All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend

multi-purpose gluten free flour blend

Use this gluten free flour blend as a cup for cup replacement for regular all purpose flour. It works best with muffins, quick breads, pancakes and waffles. Most of my flours are Bob’s Red Mill which are widely available in natural foods stores or online. I prefer Authentic Foods superfine brown rice flour (available at Whole Foods) to reduce the grit factor.

Recipe card & instructions updated 3/15/22.

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A Gluten Free Flour Blend of my Own

After I was diagnosed with celiac disease I panicked. I was pretty sure that moist, tender and light baked goods were a thing of the past. I spent many a day (and night) glued to the computer screen doing research (which mainly consisted of reading lots and lots of blogs and the occasional message board). What I happily discovered is that in the few years since going gluten free has hit the near mainstream, many people have done much of the hard work of figuring out what ratios of grains to starches will best replicate regular all-purpose flour.

Though my early days of gluten free baking were equal parts failures and successes, I tinkered around with a flour blend and found one that best suited my tastes.  I based my recipe on the flour blend by Pete and Kelli Bronsky, authors of Artisanal Gluten Free Cooking. You should feel free to do the same, but remember to keep the ratios of whole-grain flours and starches to ensure the best results in your baked goods.

Pancakes, waffles, muffins, and quick breads are tender and moist with this flour. I like it because it makes use of whole-grain brown rice and sorghum flours for nutrition, though admittedly, gluten-free flour blends must contain a fair amount of starch to better mimic the texture of those glutenous treats we love so much.

gluten free flour blend

One thing that I’m slowly coming to understand is that my tastes are beginning to adapt to new textures and flavors. I know that my gluten-free baking will never be exactly the same as my baking before. And that’s okay, because it’s still pretty darn good anyway. And if I don’t tell, people have no idea that they are eating something that’s gluten free.

Happy experimenting! I can’t wait to hear this flour blend works in your recipes. We are learning together.

Looking for something to bake with your new flour blend? Here are some great choices:

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and star rating below (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) and post a picture and tag us on Instagram using the hashtags #agirldefloured #deflouredrecipes! Thank you!

All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend

All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend

Alison Needham
Use this flour blend as a cup for cup replacement for regular all purpose flour. It works best with muffins, quick breads, pancakes and waffles. Most of my flours are Bob’s Red Mill which are widely available in natural foods stores or online. I prefer Authentic Foods superfine brown rice flour (available at Whole Foods) to reduce the grit factor.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Calories 4484 kcal

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk well.
  • Transfer flour mixture to an airtight class container and store in a cool, dark place (like a pantry) if you bake often, or your refrigerator if you don’t.

Nutrition

Calories: 4484kcalCarbohydrates: 1006gProtein: 71gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 118mgPotassium: 3551mgFiber: 50gSugar: 13gVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 175mgIron: 23mg
Keyword flour blend
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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97 Comments

  1. Shelly Caris says:

    Alison,
    This is Brandy’s mom. I need some direction if you please. Josh has found himself to be gluten intolerant, and I am in need of a recipes for rolls etc. for Thanksgiving. I use a lot of ancient grains and sprouted, soaked grains, sour dough starter to help with digestion ease, but need to make somethings that will be gluten free. Is the flour blend you use able to be used in place of the flour I would Normally use, or do I have to just experiment with my recipies using that blend? If you have the time Thanks

    1. Hi Shelly,

      This flour blend honestly isn’t a great substitute in yeasted bread recipes…gluten free flours, by nature are quite dense. That said, I’m testing a quick dinner roll recipe TODAY and I’ll get back to you later this afternoon to let you know if it works. Fingers crossed….

  2. Hi, my name is Kim Givens, I work for WholeVine Products. I was reading your recipe for your all-purpose cup-for-cup GF flour. What I think you may find interesting is that by replacing just a small amount (5-25%) of those ingredients with one of our Grape seed or Grape skin flours, you can add nutrition as well as some amazing flavors and complexities to your recipe. WholeVine Products Grape Seed and Grape Skin flours are a delicious solution to the nutritional desert that plagues many gluten-free consumers as well as remarkable way to help the wine industry reduce its environmental footprint by generating new uses for vineyard byproducts. I thought your readers might be interested in a review if you had a chance

    I would be happy to send you a link to my WholeVine Press Room for more information.

    Let me know if I can give you any more information, photo assets for your blog, or help you out in any way.

    Cheers,
    Kim Givens

    P.S. I have tons of nutritional information and scientific data to share with you, just let me know!

