If you're new to AIP baking, you've probably noticed that recipes call for cassava flour, coconut flour, or sometimes both. Understanding the difference between cassava flour and coconut flour can transform your baking from frustrating to fabulous. Each flour brings unique properties to your AIP-compliant treats, and knowing when to use which one is the secret to creating baked goods that actually taste good.

We've spent years perfecting our baking mixes here at EAT G.A.N.G.S.T.E.R., and we've learned that the best AIP baking often combines multiple flours to create the right texture and flavor. Let's break down what makes each flour special so you can bake with confidence.

What Makes These Flours Different from Each Other

Before we compare cassava flour and coconut flour side by side, it helps to understand where each comes from and what makes them behave so differently in recipes. Cassava flour comes from the cassava root (also called yuca), which is peeled, dried, and ground into a fine powder. It's the whole root processed into flour, which gives it properties similar to wheat flour.

Coconut flour, on the other hand, is made from dried coconut meat that's been pressed to remove the oil and then ground. This processing method creates a flour that's incredibly absorbent and high in fiber. These fundamental differences in how they're made mean they perform completely differently in your mixing bowl, and you can't simply swap one for the other in a recipe and expect good results.

Everything You Need to Know About Cassava Flour

Cassava flour is often called the closest thing to all-purpose flour in the AIP world. It has a neutral flavor that won't compete with other ingredients, making it incredibly versatile for both sweet and savory baking. The texture of cassava flour is soft and powdery, similar to wheat flour, which makes it easier to work with than many other grain-free flours, especially if you're new to AIP baking.

When you use cassava flour alone, your baked goods will have a slightly denser texture than traditional wheat-based treats, but they'll still hold together well and have a satisfying bite. One of cassava flour's biggest advantages is that it can often be substituted 1:1 for wheat flour in recipes. This makes it perfect for pizza crusts, flatbreads, tortillas, and cookies where you want structure and chew.

Our VEGAN Pizza Crust & Flatbread Mix uses cassava flour as a base ingredient because it creates that perfect chewy texture you want in a pizza crust. The main thing to watch with cassava flour is that it can make baked goods feel slightly heavy if used alone in large quantities. That's why we typically combine it with other flours in our mixes to create a lighter final product.

The Unique Properties of Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is one of the most unique baking flours you'll encounter. It's extremely absorbent, soaking up liquid like a sponge, and this high absorbency comes from its impressive fiber content, which is actually a good thing for your gut health but requires special handling in recipes. Because coconut flour absorbs so much moisture, you need significantly less of it compared to other flours.

A recipe that calls for 1 cup of cassava flour might only need 1/4 cup of coconut flour. If you try to substitute coconut flour 1:1 for another flour, you'll end up with a dry, crumbly mess. Coconut flour has a naturally sweet flavor with a subtle coconut taste that some people love, while others prefer a more neutral flavor profile. The coconut taste tends to mellow out during baking and pairs beautifully with chocolate (or in our case, carob), vanilla, and warm spices like cinnamon.

The texture coconut flour creates is tender and cake-like, which makes it perfect for muffins, cakes, and quick breads. However, used alone, it can sometimes result in a slightly grainy mouthfeel, which is why combining it with other flours creates a smoother final texture.

Side-by-Side Comparison: Cassava Flour vs. Coconut Flour

Here's how these two AIP staples stack up against each other in the categories that matter most for your baking success.

Absorption: Cassava flour has moderate absorption, while coconut flour is highly absorbent and requires 3-4 times more liquid than cassava flour. This means you'll need to adjust your liquid ratios significantly depending on which flour dominates your recipe.

Texture: Cassava flour creates dense, chewy textures similar to wheat flour, making it ideal for breads and crusts. Coconut flour produces light, tender, cake-like textures that work beautifully in sweet baked goods.

Flavor: Cassava flour is neutral and mild, perfect for savory or sweet recipes where you don't want the flour to compete with other ingredients. Coconut flour has a subtle sweet coconut flavor that works best in desserts and pairs well with warm spices.

Substitution ratio: Cassava flour can often replace wheat flour 1:1 in traditional recipes, making it beginner-friendly. Coconut flour cannot be substituted equally for other flours and requires recipe reformulation.

Best uses for cassava flour: Pizza crusts, flatbreads, tortillas, pasta, cookies, and anything that needs structure and chew.

Best uses for coconut flour: Cakes, muffins, quick breads, pancakes, and tender baked goods where you want a soft crumb.

Fiber content: Cassava flour contains moderate fiber that supports digestive health. Coconut flour is extremely high in fiber, offering significant gut health benefits but requiring more moisture in recipes.

Binding needs: Cassava flour provides some natural binding properties that help hold baked goods together. Coconut flour requires additional binding agents, which is especially important in AIP baking since eggs aren't compliant.

Why We Combine Both Flours in Our Mixes

You might wonder why our EAT G.A.N.G.S.T.E.R. baking mixes don't just use one flour. The truth is that combining flours creates a better final product than using either one alone. When we blend cassava flour with coconut flour, we get the structural strength of cassava with the tender crumb of coconut flour, creating baked goods that are neither too dense nor too crumbly.

Take our Dark Choconot™ Fudge Cake & Muffin Mix as an example. The cassava flour provides structure so your cake or muffin holds together beautifully, while the coconut flour adds tenderness and helps absorb the moisture from the other ingredients, creating that perfect cake texture you're craving. We also add tiger nut flour to many of our blends, which brings its own unique benefits including natural sweetness, high fiber content, and a light, airy texture.

Combined with cassava and coconut flours, tiger nut flour helps us achieve that bakery-quality result you deserve. This careful balancing act is what makes the difference between baked goods that are just okay and ones that make you forget you're eating AIP-compliant treats.

Which Flour Should You Choose for Your Baking?

The answer depends entirely on what you're making. If you're baking something that needs structure and chew, like pizza crust or cookies, cassava flour is your best friend. If you want something tender and cake-like, coconut flour will serve you better, though you'll need to be careful with your liquid ratios.

But here's what we've learned after countless hours in the kitchen: you don't have to choose just one. The magic happens when you combine flours to balance their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. For savory baking projects like our VEGAN Pizza Crust & Flatbread Mix, we rely more heavily on cassava flour.

For sweet treats like our Cinnawin™ Spice Cake & Muffin Mix, we use a carefully balanced blend that includes coconut flour for that tender, moist texture. If you're just starting your AIP baking journey, using pre-mixed blends takes the guesswork out of combining flours, so you don't need to experiment with ratios or worry about whether you've used too much coconut flour.

Getting Started with Confidence

Whether you choose cassava flour, coconut flour, or a blend of both, the key is understanding how each one behaves. Cassava flour is forgiving and versatile, making it great for beginners who want consistent results. Coconut flour requires more precision but creates incredibly tender results when used correctly.

The good news is that you don't need to become a flour expert to enjoy delicious AIP baking. Our mixes are designed to give you consistent, reliable results every single time, because we've tested and refined our flour blends so you can spend less time troubleshooting and more time enjoying the baked goods you've been missing.

Your AIP journey should include joy and comfort, not just restriction. Whether you're making flatbread for dinner or cake for a celebration, having the right flour blend makes all the difference. Both cassava flour and coconut flour have earned their place in AIP baking, and when used together thoughtfully, they create something truly special that nourishes your body while satisfying your cravings.

Ready to experience the difference that perfectly balanced flour blends can make? Browse our complete collection of baking mixes and discover how simple AIP baking can be.