Overwhelmed by all the gluten free flour options? Find out which ones are best and get proven recipes that work well with each of them so you can get back into the kitchen and enjoy fresh baked goods!
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Post updated 10.27.2022
If you're overwhelmed by all the gluten free flour options on the market and wondering which is the BEST gluten free flour, this post is for you.
Gluten free products have come a LONG way in the past few years, and there are a lot of options to help you achieve the results you want when you're baking your favorite goodies.
We make an effort to try every gluten free flour we can, and here you will find our favorites and what recipes they work best in.
A few notes about gluten free flour:
A lot of people I talk to are looking for one flour that does it all. While there are many great flour mixes (listed below!) that I love, I always have more than one on hand to use in different types of recipes.
You'll have the best results with your baking if you use a blend suited to and tested with the recipe you're using. I've included below the recipes on this site that work particularly well with each flour blend.
Let's talk about gluten.
Gluten is the binding agent in regular flour that holds your baked goods together. Gluten free flours do not, obviously, contain gluten so they are prone to being crumbly and dry if you don't add some sort of binding agent.
Most gluten free products have either xanthan gum or guar gum to accomplish this. I've used both, and have found that while xanthan gum is a little (not a lot) more expensive than guar gum, it seems to do a better job while using less in your recipes.
Adding a binder isn't optional for most gluten free recipes.
Some people are sensitive to xanthan and/or guar gum and use different binding agents such as psyllium husk or ground flax. Other natural binders are eggs and bananas.
If your finished product has a gummy texture, you have added too much of a binding agent to your recipe. I've noticed that in recipes that include a lot of eggs, I need less xanthan gum.
How much xanthan gum do you need to use in gluten free recipes?
Depending on the type of gluten free recipe you're making, you'll need a different amount of xanthan gum. There is a sliding scale that goes something like this:
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of gluten free flour when making cookies
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of gluten free flour when making cakes, muffins, or quick breads
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of gluten free flour when making yeast products such as bread, pizza dough, rolls, etc.
This illustrates the idea that there is no ONE gluten free flour that will work well with all kinds of recipes.
I find gfJules has just the right amount of xanthan gum for breads and rolls to give them a soft and fluffy texture without any gumminess.
If I'm making crepes, I prefer to use King Arthur's All Purpose blend which contains no xanthan gum so I can add the exact amount of xanthan I need to avoid a gummy texture.
And Cup4Cup makes the most delightfully fluffy biscuits.
gf Jules
This is a long-standing favorite of ours, as it is for many people. If you want the fluffiest, softest gluten free bread, this is the flour you'll want to use! Here are a few things we love about gfJules products:
- Owner Jules Shepard has been at this for a long time. She knows her stuff, eats gluten free herself, and she has an abundance of products, recipes, tutorials, and gluten free information on her site (if you haven't checked it out yet, do so!). She's a go-to resource for everything gluten free.
- gfJules products are certified gluten free and are also free from the top 8 allergens.
- The first time I tried her flour to make a simple white sauce, I was hooked. It is the perfect substitute for regular flour in sauces, gravies, breading, and anything else like that.
- There is no gritty or grainy texture when using gfJules flour for gluten free cookies.
Works best for: Breads, Sauces, and Cookies
Buy HERE
Contains: corn.
Recipes that work well with this flour:
- Crescent Rolls
- Hot Dog Buns
- Hamburger Buns
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Resurrection Rolls
- Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese
- Soft Garlic Breadsticks
- Sandwich Bread
- Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancakes)
- Better-Than-Ding-Dongs Cake
- Gluten Free Brioche Rolls
- Gluten Free Julekakae (Norwegian Christmas Bread - reader requested recipe)
- Dinner Rolls
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies
- All the recipes in my cookbook How to Make Gluten Free Bread That Actually Tastes Good available on Amazon
Better Batter
Better Batter gluten free flour is a simple all-purpose blend that works with just about every recipe we've tried.
- Better Batter flour is dairy free and corn free, making it the perfect option for those needing to avoid dairy and corn.
- We have tested this flour with cookies, quick breads, yeast breads (although you'll see the best results for yeast breads with gfJules), biscuits, and sauces/gravies. We have yet to find a recipe that this flour doesn't work with.
- Better Batter gluten free flour is affordable. Follow their Facebook page and watch for sales, every now and again they will have a big one and we always stock up! You can also look on their website for factory seconds, we've ordered several times this way and the product has been the same as any other time we've ordered, only less expensive. You can also order on Amazon if you need quicker deliver and have Amazon Prime.
