Can I use tapioca starch instead of cornstarch?

1 tbsp cornstarch = 1 tbsp tapioca starch. Tapioca is another pure starch extracted from cassava root, and it gelatinises at a similar temperature, so it thickens at roughly the same rate with the same glossy clarity. Slightly stringier and glossier than cornstarch, with a faint sweetness. It is the best of the common starches for anything going into the freezer, since it neither weeps nor turns spongy on thawing.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cornstarch?

1 tbsp cornstarch = 2 tbsp all-purpose flour. Flour is only about half starch by thickening power — the rest is protein and fibre — so it takes twice as much to reach the same viscosity. Sets opaque and matte rather than glossy, and carries a faint cereal flavour. Not suitable for a clear glaze or a fruit pie you want to see through.

Can I use potato starch instead of cornstarch?

1 tbsp cornstarch = 1 tbsp potato starch. Potato starch has very large granules that swell fast and thicken at a lower temperature than cornstarch, giving a clear, glossy result almost immediately. It cannot be boiled hard. Those big swollen granules rupture under sustained heat and the sauce thins right back out, sometimes within a minute or two of over-boiling.

Ingredients · Thickeners

Substitutions

What can I use instead of cornstarch?

Q: Can I use arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch?

1 tbsp cornstarch = 1 tbsp arrowroot starch. Arrowroot gelatinises at a lower temperature and holds up against acid far better than cornstarch, so it is the right choice for a fruit sauce or anything with citrus or vinegar in it. Turns unpleasantly slimy if it is boiled hard or combined with dairy, so keep it out of cream sauces. It also freezes and thaws far better than cornstarch, which weeps when frozen.

Q: Can I use xanthan gum instead of cornstarch?

1 tbsp cornstarch = 1/4 to 1/2 tsp xanthan gum. Xanthan is a bacterial polysaccharide that thickens by tangling into long chains in water rather than by gelatinising, so it works cold, needs no cooking, and is effective at a tiny fraction of a starch's weight. Overdosing is the real danger and it happens easily. Even a little too much turns a sauce slimy, ropey and unpleasantly slippery, and there is no way to fix it once it is in — you can only dilute. Start at 1/4 tsp per tablespoon of cornstarch being replaced, wait a minute for it to hydrate fully, and only then decide whether it needs more.

Pure starch milled from the endosperm of corn, used as a fast, neutral thickener that sets to a glossy, translucent finish.

What it does in a recipe: Thickening power with no flavour of its own and no cooked-flour taste. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.

Also called: Corn flour (UK), Cornflour

5substitutes

2close matches

Thickenerscategory

Quick answer

Arrowroot starch

1 tbsp cornstarch = 1 tbsp arrowroot starch

All substitutes, best first

5 ways to replace cornstarch

Arrowroot starch

Closest match

1 tbsp cornstarch = 1 tbsp arrowroot starch

Arrowroot gelatinises at a lower temperature and holds up against acid far better than cornstarch, so it is the right choice for a fruit sauce or anything with citrus or vinegar in it.

MethodStir it into cold liquid to make a slurry, add it at the end of cooking, and take the pan off the heat as soon as it thickens.

Trade-offTurns unpleasantly slimy if it is boiled hard or combined with dairy, so keep it out of cream sauces. It also freezes and thaws far better than cornstarch, which weeps when frozen.

ThickeningSaucesVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

Tapioca starch

Closest match

1 tbsp cornstarch = 1 tbsp tapioca starch

Tapioca is another pure starch extracted from cassava root, and it gelatinises at a similar temperature, so it thickens at roughly the same rate with the same glossy clarity.

MethodMake a cold slurry, add it late, and stop cooking once it thickens — extended boiling breaks it down as it does cornstarch.

Trade-offSlightly stringier and glossier than cornstarch, with a faint sweetness. It is the best of the common starches for anything going into the freezer, since it neither weeps nor turns spongy on thawing.

ThickeningSaucesBakingVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

All-purpose flour

Reliable

1 tbsp cornstarch = 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Flour is only about half starch by thickening power — the rest is protein and fibre — so it takes twice as much to reach the same viscosity.

MethodCook the sauce a few minutes longer than you would with cornstarch to drive off the raw-flour taste.

Trade-offSets opaque and matte rather than glossy, and carries a faint cereal flavour. Not suitable for a clear glaze or a fruit pie you want to see through.

ThickeningSaucesCookingVeganVegetarianDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free

Allergen checkContains wheat, so this is not a swap for a coeliac or gluten-allergic cook. Where gluten is the reason for the substitution, use arrowroot or tapioca instead and check the packaging for shared-line warnings.

Potato starch

Reliable

1 tbsp cornstarch = 1 tbsp potato starch

Potato starch has very large granules that swell fast and thicken at a lower temperature than cornstarch, giving a clear, glossy result almost immediately.

MethodAdd the slurry at the very end and take the pan off the heat as soon as it thickens.

Trade-offIt cannot be boiled hard. Those big swollen granules rupture under sustained heat and the sauce thins right back out, sometimes within a minute or two of over-boiling.

ThickeningSaucesVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

Xanthan gum

In a pinch

1 tbsp cornstarch = 1/4 to 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Xanthan is a bacterial polysaccharide that thickens by tangling into long chains in water rather than by gelatinising, so it works cold, needs no cooking, and is effective at a tiny fraction of a starch's weight.

MethodSprinkle it in slowly while blending or whisking hard. Dumped in as a lump it hydrates on the outside and forms a gluey ball that will not disperse.

Trade-offOverdosing is the real danger and it happens easily. Even a little too much turns a sauce slimy, ropey and unpleasantly slippery, and there is no way to fix it once it is in — you can only dilute. Start at 1/4 tsp per tablespoon of cornstarch being replaced, wait a minute for it to hydrate fully, and only then decide whether it needs more.

ThickeningSaucesBakingVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free

Allergen checkXanthan gum is fermented on a sugar substrate that is usually corn but is occasionally derived from wheat, soy or dairy. Most is safely gluten-free but the source is not always declared, so look for an explicit gluten-free label if you are cooking for a coeliac.

Worth knowing

Cornstarch loses power if it is boiled hard or held at a simmer too long, and acidic fillings break it down further. Add it late, stop cooking once it thickens, and always slurry it into cold liquid first — dropped into hot liquid it seizes into lumps instantly. It is also the worst of the common starches for freezing, and will weep water when a sauce thaws.

At a glance

Cornstarch in summary

Category	Thickeners
Job in a recipe	Thickening power with no flavour of its own and no cooked-flour taste
Suits	Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free
Swaps available for	Dairy-free Egg-free Gluten-free Nut-free Soy-free Vegan Vegetarian
Number of substitutes	5

More thickeners

Agar-agar4 substitutes Arrowroot4 substitutes Breadcrumbs (as binder)4 substitutes Egg yolk (as thickener)4 substitutes Flour (as thickener)4 substitutes Gelatin sheets4 substitutes

Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.