First and foremost, what are tigernuts? Good question. Tigernuts are not nuts. They are small root vegetables. Like potatoes, which are stem tubers, tigernuts are harvested for its edible tubers.

Tigernuts are not a new crop. Cultivated in ancient Egypt, they were often boiled and served with honey. Back then, tigernuts were an important food. Today, some of us are perplexed with the term “tigernut”, which is also called chufa and earth almond, because of its scarceness. We do not go to the grocery store in America looking for tigernut bread.

I first stumbled upon tigernut flour while browsing online for gluten-free flours. Solely out of curiosity, I purchased one sixteen ounce bag.

Feeling the coarse flour in my hand for the first time, I decided to make an impromptu recipe—a loaf of bread. Nervously I nibbled the first bite. Happily I took another bite. Tigernut flour tastes a bit earthy, nutty, and mildly sweet. Most of all, I enjoy the bit of texture it adds.

Once I ran out of the flour, I did a quick calculation and decided to buy the whole tigernuts themselves the next time thinking I would save money. Tigernuts are not a cheap gluten-free flour substitute. Within the week my package of tigernuts arrived. Whole tigernuts feel as hard as rocks. I was horrified at the rigid tubers, then miffed when putting them in the Vitamix to grind into a nice flour sounded like fireworks.

Worst idea ever: putting whole tigernuts in your mouth without soaking them first. Trust me on that. For the next week I soaked tigernuts for a snack trying to consume all of the so-called money-saver. Next time I once again bought flour.

After making bread for a week or two, visions of tigernut doughnuts with chocolate glaze came to mind. Cookies using tigernut flour proved unsuccessful. If you have a tasty cookie recipe using tigernut flour, please do leave a comment below. Doughnuts were very successful.

What are some of the benefits of tigernut flour? A good dose of prebiotic fiber which helps support digestion. Tigernuts are actually fairly high in fiber (one serving provides you with half your recommended daily requirement), so anyone lacking fiber in their diet may need to increase fiber gradually to assess tolerance. No, fiber is not a hazard, but adding too much fiber too quickly can cause digestive issues. These little tubers are also high in Vitamin E, as well as other nutrients.

Notes: Makes six medium to large-sized doughnuts. Vegan substitute for one egg (one tablespoon ground flax seed plus three tablespoons warm water) is included in recipe card so you can make these vegan. I tried the substitute, and it’s not bad. You mainly need something to help bind the ingredients.

Bread Recipes: