The 12 Best Sweet Rice Flour Substitutes For The Home Chef

Sweet rice flour is a unique ingredient. It provides a great flavor, texture, and substance to many dishes. This is a popular item found in many recipes as a gluten-free option.

Although sweet rice flour is a popular product, it isn’t the most common item seen in most pantries. So, when a recipe calls for this flour, you might not have it on hand.

Luckily for you, we have a list of great sweet rice flour substitutes. These items can assist in the creation of many dishes. They are also ideal for specific meals and can be the difference between a successful meal and a flop.

What’s Sweet Rice Flour Exactly?

Sweet rice flour is an ingredient used in recipes that need a sticky substance like mochi. This type of rice flour comes from short-grain glutinous rice or sticky rice.

When we first heard of glutinous rice, we thought it was a gluten product, but we were wrong.

Sweet flour rice is a gluten-free substitute for regular flour. The starches in this rice include

• Amylose (a resistant starch)
• Amylopectin (the sticky property of the flour).

What do You do With it?

Once you cook sweet rice, it adds an elastic and sticky texture. Even though it bears the name “sweet rice,” it isn’t a sugary sweet flavor but a mild, milky taste. With that said, it is sweeter than regular rice.

How sweet flour can influence your baked goods.

• Provides a gluten-free pastry that never crumbles but instead flakes
• Creates a thick batter
• Creates moist and well-structured cakes and other desserts
• It makes a silky smooth sauce.
• Can bind other ingredients together to create a paste or gum like texture.

The 12 Best Substitutes For Sweet Rice Flour

Make Sweet Rice Flour Yourself!

There are a few different ways to make sweet rice flour, but the simplest method is to grind basic ingredients like sweet rice (GLUTINOUS RICE FLOUR), water and sugar in a food processor or blender.

-How To Make-

To make sweet rice flour, you’ll need:

• 1 cup white rice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• A pinch of salt (optional)
• A food processor or blender.

Direction:

• Simply add all the ingredients to the blender.
• And process until it forms a fine powder.

Get recipe: delightfulmomfood.com

1. Tapioca Flour

Tapioca flour comes from yuca or cassava plants.  This product has many of the same qualities and flavors as sweet rice.

This flour has a very fine consistency. But it doesn’t yield any flavor, making it an excellent option for texture and consistency, but not for taste.

If you want to add a little sweetness to your dish, consider tossing in a pinch of sugar.

This ingredient works best as a substitute when baking cakes and other desserts.

Substitute tapioca flour for sweet rice four with a 1:1 ratio. 1TBSP of tapioca flour for 1 TBSP of sweet rice flour)

Learn more: Top 7 Tapioca Flour Substitutes (FOR ANY RECIPES)

2. Almond Flour

Almond flour is a great option as an alternative ingredient if you are out of sweet rice flour.

Almost flour is the result of grinding almonds down to a powder. This offers a sweet, nutty taste to any recipe, but not the sticky texture sweet rice provides. We recommend adding another binding agent like xanthan gum. (my xanthan gum article can link here?) or guar gum.

This ingredient works best as a substitution for sweet rice flour. And can be an addition to any recipe but is best in recipes that don’t need binding agents.

We suggest to substitute almond flour for sweet rice flower with 1 ½  cups of almond flour for one cup of sweet rice flour.

3. Corn Starch

Corn starch is one of the most accessible substitutes for sweet rice flour. It is perfect in soups, stews, and sauces that need a thickening agent.

Typically, sweet rice flour will thicken once it is mixed in with a liquid, which is not a property of corn starch. Corn starch only becomes thick once heated, so be careful when added in this powder.

When substituting corn starch for sweet rice flour, we recommend to use two TBSP of sweet rice flour per 1 C. of liquid.

4. Brown Rice Flour

Brown rice flour is ideal when making foods such as tortilla shells,  muffins, pancakes, etc.

It is a great thickening agent and works well in place of sweet rice flour.

We should note that brown rice flour will not provide the same smooth texture as sweet rice flour. Brown rice flour is not as fine as its alternative.

Brown rice flour is heavy. Because of this, it might not be a good option for recipes calling for sweet rice flour as a leavening agent. But, it works very well as a thickening ingredient.

When substituting brown rice flour for sweet rice flour, follow a 1:1 ratio. One cup of brown rice flour to one cup of sweet rice flour.

5. Potato Starch

Potato starch is not the best choice if you are looking for something with flavor. It is perfect for providing a thick texture and stickiness, though.

Potato starch is a moisture retention agent and has little to no flavor. So, we like to add a little bit of sugar when using this as a sweet rice substitute.

