Better Pizza Crust: Coconut Flour vs Tipo 00 Flour

If you’ve ever eaten a pizza in Italy, you might wonder why the dough is just so different. It is light and chewy and holds its shape when it seems like it should fall apart. While it isn’t so popular outside of Europe, 00 flour is the secret ingredient known for producing that classic Napoli-style dough, and it’s famous for pasta making too. 

But, could it be possible to create a pizza dough with coconut flour that rivals the real thing? Let’s take a look. 

Comparing coconut flour vs tipo 00 flour

	Tipo 00 Flour	Coconut flour	All-purpose flour
Substitution Ratio	1:1	1:4	N/A
Gluten-free?	No	Yes	No
Keto-friendly?	No	Somewhat	No
Paleo-friendly	No	Yes	No
Allergens	Wheat, gluten	Coconut (tree nuts)	Wheat, gluten
Liquid absorbency	Medium	High	Medium
Pantry shelf life (unopened/sealed)	6 months	Up to 2 years	6-8 months
Best for baking	Pizza, flatbreads, focaccia, handmade pasta	Most desserts – especially cakes, cookies, and pie crusts, muffins, and egg and dairy free pizza crust!	Non-yeast recipes (think cookies, biscuits, and some breads)

Differences between tipo 00 flour and coconut flour

Tipo 00 flour and coconut flour are vastly different. Tipo 00 is more resemblant to all-purpose flour than anything else, as you can see from the substitution ratio vs all-purpose. It is from the wheat grain, contains gluten (albeit a little less gluten), and is low in nutritional value. (But, as we all know, high in taste!) Coconut flour has a light sweetness to it, is high in nutritional value, and is a great flour substitute for people who are gluten-free. It can be a little more challenging to work with due to its high liquid absorbency – this tends to lead to denser bakes and crusts, and usually it requires more binders to hold everything together.

(To read more on all the different flours out there, check out our in-depth flour explainer.)

Pizza making with coconut flour vs tipo 00 flour

Tipo 00 flour is the finest ground white flour you can get. The classification 00 means that it has just been milled longer and has a finer consistency. You can find flour classifications from 00 to 2, each increasing number, indicating it’s a bit coarser. Tipo 00 is also a little lighter in gluten. Due to its fine grind and lower gluten, 00 flour has this unique ability to stretch very, very thin without breaking, which is precisely what you knead for that perfect chewy pizza crust. (Or great pasta too.)

If you are making pizza dough with Tipo 00, in my experience the best results come with high heat. I’m talking like 500 Fahrenheit. It cooks the pizza quickly without compromising the texture of the dough. Many home pizza-making fans invest in little outdoor pizza ovens capable of reaching this temperature, which I recommend if you plan to make it regularly. You can make it in a regular oven too, but it won’t be as good (I find it goes a bit too hard).

Now, considering the density of coconut flour, sweetness, high liquid absorbency, and its difficulty holding itself together, you’d think it could never compare. Still, with a few hacks, you can make a pretty darn good pizza crust with it. 

• Purchase the finest ground coconut flour you can.
• To curb the sweetness, add seasonings to the coconut flour. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and maybe a little oregano. This will balance out that coconut flavor, so you won’t really notice it in the final dish once you add the toppings. 
• Be aware of the liquid substitution ratio. You will need less flour and more eggs and liquid for the coconut flour to absorb and bind together into a dough than you would with 00 or all-purpose. 
• Incorporate shredded mozzarella cheese and cream cheese into the coconut flour dough. The shredded mozzarella will help give your dough a nice stretch and hold it together, and it has a very light flavor, so your crust won’t taste cheesy. The cream cheese will help your pizza dough to be a bit less dense. For full details, see this recipe!
• Bake the pizza dough twice, once before any toppings are on it and then a second time after you add the toppings. This will ensure your dough is cooked through and not raw and wet in the center. 

Ingredients in tipo 00 flour vs coconut flour

Tipo 00 flour is made with finely ground soft wheat, and it is refined flour, with the bran and germ removed. It should contain 100% milled soft wheat and may contain traces of soy due to its high volume production, usually in factories that process various other products. 

Coconut flour is made from the dried flesh of coconuts, dried, and ground down to a powder. 

Tipo 00 flour + coconut flour nutritional facts

Per ¼ Cup Serving	Tipo 00 flour	Coconut flour	All-purpose flour
Calories	100	120	110
Carbs	23g	18g	23g
Fiber	Under 1g	10g	1g
Fat	0g	3g	1g
Protein	3g	6g	4g
Glycemic index score	85+	45	85

*Due to the further milling of this flour, the GI score may increase. 

Tipo 00 flour vs coconut flour storage

Both kinds of flour should be stored in an airtight container in a cool dark place. If stored properly, and it doesn’t get hot or damp, then 00 flour can last quite a long time. A good trick if you don’t think you will use your 00 flour quickly is to freeze it for two days when you buy it before transferring it to an airtight container and storing it in the fridge. This will kill any eggs in the flour, so you don’t end up with an infiltration of flour bugs. 

Coconut flour is best stored in the fridge or freezer if you have the space. 

Tipo 00 flour vs coconut flour: The ultimate pizza crust

I told some Italian friends of mine that you can make a pretty good pizza dough using coconut flour, and I got a lot of shocked looks, emphatic ‘NO NO WHY’s’, and some interesting gesticulations. So I guess this is a no-brainer for the traditionalists. The ultimate pizza crust really cannot be made with an alternative flour. Still, if you want a healthier alternative, the coconut flour dough is surprisingly good, just not exactly what Nonna used to make. 

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