Works best for: Breads, Muffins/Quick Breads, Sauces, Cookies, Biscuits
Buy HERE
Contains: no allergens.
Recipes that work well with this flour:
- Easy Gluten Free Biscuits - Dairy Free Option
- Copycat Swig Sugar Cookies
- Crescent Rolls
- Gluten Free Rolls - Dairy Free Option
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese
- Soft Garlic Breadsticks
- Banana Bread with Browned Butter and Maple Pecan Glaze
- Coca Cola Cupcakes
- Orange Poppyseed Bread
- Sandwich Bread
- Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancakes)
- Better-Than-Ding-Dongs Cake
- Gluten Free Julekakae (Norwegian Christmas Bread - reader requested recipe)
- Gingerbread Waffles
- Skillet Cornbread
- Resurrection Rolls
Cup4Cup
This is the holy grail of gluten free flour for biscuit recipes. If you want to make some FANTASTIC gluten free biscuits, grab a bag of Cup4Cup.
Works best for: Biscuits, Sauces, Cream Puffs, and Eclairs
Buy HERE
Contains: milk and corn.
A few recipes that work well with this flour:
- Easy Gluten Free Biscuits
- Gluten Free Muffins 5 Ways
- Coca Cola Cupcakes
- Almond Poppyseed Muffins
- Brownie Cookies
- Gluten Free Blueberry Biscuits
- Gluten Free Cheesy Green Chili Biscuits
- Gluten Fee Soda Biscuits
- Gluten Free Biscuits and Gravy
Pamela's
Works best for: Quick breads and muffins, cookies. I haven't tested a lot of recipes with this flour, but it seems to do well in most.
Buy HERE
Contains: no allergens.
Recipes that work well with this flour:
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Orange Poppyseed Bread
- Browned Butter Banana Bread with Maple Glaze
- Gluten Free Muffins 5 Ways
- Almond Poppyseed Muffins
King Arthur Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
This is the flour that works best in our gluten free crepe recipes because it doesn't contain xanthan gum. Some recipes (such as crepes) don't require much xanthan gum and which means that most gluten free flour mixes will contain too much xanthan and yield a gummy texture.
Keep in mind that King Arthur makes a few different flour blends, so if you're making the crepes below, be sure to purchase this one that doesn't contain any xanthan gum. You'll need to add xanthan gum to the recipe you're making.
Works best for: Recipes that don't require much xanthan gum, particularly crepes
Buy HERE
Contains: potato
Recipes that Work Well with King Arthur Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour:
What is your favorite gluten free flour blend? Please share in the comments!
Chrystal @ Gluten-Free Palate says
I feel like there are so many great mixes to chose from. This is a great roundup of some of the ones available 🙂
suzanne says
what is the best gf flour for fried chicken, or chicken fried steak w cream gravy?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Great question Suzanne! I have had good results with GF Jules, which also is my favorite for gravies. -Celeste
Jan says
I love the King Arthur GF all purpose flour for southern fried chicken! It doesn't burn like Cup4Cup when frying chicken. I dip my raw chicken in egg/milk mixture, then coat with King Arthur GF flour, then into a skillet of med/hot olive oil. Yum!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
That is great to know, thank you Jan!
Nancy says
I get fantastic fried chicken with Pamela's GF pancake mix! I've tried others but Pamela's comes out with amazing texture and flavor.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Good to know, thank you so much for sharing!
Dana says
When you made bread with the Thrive flour, do you add xantham gum?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Hi Dana, great question! Thrive flour has some xanthan already added, so I would not add any for quick breads but would add 1/2 tsp per cup of Thrive flour for yeast breads.
Belinda says
Just found this super duper roundup. Added a few new ones.
Thx for doing the foot work for us GFers?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
You're welcome Belinda, I'm so glad you find it helpful. Thank you for stopping by! -Celeste
Nan says
Have you ever tested Steve's authentic flours? His cake blend and bread blend are fantastic!
http://www.authenticfoods.com/products/item/47/Steves-GF-Bread-Flour-Blend
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
No I haven't, I'll check it out 🙂 Thanks! -Celeste
Katie says
Hi. Thanks for your informative article! What do you think of
Bob’s Red Mill GF 1to 1 Baking flour? I made choc chip cookies with it and they came out really well. It does contain the xanthan gum.
