Our Favorite Rice Flour Substitutes

Rice flour, often known as rice powder, is a versatile component formed from pulverized uncooked rice that should not be confused with rice starch.

There are many varieties of rice flour available for use in the kitchen. White rice flour, brown rice flour, and glutinous or sweet rice flour are the three varieties.

It has several applications across Asia. In Japan, rice flour is used to create mochi; in Korea, rice flour is used to make gochujang chile paste; and in India, rice flour is used to make roti and dosas. Rice flour has lately made its way into the Western world, where it is often used as a gluten-free baking replacement or as a thickening in soups and stews.

But, rice flour is still a somewhat uncommon product, and you may have difficulty obtaining it in a grocery store. With these alternatives, you can still manufacture gluten-free foods and conventional recipes.

1. Cornstarch

Cornstarch is a starch made from corn kernels, similar to how rice flour is made from rice. While it is utilized in industry, it is most often employed as a food thickening.

If you don’t have rice flour on hand, you may thicken sauces and soups using cornstarch. It’s also a great alternative for rice flour in kimchi dishes.

It may also be used in lieu of rice flour in various baking recipes due to its comparable light, airy texture.

Baking using cornstarch produces the same crisp results as baking with rice flour. Nevertheless, cornstarch is not sticky enough to substitute glutinous rice flour, so don’t attempt to make mochi with it. When replacing cornstarch for rice flour, use roughly half the amount specified in the recipe.

2. Tapioca Flour

Tapioca flour, unlike rice flour, is a starch. It’s prepared from cassava root pulp, which is native to South America and the Caribbean. Tapioca flour originated in Brazil and expanded across the continent, where it is used in traditional recipes such as po de queijo.

Tapioca flour, like cornstarch, is a fantastic thickening and a perfect rice flour alternative in sauces and stews for persons who cannot consume gluten or maize. Tapioca flour is also a great gluten-free baking replacement, such as in pancakes, pastries, and pies.

It does, however, have a somewhat sweet flavor that makes it unsuitable for savory recipes. Tapioca flour is therefore an excellent substitute for sweet glutinous rice flour. Tapioca flour works well as a rice flour alternative in mochi.

When replacing tapioca flour for rice flour, use twice the quantity specified in the recipe, and be careful not to mix tapioca flour with plain tapioca.

3. Sorghum Flour

Sorghum flour, like rice flour, is gluten-free. It is created by grinding up sorghum, an ancient grain that is still grown in Africa and Asia, notably India. The sweet taste and suppleness of sorghum flour set it apart from other gluten-free flours.

When it comes to gluten-free baking, sorghum flour is a fantastic alternative for any flour. It has enough nutrition and structure to produce stable baked goods, since one of the most prevalent challenges with gluten-free baking is that the products are crumbly. It does not, however, function as a replacement for thickening or frying.

4. Potato Starch

Potato starch, like rice flour, is an excellent thickener. Crushing potatoes, washing off starch grains, and drying the starch into a powder is how it’s created.

For thickening dishes, potato starch works best as a replacement for rice flour. Several chefs believe it is a superior thickening than rice flour. Although potato starch is often employed as a binding agent in baked products, it cannot replace rice flour as the primary ingredient.

If you’re searching for a rice flour alternative for frying, potato starch is perfect for a crisp batter, whilst cornstarch is preferable for a light coating.

5. Arrowroot Powder

Arrowroot powder, like rice flour, is a great thickener. It is harvested from numerous tropical plants, including cassava and Florida arrowroot, and is also known as arrowroot flour or starch.

Instead of rice flour, arrowroot powder makes a great gluten-free thickening for soups and stews. Nevertheless, it is not sticky enough to replace glutinous rice flour and is not a good gluten-free baking binding agent.

6. Brown Rice Flour

The majority of recipes call for white rice flour, often known as rice flour. Nonetheless, in many circumstances and recipes, brown and white rice flour may be used interchangeably.

7. Chickpea Flour

Also known as Garbanzo Bean Flour, this may be used in place of rice flour for preparing gluten-free breads such as pizza bases, tortillas, and the like.

While dealing with Chickpea Flour, you may need to add more water since it contains more moisture than rice flour.

8. Semolina Flour

Semolina flour has to make the list since it is another excellent flour alternative for rice flour in a variety of scenarios.

Dosa is one dish that might benefit from the use of Semolina Flour. Semolina flour may be used as a rice flour alternative for dosas, however it is not gluten-free.