    Kim

    1. Hi Kim,
      I would like more information on your grape flour. I visited your website, however, would still like more information on how to incorporate the grape flour into GF flours. Thanks for your help.
      Maria

    2. My liver doctor has told me to stay away from Grape Seed OIL, because “it’s a very dirty oil for livers”? Would the flour be the same (I assume he means the processing of seeds into oil).
      Thanks,
      Kate

    3. Kevin Callahan says:

      Hi i read your comment and would like any info you could send me. I am cooking gluten free dishes and need a variety of food choices. Thanks 🙂

    4. Where can you buy grape seed flour?

  3. What about a healthy gluten free flour blend? Has anyone come up with a blend that does not use tapioca or potato starch/flour?

    1. Hi Patty! There are definitely flour blends that use a higher percentage of whole grains and or nut/coconut flours. I have been experimenting myself. But in gluten-free baking, a certain percentage of starches are necessary to recreate the texture of glutenous baked goods. My friend Tammy Credicot has a cookbook called Paleo Indulgences that uses nut and coconut flours (with a portion of arrowroot starch) with low glycemic sweeteners in her baked goods. Check it out! 🙂

    2. It is my understanding that tapioca and otato satrch are not the best flours to use. Gluten free mixes doesn’t always mean healthy. I woudl recommend nut flours, coconut flour or chickpea flour. I would alos recommend buying the Wheat Belly cookbook(s). The following is their all-purpose baking mix:

      4 cups almond meal/flour
      1 cup ground golden flaxseeds
      1/4 cup coconut flour
      2 tsp. baking soda

      1. Is this recipe considered self rising because of the baking soda or do you still add more in a recipe?

      2. Mary hall says:

        Thank you. I am allergic to tapioca flower and I have been looking for a combination without it!! Thanks!!

        1. My recipe does include tapioca, however you can substitute arrowroot or cornstarch in equal amounts. 🙂

      3. For lots of us, the nut/almond flou, the flax seeds, etc. are too much on our guts and cause messed up bowel movements.

  4. I would love to try the all purpose flour you have on here but my son can’t have corn. What can be substituted? Thank you

  5. Hi
    I am trying to make this GF AP flour mix and I live in GA and cannot find Sweet Ricce Flour, is there a substitute?

    1. Hi Roxanne, I use the sweet rice flour by Bob’s red Mill and my whole foods carries it. But if you can’t find it, just swap out more brown rice flour for the same amount of sweet rice flour.

      1. Athena Mays says:

        Roxann, I find my sweet rice flour at the Asian markets. They call it Mochiko flour. I spend about $2 for a one pound box. Make sure you bring cash with you, the stores here don’t accept debit under $5. And it is HARD to read the labels in those stores!

  6. Angela Wright says:

    Hi – I was wondering if you have a good cornstarch alternative to the AP Flour recipe. Not only do Ihave to now be gluten free, I also have to be Oat and Corn free too (also only supposed to have Dairy no more than every 4 days). 🙁

    Also what about a good baking powder that doesnt have the cornstarch in it?

    Thank you
    Angela Wright

    1. Hi Angela,

      Hain makes a featherweight baking powder that uses potato starch instead of corn starch. And in the AP flour recipe, simply swap out the corn starch for additional tapioca in the same quantity. Those of us with multiple allergies have to be creative. 🙂

  7. HI

    I am looking for a flour replacement for the following recipe. It is a family favorite that has been around for generations. So would love to be able to make it.

    1 C butter
    3T sugar
    1T vanilla
    2C flour
    1/2t salt

    Thanks Lynnette

    1. Hi Lynnette, I’m guessing it’s a shortbread cookie recipe? It should work, although the texture might be slightly different. Alternatively you could use a flour blend that has a higher percentage of starch, such as Cup4Cup. That will most likely give you the best results.

      1. Hi

        Thanks. So, you are saying that your flour blend should work. Or, I can try a flour blend brand called Cup4Cup??

        1. I don’t know if my flour blend will work until I try it in a recipe, honestly. But part of the challenge (and the fun?) of being gluten-free is being willing to experiment. So give it a go, if you want. But I do know that Cup4Cup flour blend is starchier and lighter than mine and might work better in this particular case. Good luck! 🙂

          1. Thanks. You have been helpful. This is my first time making anything without wheat flour!

  8. Sora Deetza says:

    can you recommend a flour blend that has no potato starch or potato flour in it?
    i think that i have finally gotten somewhat comfortable with GF baking, but now i am off of potatoes as well.
    thanks!

    1. Hi Sora! Substitute additional tapioca or cornstarch for the potato starch using the weight measurement (rather than the cup measurement). When making substitutions, always sub a starch for a starch and a whole-grain flour for a whole grain flour. Good luck! 🙂

  9. can any of the other flours be used rather than the sorghum. I am not a fan.

