Locust Bean Gum substitute

Best substitute

Guar Gum

Use the same amount by weight; about 0.15 to 0.25 percent of the total mix weight as the locust bean gum you are replacing

Best for ice cream

Close match

Guar gum is the closest swap at 1:1 and far easier to find, since it holds water the same way; the difference is that guar thickens in cold liquid, so an ice cream base made with it can turn slightly slimy if you overshoot. Keep it around 0.15 to 0.25 percent of the total weight of the mix. Xanthan gum works at roughly half the amount but goes stringy at higher doses. The best real-world answer for ice cream is a small blend: about two parts guar to one part xanthan, at the same total weight as the locust bean gum. Locust bean gum contributes no flavour at all. Its entire job is grabbing free water so that ice cream freezes smooth and stays scoopable instead of turning icy, and so that gluten-free dough holds together and does not dry out. Two things it is not: it is nothing to do with carob powder, the roasted pod used as a cocoa substitute, and nothing to do with African locust beans, the fermented seasoning known as iru or dawadawa.

Other locust bean gum substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Xanthan Gum
Different texture
About half the weight of the locust bean gum
The most widely stocked gum, stable in acid, heat and freeze-thaw cycles.
What changes
Best for
gluten-free baking, ice cream, acidic sorbets, sauces
Much stronger, so measure carefully. It gives a chewier, slightly gummy, faintly stringy body rather than the creamy roundness locust bean gum gives, and in ice cream that reads as a slightly chewy scoop. Its advantage is that it survives lemon and vinegar, which locust bean gum handles less well.
3Guar and Xanthan Blend
Close match
Same total weight, mixed 2 parts guar to 1 part xanthan
The practical best match, because the two gums together behave more like locust bean gum than either does alone.
What changes
Best for
homemade ice cream, gelato, dairy-free frozen desserts, gluten-free bread
The synergy gives you body without the sliminess of guar alone or the stringiness of xanthan alone. This is the closest a home kitchen gets, and the difference from real locust bean gum is small enough that most people will not name it.
4Tapioca Starch or Cornstarch Cooked Into the Base
Taste and texture differ
Use About 1 tablespoon for every quart of ice cream base replaces roughly ¼ teaspoon of locust bean gum
The old-fashioned stabiliser, used in Sicilian gelato and Philadelphia-style custards long before gums existed.
What changes
Best for
gelato, ice cream, milk puddings, frozen yogurt
Cheap and forgiving, and it genuinely improves scoopability. The trade-off is a slightly puddingy, cooked-cornflour body and a duller finish, so the ice cream tastes a touch heavier and less clean than a gum-stabilised one. Must be simmered to activate.
5Nonfat Dry Milk Powder or an Extra Egg Yolk
Different taste
Use 2 tablespoons milk powder, or 1 extra yolk, for every quart of base
Binding water with protein instead of with a gum, which is what pre-industrial ice cream recipes did.
What changes
Best for
ice cream, custard bases, frozen custard, milkshake bases
Really effective against iciness, but it changes the flavour: milk powder adds a cooked, slightly malty dairy note, and an extra yolk makes the ice cream richer, yellower and more custardy. Neither is neutral the way locust bean gum is.
6Carrageenan (Kappa or Iota)
Different texture
About 0.02 to 0.05 percent of the mix weight, alongside a gum
A seaweed extract that does one specific part of the job, not the whole thing.
What changes
Best for
preventing whey separation in ice cream, dairy drinks, chocolate milk
It stops the dairy proteins separating and gives a clean melt, but it builds very little body on its own, so a mix using only carrageenan will still freeze hard. Use it with guar rather than instead of it.

What is Locust Bean Gum?

Locust Bean Gum is Locust bean gum, also sold as carob bean gum or LBG and labelled E410, is a mild off-white thickening powder ground from the seeds inside carob pods, used mainly in ice cream and gluten-free baking to hold water and keep texture smooth.

Cooking tips

Locust bean gum only works if it gets hot. It needs to reach roughly 180F to 185F to hydrate fully, so a cold-blended base does nothing at all. This is the number one reason people conclude it is useless. Guar and xanthan do not need the heat, which is one reason they are easier substitutes.
Whisk any gum into the sugar before it meets liquid. Sprinkled straight into milk it forms rubbery fisheyes that never dissolve, and a blender will not save them.
These doses are tiny. Ice cream wants roughly 0.1 to 0.3 percent of the total mix weight, which for a quart is a fraction of a gram, so use a scale that reads to 0.01 grams or a proper measuring spoon set rather than eyeballing a teaspoon.
In gluten-free bread, locust bean gum is a softener and moisture-holder, not a structure builder. If your loaf is crumbling, the fix is psyllium husk or xanthan, not more locust bean gum.
Do not use gums to thicken anything you are canning at home. Canning safety depends on heat moving predictably through the jar, and only tested recipes using Clear Jel are considered safe; check NCHFP guidance rather than improvising.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave locust bean gum out?

Yes, and the ice cream will still work; it will simply freeze harder, feel icier and go grainy within a few days in the freezer instead of a few weeks. If you plan to eat it in two days, leaving it out is a perfectly reasonable choice. In gluten-free bread, leaving it out gives you a slightly drier crumb that stales faster.

Is locust bean gum the same as carob powder?

No, though both come from the carob tree. Carob powder is the roasted, ground pod, sweet and cocoa-like, used as a chocolate alternative. Locust bean gum is milled from the seeds inside the pod and has no flavour or sweetness whatsoever. They are not interchangeable in either direction.

Is locust bean gum the same as locust beans, iru or dawadawa?

No. African locust beans, sold as iru, dawadawa or soumbala, are fermented seeds used as a pungent umami seasoning in West African cooking. Locust bean gum is a flavourless thickener from a Mediterranean carob tree. Completely different ingredients that happen to share a word.

Is locust bean gum vegan and gluten-free?

Yes to both. It is a plant seed extract with no grain and no animal content, which is why it turns up in so many vegan ice creams and gluten-free breads.

How much locust bean gum should I use in ice cream?

Around 0.1 to 0.2 percent of the total weight of the mix, which for a typical one-quart base of roughly 900 grams is about one to two grams, or a scant quarter to half teaspoon. Heat the base to at least 180F so it hydrates, then chill it overnight before churning.

Related substitutes

More thickeners substitutes

Locust Bean Gum substitute

Other locust bean gum substitutes

2Xanthan Gum

3Guar and Xanthan Blend

4Tapioca Starch or Cornstarch Cooked Into the Base

5Nonfat Dry Milk Powder or an Extra Egg Yolk

6Carrageenan (Kappa or Iota)