List of the 22 Best Wheat Flour Substitutes You Need to Start Baking

It might be difficult to substitute wheat flour in a recipe, but that is about to change. Finding wheat-free or gluten-free alternatives may be daunting, whether due to food allergies, dietary restrictions, or any other reason, particularly with so many bogus items flooding the market today. So don’t worry, this post will provide you with the finest wheat flour alternative list you’ll need to get started baking.

Fortunately, there are a variety of flours that may serve as a nutritious and tasty replacement for wheat flour. They may be made from vegetables, fruits, roots, rice, seeds, and other sources. No matter what sort of baking you undertake, plan to combine several flour alternatives since it might be difficult to replicate the identical flavor of wheat with a single alternative.

This is due to the fact that certain flours have a starchy or gritty taste, or perhaps lack flavor entirely. When you use grain-free flours (such as coconut or almond flours) on their own, they might taste bland and inconsistent. When combined with arrowroot or tapioca flour, it creates a tasty all-purpose alternative.

Continue reading to discover about # alternatives you may use to create wheat-free or gluten-free treats. If you are short on time, you can also download our list in pdf format here for future reference.

What Can I Use Instead Of Whole Wheat Flour

Almond Flour

Almond flour is versatile and simple to work with. It is prepared from blanched almonds that have been carefully processed to produce flour with a light, fluffy texture. Unblanched almond flour is prepared from almonds with their skins remaining on.

There’s also almond meal, which is similar to almond flour but processed more coarsely. If you have whole almonds on hand, you can easily prepare either sort of almond flour.

Protein, vitamin E, and unsaturated fat are all found in almond flour. Almond flour may be used in lieu of breadcrumbs or white flour in baked treats such as brownies. Almond flour may be used to make wonderful meals such as almond sugar cookies, muffins, pie crusts, and cornbread.

Amaranth Flour

Amaranth flour is gluten-free and manufactured from the Amaranth plant’s seed. This leafy vegetable’s seed is a pseudo-grain that may be processed to produce a healthy flour with a high protein content for baking.

Amaranth also includes calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It has an earthy or grassy flavor and is rather heavy, so you’ll probably need to combine it with 3 or 4 parts lighter-textured flour.

Amaranth, also known as African spinach, Chinese spinach, Indian spinach, and elephant’s ear, is derived from the Greek term amaranthine, which means “undying” or “unfading.” This flour was part of the pre-Columbian Aztec civilisation and is still used in recipes for pasta and bread today.

Refrigerate Amaranth flour in a firmly sealed glass container to prevent the fatty acids from getting rancid.

Arrowroot Flour

The root of a tropical plant is used to make arrowroot flour. This flour is wonderful for thickening pie fillings, thickening clear sauces, and creating glossy glazes since it has no flavor and becomes transparent when boiled.

Arrowroot flour is a gluten-free starch that is high in carbs but low in protein. You may substitute it with cornstarch, but you’ll need to use less of it (about 2 teaspoons of arrowroot flour for every 3 teaspoons of cornstarch).

Arrowroot flour is less nutritious than wheat flour. It also does not mix well with dairy, resulting in a slimy mixture.

Yet, since arrowroot starch is strong in both soluble and insoluble fibers, it is a great alternative for wheat flour for making nutritious biscuits, bread, cakes, pancakes, bagels, and cereals. The final compositions are readily digested, making them suitable for both adults and little children.

Banana Flour

Banana flour is prepared from green unripe bananas. These bananas are dried and processed in a mill to make a flour that tastes like bran rather than bananas.

Banana flour may be used as a wheat-free and gluten-free flour for baking and cooking, as well as a thickening for sauces, soups, and fillings. As a general guideline, use 25% less banana flour than the recipe calls for.

Barley Flour

Although barley flour is wheat-free, it does contain a little of gluten. It has a nutty taste and is high in fiber to maintain your digestive system in top metabolic shape.

While barley flour is seldom used to create bread on its own (save for unleavened bread), it is excellent for producing bread when combined with another grain flour. Barley flour may also be used to thicken and flavor soups and stews.