  10. Anne Marie says:

    Hi! I’m wondering if you have a blend that doesn’t use rice flour. I’m allergic to rice (and gluten, and oats, and more.)
    I’ve tried baking with Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour, but don’t always care for the flavor, and would love to try something different.

    1. Hi Anne Marie! I haven’t tried to blend my own, but the general guidelines I like to go by are about 60% whole grain flours (try a blend of millet, sorghum, corn flour, buckwheat, teff, quinoa, coconut, almond etc.), with 40% starches (tapioca, corn, potato or arrowroot). Millet and sorghum might be a nice whole grain blend to start with…or millet, sorghum, almond if you’re not allergic to nuts. Then blend in your preferred starch. You’re going to have to experiment a little bit until you find a blend you like. Good luck and let me know how it goes! 🙂

      1. Thank you so much for that. I just found out that I cannot eat rice anymore, at all. So I am going to play with this. I have lots of gluten free recipes that I either have to convert to no-rice blends or toss. I have tried one blend that someone suggested but I didn’t really like what I baked with it. Threw out one quickbread. But I will keep on, lol!

  11. I am a recent gluten-free convert and baker – and I LOVE this flour mix. I have tried it in many things and the results are always delicious. Recently I decided to be daring and try it in my bread maker to make pizza dough. I was really hungry and exhausted and instead of searching for a gluten free pizza dough recipe I decided to just wing it and replace the flour in my usually dough recipe and through the whole thing in the bread maker to kneed and rise. And IT WORKED! When I took the dough out it was more sticky and less “dough-y” than it usually is… and it didn’t taste that successful… but I rolled it out on my pizza stone added toppings anyway (I was so hungry I would have eaten the results even if they were terrible). It based to a great, crisp texture and taste, MUCH better than other box mix gf pizza doughs I have tried! My fiance (who is not gluten-free) also loved it!!

    1. Hey Samantha! That’s awesome! And welcome to the wonderful world of gluten-free! 🙂

    2. Hello Samantha! I know this post is from over 6 months ago, but I’m hoping somehow you or Alison will be alerted to a new post.

      I’ve been looking for a good GF pizza dough recipe for a while. Will you please share the recipe you talk about in your post, the one that turned out so well using Alison’s MP/GF flour blend?

      Thanks!
      Brandy

  12. cathy cifelli says:

    Does anyone have any suggestions for substituting brown rice flour?? I’m so frustrated–so many GF recipes list brown rice flour, but both Almond flour (nuts) AND Brown Rice is a no-no for me. I’m new to GF cooking/baking so trying to find my way, so like everyone else, this is all definitely a huge learning curve! I’m excited to try this Zucchini Bread recipe because it sounds wonderful, but I would still like to try and make my old one which listed wheat germ and all purpose flour. It was famous among my circle of family and friends, so I would love to be able to make it again–in a GF way! Also, my recipe called for 4 C shredded Zucchini…So not sure if I can still make it with GF flours, but I’m willing to try! Any suggestions for substituting would be greatly appreciated–and I’d be glad to share my recipe if it comes out!! 😀

      1. Thank you so much for that. I just found out that I cannot eat rice anymore, at all. So I am going to play with this. I have lots of gluten free recipes that I either have to convert to no-rice blends or toss. I have tried one blend that someone suggested but I didn’t really like what I baked with it. Threw out one quickbread. But I will keep on, lol!

  13. Athena Mays says:

    Hi Alison! I have been using a rice flour blend since I started baking gf. I’ve experimented with lots of other flours but have stuck by my rice all purpose flour. Until now! I mixed up yours and made your zucchini bread and I don’t think I will mix another batch of my old flour blend. EVER! I am so impressed! I stumbled upon your blog last week. And for as much as I bake I can’t believe I have missed it all this time! Thank you for this blog!

  14. Hello,

    I was wondering if your flour blend recipe can be altered?
    I’m gluten free and I’m also allergic to corn. so i can’t use the corn starch.
    Also i have tapioca starch, potato starch, coconut flour, rice flour….
    any kind of gluten free flour you can think of except sorgum flour.
    so i was also wondering if there was a substitute for that as well?

  15. Hi
    I have problems with both wheat and corn. Any advice for a flour blend without corn starch?
    thanks
    Jan

    1. Hi Jan, when I make my blend corn-free, I simply swap out the cornstarch with additional tapioca. 🙂

  16. Thanks! I’ve been looking for a GF recipe for flat bread! I miss my pitas! What can you substitute for cornstarch? I’m allergic to corn! So I can’t have xantham gum either. I know I can substitute gar gum for that.

