Xanthan gum substitutes

Xanthan gum substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Also called xanthan, xanthan gum powder, E415, corn sugar gum

Use thisBest of 6 options

Use Guar gum

1 ½ tsp for every 1 tsp xanthan gum

In gluten-free baking, use 1 ½ tsp guar gum per 1 tsp xanthan gum — the closest match, and the only swap that works in both a cake and a dressing. For gluten-free bread and pizza dough, 1 tbsp of whole psyllium husk per 1 tsp of xanthan plus 3 tbsp extra water gives a better, more handleable dough. For a cold dressing, guar gum at 1:1. Do not reach for cornstarch: it thickens when hot and binds nothing.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: In a cold liquid such as a dressing or a smoothie, use it 1:1 instead — guar is at its strongest cold and its weakest in a hot batter
Best for —: gluten-free cakes, cookies and muffins

Checked 22 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps

But first: what’s the xanthan gum doing?

Pick your case

Is the xanthan gum in a gluten-free dough, or in something liquid?

Guar gum is the near-equivalent here: use 1 ½ tsp per 1 tsp of xanthan, since it is somewhat weaker in a batter. If you have no gums at all, 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed whisked into 3 tbsp of hot water per 1 tsp of xanthan gives real binding and a slightly nutty, darker crumb.
Notes on guar gum or ground flaxseed
1 ½ tsp per 1 tsp
Psyllium husk is the better tool, not merely a stand-in: 1 tbsp of whole husk per 1 tsp of xanthan, plus 3 tbsp of extra water, gives a dough you can actually knead and shape rather than a batter you pour. It also stops the loaf drying out by the second day.
Notes on psyllium husk
1 tbsp per 1 tsp
Guar gum works 1:1 here and hydrates cold just as xanthan does. The one thing to watch is acidity: guar loses viscosity in a sharp vinaigrette, where xanthan holds up, so add a little more or lean on mustard for the emulsion.
Notes on guar gum
1 ½ tsp per 1 tsp
You do not need a gum at all. Use 1 tbsp of cornstarch or arrowroot per cup of liquid, slaked in 2 tbsp of cold water. It is cheaper and easier to judge. Just do not carry that swap over into a dough, where a starch binds nothing.
Notes on cornstarch or arrowroot
1 tbsp per cup liquid
Leave it out. In a wheat-flour recipe the gluten is already doing the binding, and a quarter teaspoon in a blended drink is texture rather than structure. Nothing will fail.

Start by asking what the xanthan gum is holding together. In a gluten-free dough it is standing in for gluten, so you need something elastic: guar gum at 1 ½ tsp per 1 tsp, or psyllium husk at 1 tbsp per 1 tsp with 3 tbsp extra water, which is genuinely better for bread. In a cold dressing or smoothie it is thickening and holding an emulsion, so guar gum 1:1 is the answer. In a hot sauce it is only thickening, and a plain starch does that more cheaply. The one swap that never works in either direction is using a starch where the job was structure — most gluten-free flour blends are already mostly starch, and more of it makes the loaf crumble.

Job by job3 jobs

Xanthan gum thickens liquid cold and stays thick through boiling and chilling. In gluten-free dough it does gluten's other job — an elastic web that traps gas, so the loaf slices instead of crumbling.

Bindingprimary

In a gluten-free dough it forms an elastic web that traps the bubbles the leavener makes, which is the difference between a loaf that holds a slice and one that crumbles the moment you cut it.

Emulsifyingsecondary

By thickening the water phase it slows oil droplets from rising, so a vinaigrette or a smoothie stays mixed for days instead of separating into layers within minutes.

Thickeningprimary

Its long molecules tangle in water and hold it in place at room temperature, so ¼ tsp turns a cup of vinaigrette from watery to spoon-coating with no pan involved, and it stays that way through the fridge and the microwave.

