Tapioca Flour vs Coconut Flour: The Ultimate Verdict

Mmmmm, tapioca flour, the thing that makes those delightful little pearls in your bubble tea, and the ingredient that helps give Brazilian cheese bread its unique texture. Sound delicious? Or do you prefer crunchy, nutty flavors in your baked goods?

While both tapioca and coconut flour are great to have on hand for gluten-free baking, they do have some key differences when it comes to what they are best used for and their nutritional profiles. Is one superior to the other? Let’s find out.

Tapioca flour with cassava roots and coconut flour with an open coconut, both on tables. Words say "Tapioca Flour vs. Coconut Flour" and "Which is better for YOUR needs?"

Comparing tapioca flour vs coconut flour

	Tapioca flour	Coconut flour	All-purpose flour
Substitution Ratio	1:1 (most recipes)	1:4	N/A
Gluten-free?	Yes	Yes	No
Keto-friendly?	No	Somewhat	No
Paleo-friendly	Yes*	Yes	No
Allergens	None	Coconut (tree nuts)	Wheat, gluten
Liquid absorbency	High	High	Medium
Pantry shelf life (unopened/sealed)	At least 1 year, possibly much longer.	Up to 2 years	6-8 months
Best for baking	To thicken soups, stews, gravies, and pie filling, Brazilian cheese bread, cookies for a chewier texture and to add moisture to dense gluten-free bread.	Most desserts – especially cakes, cookies, and pie crusts, muffins, and dense breads (especially pumpkin bread!)	non-yeast recipes (think cookies, biscuits, and some breads)

*For the most part, tapioca is considered okay for paleo. However, it may not be on the recommended list for some paleo diets as it is high in carbohydrates and does not contain many other nutrients.

Differences between tapioca flour and coconut flour

Coconut flour and tapioca flour are similar in the sense that they both have good liquid absorbency and shelf life, but that’s about where the similarities end. Coconut falls in the allergy spectrum of tree nuts, whereas tapioca flour is a safe bet for allergen-free baking. Tapioca is not keto-friendly due to its high level of carbohydrates, but coconut flour can be.

Both are good for baking. Tapioca flour can help thicken pie filling and add a crispiness to crusts like pizza dough and a chewiness to baked goods like cookies.

Tapioca flour has a light flavor, which makes it suitable for adding to sauces or soups without changing their flavor, whereas coconut flour has a rich, nutty taste…delightful if that’s what you are looking for and, in my opinion, can actually enhance a lot of dishes.

When it comes to a substitute for all-purpose flour, tapioca has the edge due to its softer texture when cooked or baked. Plus, a 1:1 ratio for all-purpose flour can make baking with alternate flours a little bit less of a mathematical equation.

Baking with tapioca flour vs coconut flour

Due to its lack of gluten, tapioca tends to create a stickier dough than those made with wheat flour or other gluten-containing starches like cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Tapioca can also produce a crunchier texture when used in frying recipes such as fritters or chips whereas coconut will usually stay soft when cooked at high temperatures for short periods of time.

Coconut flour’s high fiber content makes it super absorbent, so when baking with this flour, you must use significantly less liquid per cup than other flour types. Furthermore, because it contains more fat than most flours do, baked goods made with coconut tend to be denser and less fluffy than those made with other starches.

Both flours have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the recipe you are making, but if you want a healthier option, go for the coconut.

I recommend baking from a specific alternative flour recipe instead of using them as an all-purpose flour substitute right away until you get comfortable with how all the different flours work.

Ingredients in tapioca flour vs coconut flour

Any alternative flour worth your time will have minimal ingredients. Coconut flour should contain ground-up pieces of dried coconut flesh, and tapioca flour should be from cassava root.

Important note! Cassava flour is different from tapioca flour, as cassava flour is made with dried cassava root, and tapioca flour is the starch extracted from that root (hence why tapioca flour is also called tapioca starch).

Tapioca flour + coconut flour nutritional facts

Per ¼ Cup Serving	Tapioca flour	Coconut flour	All-purpose Flour
Calories	106	120	110
Carbs	26.2g	18g	23g
Fiber	0	10g	1g
Fat	0.1g	3g	1g
Protein	0	6g	4g
Glycemic index score	67	45	85

Coconut flour is much richer in fiber. With up to 10 times more fiber than all-purpose flour, and blowing tapioca flour out of the water on this one, it’s an ideal choice for individuals looking to stay regular.

Coconut flour also packs several other benefits, such as powerful antioxidants, minerals like manganese and phosphorus, and healthy fats like lauric acid, which may help boost immunity and reduce inflammation in the body.

Tapioca flour is basically pure carbohydrates, so it has little nutritional value and a higher glycemic index than coconut flour (though still lower than all-purpose flour).

Tapioca flour vs coconut flour storage

Both flours are highly shelf-stable and can last foreverrrrrrrr in your pantry, up to 2 years for coconut flour and 1 year to indefinite years for tapioca flour. This, of course, varies by household, taking into account things like temperature and moisture.

As always, airtight containers are best, don’t open them until you need them, and keeping them in the fridge or freezer will help with optimal freshness.