9 Cassava Flour Recipes Plus Pros, and Cons

Read this post to get some great Paleo cassava flour recipes along with the pros and cons of using it. If you are thinking about trying it and need some good recipes to try it out on, you have come to the right place.

What is it anyway? It is starting to be a popular trend in the Paleo diet world, but why? I think you will be glad you learned about it.

It is made from the cassava root (yuca) by drying and grating it. It has a texture that is easy to use and it has a very mild taste. Tapioca is also made from the cassava root, but they are quite different "flours.".

It can usually be substituted 1:1 for regular wheat flour, so it's easy to convert your favorite recipes. Many people also think it has the closest taste and texture to regular flour of all the Paleo flours.

Pros

It is great because:

• It can be used in place of wheat flour. It has a mild, neutral taste and isn't dry or strong in taste or texture. It works well in baking things like cookies, brownies, or bread.
• It is Paleo, gluten-free, nut-free, and grain-free.
• It is the whole root, simply peeled, dried, and ground - so it's high in fiber.
• It is low in fat and sugar - and therefore calories. It is lower in calories than coconut flour or almond flour. It has higher water content, lower calorie density, and lower fat content than other gluten-free flours including plantain, rice, corn or sorghum flours.
• It is rather inexpensive, easy to grow, and sustainable. Cassava plants can be grown in at least 90 countries in the world and can survive poor soil conditions and prolonged drought, which is good because it needs less water but still produces a good crop. Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

Cons

• It is high in carbohydrates since it's a starchy tuber. For native people who rely upon it for survival, this is good. But if you're trying to eat low carb, that's obviously not good for you. So it should be eaten in moderation.
• It can be hard to find and can be expensive.

FAQ

Favorite Uses

Readers in my Paleo Recipes and Support Facebook Group had this to say about it -

• Some Paleo bakers swear it is just like real flour. I beg to differ. Cassava is talc-like and I find it bakes best when used with other nut flours.
• I use it for everything. Sometimes you need to play around with how much you use.
• I don’t use raw flour but we keep plenty of these grain-free tortilla chips around
• They make the best tortilla shells!
• It has the best texture for bread
• I use it to make my pizza crust
• I use it to make tortilla shells, pancakes, thicken sauces & gravy. I've tried making dinner rolls with it adding tapioca flour but the middle doesn't cook and the outside gets hard.

1. Best Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies - My Natural Family

Butter - Maple Syrup - Honey - Arrowroot Starch - Chocolate Chips

These chocolate chip cookies are the best SOFT Paleo cookies around. They are not crispy or crunchy, they are soft. So if you like soft chocolate chip cookies as opposed to crunchy you should try these. Actually, I prefer these to the crunchy ones. I like them soft, I just don't like when they fall apart in your hand.

2. Easy BLT Breakfast Pizza - Paleo Running Momma

Eggs - Coconut Oil - Bacon - Spinach - Tomato - Fresh Basil

Yes, it's true! Pizza for breakfast - Now that's a good way to get your kids' attention. This crust is crisp and chewy and the perfect texture thanks to the Cassava Flour.

The crispiness and chewiness (are those words?) depend on how thin the crust is and how you cook it. Thin and thicker crust are both good. You'll probably need to experiment a little to make it the way you like it.

3. Perfect Pancakes - Adventures of a Sick Chick

Banana - Eggs - Coconut Milk - Coconut Oil - Honey - Apple Cider Vinegar - Coconut Flour

According to several of these bloggers, Otto's brand seems to be the favorite brand. More than one has said that in some recipes you can sub it out in place of wheat flour at a 1:1 ratio. That's a really good thing in my opinion.

With the addition of a bit of coconut flour in these pancakes, they seemed to turn out the best. These pancakes actually resemble the texture and taste of wheat flour pancakes.

4. Banana Bread Bites - Food By Mars

Coconut Oil - Maple Syrup - Bananas - Vanilla - Almond Flour  - Coconut Flour - Baking Powder - Cinnamon - Nutmeg - Walnuts

Making banana bread with coconut flour is such a good thing. They really taste good together, but the cassava flour helps make it chewy and elastic. The Almond flour gives it a bread-like crust on the outside.

They were made in mini muffin pans to help control portion sizes plus if you're entertaining that makes for a great table spread. You can bake it in a loaf pan, it will just take longer to cook.

5. Yeast-Free Sandwich Bread - Create Delicious

Eggs - Applesauce - Ghee - Maple Syrup - Psyllium Husk Powder - Baking Soda - Apple Cider Vinegar

If you've been looking for the perfect gluten-free or Paleo sandwich bread recipe. You may have just found it here. It bakes up really well with a lovely crust. It's like bread, not like cake the way a lot of Paleo sandwich bread is. It has a nice elasticity that you may have missed from wheat bread It's soft, hearty and simply made for sandwiches.

6. Tortillas - Downshiftology

Baking Soda - Cream of Tartar - Palm Shortening

These tortillas could possibly be life-changing for you. You'll be oh, so sorry if you don't try them. I like to make a big batch and freeze a bunch of them. I just put parchment paper between each tortilla and put them in a Ziploc bag. That way they won't stick together and I can get out just one if I only need one.

7. Pie Crust - Back Porch Paleo

Arrowroot Flour - Cinnamon  - Fat of Choice - Egg

Some tips to make this pie crust turn out wonderful: Don't mix it too much or it will turn out tough. Be patient when adding the water. It depends on the humidity and temperature how much you will need.

Add 2 Tablespoons at a time, then mix it and see if you need more. You might need 8-10 Tablespoons. Of course, you can start out with more than 2, I'd say to start with about 5 Tablespoons of cold water. Yes, Cold.

8. Brownies - Create Delicious

Dark Chocolate - Cacao Powder - Maple Syrup - Coconut Oil - Eggs - Vanilla - Baking Soda - Cacao Nibs

These fudgy brownies almost have a cakey texture when you use this kind of flour. You should really try using this Raw Cacao Powder, you'll never want to use regular cocoa powder again. Try these Cacao Nibs too. I think you'll fall in love. I guess these are actually what you would call triple chocolate brownies. Delish!

9. Crispy Chicken Tenders - Paleo Running Momma

Chicken Tenders - Egg - Coconut Flour - Onion Powder - Smoked Paprika - Coconut Oil

Chicken tenders with fries you make at home are a lot healthier than fast food. The good news is that they are really easy to make. Michele has experimented with a lot of variations of spices and breading.

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This recipe is her favorite right now. They are fried with coconut oil which is actually good for you. It also helps you get the right amount of crispiness. The coconut flour and cassava flour blend add a lot of fiber to your diet as well. Win, Win!