This easy, 3-ingredient homemade gluten free flour blend can be used instead of all-purpose flour in recipes and is so much better than store-bought gf flour! Use this gum-free blend in cakes, cookies, quick breads, pastries, and more.
Best Homemade Gluten Free Flour Blend
I love using gluten free flours in my recipes, and it is fun to experiment with their different flavor profiles when adding them to a recipe. However, sometimes I just don't have the time to weigh out a bunch of different flour! So, I developed this homemade gluten free flour blend for those times when I'm in a rush or just want to take out one jar from the pantry! It's made up of three reliable and, in my opinion, stellar gluten free flours: oat, sweet white rice, and tapioca. The flours work off of each other to create smooth batters and doughs that bake up light, fluffy, and almost indistinguishable from regular baked goods. Plus, no gums are needed! Let's get to it!
Jump to:
- Best Homemade Gluten Free Flour Blend
- Why You'll Love It
- Ingredients Needed to Make DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend
- How Do You Make Your Own Homemade Gluten Free Flour Blend?
- Some Substitution Options
- What Can You Make with This Gluten Free Flour Mix?
- Can I Do a 1:1 Swap for Flour?
- How to Store DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend
- Homemade Gluten Free Flour Blend
Why You'll Love It
Not only is this blend super easy to whisk up, but you can also make a big batch and stash it in the pantry so it's always ready to go. I like it in brownies, cookies, cakes, for pie crusts, and popped into crisps. You can use it in place of gluten-free 1:1 flour in recipes, or try it in conventional recipes. Here's why I know you'll be a fan:
- Easy to make substitutions if needed. I've outlined some substitution suggestions lower down if you need to make ingredient swaps to suit your dietary needs or even just what you have in the cupboard.
- Reliable. Commercial mixes are good in that they are reliable, even if they sometimes contain ingredients that you can't eat or don't like. My mix is equally as reliable, and it's made up of simple ingredients that can be adapted if needed!
- Great texture. Forget gritty or dry bakes! This beautiful gluten free flour blend creates finished products with a wonderfully light and fluffy texture.
- Neutral flavor. This blend seamlessly incorporates into any baked good you can think of without the flavor of any one component overpowering the other ingredients.
Ingredients Needed to Make DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend
Just three ingredients are all you'll need for this blend! I prefer not to use xanthan gum in my recipes, but you can certainly add it to your gluten free batter when using this blend, although in my opinion the batters or doughs won't need it!
- Oat flour - Gluten free oat flour brings structure to the flour blend and is a versatile and economical gluten free flour.
- Sweet white rice flour - Also known as mochiko, sweet white rice flour is known for its sticky properties, which work amazingly well in baking gluten free.
- Tapioca flour - This starchy flour brings lightness and binding to the gluten free flour blend.
Why Did You Choose These Gluten Free Flours?
You'll need just three gluten free flours to make this DIY gluten free flour blend: oat flour, tapioca flour (starch), and sweet white rice flour (also known as mochiko). Many of these flours are available at grocery stores, including Whole Foods, and always available online.
As noted, I love oat flour in gluten free baking. It brings a nutty, whole grain hint of sweetness to baked goods and, more importantly, can mimic wheat flour. Oat flour helps to create a fluffy crumb and moist texture which is especially great in gluten-free baking. If you have Celiac or are very sensitive to gluten, make sure to purchase certified gluten free oat flour or certified gluten free oats and make your own oat flour. If you can't eat oats, I've included some substitution suggestions lower down.
While oat flour can often be used interchangeably with wheat flour if you substitute it by weight, for this all purpose gluten free flour blend I wanted to create a blend that was closer to traditional all purpose flour. To accomplish this, I balanced it with tapioca flour to bring a bit of lightness and sweet white rice flour for binding and bounce. I love baking with these two more starchy flours because they help balance out the earthier, heartier oat flour and in combination create baked goods that are almost indistinguishable from regular baked goods.
Are Ratios Important?
Ratios are so important! Figuring out the correct ratio of flours took a little trial and error, but I believe I've landed on the correct amounts of flours in proportion to each other to make up this blend. I didn't want the flour mix to be too heavy nor did I want it to be gritty or produce dry results. To truly mimic the properties of wheat flour it's best to use a combination of flours - and this one is a winner. If you can, weigh your flours before whisking up the blend. If you don't have a scale, I've also included cup measurements for each flour.
How Do You Make Your Own Homemade Gluten Free Flour Blend?
Just whisk and you're done! Seriously, that's all you need to do to create this flour blend. Make sure to give it a shake or a whisk each before you use it in a recipe to make sure the flour is well blended.
