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Rice Flour Substitute: The Best Alternatives for All Recipes

Rice flour is really handy. It is also very healthy because it is gluten free. However, there are many times when we don’t have flour rice in our kitchen. That’s when we need to find a suitable rice flour substitute. In this article, we’ll introduce you to the best rice flour alternatives!

What is the best white rice flour substitute?

If you don’t have rice flour at home, you can use other gluten free flours instead. Depending on your individual needs, we will have the corresponding powders. Below are some of the best substitutes for rice flour. They include Sorghum flour, Cornstarch, Potato starch and All-purpose flour.

1. Sorghum flour: For gluten free baking

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Gluten free sorghum flour can substitute rice flour the best

Sorghum flour is arguably the best substitute for rice flour when you’re making baked goods. It is also gluten-free like rice flour. This is an added advantage. Sorghum flour is readily available. You can buy it at any store near you. It is also very easy to use.

Sorghum powder has several advantages. First, its taste is quite similar to rice flour. People won’t even notice that you used a substitute instead of rice flour. It also has the perfect texture.

Sorghum flour contains enough fiber and protein to help baked goods maintain their structure and stability. This makes it perfect for baking breads and muffins. 

In addition, it is packed with nutrients. Sorghum flour is one of the few flours that contain antioxidants. Antioxidants are essential in the body because they help maintain heart health. Sorghum powder is also recommended for diabetics.

Sorghum flour can substitute rice flour in equal amounts.

2. Cornstarch: For thickening sauces and frying

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Gluten free corn starches is among the best substitutions for rice flour

Like rice flour, corn starch is gluten-free flour and you can use it in most similar recipes. For example, corn starch is an excellent thickener. It is also a good choice when breading deep-fried foods. It can make food crispy, like rice flour.

Corn starch acts as a 1:1 substitute when used as a thickener or to make bread. You can also use cornstarch as a substitute in baking. But it’s best mixed with other flours. 

Try combining it with sorghum or tapioca flour for a rice flour substitute in cookies as well as cakes. As we know, corn starch has the benefit of being affordable. You can find it at most grocery stores.

3. Potato starch: For frying

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Potato starch as white flour rice substitution

When frying, potato starch is the best substitute for rice flour. In fact, chances are your dish will taste better with it.

Potato starch will help your fried foods crispy and also enhance the flavor. Potato starch does not absorb excess oil just like rice flour. So your fried food will not have many calories.

4. All-purpose flour: For thickening sauce

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This is suitable alternative for rice flours

All-purpose flour is also a good substitute for rice flour for making sauces. However, you should be aware that it is gluten-free. If you don’t mind a little gluten in your diet it should work just fine.

To use this as a substitute for rice flour. You need to mix it with a little water before adding it to your dish. The results are also not immediate.

You will need to leave the dish on the fire for a few minutes. For it to have the desired consistency. In both gravies and sauces, you can use all-purpose flour as a rice flour substitute.

View more: Cocoa powder substitute

5. Milled flour

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Millet flour or wheat flour contain high protein content

Milled flour or wheat flour is believed to be the first cereal grain ever domesticated. Millet has a sweet taste similar to corn. 

Corn flavor is a good substitute for the nutty flavor of brown rice flour. You can use it in most recipes or baked goods that use rice flour. It’s a gluten-free flour substitute but high in protein content. So it works especially well for breads and cakes.

What is the best brown rice flour substitution?

There are four types of gluten free flour that can be an alternative to brown rice flour. Those are oat flour, almond flour, coconut flour and tapioca flour.

1. Oat flour

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Oat flours can be good alternative when cooking

Oatmeal is also a superfood and is gluten-free just like our best friend, brown rice flour. Oatmeal is available at most local grocery stores. Whenever you want to make a homemade recipe out of it, it’s also easy to use.

It has been named as one of the healthiest grains in the world because it provides beneficial vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to the body.

These qualities really resemble brown rice flour. So is the color, so is the brown. When you replace them you can’t even tell what the difference is. In fact, you get more health benefits than brown flour.

One cup of oatmeal can replace one cup of brown rice flour with any baking recipes.

2. Almond flour

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Almond flours for a nutty flavor

Made from almonds that are usually blanched and then finely ground, almond flour makes a good substitute for rice flour in making cakes, muffins and other baking recipes.

It also makes a great coating when frying chicken or for vegetarian dishes. This is a very versatile food source. It is not only a snack but can also be converted into milk (almond milk) and as a dough for baking.

It will depend on the dish you are making. But as a general rule, the ratio is always 1:1.

3. Coconut flour

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Healthy gluten free coconut flour

Made from pulverized dried copra, coconut flour is a great substitute. Not only is it gluten-free, but it’s also packed with essential nutrients.

Coconut starch is one of the best rice flour substitutes because it doesn’t take away the flavor in your recipe. It has a mild flavor and comes with a layer of natural sweetness, which means you’ll need less sugar or other sweeteners for your recipe.

In addition to baking, it is ideal to use as bread for chicken, fish and tofu. 

4. Tapioca starch

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Tapioca starch

Tapioca flour is the cheapest flour you can find in the market. Cassava extract, literally, grows easily in warmer climates. Tapioca gained popularity because the tapioca balls used for boba tea or milk tea originated in Asia. Now, the rest of the world has grown to love its chewy texture.

Tapioca starch is mainly used in the kitchen as a thickener in place of cornstarch. It’s also great with fried foods because it creates the perfect dough to achieve that perfect crunch. With baked goods, it works well with baked goods because it adds a crunchy dough texture as a finish.

Can we interchange brown rice flour and white rice flour?

Since both are rice flour, one might think that brown rice flour as well as regular white rice flour can be used interchangeably in the same amount. While you can replace brown rice flour with white rice, it all depends on what you’re doing.

Firstly, the taste is different. Brown rice flour has a nutty flavor as opposed to white rice flour which has a very mild flavor.

Second, the two powders differ in texture. The brown rice flour is thicker while the remaining flour is much lighter.

If you want to use white rice flour instead of brown rice flour in your cake recipe, you will need to add more white flour. Because brown rice flour is denser. It takes more liquid to achieve the desired consistency when baking.

Related: Corn Flour Substitute

What is the best substitution for sweet rice flours?

Sweet rice flour has a natural sweetness, subtle flavor and superior texture that you want to experience if possible. Tapioca or potato starch are acceptable substitutes for sweet rice flour.

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People use sweet rice flour for making mochi

1. Are regular rice flour and sweet rice flour the same?

Well, no. Regular rice flour is made from long or medium grain white rice. Sweet rice flour is made from short-grain white rice, which is more pliable.

Therefore, it is sometimes called Asian glutinous rice flour. Both are gluten-free flour. Despite the name, sweet rice flour is not sweet but has a subtle, almost milky taste.

It has better thickening and binding properties than regular rice flour. So it’s better for making things like noodles and mochi.

2. What are the decent sweet rice flour substitutes?

Sweet rice flour has many more uses, which is why we can safely say that it has a lot of good alternatives.

However, we recommend using a substitute only when the real one is not available. Otherwise, for best results, you should always use the correct ingredients.

If you really want to substitute sweet rice flour. Please use tapioca and potato starch. Both of these starches may not be the perfect combination. But we can assure you that your recipe won’t fail. They will contribute to the toughness and flexibility of sweet and sticky rice flour.

Conclusion

You can use these substitutes for baking or thickening sauces. Depending upon the type of rice flour you use, choose the best alternative. If you still have any contributions, please comment below this article!

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