If you discover yourself in have to have of a cornstarch substitute, whether or not due to a corn allergy, utilizing up your stash to make non-Newtonian fluid for a science project, or merely forgetting to restock, do not fret. Cornstarch is a workhorse of a pantry staple—it’s a stabilizer for whips and emulsions a thickener for stir-fries, soups, jams, and jellies a crisp-ifying miracle dredge for fried, baked, and sautéed foods—and it’s extremely worth preserving a tub of it close to. But these six swaps can get people work accomplished just as nicely. Which 1 you use is dependent on the recipe, your requirements, and what pantry staples you have on hand.
Potato Starch
Potato starch is the cornstarch substitute favorite of associate food editor Kendra Vaculin. A light white powder extracted from crushed potatoes, it’s an nearly flawless one-to-just one swap for cornstarch in all purposes. You can use it to make a thickening slurry for smooth, creamy Do-it-yourself Queso or toss it with tofu to give it a light-weight, ethereal, crispy shell, like in this Saucy Tofu With Garam Masala. Kendra, who’s allergic to corn, always keeps a bag of her go-to model, Bob’s Crimson Mill, in her kitchen. “It’s even sweet more than enough to use in desserts like marshmallow recipes,” Kendra claims.
Rice Flour
When it comes to crispy, craggy, shatteringly crunchy dredges for fried proteins, rice flour is a superior substitute for cornstarch, with one particular exception: It is a minor pricier. If you need to use a huge sum, you may possibly boost the cost of your cooking venture significantly. Nevertheless, you can swap in an equal amount of rice flour in location of cornstarch in recipes like Chicken Karaage or Harissa Honey Popcorn Hen, and you’ll locate the effects just as satisfyingly crunchy. Be very careful working with rice flour as a thickening agent, however. Some models might consequence in a grittier—or gummier—texture. For the ideal success, seek out great-milled white rice flour.
All-Intent Flour
If you have ever produced a roux, you know how effectively excellent ol’ all-function flour thickens sauces, gravies, and stews. It is not a great substitute for cornstarch: A sauce thickened with cornstarch will be much more translucent, when just one thickened with all-reason flour will be opaque and have a thicker texture. It also will not deliver the exact same slender, shatteringly crisp crust cornstarch provides to some fried foods, but it can perform for both situation in a pinch. Some tips: Use two tablespoons of flour for every tablespoon of cornstarch. If generating a pan sauce, prepare dinner the flour in a little bit of excess fat first—you can make this as toasty and caramelized as you want—or boil the sauce for a couple of minutes to get rid of the “raw flour” flavor and texture.
Tapioca Flour
Extracted from the root of cassava, tapioca flour (or tapioca starch) is one particular of the ideal cornstarch substitutes for puddings and sweet sauces. Never confuse this with cassava flour, which is additional fibrous and manufactured applying the complete root. Tapioca flour is a stellar thickening agent, but be thorough about overdoing it. Tapioca flour doesn’t fairly mimic the texture of cornstarch just and can veer into gummy territory if you use also a great deal (if you appreciate bubble tea and boba, you are acquainted with tapioca’s prospective chew component). Use two times the sum of tapioca flour to swap the cornstarch in your recipe and never overheat or boil for an extreme amount of time. Use it in jammy fruit pie filling or desserts like this Plum-Cardamom Crumble With Pistachios or an eggy, jiggly Custard Tart With Cream and Clean Fruit.
Arrowroot Powder
Arrowroot powder (also named arrowroot starch or arrowroot flour) may possibly be extracted from the roots of various tropical crops, which include cassava. Generally employed to include airiness to gluten-cost-free and vegan desserts, it can also do the job as a thickening agent, just like cornstarch—but be aware that it’s a contact much more finicky. Arrowroot does not behave properly when heated and tends to thin out as soon as it’s cooked, so use it in recipes that you really don’t require to get worried about immediate heat or a extended simmer—desserts are a excellent
spot for this. Start by dissolving it in cold water (a just one-to-a person ratio of arrowroot powder to cornstarch should really do the trick) ahead of bit by bit introducing to home-temperature sauces.
Xanthan Gum
Realistically talking, if you really do not have cornstarch in your pantry, you are most probably not stocked up on xanthan gum. Often derived from cornstarch through a fermentation system (if you have received a corn allergy, beware!), it’s a common thickening agent and is usually utilized in gluten-free baking recipes to mimic the stretchiness of wheat flour. As a substitute for cornstarch, you want just a very little bit for sauces and gravies. It is received main thickening power—think 50 % a teaspoon or less for an entire pan of gravy. Commence very sluggish and increase additional as needed.
Thickening anything sweet? Might we advise immediate pudding?
I’m a Specialist Pastry Chef and Instant Pudding Combine Is My Solution Ingredient
Prompt pudding mix is the essential to no-cook pastry cream and no-weep whipped product.
At first Appeared on Bon Appétit