If you’re a coconut lover, you probably know that coconut flour is a wonderfully versatile gluten-free alternative to all-purpose or whole wheat flour. It adds a natural sweetness to baked goods, it’s nutritious, and it’s also grain-free. But it’s one of many types of flours, and there may be others you see on the grocery store shelves that you’re not as familiar with.
Another very versatile gluten-free flour is sesame flour. So what exactly is the difference between coconut flour and sesame flour? How do you use them, and what types of benefits do they offer? We’ll answer all of these questions and more – here’s everything we know.
Comparing coconut flour and sesame flour
Coconut flour | Sesame flour | All-purpose flour | |
Substitution ratio vs all-purpose flour | 1:4 | 1:4 | N/A |
Gluten-free? | Yes | Yes | No |
Keto-friendly? | Somewhat | Yes | No |
Paleo-friendly? | Yes | Yes | No |
Allergens | Coconut (tree nuts) | Sesame | Wheat, gluten |
Liquid absorbency | High | High | Medium |
Pantry shelf life (unopened/sealed) | Up to 2 years | 6-8 months | 6-8 months |
Best for baking… | Most desserts – especially cakes, cookies, and pie crusts, muffins, and dense breads (especially pumpkin bread!) | Cookies, cakes, breads, biscuits, pizza dough, crackers, muffins, pancakes, quiche and pie crusts | Non-yeast recipes (think cookies, biscuits, and some breads) |
Coconut flour and sesame flour are fairly similar from a bird’s eye view. Both flours are great options for baking that fit many lifestyles and dietary needs, because both are gluten-free, keto-friendly, and paleo-friendly. Sesame flour is a little less common than coconut flour, but both are versatile alternatives that can be used in a wide variety of ways.
While both flours can be used in many different recipes, from cookies and cakes to dense breads and pie crusts, sesame flour is often used in more savory products like crackers or pizza crust. Because they are both dense flours with high liquid absorbency, coconut flour and sesame flour have a similar substitution ratio when they’re being used instead of all-purpose flour – it’s usually best to replace about a cup of regular flour with 1/4 cup of either of these flours. You’ll also want to increase your binding agents (like eggs) to counter the liquid absorption.
What are the major differences between coconut flour and sesame flour?
There are just a few major differences between coconut flour and sesame flour. The first is quite obvious – their ingredients. Coconut flour is made from dehydrated coconut meat that’s been finely ground; because it comes from a fruit, it’s grain-free.
Sesame flour is also grain-free, but it’s made from ground, defatted sesame seeds which come from the pods of a plant native to Africa and India. Defatted typically means that the seeds are cold-pressed to extract oil from the seeds before grinding them into a fine powder, which reduces some of the fat content and increases the fiber and protein percentages.
Coconut flour and sesame flour also have different flavor profiles. Where coconut flour has a naturally sweet and subtle coconut flavor to it, sesame flour has a richer, nuttier taste that tends to come through prominently in savory products. Because they come from different ingredients, these two flours have a couple of key differences in their nutritional makeup as well (which we’ll explain below).
Baking with coconut flour vs baking with sesame flour
When it comes to baking, coconut flour is often used to make baked goods that fall into the dessert category, like muffins, cookies, and crepes. Because it’s naturally sweet, it’s a great option for making gluten-free desserts and breads that are healthier but still taste delicious.
Sesame flour, while it can be used to make many of the same types of food, is also often found in more savory recipes because of its nutty, complex taste. This flour works wonderfully in things like crackers, quiche, and biscuits, increasing their nutritional qualities while enhancing them with some of that rich sesame flavor. Sesame flour is most similar to almond flour in terms of its qualities and usage, so it’s a great substitute for recipes that call for almond flour.
Because both products are quite fibrous they have a high liquid absorbency, which means that neither should replace regular flour one-for-one in a recipe. When replacing all-purpose flour, best practices typically call for a substitution ratio of 1:4 for both of these flours. This will ensure the balance of flour to liquid is correct, and prevent the final product from being too dense, dry, or crumbly. Both flours can be used on their own in certain recipes, but they’re often blended with other flours to enhance the overall final product.
Coconut flour + sesame flour nutritional facts
Per 1/4 cup serving | Coconut flour | Sesame flour | All-purpose flour |
Calories | 120 | 230 | 110 |
Carbs | 18 g | 22 g | 23 g |
Fiber | 10 g | 10 g | 1 g |
Fat | 3 g | 8 g | 0 g |
Protein | 6 g | 24 g | 4 g |
Glycemic index score | 45 | 35* | 85 |
Coconut flour and sesame flour are both high-fiber, low-carb flour alternatives that are each brimming with health benefits – many of them similar. Because they’re both a great source of fiber, both flours support a healthy digestive system. They’re also both high in magnesium, which can help lower blood pressure, as well as manganese, which promotes bone health. Coconut flour is rich in potassium and iron, and sesame flour is rich in calcium.
Since sesame seeds are so rich in fatty oil, sesame flour has much more calories and fat compared to both coconut flour and all-purpose flour. And because it’s higher in fat and protein, the net carbs are very low which makes it a great option for keto diets. Sesame seeds also have a low glycemic index, which likely makes their flour the best option of the three for diabetics.
Best ways to store coconut flour and sesame flour
Another thing that makes coconut flour great is its long shelf life – it can last up to two years in your pantry as long as it’s tightly sealed and kept cool and dry. So when you buy a bag of it, you can most likely use it up before you have to worry about it spoiling or going bad.
Due to its high fat content, sesame flour won’t last quite as long; it’s got a typical shelf life of 6-8 months. It’s also recommended to store this flour in a cool, dark place in an airtight container, but as is the case with most flours, keeping it in the fridge or freezer will help extend its shelf life by a few months.
Coconut flour vs sesame flour: the final summary
Now you know everything there is to know about these two gluten-free flours! Let’s sum it up…
Coconut flour, made from dried coconut meat, is a gluten-free, grain-free flour alternative that can be used to make a plethora of healthy desserts and dense breads. It’s high in fiber and protein, and contains healthy fats along with a few key vitamins and minerals that make it very nutritional and beneficial for your overall health. (See our favorites).
Sesame flour, aka defatted sesame seeds that have been ground into a fine powder, is also a gluten-free, keto-friendly, paleo-friendly flour. With very similar properties to almond flour, it can be used in a variety of sweet and savory recipes and gives food a rich, nutty flavor. Also high in fiber and particularly high in protein, sesame flour is also a great source of calcium.
The bottom line: both of these flours offer wonderful, healthy, gluten-free alternatives to regular flour. The choice is yours, but it’s hard to make a wrong one.
Yes! You’ll want to experiment with the ratios, but the two flours are actually fairly similar in terms of usage and substitution, so you can generally swap out one for the other. Although, keep in mind that sesame flour will lend a nutty, more savory flavor to the recipe – which is why it’s most often substituted with almond flour.
Sesame flour is a very versatile flour that’s great to use as a gluten-free or grain-free option in many recipes, both sweet and savory. It can be used to make things like bread, crackers, pizza dough, biscuits, cookies, cakes, pancakes, muffins, and pie crusts. It can even be sprinkled raw over meals for an extra nutritional, nutty element.
Yes, sesame flour is easy to make at home! You can simply grind up raw or toasted sesame seeds in a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder until they form a powder. One thing to note is that making sesame flour yourself will result in a full-fat version rather than the defatted flour that you’d buy at the store.
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