When substituting potato starch for sweet rice flour, you should follow a 1:1 ratio. One cup of potato starch to one cup of sweet rice four.

6. Use Sorghum Flour In Place of Sweet Rice Flour

Sorghum flour is another gluten free, sweet rice flour replacement. It is ideal in recipes looking for a thickening agent but not a binding one.

Sorghum flour is sweet but not as sweet as sweet rice flour, so you might want to combine it with a pinch of sugar or two.

When substituting sorghum flour for sweet rice flour, you should follow a 1:1 ratio. For recipes that need a thicker consistency, add more sorghum flour a teaspoon at a time.

Learn more: The Best Good Sorghum Flour Substitutes to Try

7. Coconut Flour Works Well

Like it sounds, coconut flour comes from ground coconut. This ingredient adds a tropical taste to any recipe and is ideal in desserts.

While rice flour is smooth in texture, coconut flour has a gritty or sandy consistency. You will also need a binding agent with this product since it isn’t sticky at all.

When substituting coconut flour for sweet rice flour, we suggest to use 1 ½ cups of coconut flour for 1 cup of sweet rice flour.

8. Try Millet Flour for a Creamy Result

Millet flour is a substitute for sweet rice flour. Because of its similar texture and creaminess, it provides a great texture. Its flavor is also pretty close with a nice, sweet undertone.

Keep in mind that millet flour is a cereal grain that tastes a lot like corn. This means you might have to tone it down a little in some recipes.

When substituting millet flour for sweet rice flour, you should follow a 1:1 ratio. One cup of millet flour for one cup of sweet rice flour.

9. Arrowroot Powder is a Great Option

Arrowroot powder comes from the Maranta Arundinacea Plant. It is a great last-minute option when your hands are tied.

It does not have the same sweet flavor or binding quality as sweet rice flour but can work well when you are in a pinch. Be sure to make up for these missing qualities with other ingredients.

Arrowroot flour is tasteless and provides little texture. This makes it best when used for dishes that are already packed with spices, flavors, and aromas.

When substituting arrowroot flour for sweet rice flour, we recommend to use a 1:1 ratio. Use ½ cup of arrowroot flour for ½ cup of sweet rice flour.

10. Chickpea Flour is an Option

Chickpea flour comes from chickpeas, otherwise known as garbanzo beans. This flour has an earthy, nutty flavor that is mildly sweet. It is also sticky and dense, which makes it a perfect substitute for sweet rice flour.

When substituting chickpea flour for sweet rice flour, we suggest to use a 1:1 ratio. One cup of chickpea flour for one cup of sweet rice flour.

11. Give Oat Flour a Try

Oat flour is a powdered down version of oats and is a healthy and delicious alternative to sweet rice flour.

This product provides a nutty and earthy taste to any recipe. It is sticky and can fill in very well in the absence of sweet rice flour.

When substituting oat flour for sweet rice flour, you should follow a 1:1 ratio. One Cup of oat flour for one cup of sweet rice flour.

12. Whole Wheat Flour Is an Alternative

Whole wheat flour is best used as a sweet rice flour alternative in baked goods such as breaks, cakes, muffins, etc.

This product also works well when making pasta dishes.

Whole wheat flour is not as sweet as sweet rice flour and offers a nuttier and grainer flavor and texture.

When substituting whole wheat flour for sweet rice flour, you should follow a 1:1 ratio. One cup of whole wheat for one cup of sweet rice flour.

Sweet Rice Flour FAQs

Why Do People Use Sweet Rice Flour?

Sweet rice flour is popular because of its sticky texture. It is also used for its thickening properties and because it is a gluten free product.

What is the Difference Between Sweet Rice Flour and Regular Rice Flour?

Your basic rice flour comes from long- or medium-grain rice. This is the item found in most homes. Sweet rice flour comes from sticky rice or crushed Short-grain glutinous rice.

What is Mochiko?

Mochiko is another way of saying sweet rice flour. They are the same product with the same qualities and properties.

Summing Things Up

There really isn’t an exact equivalent for sweet rice flour, but you could probably use a combination of other flours to achieve a similar result.

For example, a mix of regular rice flour and tapioca flour would work well. You might also be able to get away with using cornstarch or almond flour, although the texture will likely be slightly different.

If you’re looking for a substitution because you’re trying to make a specific recipe that calls for sweet rice flour and you can’t find it at your local grocery store, don’t worry too much.

Try one of the options we mention above if you need a substitute for sweet rice flour. Or just experiment with different combinations of flours until you find something that works for you.

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