Is Arrowroot (Starch, Flour, Powder) Gluten Free?

Is arrowroot gluten free? The short answer: Yes, it is a naturally gluten free food. However, I know, there’s always a catch, if you can’t tolerate trace amounts of gluten or shared equipment, not all arrowroot will be safe for you. That’s because a lot of gluten free foods, even certified gluten free foods, are made on shared equipment with wheat. In your case, you’ll need to source your arrowroot from a dedicated gluten/wheat free facility to ensure it really is gluten free.

Now, we get to talk about all things arrowroot! You may not know this about me, but I’m an avid baker. In fact, I operated a gluten free + top 9 allergy free bakery for many years. Arrowroot was a staple in my gluten-free baking. It’s a magical starch that can help make your gluten free flour blend perform better.

What is Arrowroot?

Arrowroot is a starch. It’s usually obtained from tropical plants. Arrowroot is NOT the same as tapioca. It comes from the Maranta Arundinacea plant where tapioca comes from the cassava plant.

Once extracted, arrowroot is sold as a white powder. It’s important to make sure you’re getting pure arrowroot, and not something mixed with other starches. Arrowroot has a distinct smell in my opinion, but it’s mild.

Whilst arrowroot is a great options for those with Celiac Disease and food allergies, it’s important to know that you can’t swap it 1:1 for other starches (more on that later). In fact, a little bit of arrowroot tends to go a long way both as a thickening agent and in baking.

Arrowroot Flour, Arrowroot Powder, Arrowroot Starch: Is it the Same Thing?

In short, yes, these are all the same thing. You’ll normally see arrowroot sold under four names:

• Arrowroot
• Arrowroot Flour
• Arrowroot Powder
• Arrowroot Starch

Those four terms are interchangeable and you’ll see different brands using them differently. Personally, I just say arrowroot. Those outside of the free-from community usually think they’re each different products. Some brands opt to saw arrowroot starch/flour as the product name to help alleviate some of the confusion. Just know that no matter how you see it written, it’s all the same thing.

What you need to consider if you plan on baking in a professional capacity is the quality of each brand and their milling process.

Who Should Use Arrowroot

Those with potato or corn allergies will find that arrowroot is an amazing ingredient to keep in the kitchen, as it can be used as a substitute for potato starch and corn starch in *some* situations. I use it a lot in both gluten-free cooking and gluten-free baking. If you’re wheat free, gluten free, or corn free, you should absolutely be using arrowroot.

If you’re a fan of Brazilian bread, you’ll want to get acquainted with arrowroot as well. It’s a common staple ingredient in South American recipes and there are some brands that only sell arrowroot focused foods. My kids aren’t fans, as they find it to be more gummy than bread like, but to each his own.

If you have Celiac Disease or follow a gluten free diet for any other reason, you should be using arrowroot in your gluten free goods. Arrowroot is a great pantry staple to have on hand, especially if you’re like me and you make your own custom flour blends at home.

Anyone that will embark on gluten free baking at home should have arrowroot as part of their collection of gluten free flours (assuming you don’t use a cup-for-cup style option).

Outside of those four groups, I don’t know that anyone else *needs* arrowroot hanging around in their pantry, but I’m also not going to turn you away from the idea either. You may find that it’s a great ingredient to use in special baking and frying projects.

Arrowroot Starch: An Awesome Thickening Agent

Arrowroot. Is. Magic. I honestly don’t know how else to describe to you how awesome this gluten free ingredient is. Sure, there are a lot of different flours to choose from, but arrowroot can improve your baked goods, thicken soups and sauces (without leaving a weird aftertaste) and it’s corn free which means I can work with it. OK, maybe I’m the only one that will think it’s magic.

To use arrowroot as a thickener, you add it to a cooking liquid/sauce/mass (sweet or savory). Now, you can tap in your arrowroot and whisk, but you know what you’ll get? Clumps. And they’re awful.

If you want arrowroot to shine like rainbows and unicorns, you make a slurry first. A slurry is a fancy way of saying starch + liquid mixed together. You’ll combine your arrowroot with a small amount of cold liquid (or room temperature) and mix well to dissolve the arrowroot. That’s your slurry and it’s ready to be used. What you really need to know is that arrowroot starch as a thickening agent shines when you add it to a hot liquid.

To use your slurry, you cook the food, and at the end of cooking, pour it all in and mix like MAD. You don’t stop whisking until your recipe has thickened properly. The use of high heat isn’t necessary with an arrowroot slurry, but the food/liquid/mass does need to be hot (think cooking on medium heat). In fact, I often add my arrowroot slurry at the end of cooking a recipe, let everything continue to heat for a minute or two, then turn the heat off. Since arrowroot does have that mild smell/taste I mentioned, it works well in savory recipes. The flavour isn’t so pronounced that you’ll notice it, thus making it a great thickener that I can’t say enough good things about.

Warning: Arrowroot Has Limits

You know they say too much of a good thing can be a bad thing? It’s like that with arrowroot. I just told you in the above section that arrowroot is unicorns and rainbows, but that’s only true if you use the right amount in your recipe.