Since barley flour is so flexible, you may use it in recipes for cakes, biscuits, pastries, dumplings, and more. In postmenopausal women, barley and its flour aid to reduce cardiovascular disease.

Black Bean Flour

If you’re searching for a high-fiber alternative to wheat flour, black bean flour is an excellent choice. It’s ideal for producing gluten-free (and often vegan) cookies, brownies, and truffles.

Since chocolate successfully masks the flavor of black beans, this flour is best used in chocolate-based baked items.

Brown Rice Flour

Brown rice flour is much heavier than white rice flour. It also has a better nutritional value than white rice since it is milled from unpolished brown rice and has more fiber owing to the presence of brown rice bran.

Brown rice flour has a characteristic texture that is somewhat gritty. Also, it imparts a somewhat nutty taste, which may or may not be discernible depending on the items with which it is combined.

Brown rice flour is usually often used after blending with other lighter flours due to its thicker texture. It’s also best when used fresh, so avoid purchasing in bulk and save what you have in an airtight container.

Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat flour is created by grinding buckwheat seeds. Buckwheat flour is not a kind of wheat, despite the name (which may be frightening to some). It is a rhubarb product in which the plant’s seeds are mashed to make flour.

Buckwheat flour is gluten-free and a good substitute for wheat flour. It increases the number of friendly bacteria in the stomach, which helps your immune system.

earthy flavor that complements a wide range of meals. Waffles, macaroni, French galettes, pancakes, and pound cake-type cakes are examples. Buckwheat flour is also high in protein and fiber, and it has a lovely nutty flavor.

Cassava Flour

Cassava flour is manufactured from cassava (also known as yucca), a starchy root vegetable. It’s an excellent option if you require a basic flour that’s also high in fiber.

Cassava flour is a carb-heavy flour that may be used to make a variety of baked items. Although it resembles wheat flour in certain ways, it is not as grainy or gritty as other substitute flours.

Cassava flour should not be confused with tapioca flour, which is derived from cassava root (well talk about it in a few minutes).

Chia Flour

Chia flour is formed by grinding chia seeds. It is very nutritious, which should come as no surprise given that chia seeds are often referred to be a superfood. Omega 3, fiber, calcium, and protein are all included in these small seeds.

If you can’t locate chia flour, just put chia seeds in a food processor and grind some up at yourself. Since chia flour is free of wheat and gluten, you may need to increase the quantity of liquid and cooking time when using it in baking.

Chickpea Flour

Chickpea flour is a robust and thick flour that is high in protein and fiber, making it rather satisfying. Chickpea flour, made from ground dry garbanzo beans, is great for adding texture or holding components together.

Crepes, bread, pancakes, tortillas, cookies, muffins, dumplings, and flatbreads are all excellent candidates. Chickpea flour has a nutty, earthy flavor that not everyone like.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is another gluten-free wheat flour replacement. Coconut flour not only has 5 times the fiber content of brown rice flour, but it also contains protective lipids with antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal effects.

Coconut flour is a very absorbent flour obtained by completely drying and grinding coconut pulp. It bakes differently than wheat flour and other flour alternatives, absorbing a lot of moisture and resulting in a thicker, heavier texture. This is why it is ineffective for one-to-one replacements.

To function similarly, coconut flour requires additional wet ingredients or eggs. As a result, this flour is ideal for fast breads with a lot of moist components, such as banana bread.

Coconut flour produces light and fluffy baked items, but you won’t need as much as you would with conventional flour. In general, you should use roughly half as much coconut flour as wheat flour.

As compared to whole grain flour, most consumers prefer the flavor of coconut flour in muffins, pound cakes, or pancakes. For cooking soups, stews, casseroles, and gravies, coconut flour works well as a flavorful thickening ingredient.

Also, coconut flour has a pleasant aroma and a long shelf life. It may be stored in the fridge for up to a year.

Coffee Flour

Coffee flour, contrary to common assumption, does not taste like coffee since it is derived from discarded coffee cherry fruit, which lacks the flavor of coffee but has significant nutritional value.

Coffee fruit is milled into flour, which is rich in fiber, low in caffeine, low in fat, high in iron, and higher in potassium than bananas.

