Alternative Flours

Alternative flours for those avoiding gluten, grains, nuts, or just want to eat healthier!

Making baked goods becomes SO much harder when you can’t eat plain flour. Finding a new flour that tastes good AND has decent consistency can be a real struggle. The first step is identifying the ingredients you can, and cannot, eat. For example, a lot of gluten free products contain psyllium husk which destroys my stomach so I always have to steer clear of those brands.

Your preferences will most likely differ from mine, so I tried to be as inclusive as possible. If none of these brands work for you, just let me know and we can chat about some other alternative flours! I also try to add to this list as I try more options.

Want other alternative recommendations like milk, butter, and more? Check out my Guide to Cooking Gluten and Dairy Free.

Gluten Free Flours

My personal favorite gluten free flour alternative is gfJules. The consistency is amazing, and the ingredients are all Non-GMO. The flour is a 1:1 substitute for regular all purpose flour. It is a little pricier and you have to buy online, so I have included other options below.

Bob’s Red Mill also offers a 1:1 gluten free flour substitute. Their flour can be found at many stores and is fairly affordable for a gluten free option.

Metta Gluten Free Atta is an amazing option, especially for savory recipes. Atta is traditionally a wheat-based flour used for Indian recipes like roti and naan. This blend was created to be wheat and gluten free, but still work for these traditional recipes AND more!

Grain Free Flours

There are SO many grain free options, this one is truly a personal preference. There is almond flour, coconut flour, cassava flour, tapioca four & more! Most of these rely on a combination of flours to maintain the right consistency.

The easiest option would be to use Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Flour which is a 1:1 substitute for all purpose flour. Using this, you shouldn’t have to combine multiple flours. Ingredients are minimal and no nasty fillers here!

Cassava flour is another fantastic grain free option! I prefer Otto’s Naturals and they have a great breakdown on how to substitute for all purpose flour on their site.

A fantastic grain and nut free option is Think.Eat.Live. sunflower flour. It is a 1:1 substitute for almond, coconut and other nut flours. They have more details on how to swap their flour into recipes on their site. If you want to save some money, use my code “livwelleatwell” at checkout.

When I’m not using the paleo flour mix I mentioned earlier, I usually use almond and/or coconut flour. It really differs per recipe for this combo. Some are fine with just one flour, but others need both. With almond flour, make sure you choose super fine almond flour over almond meal (unless the recipe specifically calls for it). If you are looking for a perfect substitute for a recipe with regular flour, your best choice are any of the ones listed above. If you choose one of my recipes, most are already built to include almond flour so no calculations needed on your part.

The cheapest option for my fellow Midwesterners is to buy Aldi’s almond or coconut flour. They are affordable and work very well. However, they do not always have them in stock which can be annoying if you really need it.

If you do not have an Aldi’s nearby or they are out of their flour, then I recommend Bob’s Red Mill almond flour / coconut flour.

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I’m thinking of launching a series on more swaps, if you have other suggestions let me know in the comments!

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