Out of Flour, one case

Flour substitute for a roux

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Sweet rice flour

Same amount as the flour

For a roux without wheat flour, use sweet rice flour in the same amount as the flour and cook it in the fat the same way. A gluten-free all-purpose blend also works 1:1. Cornstarch cannot make a roux: skip the roux step and stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch per 2 tablespoons of flour at the end. Almond and coconut flour do not thicken at all.

Verdict —: Works
The tweak —: Cook it in the fat for 1 to 2 minutes, then whisk in the liquid a little at a time, as you would with wheat flour.
Best for —: bechamel, cheese sauce and gravy

One casethe full flour card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Flour substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of flour	Verdict
1	Sweet rice flourbechamel, cheese sauce and gravy	Same amountWorks	Works
2	Gluten-free all-purpose flour blendwhite and blond roux	Same amountTweak it	Tweak it
3	Bread, cake or whole wheat flourany roux when wheat is not the problem	Same amountWorks	Works
4	Cornstarch slurrypan gravy	1 tbsp per 2 tbspTweak it	Tweak it
5	Arrowroot slurryclear pan sauces and fruit sauces	1 tbsp per 2 tbspTweak it	Tweak it
Not a swap	Almond flour or coconut flour	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Sweet rice flour

neutral taste

Flour milled from sticky rice, sold as mochiko or glutinous rice flour. It is gluten-free despite the name, cooks smooth in butter or oil, and thickens without the grit of regular rice flour.

Best for: bechamel, cheese sauce and gravy, cream soups and chowder, gluten-free mac and cheese
Prep: Cook it in the fat for 1 to 2 minutes, then whisk in the liquid a little at a time, as you would with wheat flour.
Suits: gluten-free, vegan
Where it fails: A very dark gumbo roux: it browns, but more slowly and with less of the toasted-wheat flavor.

Gluten-free all-purpose flour blend

neutral, sometimes slightly starchy

A cup-for-cup blend of rice flour and starches. It behaves like wheat flour in a roux, and the starches in it thicken a little sooner.

Best for: white and blond roux, gravy, casserole sauces
Prep: Cook it in the fat for 1 to 2 minutes and add the liquid slowly. If the blend contains xanthan gum, the sauce thickens faster, so hold back a little flour or have extra liquid ready.
Suits: gluten-free
Where it fails: Blends heavy in bean flour taste beany in a pale sauce. Long simmering can turn a gum-thickened sauce gluey.

Bread, cake or whole wheat flour

the same, or nuttier with whole wheat

If you are only out of all-purpose flour, any plain wheat flour makes a roux. Whole wheat browns faster and tastes nuttier; cake flour thickens slightly more per spoonful.

Best for: any roux when wheat is not the problem, gravy and gumbo, white sauce
Contains: gluten
Where it fails: Whole wheat leaves brown flecks in a white sauce.

Self-rising flour also works in a pinch. It foams briefly from the leavening and adds salt, so season at the end.

Cornstarch slurry

none; the sauce is glossier and more translucent

Cornstarch has about twice the thickening power of flour, but it does not make a roux. Cooked in fat it clumps and gains no flavor. It goes in at the end, mixed with cold liquid.

Best for: pan gravy, stir-fry and glossy sauces, thickening a soup at the last minute
Prep: Skip the roux. Stir 1 tbsp cornstarch into 2 tbsp cold water, whisk it into the simmering liquid and cook 1 minute, until it turns clear and thick.
Suits: gluten-free, vegan
Where it fails: Gumbo and other dishes where the browned roux is the flavor. Sauces you plan to freeze turn spongy, and long boiling or a lot of acid thins it again.

Arrowroot slurry

none

A root starch used the same way as cornstarch: a slurry at the end, not a roux. It gives a clear, glossy sauce and holds up in the freezer.

Best for: clear pan sauces and fruit sauces, sauces you will freeze, acidic sauces
Prep: Stir it into cold water, whisk into the hot liquid off the boil and heat only until it thickens.
Suits: gluten-free, vegan
Where it fails: Milk and cream sauces, where it can turn slimy, and anything kept at a boil, which breaks it down.

Almond flour or coconut flour

Both are ground nuts or fruit, not starch.

A roux thickens because starch swells in hot liquid, and these have almost none.

Best for: nothing in a roux
Where it fails: Almond flour stays as gritty specks in a thin sauce. Coconut flour soaks up liquid into a paste and tastes of coconut.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeFlour

A roux is equal parts fat and flour cooked together before liquid goes in. The standard for a medium sauce is 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour per cup of liquid. The flour does two jobs: its starch thickens, and cooking it in fat removes the raw taste and, for a brown roux, builds a toasted flavor. A substitute has to be a starch that can sit in hot fat without clumping, which is why rice flours work and pure starches go in as a slurry.

Tips for substituting flour

5 tips

Medium white sauce with sweet rice flour: 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp sweet rice flour, 1 cup milk. Cook the flour 1 to 2 minutes before adding the milk.
With a slurry, add it after the liquid is simmering and stop when the sauce coats a spoon. It thickens within a minute.
Whisk butter into a cornstarch-thickened sauce at the end to put back the richness the roux would have given.
For a brown or dark roux with a gluten-free flour, keep the heat at medium-low and stir constantly. Rice flours scorch on the bottom of the pan before they color evenly.
The darker any roux gets, the less it thickens. Use a little more flour for a dark roux than for a white one.

Questions

4 questions

Can you substitute cornstarch for flour in a roux?

Not in the roux itself. Cornstarch cooked in butter clumps and does not brown into flavor. Leave the roux out and thicken at the end with a slurry: 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of cold water for every 2 tablespoons of flour the recipe uses.

What is a gluten-free flour for roux in gumbo?

Sweet rice flour or a gluten-free all-purpose blend, in the same amount as the wheat flour. Cook it in the oil over medium-low heat, stirring the whole time. It darkens more slowly and the flavor is milder than a wheat roux, so many cooks stop at a peanut-butter color.

Can I make a roux with almond flour for keto?

No. Almond flour has no starch, so it will not thicken. For a low-carb sauce, skip the roux and whisk in xanthan gum: start with ¼ teaspoon per cup of liquid, sprinkled over the surface while you whisk, and add more by pinches. Too much turns the sauce slimy.

How much flour substitute do I need for 1 cup of liquid?

For a medium sauce, 2 tablespoons of sweet rice flour or gluten-free blend cooked in 2 tablespoons of fat. With cornstarch or arrowroot, 1 tablespoon stirred into cold water. Use half as much again for a thick sauce, and a little less for a thin one.