Cornflour

Cornflour, often known as cornstarch, is another wheat-free and gluten-free replacement that is frequently used as a thickening agent in soups, sauces, or for creating a light batter for coating poultry, pork, and fish.

Cornflour is processed from maize to make a fine, white powder with double the thickening power of normal flour. Cornflour is a fantastic alternative for making cornbread, muffins, tortillas, or polenta.

Since cornstarch has a relatively bland flavor, you may want to try combining it with other delicious components. in combination with other flavoring components.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that certain varieties of cornflour are made by milling wheat. Wheat corn flour is what they are called.

Hemp Flour

Hemp flour is created from ground hemp seeds and is wheat and gluten free. It has a moderate, nutty taste and must be refrigerated after opening.

Lupin Flour

Lupin glour is a wheat-free and gluten-free replacement for whole wheat flour made from a legume in the same plant family as peanuts. It is rich in protein and fiber while being low in fat.

Lupin flour, on the other hand, includes the same protein that causes allergic responses in peanuts and legumes (for example, soybeans). As a result, lupin flour is not suited for persons who are sensitive to peanuts or legumes.

Millet Flour

Millet flour is derived from millet, a member of the small-seeded grass family. Millet is widely used as a grain in many African and Asian nations, giving flour with a mild, nutty taste when ground.

Millet flour may be used in a variety of culinary and baking recipes. It may be used to thicken soups and sauces, as well as to produce flatbread and griddle cakes.

It’s also fantastic for fast breads and muffins, as well as pancakes and waffles. But, if you use too much of this flour, your baked items may have a starchy flavor and a gritty texture.

Millet flour has various health advantages since it includes vitamin B complex and is high in minerals such as iron, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Because of its high fiber content, millet flour is particularly simple to digest.

However, millet flour spoils fast if not kept correctly, therefore it’s best to grind the needed amount just before usage.

Oat Flour

Because of its ease of use, oat flour is definitely one of the greatest wheat flour alternatives of all time. Simply said, if you have oats in your cupboard, you have oat flour.

Oat flour is gluten-free but not totally wheat-free. It also has a good quantity of protein and fiber, as well as a moderate taste and soft texture.

Although some oat flour is labeled gluten-free, it still contains avenin, a protein that is comparable to gluten. Oat flour is quite flexible and may be used in a variety of dishes, including protein bars, cookies, pancakes, and cakes.

freezer. Also, since oat flour absorbs liquids faster than other flours, altering the ratios of liquid components in any recipe may be necessary. Keep in mind that oat flour may become rancid rapidly, so either prepare your own at home, purchase in small amounts and use it right away, or keep it in the fridge.

Potato Flour

Potato flour, not to be confused with potato starch flour, has a thick texture and a pronounced potato taste. It is normally manufactured from the complete potato, while potato starch flour is created just from the starch.

Potato flour is wheat-free and gluten-free, giving your baked products a creamy, earthy flavor. Since it spoils rapidly, we do not suggest purchasing in quantity.

Potato Starch Flour

As previously stated, potato starch flour is fine white flour manufactured from potato starch. It has a little potato taste that completely vanishes in dishes.

When preparing muffins, bread, or any other baked dish, add a little amount of potato starch flour to help bind the components together. Otherwise, your works will crumble.

Rye Flour

Rye flour is a powerfully flavored flour that is generally dark in color (it contains more fiber than pale rue flour) and manufactured from rye kernels. It does not include wheat but does contain a little of gluten. It may be used in bread, muffins, and pancake recipes.

homemade bread

Tapioca flour is a starch derived from the cassava plant’s root. It produces a fine, white flour with a delicate, light texture when milled.

Tapioca flour may be used to thicken pie fillings and to prepare a variety of baked items. If you use too much of this flour in your dishes, you will get a gritty aftertaste.

Tapioca flour is a robust flour that is wheat-free and gluten-free, therefore it should be fine storage at room temperature.

Wrap Up

That concludes our comprehensive list of the top wheat flour replacements for cooking and baking healthier and more nutritious foods. Don’t forget to save our Best Wheat Flour Replacement List You Need to Start Baking for future use.