Kamut Flour substitute

Best substitute

Spelt Flour

Use the same amount by weight as the kamut flour you are replacing

Best for bread

Close match

Spelt flour is the closest swap at 1:1: the same soft, nutty, ancient-wheat character and the same slightly fragile gluten, so handle either one gently. Whole wheat pastry flour, or a half-and-half mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, also works 1:1 and is the easy supermarket answer, just less buttery and a bit more bran-bitter. Einkorn flour is the nearest match on flavour but has much weaker gluten, so a loaf made with it spreads and rises less. Kamut flour is doing two jobs at once: it is the structure, because khorasan is a wheat with real gluten, and it is the flavour, a distinctly buttery, almost custardy sweetness that is the reason people seek it out. Which brings up the thing many people are actually searching for: Kamut is wheat. It is not gluten-free and it is not safe for coeliac disease, whatever you may have read about ancient grains. It also absorbs slightly less water than modern whole wheat, so if you swap regular whole wheat flour in, expect a stiffer dough and add a tablespoon or two of water per cup.

Other kamut flour substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour
Different taste
Use the same amount by weight, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons extra water per cup
The everyday supermarket swap, softer and milder than standard whole wheat.
What changes
Best for
muffins, quick breads, cookies, pancakes, scones
Works reliably and keeps the wholegrain character, but you lose the buttery sweetness and gain a mild bran bitterness, so a kamut pancake tastes rich and custardy while this one tastes nutty and wholesome. It also drinks more water.
3All-Purpose and Whole Wheat Flour, Half and Half
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount total by weight
The improvisation using what almost every kitchen already has.
What changes
Best for
bread, rolls, pizza dough, pasta, cakes
Stronger and more elastic than kamut, so the dough handles more like standard bread dough and rises taller, with a paler crumb and a plain wheaty flavour. Nothing wrong with the result; it just no longer tastes of khorasan.
4Einkorn Flour
Different texture
Use the same amount by weight, but reduce the liquid by about 15 percent
The oldest cultivated wheat, the closest match to kamut's rich, buttery flavour.
What changes
Best for
cookies, pastry, pancakes, fresh pasta, flatbread
Flavour-wise the best of the bunch, deeply golden and eggy-tasting, but its gluten is very weak and its dough is sticky and slack, so a yeasted loaf comes out short and dense. Brilliant in cookies and pasta, risky in bread.
5Durum Flour or Fine Semolina
Taste and texture differ
Up to half the total flour, at 1:1 by weight for that portion
Golden high-protein wheat, ideal where you want the colour and the chew.
What changes
Best for
fresh pasta, rustic bread, focaccia, pizza dough
Gives the same amber colour and a satisfying chew, but it is much stronger and slightly gritty, so a cake made entirely with it comes out tough and sandy. Blend it with all-purpose rather than using it alone outside pasta.
6Sorghum Flour and Tapioca Starch, 3:1 (gluten-free)
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount total by weight, plus 1 teaspoon xanthan gum or 1 tablespoon psyllium husk per cup
The least-bad gluten-free stand-in, since there is no gluten-free flour that behaves like a wheat.
What changes
Best for
gluten-free muffins, cookies, pancakes, flatbread
Be honest with yourself about this one: it gets the mild sweetness and a soft crumb, but none of kamut's stretch or structure, so it needs a binder and will still bake denser and more crumbly. Do not attempt a free-standing yeasted loaf with it without a tested gluten-free recipe.

What is Kamut Flour?

Kamut Flour is Kamut flour is flour milled from khorasan wheat, an ancient large-kernelled wheat sold under the trademarked name Kamut and sometimes called Oriental wheat, and it is golden, buttery and, importantly, a true wheat that contains gluten.

Cooking tips

Khorasan gluten is extensible but delicate. Mix and knead less than you would with bread flour, stop as soon as the dough is smooth, and give it a longer rest instead; over-kneaded kamut dough turns slack and sticky and will not recover.
Start with slightly less water than a whole wheat recipe calls for and add the rest as needed. Kamut's large kernels mill into flour that absorbs a bit less liquid, so the same hydration that suits whole wheat can leave a kamut dough soupy.
Its flavour is the whole point, so put it where you can taste it: pancakes, waffles, shortbread, pasta and rustic loaves. In a chocolate cake the buttery note disappears and you have paid a premium for nothing.
It browns deeply and quickly thanks to its sugars and its colour. Pull baked goods a few minutes early, or drop the oven 15F, if the tops are darkening before the centre sets.
For pastry, sift the flour and use a light hand. Kamut makes a beautifully tender shortcrust because its gluten is weak, but only if you do not work it; overhandled, it tightens and shrinks in the tin.

Frequently asked questions

Is kamut flour gluten-free?

No. Kamut is khorasan wheat, a true wheat, and its flour contains gluten. If you are coeliac or avoiding wheat for medical reasons it is not a safe swap, regardless of claims that ancient grains are gentler. For a gluten-free bake you need a gluten-free blend plus a binder.

Can I just leave kamut flour out?

Not on its own, because in almost every recipe it is the flour and therefore the entire structure. What you can do is replace it: spelt flour at 1:1 is the closest, and an equal mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour is the version you can make from a normal cupboard.

Is Kamut the same as khorasan wheat?

Kamut is a trademarked brand name for organically grown khorasan wheat that meets specific standards. Any flour labelled khorasan wheat flour is the same grain and swaps in one for one, often for less money.

Can I use kamut flour instead of all-purpose flour, one for one?

Yes in muffins, pancakes, cookies and quick breads, where the softer gluten is an asset. In yeasted bread, start by replacing half the all-purpose flour and expect a denser, more tender loaf at 100 percent kamut, plus a shorter mix and a slightly reduced hydration.

What does kamut flour taste like?

Buttery and mildly sweet, with a golden colour and a rich, almost custardy quality that comes through most clearly in simple bakes like pancakes, shortbread and pasta. It is noticeably less bitter than standard whole wheat flour, which is why people who dislike wholemeal often like kamut.

Related substitutes

More grains & starches substitutes

Kamut Flour substitute

Other kamut flour substitutes

2Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour

3All-Purpose and Whole Wheat Flour, Half and Half

4Einkorn Flour

5Durum Flour or Fine Semolina

6Sorghum Flour and Tapioca Starch, 3:1 (gluten-free)