If you use too little, you won’t notice any change. Use too much…. you’ll wish you had never met arrowroot. In large amounts, and by large I mean too much for your recipe because the number is a bit of a moving target, arrowroot will create an awful, gummy, texturally disgusting hot piping mess.

I sure hope those words are harsh enough to describe why you need to use arrowroot in the right proportions to the rest of the recipe. If you’ve never cooked or baked with arrowroot before, check out the recipes on RAISE. They’re all gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and more. You’ll find loads of savory recipes but also amazing gluten free cookie, cake, and muffin recipes as well (we all know how hard good free-from recipes are to come by). I use arrowroot pretty regularly, and everyone raves about the results, and the bakery I operated was award winning, so you’re in good hands.

Refrigerating and Reheating Savory Dishes Thickened with Arrowroot

If you’re new to the arrowroot life, I thought it would be good to give you a heads up. Once you fridge something that has arrowroot as the thickening agent, it will get thicker overnight. As it cools, it continues to thicken (even on the weaker side). Don’t panic!

When you take the item out of the fridge, it will be a weird thick blob. Portion out how much you want to eat and put it in a pot. Reheat the portion, stirring as needed. As the food heats, it will return to the original consistency.

If for some reason your meal is still too thick for your liking, add a little milk of choice and mix it in until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

Here’s a before and after photo. In the before, the consistency is where I wanted it. In the after, I added this DF GF cream of mushroom soup recipe to a casserole dish. See the white blob on top of the photo? That’s the soup from the fridge, before being reheated.

Related: Arrowroot Ingredient Profile

Answering Your Arrowroot Questions

Does arrowroot have the same thickening power of wheat flour?

Fun fact: I’ve never cooked with wheat flour. One kid is allergic, as am I, so I can’t give you a direct comparison. What I can tell you is that I use arrowroot as a thickener in savory recipes all the time and people who can eat wheat love the recipes.

They’ve never complained about the taste, texture, or the consistency of the dish. By looks alone, I can say that yes, arrowroot has the same thickening power as wheat flour. What I can’t tell you is how to convert a recipe without seeing it first (I’m going to take a leap and assume that’s why you’re asking). If you’re reading this because a recipe has called for a wheat flour thickening agent, you can use arrowroot, but it has to be in the right amount. Also remember, arrowroot slurries work the best.

Is arrowroot flour the same thing as tapioca flour?

No, arrowroot flour is not the same thing as tapioca flour. They come from different plants and have different properties in cooking and baking. Now, if you’re looking to substitute arrowroot flour in a recipe for the tapioca flour, it will work in small amounts. I generally try to keep arrowroot at or below 40g in a recipe to prevent it from going gummy (unless I’m making a double or triple batch, then it’s fine to use more because of the ratios at play).

If a cooking recipe has called for tapioca flour, arrowroot flour might work, but it depends on the recipe. In some cases, cassava flour might be a better choice since it’s from the same plant as tapioca. What also might be your best bet is to combine arrowroot and cassava flour for a more suitable substitute.

Will arrowroot starch perform the same as potato starch?

In some instances, yes. In others, no, arrowroot won’t perform the same as potato starch. If you’re using the old potato starch + milk egg substitution, no, arrowroot won’t work. If you’re substituting arrowroot for potato starch in a baking recipe, no, it also won’t work there. Now, there’s more to that though.

In amounts under 40g, you can substitute the arrowroot for potato starch in a baking recipe (assuming it hasn’t already called for arrowroot in the recipe). Over 40g, and you may end up with a disaster. Additionally, potato starch creates delicate textures where gluten free baking is concerned. It can improve the overall quality of the crumb in cakes and cookies. Arrowroot won’t do that. It s a light fluffy starch, and it can improve baked goods, but it won’t lend itself to a delicate crumb.

If you’re making savory dishes that call for potato starch, as long as it’s under 40, arrowroot will usually be a great substitute, but again, every recipe is different so you’ll need to use your best judgement. Honestly, in some cases, assuming you’re not allergic to potatoes, I’d tell you to order more potato starch and wait for it to arrive.

Can I use arrowroot flour in place of coconut flour?

No, in fact, I may need to yell no because these two gluten free flours are so far from each other on the spectrum of gluten free flours it would be like saying, can I substitute bananas for tomatoes in my BBQ sauce. See what I mean?

In all seriousness, coconut flour absorbs liquids at a much different rate than arrowroot. I actually call it a special gluten free flour because of this behaviour. Due to the allergies of the taste testers, I’m not able to work with coconut products, so I can’t tell you which flour really would work, but I can tell you it’s not arrowroot.

Additionally, coconut can be used as a standalone flour in gluten free baking (in the right ratios to other ingredients) whereas arrowroot needs to be part of a gluten-free flour blend for best results. If you’re on the newer side of gluten free baking, check out all of the baked goods on RAISE. You can follow tried and true recipes that everyone raves about and really start to understand how gluten free flours work together.