Thank you!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Hi Katie! Great question. BRM is a fairly good blend, but not my fav. I prefer the taste and texture of the other flours I listed, and appreciate that Better Batter is truly a universal flour that I can use for everything from cookies to breads.
Sheri Bellgardt says
I am looking for a gluten-free Bisquick mix recipe. I have one that is made of rice flour, arrowroot flour, exanthem gum in tapioca flour. My family enjoys those impossible Bisquick recipes from years ago. Like Impossible taco pie, impossible pumpkin pie etc. Wondered if you knew of one that was less expensive to make and worked well? Thank you so much.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Great question Sheri! Betty Crocker GF Bisquick works pretty well, but I haven't tried making a mix. Maybe I should!
Luis M. says
Thanks for a great review of GF flours! I'm going to make a tres leche cake and my sister-in-law has celiac disease. Which flour would you recommend for this cake which has meringue and is wet with the 3 types of milk poured over it?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
I haven't tried making that yet, but using a King Arthur GF cake mix should work. If making from scratch, try Better Batter, Grandpa's Kitchen, or King Arthur GF Flour. Let me know how it turns out! -Celeste
Sharon Fender says
I made the biscuits using Krusteaz cup 4 cup on the gluten free biscuits . They were terrible, way too salty and hard as a rock. I’m so sorry about them.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Gluten free flours vary so much, and so do the results of a recipe based on which one you use. Cup4Cup and Better Batter both work very well with this recipe and will yield fluffy, tasty biscuits 🙂
Lynne Lillie says
I do wish I'd found this info when my son first decided to go gluten free, instead of just using the buckshot approach. Ultimately, I ended up using Jovial Gluten Free Pastry flour, and Jovial Gluten Free Bread flour. They offer two kinds of each, Ancient Grain and Whole Grain. It works really well for most things--I do use their recipe for bread in bread machine, and pancakes. In other recipes I just substitute cup for cup. It's a great gf flour, but the real reason I chose, and have stuck with it, is that they are very careful about where they source their rice flours. Most rice flours are quite high in arsenic; Jovial's flours are rigorously tested to insure minimal amounts of arsenic. I would love to try some of the brands you mentioned but I don't see any information on testing for arsenic on any of their packages. If you have any information on this, I'd love to hear it. Thanks so much.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
I am just starting to use Jovial flours, love how much more nutritious it is! I don't know of any additional arsenic info for other brands of gf flour, sorry! -Celeste
Kit says
I love your bread and biscuit recipes, but I think you are missing out on some great flours. I love King Arthur and it is the only flour I use for thickening and coatings, but I got rid of all the rest of my gf flours when I discovered Blends by Orly. I get it on Amazon and it is worth it! She has developed blends specifically for each type of baking. My gf baking has never tasted so good and I’ve tried most of the flours you listed above. You really should check it out.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Thanks for the recommendation Kit, I haven't tried that flour yet! -Celeste
Joyce laux says
Kit, when you use King Arthur flour for gravy do you add xanthan gum to it as well?
Kit says
No, I use it as is measure for measure.
Jackie Bock says
I wonder if you tested Namaste. It used to be my go to flour for everything. It even made perfect pancakes. Then from one bag to the next it started to fail me. Things either rose and flopped as soon as you took them out of the oven. Or came out with hockey puck texture. I've searched for information regarding an ingredient change but can find nothing on their website.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Yes, I need to update my list. I do like it for rolls but need to do a little more experience, I haven't noticed a difference between bags but I haven't baked with it a ton either.
Sharon says
Hi! I have tried an entire bag of this and everything has flopped! I gave up in disgust on this one. So far I like Pamela’s, BRM bread mix is flavorless to me.
Alene says
Where else can I buy Gluten free Mama's Almond Flour Blend. Amazon doesn't carry it anymore. Is there another source you trust? Thank you.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Great question Alene, it has been hard to find lately and honestly, I'm not sure where you can get it.
Jacqui says
I am pretty sure you can still gt it through Azure Standard. https://www.azurestandard.com/
Hope this helps
Jo says
I am blown away, I didn't realize how many different "gf blends" there a. Our daughter is celiac and I love to bake. Tried a few different brands. Not sure if I want to make my own, that's a whole new collection of flours/starches that I'm not ready for.
