Being gluten-free can sometimes feel like a never-ending battle of trying to choose the right product and knowing how to use it. When it comes to thickening dishes, knowing what and when to use a thickener is an excellent tool to have when you’re in the kitchen.
Whether you’re thickening gravy, soup, or a silky sauce, choosing the right gluten-free thickener makes all the difference. In this article, we’ll walk you through a variety of our best gluten-free thickeners -from pantry staples like cornstarch to surprising options like kudzu powder and how you can make each of them fit into your gluten-free lifestyle.
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Why Choosing the Right Gluten-Free Thickener Matters
Thickening gluten-free recipes can be frustrating: that gritty or gooey result is something many of us have faced. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, plays a major role in thickening and binding traditional recipes. Without it, we need to rely on alternative ingredients, each with its own strengths and quirks, to achieve the same silky, cohesive results.
Understanding how thickeners behave is essential in gluten-free cooking. For example, some starches like arrowroot and xanthan gum perform well in acidic environments, while others like cornstarch can break down under acidic or high-heat conditions.
As food scientist Harold McGee explains in his book On Food and Cooking, starches absorb water and swell at different rates depending on their botanical origin, making it crucial to choose the right thickener for the right dish.
As someone who’s spent years adapting traditional recipes to be gluten-free, from sauces to desserts, I’ve tested dozens of these ingredients firsthand. Below, you’ll find the top 10 gluten-free thickeners I personally trust in my kitchen, along with tips on exactly how and when to use each one.
Our Top 10 Gluten-Free Thickeners for Soups, Sauces, and Baking
Here are the top 10 gluten-free thickeners that deliver great texture and reliable results for all your culinary needs
1. Gluten-Free Flour
A high-quality gluten-free flour like King Arthur 1:1 Flour is the best friend to a gluten-free kitchen. Using it interchangeably in most recipes, as you would all-purpose flour, allows you to adapt any recipe to your liking. As a thickener, gluten-free flour makes an excellent roux (pronounced “roo”), which can be used for soups, sauces, and gravies.
Roux is a mixture of equal parts flour and fat (butter or oil) (ex. 1 tbsp flour + 1 tbsp butter), combined over low heat into a paste and cooked to the desired doneness.
Cooking a roux for a short time (a few minutes) will maintain a light, white color and is great for creamy sauces, like in a macaroni and cheese or lasagna. Cook the roux for a few minutes longer, and you will notice the color start to brown, and it will have a slightly nuttier taste to it.
The taste and color of this roux are great for use in chowders, soups, and gravies.
How to Make a Roux:
- Step 1: Melt the butter in a pan over low heat.
- Step 2: Whisk the flour into the pan and continuously stir until a smooth paste forms. For a light roux, cook for a couple of minutes to cook the flour and remove any ‘raw flour’ taste. For a brown roux, cook for a few minutes longer until you notice the color starts to turn golden-brown.
- Step 3: Use the roux as a thickener in your dish. The best way to do this is to add a bit of your cooking liquid (ex. the soup stock) to the pan with the roux and whisk to combine. Then add everything into your large soup pot.
Adding the roux directly into your large soup pot right away can cause it to clump and give an undesired texture and it will not work effectively to thicken your dish.
2. Cornstarch
Even cooks who aren’t gluten-free often have this staple ingredient in their pantry. Cornstarch is great for sauces and gravies, and it also gives baked goods structure and a soft texture.
The best way to add cornstarch to a recipe is in a slurry: a mixture of cold liquid (water or broth) and a starch. Similar to the roux, mixing the starch with the liquid first helps to prevent clumps when adding it to the hot soups or sauces.
How to Use Cornstarch as a Thickener:
- A general rule for using cornstarch to thicken is a 1:1 ratio: combine 1 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp cold liquid for about every cup of liquid you’re thickening.
- For example, if you want to thicken a soup with about 6 cups of liquid in the pot, make a slurry by combining 6 tbsp of cornstarch with 6 tbsp of cold liquid, such as water or broth, until it is smooth. Then, slowly drizzle the slurry into the soup and continue to mix over the heat to combine and thicken.
Note: Cornstarch is highly sensitive to acid, which breaks down its thickening abilities. Avoid using cornstarch in recipes with lots of acid (ex. tomatoes, lemons, vinegar) and opt for some of our other gluten-free thickeners listed here, like arrowroot starch, which works great in acidic recipes!
3. Arrowroot Starch
Arrowroot, like tapioca, is a white, flavorless starch that won’t affect the final color or flavor of your dish. It’s a perfect choice for dishes high in acid, like tomato sauce, fruit pies, and this gluten-free peach cobbler, as it has no strong reaction to acidic ingredients and maintains its thickening capabilities.