Every option, one card

Ranked · per 1 tsp xanthan gum

Xanthan Gum substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 tsp xanthan gum	Verdict
1	Guar gumgluten-free cakes, cookies and muffins	1 ½ tspTweak it	Tweak it
2	Psyllium huskgluten-free bread, pizza dough, bagels and anything you shape by hand	1 tbsp whole psyllium husk, or 2 tsp psyllium husk powderTweak it	Tweak it
3	Ground flaxseedgluten-free muffins, brownies, banana bread and cookies	1 tbsp ground flaxseed whisked into 3 tbsp hot waterYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Chia seedsdark-coloured bakes and rustic breads where the specks do not matter	1 tbsp, ground if you have a grinder, in 3 tbsp waterYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
5	Extra egg whitegluten-free cakes, sponges and popovers	1 extra egg white, beaten to soft peaks and folded in at the endYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
6	Cornstarch or arrowroothot gravies, pan sauces and pie fillings	1 tbsp, slaked in 2 tbsp cold waterper ¼ tsp xanthan gum thickening 1 cup of liquidYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Agar agar	wrong job — agar sets rather than thickens, and there is no amount that behaves like xanthanNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option6 options

Guar gum

no flavour of its own, the same as xanthan

Ground endosperm of the guar bean, a legume, which hydrates cold like xanthan and thickens more powerfully in cold liquid while doing rather less in a baked dough.

Covers: Binding; Emulsifying; Thickening

What these mean

Amount: 1 ½ tsp guar gum for 1 tsp xanthan gum in a gluten-free baking recipe
Then: in a cold liquid such as a dressing or a smoothie, use it 1:1 instead — guar is at its strongest cold and its weakest in a hot batter
Best for: gluten-free cakes, cookies and muffins, cold dressings, smoothies and ice cream, where it outperforms xanthan, when you want the same category of ingredient and not a workaround
Texture: slightly less stretchy in a bread dough and slightly thicker in a cold sauce; in a cake, close enough that most people would not pick it out
Look: no visible difference when properly dispersed; visible translucent lumps if it went in as a spoonful
Suits: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free

Use 1 ½ times as much in baking: 1 ½ tsp guar per 1 tsp xanthan. Use it 1:1 in anything cold.
Whisk it through the dry ingredients, or sprinkle it into liquid while blending or whisking hard. Tipped in as a spoonful it makes slimy strings that never disperse.
In a sharply acidic mixture — vinaigrette, lemon sauce, anything with a lot of vinegar — increase it by about a quarter, because guar loses viscosity in acid where xanthan does not.
Keep the total under about 1 tsp per cup of flour. Guar in quantity causes digestive upset in some people, more noticeably than xanthan does.

The one substitute here that covers all three of xanthan's jobs, which is why it leads. The important detail is that the two gums are not equally strong in all conditions: guar is stronger cold, weaker hot, and weaker in acid.

In a gluten-free yeast bread it gives less structure than xanthan or psyllium, so the loaf is a little denser and more fragile at the crust.

Psyllium husk

a mild earthy

The ground outer seed coat of Plantago ovata, almost entirely soluble fibre, which absorbs many times its weight in water and forms a strong flexible gel.

Covers: Binding; Thickening
Misses: Emulsifying — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 tbsp whole psyllium husk, or 2 tsp psyllium husk powder for 1 tsp xanthan gum in a gluten-free bread or pizza dough
Then: add 3 tbsp extra water to the recipe and let the dough stand 10 minutes before shaping, so the husk fully hydrates into a gel
Best for: gluten-free bread, pizza dough, bagels and anything you shape by hand, when you want a dough rather than a batter, loaves that need to stay soft for more than a day
Taste: a mild earthy, slightly bran-like note that is welcome in a rustic loaf and out of place in a vanilla cake
Texture: genuinely better than xanthan in bread — chewier, more elastic, less crumbly, and it stays soft for a second and third day
Look: a greyish or purplish cast to the crumb, especially with whole husks, and a rougher more open crumb structure
Suits: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free

Add 3 tbsp of extra water per tablespoon of husk. Psyllium absorbs a great deal of water, and without it the loaf comes out dry and tight.
Let the mixed dough rest 10 minutes before shaping. That rest is what turns the husk from grit into gel, and skipping it is the usual reason this fails.
Use two-thirds as much if you only have the powder rather than whole husks: 2 tsp powder per 1 tbsp whole husk.
Do not use it in a delicate cake or a pale shortbread, where the texture and the greyish tint both show.

In gluten-free bread this is an upgrade rather than a compromise, which is why so many gluten-free bakers use it alongside xanthan rather than instead of it. Outside dough it does almost nothing useful.

Bread and pizza territory. It is the wrong choice for a cold dressing, an ice cream, a smoothie, or any pale delicate cake.

Ground flaxseed

distinctly nutty and faintly grassy

Ground flax, whose seed coat releases a soluble gum into water and makes a thick slippery gel that behaves a little like beaten egg white.