  17. Terri Anello says:

    hello!!
    I was wondering if I could use bob mills all purpose GF flour mix to make this bread???
    Thanks
    Terri

    1. You can try…but I don’t really like the bean flavor, personally, so I’d prefer something else. 🙂

  18. Once blended, how many grams should one cup of this blend weigh?

  19. I found this thread through Pinterest. I am not gluten free, however I am diabetic. I have to watch my carbs. I was diagnosed in October 2014 with Type 2 Diabetes. I am learning tips and tricks to be able to substitute things so I can mimic the high carb items I can no longer eat. Baked items I am still trying to work on. I can make pancakes by using 2 oz of cream cheese, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons ground flaxmeal, a few drops of liquid Stevia and a sprinkle of Apple pie spice… blend till smooth and cook over medium heat. Makes 4 pancakes and I can use low/no sugar syrup. Tastes good. Trying to find a flour sunstitute so I can try making baked items. Searching for a low carb flour blend that will taste decent and work. Any suggestions anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated. This is all new territory for me. Thanks in advance!

    1. Mary Euler says:

      Hi Julie,

      I am both a celiac AND a diabetic so many of the celiac recipes and flours do not work for me such as corn flour, potato flour, rice of any kind flour, xantham gum,. I have found a flour made from tapioca that I am going to use to replace these flours that I can’t use in this all purpose flour recipe but – there is a product called by it’s Brazilian name Chebe that is good but I have not been successful in making waffles with it but it makes some mean “Dutch Baby” pancakes. The Brazilians cook mainly with tapioca and have some to die for cheese buns made from it which is what they call Chebe. I don’t think we grow tapioca root here in the US or process it here. The carbs are very low but even more important for a diabetic as you know is the GI (Glycemic Index) which is also incredibly low.

  20. I’d love to try this flour mix, but tapioca is a cross-reactive to my Celiac’s disease. Do you have a substitute that will work for the tapioca starch?

    Thanks!

  21. Morning, Alison! I’ve wanted to thank you for posting this mix for months now, so thanks much!

    Recently I made up another batch of the mix and ran out of brown rice flour. So I subbed about 3/4 cup of millett flour . This batch was first used in apple crisp. I must say I am not that good a cook, still working on learning to adjust to altitude and propane versus gas. The topping did not burn, or even over-brown! Could NOT believe it! KILLER! To compare, made a cherry crisp with regular flour and it was just not the same. The wheat flour could not cook anywhere near as long before the topping went from golden to that dry darkish brown I dread in pie crusts, for example. Have used the mix in baking cookies this Xmas and in Zucchini bread on several occasions. Just love the taste of this mix!

    1. Hi Keith! I’ve made the same substitute and it turns out just fine. So glad you like my blend. 🙂

  22. Pingback: Zucchini Bread
  23. Hi there,
    I made oatmeal cookies with this… My first gluten-free baking attempt and they are AMAZING!
    So for that, thank you.
    My question is – in the zucchini bread recipe you have posted, it says to add xanthan gum if your blend doesn’t have it already. If I am using the posted GF AP flour blend, do I need to add xanthan?
    Thanks for your help.
    Daye

  24. I would definitely like to give this a shot once I find all the ingredients to do so. In the meantime, I’ve purchased a bag of Namaste All purpose flour blend at Costco. Would it be equal measure with this?
    Thank you!
    Jen

  25. I’m going to make this flour today, so excited about it! I linked over from the zucchini bread recipe:) Do you think it is wise to add xanthan gum to the mix? Or can there be times when having xanthan gum in an all-purpose mix wouldn’t be good?

  26. Hi Alison, I made the zucchini bread last night, after mixing
    Mixing up a batch of your all-purpose flour. The batter had a lovely taste, and I even added some zucchini to the top
    before baking. When they were done the centers sank. I only made one change, I didn’t have coconut milk, so I used buttermilk. Do you thinkI need to add flour?

  27. Hi! On Instagram, you told me I could substitute the rice flour with millet or sorghum. Just looking at the recipe, that’s a lot of flour to substitute, 3 c of one type of rice flour and 3/4 c. , I think, of another. I am confused. I have to remove both kinds of rice flour. Thank you very much.

  28. Hello,
    I am a big fan of Sorghum and the more “multigrain” types of flours so wish to try your recipe. My question is, with other 1:1 cup for cup flours, xanthan gum is included. Yours doesn’t have any indicated. Do you add per recipe? If so, how much do you add? Thanks!

    1. Hi Deb – it depends on the recipe. For muffins and cookies and the like I usually add about 1/2 teaspoon. For cakes maybe 1/2-1 teaspoon depending on the size. As an alternative you could also add flax meal. There are several online resources that explain how to do this. 🙂

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