Flour made of wheat, potato starch, rice flour, tapioca starch, ground flaxseeds, psyllium husk, xanthum gum are the best cornstarch substitute.

Cooking is a necessity, but it might also be considered an illustrious hobby. There are many aspects one must consider while exercising one’s culinary ventures and the question of texture and consistency is an important one. Cornstarch is an ingredient that contributes heavily in creating the perfect consistency of the dish you are cooking and can be used in a variety of ways in a variety of methods. Excessive consumption of cornstarch is,however, not desirable. If you are looking to build a healthier dietary habits for your household, looking into the various substitutes for cornstarch may be the way to go. Various cornstarch substitutes are available today and you can even increase the value of the thickening agent in your cooking by using an alternative cornstarch replacement.

Read More: Health Benefits of Corn or Maize for Kids

7 Must Know Cornstarch Substitute in Kitchen

Here is a list of common cornstarch replacements that you can consider:

Flour made of wheat

Wheat flour is an ideal cornstarch replace mentin the kitchen of any mother who wishes to improve eating habits for their children. Wheat flour has even more nutrient value as it contains protein and fibre in addition to the starch content. While this may be beneficial for your children, a given quantity of wheat flour has less percentage of starch compared to the same quantity of cornstarch, making it less effective in the primary thickening function. To get over this issue, you must use twice the amount of wheat flour to maintain the consistency that you want. Mixing it with a little bit of cold water to form a paste can prevent clumping while cooking.

Read More: Corn for Babies – Infographic

Potato starch

Potato starch is another great replacement for cornstarch in the kitchen. It is a powdered ingredient made from extracting the starch content from potatoes. Owing to this, potato starch is gluten-free and has a high carbohydrate content with very low percentage of fat and protein. The consistency that potato starch adds to your food is similar to cornstarch, making it a perfect substitute for cornstarch in the kitchen.

Watch Video: 7 Cornstarch Substitutes in Every Mom’s Kitchen

For the latest videos, please subscribe to our channel: parenting healthy babies

Rice flour

Rice flour is more commonly used in the eastern part of the world, with many countries in Asia consuming rice in a variety of ways. Nonetheless, rice flour may be regarded as a good substitute for cornstarch.It is gluten-free making it perfect for consumption by those with celiac disease. Rice flour when mixed with water forms a colourless mixture, making it particularly good to be used for the thickening of clear liquids in cooking. If you are on the search for a healthy substitute for cornstarch, rice flour presents a good option. Using twice as much rice flour is recommended to keep the consistence intact.

Read More: Health Benefits of Teff Grain For Kids

Tapioca starch

Another great cornstarch replacement, tapioca is obtained from the cassava plant in South America. From the root vegetable of the plant, tapioca may be extracted. The liquid obtained from the root vegetable is rich in starch content, which is then dried to obtain the tapioca flour. However, not all cassava plants can be used for this process. Many plants may have cyanide, a deadly poison, which must be avoided at all costs. Tapioca is also a gluten-free alternative for cornstarch, available in a variety of forms to the public. 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour can easily replace one tablespoon of cornstarch to work wonders for your cooking.

Ground flaxseeds

Flaxseeds can be used as a substitute for cornstarch in the kitchen and can add an extra element of fibre to the healthy diet that you are aiming for. Flaxseeds are generally very absorbent. When mixed with water they form a jelly like substance which can be used instead of cornstarch while cooking. 2 tablespoons of cornstarch may be replaced with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed premixed with 4 tablespoons of water to get the consistency right. However, flaxseed has a comparatively grittier texture as compared to cornstarch.

Read More: Health Benefits of Wheat Germ for Children

Psyllium husk

The husk of the psyllium plant is also a great substitute for cornstarch. It is rich in fibrous content and is equally effective as a thickening agent when you are cooking your favourite dish. The psyllium husk has a very low content of carbohydrate that makes it possible for the health conscious individual to consume dishes without the additional carbs. The quantity of psyllium husk necessary to supplement cornstarch is also very little. Start with meagre amounts and work up to the content of psyllium husk you are comfortable with while cooking for your family.

Xanthum gum

The amount of cornstarch you use in your cooking can be replaced with the equal amount of xanthum gum. This is a great cornstarch substitute that can be obtained by fermenting sugar with the bacteria known as Xanthomonascampestris. The gel produced from this process can be later dried and made into a powder. Work small amounts of xanthum gum into your cooking but make sure not to use more, or it might become slimy in texture.

Reasons for substitutes

Some of the reasons why you might consider replacing cornstarch are listed as follows:

Excessive cornstarch consumption

Cornstarch is used as a thickener in cooking and is used in almost all food items. Excessive consumption of cornstarch may cause weight gain, high blood pressure, amylophagia and even contribute to the growth of cancer in the body.

Celiac disease

People riddled with celiac disease cannot consume anything obtained from grains. They are therefore compelled to look for a substitute for cornstarch to be able to eat everything that would normally contain cornstarch.

In search of healthier alternatives

If you are looking for gluten-free and healthier diet for the household, knowing a few cornstarch substitutes may work in your favour.

Conclusion

It is best to identify the motives behind the search for a replacement for cornstarch so that you can go through the items mentioned above, and choose the ones that perfectly fit the bill.

References

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/substitutes-for-cornstarch