Covers: Binding
Misses: Emulsifying — not covered; Thickening — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed whisked into 3 tbsp hot water for 1 tsp xanthan gum in a gluten-free batter
Then: let it stand 5 minutes until it thickens into something visibly gluey and stringy, then add it with the wet ingredients
Best for: gluten-free muffins, brownies, banana bread and cookies, wholemeal and darker bakes, where its colour and flavour belong, when there are no gums in the house at all
Taste: distinctly nutty and faintly grassy, obvious in a plain vanilla cake and unnoticeable in chocolate or banana bread
Texture: denser and moister, and noticeably less springy than xanthan gives; more crumbly at the edges of a slice
Look: a darker, browner, flecked crumb — you can see the ground seed, and a pale cake will look like a wholemeal one
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free

Use hot water rather than cold and give it a full 5 minutes. Cold water takes 15 and gels less strongly.
Grind whole seeds yourself if you can. Whole flaxseed passes straight through a batter without gelling, and pre-ground meal loses potency once it has been open a while.
Count the 3 tbsp of water toward the recipe's liquid — do not add it on top.
Do not scale it up beyond about 2 tbsp of flax per cup of flour. Past that the crumb turns heavy and gummy.

This is a binder, not a gum: it holds a crumb together but it does not create stretch, so a gluten-free bread made with it alone will not rise as tall. It is genuinely good in a brownie and unsuitable for anything meant to look pale.

Batters and soft doughs only. It provides no thickening in a cold liquid and it will not emulsify a dressing.

Chia seeds

far milder than flax, close to neutral

Seeds with a coat that swells into a firm gel holding many times its weight in water, and which stays visible as specks unless you grind them.

Covers: Binding; Thickening
Misses: Emulsifying — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 tbsp chia seeds, ground if you have a grinder, in 3 tbsp water for 1 tsp xanthan gum in a gluten-free batter
Then: leave 10 minutes until it is a thick gel you can turn upside down in the spoon
Best for: dark-coloured bakes and rustic breads where the specks do not matter, puddings and jams thickened without heat, when there is chia in the cupboard and nothing else
Texture: the gel is firmer than flax gel, so the crumb is tighter and springier, with a slight gumminess if you overdo it
Look: visible speckling unless the seeds are ground, and even ground it darkens a pale batter slightly
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free

Grind the seeds if you can. Whole chia leaves visible black or white specks and a faintly gritty bite through the crumb.
Allow 10 minutes to gel, longer than flax needs. It thickens much more than it looks like it will.
Count the 3 tbsp of water toward the recipe's liquid.
Use white chia in a pale bake if you have it; the specks are then merely visible rather than obtrusive.

Milder tasting than flax and more obtrusive to look at, which is the trade between the two. Both bind and neither creates the stretch a gluten-free yeast bread needs.

Batters and soft doughs. It will not emulsify a dressing, and the speckling rules out anything meant to look pale and fine.

Extra egg white

very slightly eggy, most noticeable in a plain sponge

Egg white protein, which sets into a firm network in the oven and gives a gluten-free crumb something to hold onto that is not a gum at all.

Covers: Binding
Misses: Emulsifying — not covered; Thickening — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 extra egg white, beaten to soft peaks and folded in at the end for 1 tsp xanthan gum in a gluten-free cake or bread
Then: reduce the recipe's other liquid by 2 tbsp per white added
Best for: gluten-free cakes, sponges and popovers, when you want a lighter and less gummy result than a gum gives, when there is nothing else in the kitchen
Texture: lighter and less gummy than xanthan gives, and drier; more likely to crumble at the edges of a slice
Look: a paler crumb with a finer, more even structure, and slightly less rise in a bread
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Contains: egg

Take 2 tbsp of milk or water out of the recipe per extra white, since a white is about 1 ¾ tbsp of liquid itself.
Beat it to soft peaks and fold rather than stir, so the air survives into the oven.
Do not add more than two extra whites to a single cake. Past that the crumb goes rubbery and dry.
Bake straight away; a folded batter loses volume as it stands.

Worth knowing because many gluten-free bakers actively prefer it to gums in a cake — gums are what make some gluten-free crumbs feel gummy. In a shaped bread dough it is not enough on its own.

Baked goods only, and not vegan. It does nothing in a cold sauce, and it will not hold a gluten-free pizza dough together.

Cornstarch or arrowroot

neutral, with a faint chalkiness if the sauce never reaches a simmer

Pure starches that thicken only when heated in liquid, which makes them the right answer for a hot sauce and no answer at all for a dough or a cold dressing.

