Maybe I’m extending myself by saying this is Whole30, since they recommend no pancakes during their program. Nonetheless, this recipes contains no sweeteners not even fruit juices, so it’s completely “Whole30” approved.
If you want to make crepes instead of pancakes, decrease the amount of chestnut flour to about 1 cup. The natural colour of the chestnut is brownish, so the pancakes/crepes are darker than almond flour or coconut flour pancakes.
They can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes, are healthy and delicious! Of course, chestnuts are still a nut, so they should be eaten in moderation, although they are the highest alkaline producing nuts and are full of beneficial properties.
Chestnut are a complex carbohydrate, containing Vitamin B, Vitamin C, fiber, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and magnesium, amongst other nutrients. Additionally, they are naturally sweet, so little or no sweetener is required when baking with chestnut flour!
So, go on enjoy with no guilt!
- 1 1/4 cups (135g) chestnut flour
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (250ml) coconut milk (I make my own from vacuum packed organic coconut and filtered water)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, plus more for “frying”
- 1 heaping tablespoon of orange zest
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- In a mixing bowl, with a whisk, beat the egg, coconut oil, orange zest and cinnamon.
- Add the coconut milk, and blend.
- Add the chestnut flour and baking soda and mix well.
- In a skillet on low heat, melt some coconut oil (about 1 tablespoon).
- Pour the chestnut mixture in spoonfuls into the skillet to create pancakes of desired size.
- Allow the pancake to bubble up and then flip to cook on other side.
- Serve with your favourite toppings, fruit or even cheese!
I just made these pancakes and substituted 1 tsp vanilla for the orange zest since I did not have any orange zest. They were delicious! I look forward to trying them again when I have orange zest. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad to hear that Viviane! chestnut flour is a lot of fun to bake and cook with.. it adds a special flavour and is actually quite versatile. Thank you for stopping by!
Hi! Does chestnut flour have that starchiness like arrowroot flour or tapioca starch?
Not exactly and it’s not a substitute for arrowroot or tapioca. However, although it’s light and fluffy in its dry state, it can result dense when wet, unlike other nut flours.
I’ve just found this recipe which looks amazing, but…how can I substitute the plain flour to make this more Paleo? I always find it difficult to adjust quantities to make things work. Please can you help? Thanks heaps!
Hi Heather,
This recipe is completely Paleo and has no ‘plain’ or wheat flour in it. All it has is Italian chestnut flour (made from ground chestnuts). By the way, I recommend Farina di Castagne from Spadoni. It’s one of the best I’ve tried and the chestnut flour is made from pre-cooked chestnuts not raw nuts, which makes a huge difference in how the flour works, the texture, and flavour.
I hope this helps! If you have more questions, please let me know.
Debra xx