Will arrowroot starch work as a corn starch substitute?

Yes, arrowroot starch is an excellent substitute for cornstarch, especially in small amounts. If your recipe calls for velveting, a slurry, or a light dusting of corn starch, arrowroot will absolutely work. Should your recipe call for more than 30 – 40g of arrowroot, I’d consider mixing arrowroot starch and potato starch together as the substitute.

If you’re deep frying, arrowroot will work in place of cornstarch. I’ve done this with a few recipes and the results are generally positive.

Would arrowroot help the texture of my homemade ice cream that’s dairy free?

Nooooooooo! I’m so glad you asked. Save yourself the wasted ingredients. Whilst it seems like a great idea (I was once there), it doesn’t work out. I even took the time to cook my ice cream base and add an arrowroot slurry like you would with hot sauces. I let the mix cool, then put it through the ice cream machine (with a compressor so you know the results are usually on point).

It. Was. So. Nasty. I have no words for how disgusting it was. Was the texture better? Who knows. I was so focused on how awful the taste was, texture wasn’t even on my mind. So, don’t do it.

Now, if you really want to make your dairy free ice cream better, the secret weapon is fat, more specifically oil. I’ve used tiger nut oil (tuber, not a tree nut) in dairy free ice cream recipes because it has a more neutral taste. The results are out of this world amazing. The ice cream has a luscious mouthfeel and you don’t even realize it’s dairy free. However, like arrowroot, this method also comes with a warning. Too much oil and you’re basically churning weird butter that’s so gross you’ll think you’re eating shortening and you’ll have to toss the batch.

If tor some reason you’re reading this and you’re corn free, Authentic Foods sells a corn free xanthan gum that can use in your ice cream recipe. It will be closer to a traditional thickener that’s used commercially, and a little goes a long way. I’ll also mention, cashews and frozen bananas are also great for dairy free ice cream, but it will depend on what you’re aiming for.

Is arrowroot starch the same thing as tapioca starch?

No, arrowroot starch and tapioca starch aren’t the same thing. They come from different plants, and have different cooking and baking properties. I’ll also add, in most situations, arrowroot is not a 1:1 direct substitute for tapioca. Many gluten-free recipes that call for tapioca call for quite a bit, and that would be too much arrowroot (and it will absolutely ruin your recipe).

Can I use arrowroot to thicken pie fillings?

Yes, but remember, a little bit goes a long way. The way you’d do this is to use an arrowroot slurry. First, cook the pie filling (add the spices, let it simmer, etc.). At the end of cooking, add an arrowroot slurry. Always start on the modest side (something like 1.5 T arrowroot + 3 ounces milk of choice). Stir the slurry to dissolve the arrowroot, then pour it into your pie filling (that’s still cooking).

Stir. Like. Mad. Seriously. You need to stir, and keep stirring, and then, like magic, the clouds will part, angels will sing, and your pie filling will thicken. You should be able to physically feel the resistance as it happens. Now, if you don’t reach your desired consistency, you can make another slurry and add it, but you’ll have to think about percentages.

Are you half way there? Almost there? If you add too much the second time around, you’ll ruin your pie filling. If you’ve never worked with an arrowroot slurry before, I’d suggest following a recipe like this one, so you get a feel for how it works. Then, run wild and make all sorts of delicious gluten-free recipes with the technique.

Will I be able to find arrowroot in most grocery stores?

The good news is that a lot of stores here in the United States have gotten pretty good about having a gluten free section of the store. Most grocery stores will stock a range of Bob’s Red Mill products, one of which is arrowroot.

If your local shop doesn’t have a gluten free section, look for a natural/organic/co-op style grocery store. Those are almost guaranteed to have a robust gluten free section and you’ll be able to find arrowroot. If all else fails, you can order it online. The two brands I like to order from are Authentic Foods and Namaste.

Would arrowroot work as an egg replacer?

Not really. It’s certainly not something I’d recommend. In some situations, potato starch + milk of choice can be part of an egg substitution solution, but arrowroot on its own is not a suitable egg substitute.

Without knowing what you’re trying to make, it would be hard to make a good suggestion, but I will point you towards this article which is about baking and egg substitutes.

Can I use arrowroot to thicken puddings?

Yes, arrowroot is awesome for thickening puddings. I’d strongly suggest starting with a recipe that uses arrowroot, rather than subbing it for a recipe that calls for cornstarch. If you’re gluten and dairy free, the best scenario is to always start with a recipe that’s made for your needs specifically. There’s a good chance the recipe developer has tested everything out and you’ll get great results.

Is arrowroot considered Paleo?

I’ve got great news! Arrowroot is indeed a Paleo compliant flour. In fact, my favourite grain free flour blend is cassava flour, arrowroot, and tiger nut flour (tuber, not a tree nut). I find that these three work so well together. RAISE has a lot of Paleo dessert recipes that feature this flour blend. Use the Advanced Recipe Search to filter for them specifically (use the Paleo and dessert filters, along with any of the others you’ll need).