Covers: Thickening
Misses: Binding — not covered; Emulsifying — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot, slaked in 2 tbsp cold water for ¼ tsp xanthan gum thickening 1 cup of liquid
Then: bring the sauce to a simmer for cornstarch, or add arrowroot off the heat at the very end
Best for: hot gravies, pan sauces and pie fillings, when thickening is the only job and heat is available, when you want a cheaper and more forgiving thickener than a gum
Texture: cleaner and less slippery than xanthan, and it breaks down on long boiling or repeated reheating where xanthan does not
Look: cornstarch goes slightly cloudy, arrowroot stays clear and glossy
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free

Slake it in cold water first — 2 tbsp per tablespoon of starch — then stir the slurry into the pan.
Bring cornstarch to a simmer to finish thickening; pull arrowroot off the heat as soon as it thickens or it breaks down.
Do not use it in a cold dressing or smoothie. Uncooked starch stays gritty and thickens nothing.
Do not put it in a gluten-free dough as a xanthan replacement. Most gluten-free flour blends already contain a lot of starch; more starch makes the crumb sandier, not stronger.

Frequently listed as a xanthan substitute, and it is one for exactly half the job. If you came here for a sauce, this is cheaper and easier to judge than a gum. If you came here for a gluten-free loaf, it will make it crumble.

Hot liquids only. Never as the structural ingredient in gluten-free bread, pizza dough or cookies.

Agar agar

neutral, very faintly marine at high doses

A seaweed extract that must be boiled and then cooled, at which point it sets into a firm brittle gel that holds a cut edge — a completely different behaviour from thickening.

Misses: Binding — not covered; Emulsifying — not covered; Thickening — not covered

What these mean

Amount: Nothing — agar sets rather than thickens, and there is no amount that behaves like xanthanper 1 tsp xanthan gum
Then: if you need something to set firm and unmould, agar is the right ingredient: 1 tsp powder per cup of liquid, boiled 2 minutes
Best for: jellies, panna cotta and terrines that must unmould, nothing on this page, recipes where you want a clean sliceable set
Texture: a firm brittle set that shatters rather than a smooth pourable thickness; in a dough, nothing useful at all
Look: cloudy and set solid in a sauce that was supposed to pour; in a gluten-free loaf, a crumbly interior with rubbery patches
Pantry: Special trip
Suits: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free

If you are actually trying to set something, boil it for a full 2 minutes. Agar does not activate below boiling, and undissolved agar simply sinks.
For a xanthan job — a dressing, a smoothie, a gluten-free dough — use guar gum instead.
Do not add agar to a bread dough. It sets on cooling into brittle gel and does nothing for elasticity.

Thickening and setting are different jobs, and this is the clearest illustration on the site. A sauce thickened with xanthan pours; something set with agar unmoulds and holds a corner. Swapping one for the other never gives a near miss — it gives a different food.

Listed only because charts keep offering it as a 1:1 swap. It is not one, in any application.

Don’t swap it here

5 cases

Using cornstarch, arrowroot, tapioca or potato starch as the structural ingredient in gluten-free bread, pizza dough or cookies.Use guar gum at 1 ½ tsp per 1 tsp of xanthan, or psyllium husk at 1 tbsp per 1 tsp with 3 tbsp extra water.
Adding more gum because the mixture still looks thin.Use ¼ tsp per cup of liquid, whisk it in, wait a full minute, and only then judge. If it is already slimy, the only fix is to dilute with more liquid.
Swapping agar agar or gelatine in for xanthan gum in a sauce, dressing or dough.Use guar gum for thickening and binding. Save agar and gelatine for things that have to unmould.
SafetyHome canning, pickling or fermenting — using xanthan, guar or any gum to thicken a product before it goes into jars.Follow a tested recipe exactly and thicken after opening. Only Clear Jel is approved for home-canned pie fillings. See the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Scaling psyllium or flax up to several tablespoons because a little seemed to help.Keep to about 1 tbsp of psyllium or 2 tbsp of flax per cup of flour, and no more than about 1 tsp of gum per cup of flour.

