18 Best Gluten-Free Flours

Welcome to a flavorful journey through the realm of gluten-free cooking and baking. If you’re on a gluten-free diet and miss the joy of indulging in baked goods and savory dishes, fret not! The world of gluten-free flours has blossomed, offering a diverse array of options that tantalize your taste buds and provide impeccable textures. Whether you’re a celiac, gluten-sensitive, or simply looking for healthier alternatives, join us as we explore the best gluten-free flours that have won the hearts of chefs, bakers, and home cooks, promising to add a delectable touch to your culinary creations.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is high in fiber and healthy fats, helps stabilize blood sugar and may even help lower bad LDL cholesterol. It absorbs a lot of liquid, so you’ll only want to use about a quarter cup where you would use one whole cup of wheat flour. Coconut flour is a bit finicky, so you may need to experiment with your flour-to-liquid ratios. It also has a short shelf life so be sure to refrigerate any leftover baked goods.

Best Coconut Flour: Anthony’s Organic Coconut Flour

White Rice Flour

White rice flour is one of the most common gluten-free flours as it digests easily and can be readily substituted for wheat flour. When measuring, however, it’s better to weigh your quantities rather than measuring by cups. White rice flour is one of the best gluten-free flours for baking because it adds a light, fluffiness to baked goods. It can also be used to dredge and thicken.

Best Rice Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free White Rice Flour

Almond Flour

Almond flour is packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber, and due to its subtle nutty flavor it’s one of the best gluten-free flours for baking. Quantities for baking are 1:1 with regular wheat flour, but you may need to add an extra egg or other binder to help hold your cake or cookies together.

Best Almond Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour

Chickpea Flour

Chickpeas are a legume, so chickpea flour is high in both protein and fiber. Due to its innate earthiness it is best used in making savory dishes rather than sweet. Chickpea flour adds moisture to baked goods as well as a pleasant texture. Some people have trouble digesting chickpea flour so it is best mixed with other gluten-free flours to make up about 25 percent of the total flour.

Best Chickpea Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Chickpea Flour

Cassava Flour

Cassava flour is loaded with Vitamin C, has very little fat and is high in carbohydrates. In addition to being gluten-free it is also nut-free and has a mild, neutral flavor. In many recipes it can be substituted on a 1:1 ratio for regular wheat flour. These qualities make it one of the best gluten-free flours for baking.

Best Cassava Flour: Anthony’s Premium Cassava Flour

Amaranth Flour

Amaranth flour is high in iron, low in fat and a great source of lysine, an amino acid that may improve athletic performance. The flavor is earthy and slightly sweet and, due to its high water content, amaranth flour mixes best with dry ingredients. Use it as 25% of your all purpose gluten-free flour mix and you’ll be eating gluten-free pizza in no time.

Best Amaranth Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Organic Amaranth Flour

Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat flour has B vitamins, fiber and protein to support muscle growth. Even though the word buckwheat makes people think it contains wheat, Celiacs have no need to worry, buckwheat flour (and buckwheat, for that matter) is free of all gluten. Buckwheat flour has an intense, rich flavor, making it one of the best gluten-free flours. Use buckwheat flour to make gluten-free bread, pancakes or muffins.

Best Buckwheat Flour: Arrowhead Mills Organic Buckwheat Flour

Teff Flour

Teff flour has a sweet, nutty flavor, and is high in iron and manganese, which may reduce your risk for bone fractures. If you’ve had Injera, an Ethopian flatbread, you’ve likely had teff flour before. Teff flour is one of the best gluten-free flours for baking, it packs a nutritional punch, has all the essential amino acids, and, when combined with other gluten-free flours, it makes for delicious baked goods. Anyone dreaming about gluten-free brownies now? ;)

Best Teff Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Teff Flour

Corn Flour or Masa Harina

Masa Harina is corn flour soaked in limewater, which gives it a lot of flavor. It’s used to make corn tortillas and tamale dough in Mexico. Corn flour is great for baking too, it mixes well with other flours and can replace cornmeal if you want a lighter texture.

Best Corn Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Corn Flour

Millet Flour

Millet flour is sweet and similar to corn, which means it’s nutritious and light, one of the best gluten-free flours for baking. Millet flour mixes well with other gluten-free flours, like white rice flour, to add balance and nutrients to gluten-free treats. Millet is also non-allergenic, so if you’re sensitive to other allergens, millet flour is a great alternative to bake with.

