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Home › Resources › Nutrition Guides

The Best Gluten-Free Flour for Baking

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by Lindsay Cotter Published: Oct 28, 2022

Gluten-Free
Almond flour, oat flour, and coconut flour in tall glass jars with wooden tops against a white tiled background.

Say goodbye to dense, dry gluten-free baked goods, and find the best gluten-free flour for baking! We’ll teach you the difference between gluten-free and regular flour, how to measure it, the best way to use different it, and more to make gluten-free, allergy friendly baking a breeze! 

three glass jars full of gluten free flours including oat flour, almond flour, and coconut flour
Table Of Contents
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  • Is Flour Gluten-Free? 
  • Types of Gluten-Free Flour
  • The Best Gluten-Free Flour For Baking (Our Favorites)
  • How to Measure – Grams to Cups Conversion
  • The Best Recipes to Use Gluten-Free Flour

Is Flour Gluten-Free? 

Flour is defined as being a fine soft powder. (Source) That means that any ingredient that has been ground down into a smooth texture can be considered a flour. However, whole wheat or wheat flour is the only type of flour that can be listed as such on nutrition labels. All other varieties must be specified. For instance, they may read as “coconut flour” or “almond flour” but will never be listed as plain flour. (Source)

bag of bob's redmill all purpose baking flour, gluten free. woman scooping a measuring cup of flour

That said, standard wheat flour including cake flour, all-purpose flour, and bread flour can have anywhere between 7-14% gluten. As a result, it is never gluten-free. However, there are many gluten-free flour alternatives suited for all diet types that yield the same fluffy, tender baked goods we all love! 

Types of Gluten-Free Flour

One peruse down the grocery store aisle and you’ll find endless items with the word flour on their label. It can be overwhelming! How is one supposed to know what is gluten-free and what isn’t? In many cases, the packaging will contain a gluten-free label. However, to make things easy, we’ve compiled a general list of the most common gluten-free flours below. They include: 

  • Almond Flour
  • Coconut Flour
  • Buckwheat Flour
  • Sorghum Flour
  • Amaranth Flour
  • Teff Flour
  • Arrowroot Flour
  • Brown Rice Flour
  • Oat Flour
  • Quinoa Flour
  • Chickpea Flour
  • Cassava Flour
  • Tigernut Flour

The Best Gluten-Free Flour For Baking (Our Favorites)

For simplicity’s sake, we are only discussing the best gluten-free flours for baking. The rest are great to have on hand but can prove tricky to use. For the best results, we reach for the following options. 

Almond Flour 

What It Is: A gluten-free flour made from whole blanched almonds that have been ground into a fine powder. 

three glass jars of gluten-free flour with almond flour in the center
overhead image of a jar of flour with a measuring cup over it scooping out a portion

Almond Flour vs Almond Meal: Both are made from whole almonds. However, almond flour is made from blanched almonds (without the skin) whereas almond meal is made from unpeeled almonds. As a result, almond flour has a softer, finer consistency, and almond meal is slightly more coarse. 

Health Benefits: A good source of fiber and monounsaturated fats, almond flour is also rich in nutrients like vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, copper, and phosphorous. (Source)

What It’s Best For: Gluten-free baked goods such as cookies, cakes, quick breads, and macarons. Our favorite being cinnamon almond flour bread, of course!

two hands stirring cinnamon almond flour bread batter in a bowl
overhead image of a sliced loaf of gluten-free cinnamon almond flour bread

Pro Tip

Note: Pair almond flour with coconut flour for the best quick breads, pancakes, and other baked goods that don’t require a lot of rise to create a moist but soft texture. For the best results, use a ratio of 3:1 for almond flour to coconut flour.

Oat Flour

What It Is: A gluten-free flour made from whole ground oats. 

For us, gluten-free oat flour is a staple in our kitchens. Plus, it’s super affordable to buy at the store or make on your own! See our tutorial on HOW TO MAKE OAT FLOUR.

three glass jars with the front jar labeled oat flour
overhead image of a glass jar of gluten-free oat flour with a measuring cup sticking out

Health Benefits: A good source of complex carbs and high in fiber, oat flour is also rich in vitamins and nutrients such as manganese, selenium, phosphorous, magnesium, and omega fatty acids. (Source) 

What It’s Best For: A versatile option, oat flour can be used in a wide variety of baked goods such as pancakes, waffles, muffins, crisps, crumbles, crepes, gluten-free graham crackers, and more! 

dry ingredients for oatmeal applesauce muffins in a clear bowl being mixed by two hands and a wooden spoon
three oatmeal applesauce muffins on a counter with a bite taken out of one

Pro Tip

Note: Pair oat flour and almond flour for fluffy soft baked goods such as cake, cupcakes, and muffins.