Safety

3 notes

Canning
Do not add xanthan gum, guar gum or any thickener to a home canning recipe. Thickeners slow heat penetration into the jar, so the centre may not reach a safe temperature during processing, and gums are not part of any tested canning recipe. Thicken after opening, and use only Clear Jel where a tested canned pie filling calls for a starch.
Source — National Center for Home Food Preservation (opens in a new tab)
Allergen
Xanthan gum, guar gum, psyllium, flax and chia are all gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free. Xanthan is usually fermented on a corn substrate, which matters for a strict corn allergy. Guar gum comes from a legume. The egg white option contains egg.
Source — FDA gluten-free labeling (opens in a new tab)
Dose
Xanthan gum, guar gum and psyllium are all concentrated soluble fibre, and large amounts cause bloating and digestive discomfort in some people. The amounts in this page's recipes are small — under a teaspoon per cup of flour — and there is no baking reason to exceed them.
Source — FDA Food Additive Status List (opens in a new tab)

If it went wrong

5 fixes

The sauce or dressing is slippery and slimy and hangs off the spoon in strings.Too much gum, or gum tipped in as a spoonful rather than sprinkled while whisking.Dilute with more stock, oil, water or vinegar until it feels normal, then reseason. There is no way to remove a gum once it has hydrated, so dilution is the only route.
There are translucent jelly-like lumps that will not whisk out.The gum hit the liquid all at once and hydrated on the outside of the clump, sealing dry powder inside.Blend the mixture with a stick blender, or push it through a sieve. Next time sprinkle it over the surface in a thin stream while whisking hard, or whisk it into the dry ingredients or the oil first.
The gluten-free loaf crumbled the moment you cut it.Not enough binding — usually starch used in place of the gum, or flax and chia doing the job alone, neither of which creates stretch.Toast the slices; crumbs hold together once toasted, and the rest makes good breadcrumbs. For the next loaf use 1 tsp of gum or 1 tbsp of psyllium husk per cup of flour.
The gluten-free bread is gummy and wet in the middle even after a long bake.Too much gum or too much psyllium, holding water that cannot escape.Slice it and dry the slices in a low oven — it usually saves the loaf. Then cut back to about 1 tsp of gum, or 1 tbsp of psyllium, per cup of flour, and bake to an internal temperature of about 205F.
The dough with psyllium in it feels dry and tight and cracks as you shape it.Psyllium absorbs a great deal of water and the extra water was never added, or the dough was not given its resting time.Work in water 1 tbsp at a time and let the dough rest 10 minutes before shaping. It goes from crumbly to smooth and pliable during that rest.

Measure it

8 measures

Xanthan in gluten-free baking¼ tsp per cup of flour for cakes and cookies; ½ tsp for muffins and quick breads; 1 tsp for bread and pizza doughEvery substitution amount on this page is anchored to those figures.
Xanthan in a liquid¼ tsp per cup of liquid for a pourable sauce or dressingRoughly a tenth of the cornstarch you would use for the same thickness.
Guar gum equivalent1 ½ tsp per 1 tsp xanthan in baking; 1:1 in cold liquids
Psyllium husk equivalent1 tbsp whole husk (or 2 tsp powder) per 1 tsp xanthan, plus 3 tbsp extra water
Flax and chia gel1 tbsp ground seed + 3 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes for flax and 10 for chiaCount that water toward the recipe's liquid rather than adding it on top.
Total gum ceilingabout 1 tsp of any gum per cup of flourAbove this the crumb turns gummy and stays wet in the middle however long you bake it.
Acid stabilityxanthan holds its thickness in acid; guar loses viscosityIn a sharp vinaigrette, increase guar by about a quarter, or lean on mustard to help hold the emulsion.
What xanthan is made fromsugar fermented by Xanthomonas campestris, usually on a corn substrateIt is gluten-free. The corn substrate only matters for a strict corn allergy.

Questions

10 questions

Can I use guar gum instead of xanthan gum?

Yes, and it is the closest match available. Use 1 ½ tsp guar per 1 tsp xanthan in baking, because guar is somewhat weaker in a hot batter, and 1:1 in cold applications such as dressings, smoothies and ice cream, where it is actually stronger. The one thing to watch is acidity: guar loses viscosity in a sharp vinaigrette where xanthan holds up, so add about a quarter more.

What's the difference between xanthan gum and guar gum?

Xanthan is made by fermenting sugar with a bacterium; guar is milled from the endosperm of the guar bean. In practice the differences that matter are these: guar thickens cold liquids more powerfully, xanthan gives more structure in a hot dough, xanthan keeps its thickness in acid while guar loses it, and guar in quantity is more likely to cause digestive upset.

Can I use psyllium husk instead of xanthan gum?

