Tapioca starch is a common pantry essential for people who are gluten-free or generally health-conscious who prefer to cook and bake using alternative ingredients. Tapioca starch, which is derived from the starch of the cassava root, is well-known for adding thickness and chewiness to gluten-free baked items and for thinning sauces, soups, and stews without the need for normal flour.
However, there are a number of substitutes that can be used in lieu of tapioca starch if your supply runs out at home or if you’re working on a recipe that calls for it and can’t find it at your neighborhood grocery store. This won’t significantly affect the finished result.
It’s easy to replace tapioca starch at home with common kitchen basics like cornstarch, potato starch, and all-purpose flour (only if you’re not making your product gluten-free) as well as more specialized products like cassava flour and arrowroot. For more information on the best ways to replace this unique ingredient, see our guide on the top 6 tapioca starch substitutes.
1. Cornstarch
Cornstarch is an easy and great substitute for tapioca starch because it is inherently gluten-free and a common ingredient in baked goods that are free of gluten. Since cornstarch has a higher thickening power than tapioca starch, it is important to reduce its quantity in recipes by half to avoid destroying the finished product.
2. Cassava Flour
Similar to tapioca flour, cassava flour is also a well-liked gluten-free substitute for tapioca starch. It is derived from the cassava root. Although you may substitute tapioca starch for cassava flour in your recipe and still obtain the same results, cassava flour has a higher fiber content than tapioca starch, making it more nutrient dense and having a little stronger thickening capacity.
3. Arrowroot
Flavorless and gluten-free, arrowroot flour works well as a thickening agent or substitute for tapioca starch in baked goods that call for other flours and starches. If your recipe calls for additional flours and starches, then arrowroot can be substituted for tapioca starch 1:1. However, it won’t produce the same chewy texture as tapioca on its own.
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4. All-Purpose Flour
If you don’t really care about the gluten content of your recipe, you can substitute tapioca starch 1:1 with all-purpose flour and still get a good outcome, though the texture and look could be a little different.
When added to soups and sauces, tapioca starch produces a glossy, brilliant finish; however, when all-purpose flour is used as a thickener, the result may be a little less glossy. To remove the powdered texture from all-purpose flour, boil it for a little while longer.
5. Potato Starch
Another good gluten-free substitute for tapioca starch is potato starch, though the ratio may need to be changed based on the kind of recipe you’re working on. A 1:1 ratio works well when using potato starch in little amounts to thicken sauces or gravies; but, as it produces a denser product due to its heavier consistency, using it in greater quantities, such as cake batter, may require more consideration.
In this instance, use another flour or starch substitute to make up for the volume difference and reduce the amount of potato starch by approximately ¼.
6. Rice Flour
Because of its mild flavor, rice flour, which is made from finely ground rice, is a naturally gluten-free substitute for tapioca starch without affecting the final product’s taste or texture. To obtain the desired outcomes, you will need to make a small tweak, though. Use half the amount of rice flour as you would tapioca because it is a stronger thickening and stickier.
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