Some Substitution Options
If you can make this blend as written, great! If you need to change it up a bit, I've included some options below:
- Oat Flour: If you can eat oats, please use it in this blend! Oat flour is so lovely, light, and buttery and works so well in baking. But, if you can't eat oats, brown rice, sorghum, or millet flour are good substitution options.
- Sweet White Rice Flour: Sweet white rice flour is a unique gluten free flour because it has wonderful binding properties without being gritty. I don't know if there is a direct substitute, however, you could try white rice flour in place of the sweet white rice flour if needed.
- Tapioca Flour: You can use arrowroot or potato starch for the tapioca flour.
What Can You Make with This Gluten Free Flour Mix?
You can use this mix in most of the recipes on my website - in my section on classic baking recipes that use wheat flour, swap 1 ¼ cups of the blend for every cup of all-purpose or whole wheat flour called for in the ingredients.
For my gluten free recipes, you can total the number of cups of gluten flour or flours and replace them with this gluten free flour blend. Always measure by weight for the best results. Note that 1 cup of this blend = 120 grams.
Can I Do a 1:1 Swap for Flour?
Yes, you can substitute this flour blend 1:1 with all-purpose flour. Use this flour in a 1:1 substitute by weight in recipes that use all-purpose flour (to keep it easy, choose recipes that give weight AND cup measurements). If you don't have a scale, substitute 1 ¼ cups of flour blend per 1 cup of all-purpose flour for the best results.
How to Store DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend
Store your homemade gluten free flour blend in a jar with a tight-fitting like - I like to use a large Mason jar - or in a sealable bag in a cool, dark place (your pantry is perfect) for up to 2 months. Give the flour mix a shake each time you use it to re-blend the flour a bit.
Homemade Gluten Free Flour Blend
Ingredients
- 3 cups oat flour, 360 grams
- ½ cup sweet white rice flour, also called mochiko, 80 grams
- ½ cup tapioca flour, 55 grams
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Store the flour mix in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or a sealable plastic bag and keep it in the pantry.
Alex says
Hello Nicole,
Thank you for the wonderful recipes.
What can I use instead of tapioca? I can only use oat, rice, garbanzo, and nixtamalized corn flours. Can’t use any nut or seed flours either.
Thanks.
Nicole Spiridakis says
Hi Alex - Can you use cornstarch or arrowroot powder? I would try those first! If not, let me know and I will think of another option ... for nut flour subs, you could use tiger nut flour (not actually a nut!) or another gf flour like teff flour.
Alex says
Hi Nicole,
Unfortunately not. I’m very limited to the flours I mentioned. No corn starch or arrow root.
Nicole Spiridakis says
Hi Alex, In that case you could try using sweet white rice flour for the tapioca (so it would be a mix of oat flour and sweet white rice flour). I have done this combo before and it works pretty well! Let me know if you give it a try.
Katherine says
Not clear on using this flour blend as 1:1 for AP wheat flour. Is it 1:1 substitution by weight or by cup?
Nicole Spiridakis says
It's best to do it by weight. You can substitute 1 1/4 cups of the blend per 1 cup of all purpose flour if you don't have a scale.
Amy says
Would this make good southern biscuits or will it drastically change the color? Thanks!
Nicole Spiridakis says
Hi! Yes the color will change a bit due to the oat flour. You could try using regular white rice flour in place of the oat flour for a lighter color.
Christy says
What can I use to replace the white rice flour? Brown rice or sorghum? Thank you
Nicole Spiridakis says
Hi - I would recommend a starchy flour like arrowroot or cornstarch for the sweet white rice flour.
Hiroshi says
Hello.
Would glutinous/sweet brown rice flour work in place of sweet rice flour or do you still recommend arrowroot be used instead?
Thank you,
Hiroshi
Nicole Spiridakis says
Hi Hiroshi, I have not used glutinous sweet brown rice flour, but if it is similar to sweet white rice flour in how it bakes/cooks, then it might be worth giving it a try here. If you do try it, I'd love to hear if it did or didn't work.
Hiroshi says
Thank you. I always use glutinous brown rice flour instead when making mochi and it consistently turns out great, so I'll give it a try. I'll let you know how it turns out and what flours I used as I'm nearly out of my GF AP flour blend.
Dana Bolton says
I just made this flour and used it for banana muffins. I have to say, it is perfect. I have searched the world over for a simple diy gf flour and for me, this hits the mark.
Thank you
Nicole Spiridakis says
Thank you so much for sharing that, I am thrilled it worked for you!
Debra Wolfe says
I have an oat intolerant, what do I use in place of oat flour to make gluten free flour?
Nicole Spiridakis says
You can use brown rice, sorghum, or millet flour! White rice flour may also work.
Hiroshi says
This has been seeming to work so far in recipes using oat flour, glutinous brown rice, and tapioca starch. Thank you for the recipe. :)