Almond Flour vs. Coconut Flour

Now that you’ve been reading here with me for awhile, you know why I use almond and coconut flour to bake with (no grains–holla!), but I realized that I’ve never explained why I tend to use them together, or their baking properties or anything like that.  So let’s talk grain-free flours.

First of all, nutrition-wise they are both awesome!  Almond flour is full of healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamin E and magnesium.  It also packs a protein punch!  Here’s a great post from Elena’s Pantry that goes really in depth about why almond flour is the cat’s pajamas.  Coconut flour is high in fiber and protein, and has a naturally sweet taste–which is ideal for baking.

In all of my muffin recipes, I use a combination of almond and coconut flour.  One reason I do this is that it cuts the cost of the recipe.  Before I explain this completely, you should know that a little coconut flour goes a long way.  It is a very thirsty flour and you don’t have to use much of it.  That is one reason that many recipes that solely use coconut flour also call for an ungodly amount of eggs.  Coconut flour soaks up moisture like crazy!  So back to price.  As it turns out, almond flour and coconut flour cost about the same price per pound.  But when baking you only have to use a very small amount of coconut flour vs almond flour.  So consider this….let’s say that a cup of almond or coconut flour costs $2.50.

If I have a recipe for muffins that calls for 2 cups of almond flour, the total cost alone of flour for that recipe is $5.

But if I decide to sub in some coconut flour for almond flour, I would do this:  3/4 cup almond flour + 1/4 cup coconut flour (and add an egg for extra moisture).  That brings the total cost of flour for the recipe down to $2.50, so it is well worth it to make the change!!  This doesn’t compromise the taste or texture of the recipe (in my opinion).

I would not usually ditch almond flour solely to bake with coconut, and the ratio above is only one I can vouch for in muffins or sweet breads.  I am normally not a fan of baked goods made only with coconut flour (although they do work well sometimes, it’s just not my preference).  If a recipe has too much coconut flour, sometimes the baked good in my mouth feels a little heavy and hard to swallow.

Another reason that I think it’s a good idea to sub out the some of the almond flour in a recipe is because almond flour has recently gotten some press for being high in Omega 6 fatty acids.  Now don’t freak out–you can read the article I linked to find out more about it.  And remember, you can find articles floating around the interwebz to support or bash nearly any health theory there is.  The gist of this theory is that eating too much of these Omega 6’s can cause inflammation–the exact thing we are trying to eliminate in our body by eating this way in the first place.  My theory is don’t overdo it!  If you ditch a standard American diet just to go paleo and eat strictly baked goods made with almond flour, that isn’t ideal.  These are treats, and you should be eating more meat, fruit and veggies than baked goods anyway.  But it makes me feel a little better to lower the amount of almond flour and sub in some coconut flour (and therefore extra fiber!) because my boys do love their baked goods.  And hello?  They are kids.  I hate to tell them no, especially when I feel really good about the ingredients I bake with!

I hope that was a good intro lesson on the difference between almond and coconut flour and why I use them both together a lot (I promise it’s not because I enjoy sending you out on wild goose chases at the supermarket).  If you have any other questions, just ask away!  If I don’t know, I will research it, and we will learn together.