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Flour Substitutions

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Raw, gluten-free flours are all the rage. With so many dietary restrictions these days, wheat flour alternatives are at their all-time high. You can walk into just about any grocery store and find a wide variety of nut, seed, and grain-based flours. They won’t be raw, but they can still be a healthier choice. Below I will be sharing flour options (raw and processed) that you might commonly see being used in my recipes. Most forms of flour can be substituted for another, but there are a few exceptions. Below, I will go over the top choices that you will see used throughout my site.

Almond Flour

Almond flour comes in many forms and has several names. In the raw world, you will often see recipe writers refer to it as almond flour, almond meal, and ground almond flour. The main thing they all have in common is almonds; the texture is what separates them into different types of almond flour. It is important to understand what kind of flour the recipe creator used because they all have different properties.

Characteristics

Fine Almond Flour

Almond Meal & Ground Almond Flour

How to Use Almond Flour

Almond Flour Substitutions

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Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat flour is a great alternative for those who are sensitive to nuts. They sell commercially made buckwheat flour in the stores but the kind that I am referring to here and within my recipes is a flour made from soaked, sprouted, dehydrated, and ground buckwheat. This process will assure you receive the most flavor and nutrition.

Characteristics

How to Use Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat Flour Substitutions

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Cashew Flour

Cashew flour can be found in stores, or you can make it from ground cashews. Store-bought options have a very fine texture whereas the kind made from ground cashews has small grainy bits in it. Just like almond flour (mentioned above), chefs may refer to it as cashew flour or cashew meal. In my recipes, I mainly use flour made from ground cashews and refer to it as cashew flour. If I use the finer, store-bought version, I will indicate it within the ingredient list.

Characteristics

Fine Cashew Flour

Ground Cashew Flour

How to Use Cashew Flour

Cashew Flour Substitutions

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Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is a great alternative for those who have nut allergies, but there is a slight learning curve when it comes to using it. Store-bought coconut flour has a very fine texture which makes it a good option when you don’t want a grainy texture to your recipe. Coconut flour that is commercially-made LOVES to suck up moisture which can lead to a dry result. In my recipes, I typically use coconut flour that is made from unsweetened, dried coconut flakes. If I use the store-bought version, it will be indicated within the ingredient list in my recipes.

Characteristics

Fine Coconut Flour

Ground Dried Coconut Flour

How to Use Coconut Nut Flour

Coconut Nut Flour Substitutions


Macadamia Nut Flour

You can purchase commercially-made macadamia nut flour, but I don’t use it in my recipes. If my recipes call for macadamia nut flour, it will be made from ground macadamia nuts. I don’t use them too often since they are super expensive, but good golly they are delicious!

Characteristics

How to Use Macadamia Nut Flour

Macadamia Nut Flour Substitutions

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Oat Flour

In my recipes, I make my oat flour from gluten-free rolled oats. I soak, dehydrate, and grind it to a fine flour texture. A person can also make it from oat groats or from the pulp that is left over when making oat milk.  You can purchase non-raw oat flour from the store. I find that it makes recipes more dense and heavier.

Characteristics

How to Use Oat Flour

Oat Flour Substitutions


Sunflower Seed Flour (Aka Sunflour)

When I refer to sunflower seed flour in my recipes, I grind sunflower seeds to as much of a flour texture as possible. I haven’t seen a commercially-made one yet, but I am sure the day will come. It is best to make it from raw, soaked, and dehydrated seeds for optimal digestion and absorption of nutrients. I find sunflower seed flour to be strong in taste, so I don’t use it a lot in recipes, but it’s an option if you have nut allergies or a tight budget.

Characteristics

How to Use Sunflower Seed Flour

Sunflower Seed Flour Substitutions

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Tigernut Flour

Tigernut flour is a great choice if you need to avoid nut, grain, and seed-based flours. On top of being nutrient-dense, it is also known for being one of the best dietary sources of resistant starch. Tigernut flour contains prebiotic fiber that behaves similarly to soluble fiber and helps regulate blood sugar levels. I don’t make my own; I purchase raw organic tigernut flour online. Since it is a very high resistant starch, it can cause digestive upset when introduced into the diet in large amounts. Therefore, I recommend cutting it with another flour until your body has adjusted to it.

Characteristics

How to Use Tigernut Flour

Tigernut Flour Substitutions

3 thoughts on “Flour Substitutions

  1. Esther says:

    Hi, Amie Sue. Have you ever used teff flour as a substitute? It is gluten free and comes in light and dark from Ethiopia. I was wondering if I should try to use it in some of the bread recipes instead of sorghum flour.

    • amie-sue says:

      Good day Esther,

      I have used teff flour in injera bread/wraps… but not in my bread loaf recipes. Teff a very fine flour with an earthy, slightly nutty, and sweet taste. Sorghum has a light color and texture, as well as a mild, sweet flavor… therefore, I feel that it would work in my bread recipe. If you want, I would be willing to test it out for you, so I can make sure. Or you can test it, letting me know. Either way, let me know what works best for you. :)

      blessings, amie use

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