For bread and pizza dough, yes, and it is arguably better: 1 tbsp of whole husk (or 2 tsp of powder) per 1 tsp of xanthan, plus 3 tbsp of extra water, and let the dough rest 10 minutes before shaping. You get a dough you can handle rather than a batter, more chew, and a loaf that stays soft longer. It adds a mild earthy flavour and a greyish cast, so it is the wrong choice for a pale delicate cake.

Can I use cornstarch instead of xanthan gum?

Only if the job is thickening a hot liquid — 1 tbsp cornstarch per cup, slaked in cold water, in place of ¼ tsp of xanthan. It is no use at all in a gluten-free dough. Xanthan is there to create stretch and trap gas, and gluten-free flour blends are already mostly starch, so more starch makes the crumb sandier and the loaf crumble when you slice it.

What is xanthan gum made from?

Sugar fermented by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris, then dried and milled to a powder. The sugar substrate is usually corn, which is where the alternative name corn sugar gum comes from. It contains no gluten, dairy, egg or nuts, and it is suitable for vegans. The corn substrate only matters if you have a strict corn allergy.

How much xanthan gum do I need in gluten-free baking?

About ¼ tsp per cup of flour for cakes and cookies, ½ tsp for muffins and quick breads, and 1 tsp for bread and pizza dough. Many commercial gluten-free flour blends already include it — check the bag, because adding more on top is what makes a crumb gummy and wet in the middle.

Can I use agar agar instead of xanthan gum?

No, in any application. Agar has to be boiled and then cooled, at which point it sets into a firm brittle gel that holds a cut edge. Xanthan thickens a liquid that still pours, and makes a dough elastic. Substituting one for the other gives a sauce that is solid in the fridge and watery when warm, or a loaf with rubbery patches. Use guar gum instead.

Can I use xanthan gum instead of flour?

No. Xanthan is a texture ingredient used a quarter-teaspoon at a time; flour is the bulk and the structure of a baked good. In gluten-free baking, xanthan goes into a flour blend to supply the stretch that the missing gluten would have provided — it is an addition to flour, never a replacement for it.

Do I have to use xanthan gum in gluten-free baking?

Not always. Cakes, brownies, muffins and cookies work without it, though they crumble more; the binder can just as well be an extra egg white, or 1 tbsp of ground flax gelled in 3 tbsp of hot water. Bread and pizza dough are the hard cases, because something has to be elastic enough to trap the gas — there, use a gum or psyllium husk.

What can I use instead of xanthan gum in a salad dressing?

Guar gum at 1:1, which is ¼ tsp per cup of liquid, sprinkled in while whisking or added through a blender. If you have neither gum, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard per ½ cup of oil will hold a vinaigrette together for an hour or two by emulsifying rather than thickening, which is enough for a bowl of salad you are about to eat.

Tips for substituting xanthan gum

9 tips

Xanthan gum does two unrelated jobs: thickening liquid without heat, and standing in for gluten's stretch in a gluten-free dough. Work out which one your recipe needs before you substitute anything.
The doses are small and worth memorising: ¼ tsp per cup of flour for gluten-free cakes and cookies, ½ tsp for muffins and quick breads, 1 tsp for bread and pizza dough, and ¼ tsp per cup of liquid for a sauce or dressing.
Never tip a gum in as a spoonful. Sprinkle it over the surface in a thin stream while whisking hard, add it through a running blender, or whisk it into the dry ingredients or the oil first — otherwise it forms jelly lumps that never disperse.
Wait a full minute before judging thickness. Gums keep hydrating after you stop whisking, and this is why people overshoot.
Xanthan holds its thickness through boiling, chilling, freezing and reheating, which is the one thing no starch does. That is why it is worth having for sauces you make ahead.
Guar gum is stronger than xanthan in cold liquid and weaker in a hot batter, which is why it is 1:1 in a dressing and 1 ½ to 1 in a cake.
For gluten-free bread, psyllium husk generally beats xanthan: 1 tbsp of whole husk per cup of flour with 3 tbsp extra water gives a dough you can knead and shape, and the loaf stays soft a day longer.
Too much gum is worse than too little. Over a teaspoon per cup of flour and the crumb goes gummy and stays wet in the middle no matter how long you bake it.
If a wheat-flour recipe calls for a quarter teaspoon of xanthan, you can simply leave it out. The gluten is already doing the binding.

Sources — National Center for Home Food Preservation (opens in a new tab), FDA Food Additive Status List (opens in a new tab)

Grains & starches drawer All ingredients