Coconut Flour

What It Is: A gluten-free flour made from dried, ground coconut meat. The coconut meat is dried at a low temperature before grinding, which gives the flour a soft powder like texture suitable for baking.

a glass jar of flour labeled coconut
overhead image of a glass jar of gluten free flour with a measuring cup sticking out

Health Benefits: High in fiber and plant-based protein, coconut flour is also a good source of iron and potassium. (Source) 

What It’s Best For: A bit finicky due to its tendency to absorb large amounts of liquid, coconut flour is great in cakes, muffins, and breads.

NOTE – If using coconut flour as a gluten-free flour alternative, replace every 1 cup of regular flour with ¼-⅓ cup of coconut flour, and add more eggs or liquid. Coconut flour is much more absorbent than regular flour, meaning you’ll have dry baked goods if you don’t add enough liquid! 

overhead image of a ⅓ cup being used to scoop up coconut flour pancake batter
a fork stabbing into a stack of three coconut flour pancakes
Pro Tip

Tips for Using Coconut Flour: We love to pair coconut flour with almond flour or oat flour to achieve sturdy baked goods that have a soft, fluffy texture like in these muffins. Coconut flour (when used by itself) requires a higher liquid or egg ratio, but when you get that right it creates a magical soft texture. Like in coconut flour pancakes! 

Honorable Mention – Tapioca Flour

What It Is: A baking essential, tapioca flour (also known as tapioca starch) is a sweet flour that is used as a thickening agent in gluten-free recipes. 

a glass jar labeled tapioca starch

What It’s Best For: Extremely versatile, tapioca flour is used in everything from soups and stews to sauces, cookies, cake, bread, and more. 

How to Measure – Grams to Cups Conversion

It is crucial to accurately measure your gluten-free flour for baking. Otherwise, your recipes are likely to be dense, hard, or simply fall apart! For the most accurate results, we always recommend using a food scale. However, for easy cooking, download the chart below to make grams to cups conversions a breeze! 

Prep

The Best Recipes to Use Gluten-Free Flour

Pretty much any recipe that uses wheat flour can be made gluten-free. If you’re looking for something specific, let us know in the comments below, and we’ll be happy to help! However, some of our all-time favorite recipes using gluten-free four include: 

  • Naked Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
  • Cinnamon Almond Flour Bread
  • Sugar & Spice Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
  • Coconut Flour Pancakes 
  • Coconut Flour Tortillas
  • Flourless Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins
  • Vegan Berry Rhubarb Crumble with Oats

Do you have questions, feedback, or tips? Leave a comment below with any questions or feedback you’d like to share!

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Categories: Blogging Resources, Gluten-Free, How-To, Nutrition Guides Tags: gluten free, gluten free baking, gluten free flour, gluten free flour for baking, grams to cups conversion, is flour gluten free

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Almond flour, oat flour, and coconut flour in tall glass jars with wooden tops against a white tiled background.
Lindsay Cotter of Cotter Crunch

About Lindsay

Hi, y’all, I’m Lindsay Cotter, a Nutrition Specialist with a focus on Gluten-Free eating. I love creating delicious nourishing food that anyone can enjoy.

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  1. Jo

    11/12/2022 at 6:32 AM

    Thanks for the info! Could you please go into how to measure each flour? I never know it I should pack it in or lightly drop into the measuring cup?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoLindsay Cotter

      11/13/2022 at 3:33 PM

      Sure thing! You don’t want to overly pack the flour in your measuring cups. Just scoop it up loosely, and, if you can, measure grams with a food scale to ensure proper amounts. A food scale comes in handy when baking with all types of flours! Hope that helps!

      Reply
  2. Pamela

    11/12/2022 at 5:28 AM

    Thanks for the info. Your article clears up a lot of mystery about various flours and how to use them. One question please, how long can I store the various flours in my refrigerator if they are in airtight bags?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoLindsay Cotter

      11/13/2022 at 3:30 PM

      Sure! I store homemade flours and gluten free flours in a glass jar or airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 months.
      For longer-lasting flour, store in a freezer friendly container/bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

      Reply
  3. ellyn dooley

    11/01/2022 at 3:46 PM

    Do you feel that quinoa flour works as well as other GF flours for baking muffins, cookies and bars? Is there any disadvantage to working with quinoa flour? I don’t tolerate oat, almond or coconut flours very well so looking for an alternative.
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoLindsay Cotter

      11/01/2022 at 6:01 PM

      Good question! So I’ve used quinoa interchangeably with oat flour, but quinoa flour has a much more distinctive taste. Kinda like buckwheat flour, more earthy. I usually toast my quinoa flour first so it has a less distinct smell. But it’s great in muffins and pancakes!

      Reply

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Almond flour, oat flour, and coconut flour in tall glass jars with wooden tops against a white tiled background.
Lindsay Cotter of Cotter Crunch

About Lindsay

Hi, y’all, I’m Lindsay Cotter, a Nutrition Specialist with a focus on Gluten-Free eating. I love creating delicious nourishing food that anyone can enjoy.

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