Just need to keep playing with different blend. Thanks so much for the info!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Yes, there are so many options! I hope you find the links to recipes helpful.
Valerie says
Have you tried 1-2-3 Gluten Free Olivias Outstanding All Purpose Flour?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Nope, never heard of that one!
Valerie says
Well i just ordered better batter and super excited to try that for my toddlers soy free, dairy free, egg free bread 🙂 thank you for this article
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
So glad Valerie, hope your little one loves the bread!
Jane Wright says
Pamela’s is my go to for all my gluten free recipes, but it seems it is not available anymore. Anyone have any idea why or when it may come back in the market?
Annette Powell says
I've seen it on Amazon. You might try there.
Dr. john says
Just Curious. Why exclude the writers who recommend mixing your own 'flours,' rather than paying extra for someone else's (often rather small) pre-packaged mixes, that many times are merely high-starch variants on some other more healthful versions? For example- I have had both Bette Hagman's [ GF Gourmet series ] and especially Carol Fenster's [1000 GF Recipes] book(s), and have found that some recipes work better with different combinations of ingredients- for example, Fenster's Yorkshire Pudding (Popovers) using her 'Carol's Sorghum Blend' was a total game changer for me, and the family. Taste is a big consideration, too! As for us- I'm GF intolerant, daughter is GF averse, wife and son could care less.... but I find the GF 'mixes' to be sort of like a "Model T"- great vehicle, comes only in one flavor (color) and that's it! Then, taste. And finally, cost- which (gotta admit) it IS a factor, unless you're Martha....
Now, I am not one to eschew things like xanthan gum or Expandex, ( the latter, which Fenster uses/recommends in most of her recipes) because the minimal amount of those ingredients, and how often I 'allow' myself to eat 'carbs,' is still FAR superior to the garbage in most processed foods, sugar/gluten 'white bread' junk. Also, I'm a working professional (College Prof.) and can't spend all day in the kitchen baking- nor does my wife! I can get most of my 'ingredients' via the Big A (and sometimes even our local overstock store for things like Bob's Red Mill!) And, as I am trying to cut down on 'empty' carbs (working toward the "Hybrid"/"5-day" diet lifestyle- low GL/alternating with 'Keto' elements in a 3wk.-1wk. ratio each month) - I don't WANT to have products made with a lot of high GI/GL ingredients- rice/corn/potato (the 'white death stuff') around the house. Luckily, I am not nut, dairy sensitive...so, making things with Coconut/Almond 'flour is still a great option for us...now, if only they would RISE! lol (I don't consider a hockey puck height to be bread, frankly)
Just thought I'd pose the question. Found your GF Zucchini bread recipe (we have baseball bat sized zukes this year!) and was 'checking out' the site. Thanks!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Hi there! Not trying to exclude anyone, just sharing the flours I've tried and love. If these don't work for you, no worries! Happy baking!
Lisa Gordon says
My functional medicine doctor just told me to go gluten free. Fortunately I just found your website. My doctor also says that xanthum gum is very bad for the digestive system, and guar gum also not good. Do you know how much and what form of psyllium to use in a home made floor mix?
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Sorry, I haven't had much experience with psyllium.
Teresa Kessler says
If you miss the taste of wheat I’d suggest you try “Premium Gold GF Fax & Ancient Grains All-Purpose Flour.” (www.premium gold flax.com) or on Amazon.
They have other blends but I use this for pancakes, muffins, cookies, quick breads.
I love this grainier texture vs white flours.
You can reach them at 866-570-1234 and usually talk to owner Debbie a Miller
Barbara Kastner says
I saw recommendations for cookies and quick breads but not for cakes. Any ideas? Would like to be able to make cakes and cupcakes for special occasions w my newly GF family.
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
Better Batter is a great blend for cakes. Bob's Red Mill works OK, too. I don't recommend gfJules or Namaste for cake as they have a little too much xanthan gum for that type of recipe.
Lorell says
Very helpful article! Any preference for making pie crust? Thanks!
thereislifeafterwheat@gmail.com says
My pie crust recipe is pretty forgiving and works well with any flour, but I usually use Cup4Cup because I find it browns a little better.
Wendy Brouillette says
my only complaint is when they say corn free but have xanthum gum. Technically if the xanthum gum is produced from corn, is it really corn free? I know companies say it is, but I have found that's not the case. I use Pamela's or King Arthur w/o xanthum gum. I've had to learn to use guar gum in it's place. I love your website!