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THE GLUTEN-FREE CUPBOARD

Flours & grains

Know the grain.
Then follow it into the food.

Compare familiar flours, discover alternatives and recognise the names that deserve a closer look.

Explore the directory
Wheat flour — illustrative food image
Wheat flour pictured. Colour alone cannot identify gluten.

A LITTLE INGREDIENT KNOWLEDGE

What’s in the flour?

Whole grain, flour or starch.
Start with the ingredient underneath.

“Naturally gluten-free” describes the plain ingredient. For flour, check a gluten-free label and how it was milled, packed and prepared. These entries do not approve a particular product.

3 of 18 entries · Thickening

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Flours and grains, gluten relationship, common uses and ingredient links
Flour or grainGluten relationshipCommon usesWorth knowing
Corn starch Often called cornflourNaturally gluten-freeThickening · Baking · CoatingsNames vary: check which plant the starch comes from.
Potato starch Starch extracted from potatoNaturally gluten-freeThickening · Baking · CoatingsDifferent from whole-potato flour in a recipe.
Tapioca Tapioca starch · tapioca flourNaturally gluten-freeThickening · BakingA cassava-derived starch, often used in flour blends.

START WITH WHAT YOU’RE MAKING

An alternative for the job.

A flour that works in a sauce may behave differently in bread. Use a recipe designed for the ingredient or follow the flour blend’s instructions; substitutions are not automatically one-for-one.

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Noodles & pasta

Explore rice and buckwheat. Check the entire noodle recipe: a buckwheat name does not rule out added wheat.

Explore noodle ingredients →
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Sauces & thickening

Corn starch, potato starch and tapioca are options to investigate. Match the starch to the recipe and check the packet.

Compare starches →
04

Batters & coatings

Rice flour, maize and chickpea flour offer starting points. A different coating still needs a check of the frying oil.

Explore coating ingredients →
Looking for whole grains? Explore rice, quinoa, millet and more

THE NAME IS A CLUE

Not every packet says “wheat”.

Names connected to wheat

Durum, semolina, spelt, bulgur and conventional couscous belong on your wheat checklist. An “ancient grain” description does not mean gluten-free.

See gluten-containing entries →

Names that can mislead

Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free, but buckwheat noodles may be a mixture. Cornflour is a name to verify on the ingredient list, rather than relying on the front of the pack.

Find country-specific label guidance →

FROM THE MILL TO THE KITCHEN

Three useful checks.

01 / The packet

Look for the gluten-free claim and read the full blend. Check your other allergies too: gluten-free does not mean free from every allergen.

02 / Milling & storage

Shared mills, scoops and open flour containers can introduce other grains. A naturally gluten-free plant does not settle the product question.

03 / Preparation

Ask about flour on worktops, shared pasta water, utensils and frying oil. Check the sauce and seasoning as well as the flour.

FOLLOW IT TO THE PLATE

Examples to investigate,
not gluten-free recommendations.

Keep following the ingredient.

Back to the gluten ingredient directory →