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Best Sweet Rice Flour Substitutes (Gluten Free)

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Sweet rice flour is an absolute bomb ingredient for baking and cooking. The main reason is it’s gluten-free and gives off an amazing texture.

But what if some recipe calls for this stellar ingredient and you run out of it?

So, if you want to know about the sweet rice flour substitute, keep scrolling until the end !

sweet rice flour

Best sweet rice flour substitute

Sweet rice flour can be easily substituted with tapioca starch, or regular potato starch.

By using any one of these ingredients, you will be able to achieve the sticky, chewy consistency given by the glutinous rice flour.

You may think using regular rice flour would be enough. Apparently, there is a big difference between the two and regular rice flour just can’t get you the texture you need.

Sweet rice flour is a kind of ingredient every cooking and baking enthusiast should know about. It is also known as “glutinous rice flour” because of the texture it gives dishes and baked goods, much like gluten.

It does not contain gluten though, so for a person with a gluten allergy or someone who’s on a gluten-free diet, sweet rice flour works as a charm.

Also, many people confuse the sweet rice flour with the “sweet” rice flour. They think that it is nothing but regular rice flour with added sugar.

It sounds a bit funny but let us clarify, it has nothing to do with the sugar content. The sweet rice flour is prepared by a different process and made gluten-free.

So, you can use as much sugar as you want but it is not your regular rice flour at all.

Read Also:Best Gram Flour Substitutes To Try Right Now

How much tapioca or potato starch for sweet rice flour ?

You can use the tapioca or potato starch in the same quality as a sweet flour replacement. Be it in for baking or cooking, you can use them in the same manner. Just don’t be extremely generous with the quantities.

To have a better sense, let’s discuss this wonderful ingredient in detail.

What Is Sticky Rice Flour?

As already mentioned above, sticky rice flour is also known as glutinous rice flour. When cooked, It gives a sticky and chewy consistency yet is completely gluten-free.

It is made by grinding the glutinous rice which is first soaked, drained and ground with water. The paste is then dehydrated and dried in the sun to get a fine gluten-free powder. This process is the sole reason behind the wonderful sticky texture the flour provides.

Sometimes it is also known as “sticky rice”, which is true to its quality.

Sweet rice flour VS white rice flour

Sweet rice flour and white rice flour are completely opposite of each other. The glutinous rice flour is mainly known for its sticky texture. It is commonly used in a number of delicious desserts and scrumptious dumplings.

What sets it apart from any other rice flour is the fact that it has the highest amount of starch.

Because of its thickening ability, it is often used in the same way as cornflour or cornstarch.

Sweet rice flour comes in a very fine powder similar to cornstarch or potato starch. You can easily find it on the shelves of gluten-free flours in the supermarket.

White rice flour on the other hand is not as fine as this powder. Apart from the physical difference, the two provide completely different results and hence can not be used interchangeably.

White rice flour is mainly used to get that crunch in a dish and hence it is popularly used in batters and fried goods.

On the other hand, sweet rice flour gives a more soft, chewy and sticky texture and hence used in ice-creams, puddings, dumplings and a number of other desserts.

It is a very popular ingredient in Asian kitchens. If you’ve ever tasted the delicious mochi ice-cream, this sticky rice flour is the main ingredient!

Why should I use sweet rice flour ?

The best reason to use sweet rice flour for cooking is its binding properties. It is an important ingredient in gluten free cooking and baking.

We are saying this because when you try to make the cakes gluten-free, you remove all the ingredients that bind the batter and everything that makes the cakes come together. So, in absence of gluten, the cakes become dry and crumbly which obviously you don’t want.

By simply replacing the cake flour with sweet rice flour, you will get a nice and glued cake batter that will result in a dense, moist and delicious cake.

This is because when the gluten swells up while baking, it forms a dense network of gluten threads that provides elasticity to the cakes. So, to give you cakes a bouncy and soft texture, use sweet rice flour as it will mimic that structure.

How Much Sweet Rice Flour Can We Use ?

Sweet rice flour is extremely sticky, so it is not advised to replace it in the same quantity as regular flour. To get all the goodness and advantages, you should blend it with gluten-free flours, especially in cakes.

You can keep it 40% as the main flour and then blend the other flours to get a nice and fluffy texture in your cakes. Moreover, if you use the sweet rice flour on its own, the resulting dishes will taste a lot of it, which you might not like.

So, use it in a little quantity as it is highly viscous.

Of course if you’re feeling very adventurous you can always try it in different proportions in a cake or bread batter, and see how you like it.

sweet rice flour (1)

Read Also:Quinoa Flour Substitutes

Using sweet rice flour in savory dishes

We have discussed a lot about using sweet rice flour in desserts but you can use it in your savory dishes also. It is used to thicken gravies and make delicious, smooth sauces.

The reason is, sweet rice flour has an ability to prevent the liquids from separating. You can take benefits from this quality by using it to thicken your sauces and gravies.

It can also be used to thicken home made peanut butter, if you’d like it to not separate as quickly as it usually does. Keep in mind it may change the overall flavor of any dish, so have a flavoring in mind if you use sweet rice flour.

There you have it! Sweet rice flour is a secret weapon to the gluten-free recipes. Use it in any way you like, you’ll never be disappointed.


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