Best Millet Flour: Arrowhead Mills Organic Millet Flour

Oat Flour (Certified GF)

Oats flour improves your digestion, helps lower cholesterol and, thanks to it being high in B vitamins, it supports your nervous system. Who doesn’t love a bowl of oats in the morning? With oats flour, you can take your fond memories of oats and add them into breads, desserts, or even pancakes.

Be aware that some oat products may be cross contaminated with other grains, for example wheat and rye, and thus are not fit for Celiacs. Stick with oats flour, and other oat products that are certified gluten-free and phase them in slowly to see how your body responds to them.

Best Oat Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Oat Flour

Quinoa Flour

Quinoa flour packs a protein punch, is high in carbohydrates and easy to digest. Quinoa tastes great when you season and add other ingredients to bring out the flavor and quinoa flour is no different. Due to the strong flavor it has on its own, quinoa flour is best used as an addition to your gluten-free flour mix, not the main flour in your mix. That being said, quinoa flour is nutritionally dense and a great way to meet your protein needs, all while bringing out the best in your gluten-free concoctions.

Best Quinoa Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quinoa Flour

Sorghum Flour

Sorghum flour is high in iron, low in fat and a good source of fiber, which may help your digestion. For the best results, use sorghum flour as 25% of your total flour mix. Sorghum flour is heavier and combines best with lighter flours, like millet.

Best Sorghum Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Sorghum Flour

Chestnut Flour

Chestnut flour adds sweetness to any recipe which makes it one of the best gluten-free flours for baking. Chestnut flour is high in protein and antioxidants, and is a great source of magnesium. Because chestnut flour doesn’t contain any gluten it doesn’t rise like regular flour, which means it is best used in flat applications like pancakes, pasta, and necci (Tuscan crepe). Chestnut flour has been Tuscany’s secret ingredient for a very long time and if you want to try a truly authentic chestnut recipe give Castagnaccio (Tuscan chestnut cake) a try, you’ll be glad you did.

Best Chestnut Flour: Fresh & Wild Chestnut Flour

Arrowroot Flour

Arrowroot flour is high in B vitamins, a great source of folate, which may help prevent birth defects in children, and it’s loaded with potassium. This flour is white and flavorless, and is best used as a thickener for sauces, pie fillings, jams, or even homemade deodorant. If you are sensitive to corn you can also use arrowroot flour as a substitute for cornstarch.

Best Arrowroot Flour: FGO Organic Arrowroot Flour

Tapioca Starch

Tapioca starch is made from ground cassava root, which is native to Brazil. Starch doesn’t have much taste, but it’s high in carbohydrates and can help bulk up your gluten-free flour mix. In Brazil, they make breads with tapioca and you can too. Try tapioca starch and give your flour mix a tropical kick.

Best Tapioca Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Finely Ground Tapioca Flour

Potato Flour

Potato flour is made from ground potatoes and is a great gluten-free flour for making bread. Who doesn’t love potato bread? It is a heavy flour, so be sure to mix it with light flours for the best results. Note that potato flour and potato starch are not the same. Potato flour is made from whole potatoes while potato starch is only made from the starch of potatoes.

Best Potato Flour: Bob’s Red Mill Potato Flour

Cricket Flour

If you’re a serious baker, you use cricket flour. Don’t bug out, pun intended, this flour is full of protein (3x the amount of protein as a sirloin steak) and B vitamins to keep you healthy and satisfied. When baking, cricket flour can be a 1:1 replacement for other flours in any recipe. Give cricket flour a go and after you share some cookies with friends tell them what the secret ingredient was :)

Best Cricket Flour: Cricket Flours Cricket Powder

As we conclude our adventure into the world of gluten-free flours, it’s clear that this market has undergone an incredible transformation, presenting a wide range of flavors and textures to cater to diverse dietary needs and preferences. From almond flour’s nutty richness to coconut flour’s subtle sweetness and chickpea flour’s protein-packed punch, these versatile options have proven their worth. So, with these best gluten-free flours at your disposal, let your kitchen become a haven of gluten-free gastronomic delights, elevating your cooking and baking game while relishing the pleasure of creating wholesome, delicious dishes.