How to Use Gluten-Free Flour in Place of Regular Flour, According to Experts

For many home bakers, making gluten-free substitutions for cookies, cakes, breads, muffins, and other treats can be intimidating, especially if you're working with unfamiliar ingredients and have never ventured down this path before. And no wonder. In many instances, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for swapping gluten-free choices for traditional flour. To better navigate the possible pitfalls of exchanging one ingredient for another, we reached out to experts with gluten-free prowess who shared their tips and insights for success with gluten-free baking.

Why Try Gluten-Free Baking?

There are several reasons to become better acquainted with gluten-free baking—even if you're an omnivore without food sensitivities. "It's important to have recipes on hand that everybody at your table can enjoy together," says Lindsay Grimes, creator of the gluten-free blog The Toasted Pinenut and author of Something Sweet: 100+ Gluten-Free Recipes for Delicious Desserts. "If you have a guest or family member with food allergies or certain dietary needs, it can be isolating to make them a 'special, just for them' dessert while everyone else shares an entirely different dessert."

Another worthy reason to try your hand at gluten-free baking? The sheer joy of experimenting with new ingredients, textures, and flavors, says Frank Tegethoff, research and development specialist at King Arthur Baking Company.

Getting Started

One of the first rules of gluten-free baking is managing your expectations; traditional baked goods lean on gluten for their texture and rise. Replicating this is challenging and the results might not be identical, but it can get pretty close with the right flours. "One of the biggest challenges is creating the same texture and achieving a certain fluff factor in desserts," says Grimes. Tegethoff suggests treading lightly instead of swapping everything at once  "I think the most important of the substitution rules is only replace one structural ingredient at a time: wheat flour, sugar, eggs, milk, etc.," he says.

Use an All-in-One Gluten-Free Flour

The easiest and best way to bake gluten-free is to adjust your favorite recipes by switching regular all-purpose flour for an all-in-one gluten-free flour blend. Think of these blends as formulas that combine the strengths of different gluten-free flours with stabilizers to mimic regular flour. They have been tested for versatility and produce optimal results.

Measurements: All-in-one gluten-free blends are usually a one-to-one swap with regular flour, allowing you to substitute one cup of all-purpose flour with one cup of gluten-free flour. "We try very hard to have a true one-to-one drop-in experience when using our products, but experimentation with a little more of this or a little less of that may be required to meet individual expectations—especially if working with a signature family recipe," says Tegethoff.

Our Top Picks

There are many all-in-one blends to choose from and no two blends are the same. we rate these favorites over the others:

• King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour: This blend features rice flour and whole-grain brown rice flour, which, Tegethoff explains, boosts structure, texture, and fiber. Whole sorghum flour lends wheat-like flavor and fiber; tapioca starch and potato starch contribute texture and moisture retention; Xantham gum acts as a thickening agent.
• Bob Red Mill's Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour: This blend mirrors King Arthur's, but, of course, every brand has its proprietary formula. 
• Cup4Cup Gluten-Free Flour: A blend of brown rice flour, white rice flour, ground golden flax seeds, rice bran, and Xanthan gum, this neutral-flavored blend was developed by the chefs of Thomas Keller's famous kitchens.

When to Swap All-in-One Gluten-Free Flours for Regular Flour

These gluten-free flour blends substitute well in batters that use baking powder and/or baking soda to leaven—such as cookies, muffins, and cakes—along with batters that are wetter in texture, like pancakes and quick breads.

In baked goods that rely more on other ingredients than on flour, like fudgy brownies and angel food cake, the swap is barely noticeable.

When Not to Use Them

While all-in-one baking blends can be used in yeasted baked goods, avoid substituting them into a recipe created with regular flour. Too many variables would need to be changed to get the same rise that gluten provides. Instead use a yeasted recipe written specifically for an all-in-one blend.

Using Nut, Rice, Oat, and Other Gluten-Free-Flours

Flours like quinoa, rice, almond, coconut, or sorghum can also be the base for delicious baked goods but generally cannot be substituted one-for-one in recipes written for all-purpose flour. Instead, look for recipes that have been tested and call for these or other gluten-free flours outright. Our favorites include a lemon cornmeal cake that substitutes cornmeal and almond for wheat flour, our gluten-free fudgy brownies, which swap flour for cornstarch, and our buckwheat and chocolate torte.

Grimes likes to experiment with swapping similar flours. "If I have almond flour in a recipe, I typically say you can sub it with another nutty flour like cashew or hazelnut flour," she says. "But, if I'm trying to sub a regular traditional flour, I tend to grab oat flour since that mimics wheat flour beautifully."

She also attains fluffiness by mixing blanched almond flour and oat flour, adjusting the amounts for each recipe. Almond flour, she explains, provides moisture and denseness, while oat flour gives baked goods some lift. Should you follow her lead, again, allow yourself room for trial and error.