Where is Cornstarch Located in the Grocery Store? (Comprehensive Guide)

Where is cornstarch located in the grocery store? This may seem like a silly question since it’s quite a common ingredient, so you can easily find it, right?

Wrong.

Since different grocery stores have different layouts, you might be confused as to where you can find it and which aisle to check.

If you don’t want to waste your time, we’re here to help your cornstarch hunt a whole lot easier!

So where to find cornstarch in the grocery store?

But wait, there are other places you can get cornstarch from.

If you want to know where these are, continue reading!

Where is Cornstarch Located in the Grocery Store?

When it comes to looking for cornstarch, the baking aisle should be your first stop. It’s often displayed on the upper shelves alongside other powdered baking ingredients like flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and baking soda.

If it isn’t there, the next best aisle to check out would be the condiments or herbs and spices section. In this area, you may find it beside the gravy and soup powders.  

Which Stores Sell Cornstarch Near Me (and Which Brands You Can Buy)?

Since cornstarch is such an essential cooking and baking ingredient, almost all grocery stores carry this item, even the small local stores.

But of course, you get to choose from a wider assortment of brands and sizes when you buy one from a major retailer.

To help you out, we’ve enumerated some of the major grocery chains (along with some of the best brands they offer) that you might find near you below:

Walmart

This is the home to their very own budget brand—Great Value. Not only that, but they also offer the most extensive brand options like Frontier Natural Products, Rumford, Larissa Veronica, and many more.

The best thing about Walmart is you get to check out their websites for the location and availability of the product that you’re looking for.

Whole Foods

This healthy food store also offers its own brand which is the 365 Everyday Value Corn Starch. The good news is they also offer other brands as well.

Target

In this store, you can find popular brands like Argo or Clabber Girl.

Vons

They carry popular cornstarch brands like Signature Kitchens, Bob’s Red Mill, and Argo.

Safeway

The available brands in this store are Signature Kitchens, Argo, and Kingsford’s.

Publix

Head to this store if you want any of these brands—Iberia, Bobs’ Red Mill, and Hodgson Mill.

Can you buy cornstarch online?

Yes, you can buy cornstarch online, and here are the best websites to visit:

Amazon

One of the best online marketplaces to check out is Amazon. That’s because they have a wide assortment of brands and sizes.

If you want to get cornstarch in bulk, this is the best place to check out since they offer buckets or tubs of cornstarch like the ones from Gefen or Argo.

Not only that, but they also sell all the other cornstarch brands in small volumes (Let’s Do, Clabber Girl, and many more), so you can buy from here regardless of how much cornstarch you need.  

Walmart

You can always visit the nearest Walmart near you to get this product, but they can also make your life easier by delivering it right to your doorstep.

If you want to make the most out of this offering, you can just simply check out their website or mobile app.

However, keep in mind that they might have limited options as compared to that of Amazon.

What is Cornstarch and How to Use It?

Cornstarch is a baking and cooking ingredient that has been extracted from the corn kernel’s starchy part.

In cooking, it’s often used as a thickening agent wide range of dishes like marinades, soups, sauces, gravies, and different casseroles.  

Not only that, but it’s also used as a batter ingredient for deep-fried foods. What makes this an essential ingredient to batter is it creates a crispy texture that holds up well against the dipping sauces. That’s not all. It absorbs less oil, so the deep-fried dish will be a lot less greasy.

For baking purposes, it’s added to baked goods (like shortbread, cookies, and cakes) to create that crumbly and tender texture as well as a light and chewy bite.

Last but not the least, cornstarch also functions as an anti-caking ingredient. This simply means that it can hinder moisture and condensation to prevent fine powders from forming lumps. Because of this, it’s a common ingredient in various powdered ingredients like gravy granules, powdered soup items, shredded cheese, and many more.

Why Is There a Cornstarch Shortage?

Have you heard about the recent shortage of cornstarch? It’s been all over the news. Well, turns out there are a few things causing this major shortage.

The demand for corn has gone up in both the food and industrial markets. This has caused farmers to switch to other crops that offer higher returns.

Additionally, prices for cornstarch have increased significantly, putting more strain on already tight supplies.

All in all, it’s creating a worldwide shortage of this essential ingredient!

What If You Can’t Find Cornstarch?

In the unfortunate event that you can’t find cornstarch, or you don’t have the time to go out and buy one, you can always use these other alternatives:

Wheat Flour

This flour may have the same functions as cornstarch. However, it differs from it because it contains protein and fiber and not just starch.

To address this difference, you’d need to follow the 1:2 substitution. This means that you’d need to add 2 cups of wheat flour for every 1 cup of cornstarch that the recipe calls for.

Potato Starch

This is one of the best alternatives because it also functions as a thickening agent and a better ingredient. It gives fried dishes a light and airy texture.

But wait, there’s more. It also gives off a sweet taste that makes it perfect for desserts.

When using this, follow a 1:1 ratio.

All-Purpose Flour

This is also used in thickening stews, gravies, and sauces. However, it may produce a  different result.

While cornstarch produces translucent sauces, all-purpose flour creates opaque and thicker sauces.

While this is not the most ideal substitution, we included this in the list since it’s one of the most widely available ingredients out there.

Arrowroot Powder

This mimics cornstarch in a lot of ways. It can be used to boost the airy texture of vegan and gluten-free desserts and thicken sauces.

But since this ingredient behaves differently when heated, you should stick with using this for baking purposes.

For this, a 1:2 substitution is recommended.

Learn more: The Best Cornstarch Substitutes

The Bottom Line

Where is cornstarch located in the grocery store? Since this is a pretty common ingredient, you only need to check two aisles for this—the baking aisle or Condiment and Herbs and Spices Section.

Another great idea is to get this product online. You can check out the Walmart website or mobile app if you want a speedier delivery. On the other hand, Amazon is a great website to visit if you want to get access to a wide range of brands and sizes.