an added bonus, this coconut flour comes in a canister which makes it easier to store in the fridge for a longer shelf life. Did I mention how pleased I am with this flour?

Omega Nutrition Coconut Flour worked brilliantly in my Best Coconut Flour Chocolate Mug Cake Ever. This flour produced the perfect chocolate cake. Omega Nutrition Virgin Coconut Flour seems to have all of the qualities I desire for attempting the move to full sized cakes with this recipe. I have been looking for a flour that produces the perfect crumb without being overly dry. This flour produces a cake that feels like real cake in your mouth. It is not gummy or too smooth. I am in love with this flour for sure. I am having so much fun testing these flours. I am learning a ton and may have just ended up with a new favorite! I love how this flour performs well in all of my recipes. From Paleo Brownie Oatmeal to Tamale Pie, Omega Nutrition performs fantastically.

Bobs Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour

2 tbsp = 14 Grams

Calories: 60

Fat: 2 Grams

Carbs: 8 Grams

Protein: 2 Grams

Fiber: 5 Grams

Price: Around 11 dollars on Amazon. You can buy it here.

Bob’s Red Mill Organic High Fiber Coconut Flour is very finely ground. My mug cake came out moist with no adjustments to the ingredients. I did have to adjust the time to 3 minutes instead of the 2 minutes and 30 seconds my recipe originally called for.

I find Bob’s Red Mill to have a spongier consistency than my usual coconut flour brand. Although Bob’s Red Mill produces a pretty mug cake, I am not the biggest fan of the consistency of this flour. Bob’s feels almost chalky when it breaks down in my mouth. Alan, the gluten eater, did not like the consistency either. His opinion was the coconut flour chocolate mug cake seemed to dissolve very quickly in his mouth into a weird smooth mush.  I did try the Bob’s in my Healthy Chocolate Brownie “Oatmeal” as well. I had trouble choking down that bowl of what is usually a sinful breakfast treat. Once again, the chalky extra smooth consistency had me gagging.

Although Bob’s Red Mill is one of the most widely marketed Gluten Free Flour brands, and one of the easiest to find in the super market, I was hesitant to include this brand in my testing at all.  I am not a fan of Bob’s Red Mill products in general. I have had multiple stomach issues related to Bob’s products.

I was hoping due to its single ingredient nature that Bob’s Organic Coconut Flour would be a good product. I was once again not impressed. If you have had failures with coconut flour in the past and have only tried Bob’s Red Mill, I urge you to try our one of these other 6 brands.

Nutiva Coconut Flour

2 Tbsp = 18 Grams

Calories: 45

Fat: 2 Grams

Carbs: 11 Grams

Protein: 4 Grams

Fiber: 7 Grams

Price: Around 10 dollars on Amazon. You can buy it here.

Mug cakes made with Nutiva Coconut Flour always work out well for me. This has been my go to brand for quite a while. It seems to be the cheapest when bought in bulk and has the lowest calorie count out of all of the coconut flours I have tested.

This flour has a coarser grind similar to Omega Nutrition. I prefer this slight coarseness in a coconut flour I find it gives a better crumb and overall makes a better cake. Nutiva makes a moist cake with a nice crumb every time I have used it. Nutiva is also the brand of flour I have used when creating most of my coconut flour recipes on this site. Nutiva was my clear favorite before this nifty test. Now I am torn between Nutiva and Omega Nutrition as my all time favorites in taste, texture, and ease of use.

Swanson Certified Organic Coconut Flour from the Philippines

2 Tbsp = 12.5 Grams

Calories: 32.5

Fat: 1.5 Grams

Carbs: 7.5 Grams

Protein: 2.75 Grams

Fiber: 5.5 Grams

Price: Around 9 dollars on Amazon. You can buy it here.

I tried my Best Ever Coconut Flour Chocolate Mug Cake two days in a row using the Swanson Certified Organic Coconut Flour. The first day I thought I must have doubled the baking powder on accident in my barely awake stupor of hunger. It looked more sponge like than any of the other mug cakes in this trial. The first cake had the texture of a sponge. It was somehow too dry and too moist at the same time. I tried the Swanson coconut flour again the next morning. I was much more awake this time and definitely used the correct amounts of all ingredients. Day two’s chocolate mug cake turned out slightly better, but still felt like eating a sponge.

I have read that people have had this problem with coconut flour, and now I have experienced it for myself. Don’t get me wrong, the flavor was great the texture was just not as pleasing. After 2 minutes in the microwave the middle was still soupy, but the sides of the cake had pulled away from the walls meaning the outside was done. I microwaved it another 30 seconds and the middle came out done as well… but still unfortunately too spongy for my liking. If you are looking for a coconut flour that will preform consistently in most recipes I would not recommend Swanson Coconut Flour. I will play around with it in other recipes and see if I can get it to preform well. If I do I will update this post accordingly. I am wondering if this spongy texture would work in an angel food cake. If any of you decide to try it let me know.

Coconut Secret Coconut Flour

2 tbsp = 14 Grams

Calories: 62

Fat: 1.5 Grams

Carbs: 9 Grams

Protein: 3.5 Grams

Fiber: 6 Grams

Price: Around 9 dollars on Amazon. You can buy it here.

I tried my Best Ever Coconut Flour Chocolate Mug Cake with Coconut Secret brand coconut flour as well. My love of coconut flour started when my mom got me a pound of Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Flour for Christmas. I used this brands for about a month before I quit using it due to lack of availability where I live and price.

Coconut Secret is unique in that it is raw and dried without the use of heat. The package also states refrigerate after opening to extend freshness so I always keep this brand in the refrigerator.

Coconut secret coconut flour is rather clumpy. I broke up the clumps with my spoon and measured out two tablespoons for the mug cake. I had trouble with there still being a few clumps even after thoroughly mixing the batter. I also thought the batter looked slightly less moist maybe due to the clumps making the flour harder to measure.

The Coconut Secret version of my mug cake took 2 minutes in  the microwave. It came out moist and did not leave the strange feeling in my mouth that Bob’s left. I did notice 3 small unmixed clumps of flour still made it into the cake. I would sift this flour well to remove clumps before use. I assume the clumps have to do with this flour being raw and having slightly more fat than other brands. I love the fact that this flour is a raw product from a nutritional standpoint. I still prefer a smoother flowing flour for ease of use on a regular basis though.

Conclusion

While all coconut flour brands have different properties, for this experiment all but Bob’s Red Mill and Swanson gave pleasing results. I thought when I started this test that I would have to change my recipe for each brand, and was surprised that they all worked with only slight adjustments in cook time. I had a ton of fun with this post and I hope you had as much fun reading it. I realize that I did not cover every brand out there. If you have a favorite brand leave it in the comments and I’ll try and check it out. I am always looking for new brands to test. If there are things you would like to know that I didn’t cover here leave a comment. I’ll find you an answer. If you loved, hated, or had no opinion on this post whatsoever, leave a comment. I love to hear from my readers.

This post is linked to: Gluten Free Fridays