How to Use Arrowroot as a Thickener:
- For general thickening of soups, stews, and sauces, make a slurry as you would with cornstarch, using a ratio of 1:2 tbsp (arrowroot starch to cold liquid) for about every cup of liquid you wish to thicken.
- For example, if you want to thicken about 4 cups of beef stew, first, make an arrowroot slurry of 4 tbsp of arrowroot starch mixed with 8 tbsp of cold liquid. Stir to combine, then slowly drizzle this into your pot of beef stew and mix over the heat to combine and thicken.
- In baking recipes that call for cornstarch, substitute 2 teaspoons of arrowroot starch for every tablespoon of cornstarch. This works great in puddings, jellies, or pie fillings to give a smooth, glossy finish to dishes.
Tip: If you want to freeze a sauce to use later, this is the starch to use. It holds up well during both the freezing and the thawing. Reheat over low heat to allow the arrowroot to maintain its thickening properties.
What brand is best? Anthony’s Arrowroot Starch is an excellent variety!
4. Tapioca Starch
Tapioca is a starch derived from the cassava root, native to South America, and is most often associated with South American cuisine. This starch has no flavor and absorbs liquid to thicken without needing to reach boiling temperatures, making it ideal for fruit pie fillings during the holiday baking season.
How to Use Tapioca Starch as a Thickener:
- Tapioca is used to thicken in the same way as arrowroot starch, with a 1:2 tbsp ratio (1 part tapioca starch to 2 parts cold liquid) for about every cup of liquid in the dish you wish to thicken.
- For fruit pies, use roughly 1 tbsp tapioca starch for every cup of fruit. Toss the tapioca starch with the fruit and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes to absorb all the juices before continuing with the recipe.
After baking, be sure to let the pie rest for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting to allow the starches to properly set and give you the desired thickened texture that tapioca starch is so great for!
When searching for this in stores, keep in mind that tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same product with two names!
5. Potato Starch
For starters, potato starch and potato flour are not the same thing. Potato starch, like arrowroot, is nearly tasteless and odorless. It’s great to use in soups, stews, and sauces, and it adds a desirable crunch to many baked and fried goods.
Potato flour is made by using every part of the potato, which results in a much more potato-y flavor, and it contains more fiber and protein, so to say it is not a pure starch. Starches are often used to thicken and gelatinize; therefore, potato flour doesn’t work nearly as well as a pure starch, like potato starch, to thicken. For the purpose of this article, we’ll be referring to potato starch.
How to Use Potato Starch as a Thickener:
- For thickening, potato starch works very similarly to cornstarch. Make a slurry by using a 1:1 ratio: combine 1 tbsp potato starch with 1 tbsp cold liquid for about every cup of liquid you’re thickening. Add this slurry to your soups, sauces, or gravies.
Keep in mind that potato starch cannot withstand very high temperatures for long periods of time. Use this thickener at the very end of cooking and avoid using it for long-simmered sauces and stews.
Tip: Making fried chicken? Most recipes call for cornstarch to make the batter extra crispy. Try swapping it for potato starch the next time you make it for an extra crunchy coating!
6. Xanthan Gum
Xanthan gum is an excellent binder, made by fermenting sugars with the Xanthomonas campestris bacteria. As strange as that process sounds, it is safe to consume. It is used in food production to improve the texture and consistency, as well as the shelf life of foods.
But even though xanthan gum is completely safe, consuming it in excess can cause gas and bloating for some people. If that is the case, try out any of the other gluten-free thickeners in this article!
How to Use Xantham Gum as a Thickener:
With xanthan gum, it’s best to use it in trusted recipes that specifically call for this thickening agent, as using too much can lead to slimy textures and unwanted digestive upset.
- If using without a recipe, start small (1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp) at a time and stir it in. You will quickly notice its thickening effect as it activates almost instantly. Add more in small amounts at a time until you reach your desired thickness.
What brand is best? This one is dependable, and one bag will last you a long time.
All of these thickeners are fairly common and easy to find. Here are some of the more unusual gluten-free thickening agents….
7. Guar Gum
Guar gum has some incredible water-absorbing properties. It’s about eight times stronger than cornstarch as a thickener.
How to Use Guar Gum as a Thickener:
Like xanthan gum, measure carefully when using guar gum. If you use too much, you may end up with stringy or lumpy goods.
- Start with 1/8 – 1/4 tsp of guar gum per cup of liquid that you wish to thicken for sauces, soups, or even dressings. Whisk it into a small amount of cold liquid that you are already using in your recipe, then incorporate the slurry mixture into the rest of the dish to thicken.
- Let the mixture sit, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes to allow time to thicken.
- For baked goods, guar gum is often mixed in with the flour to add more structure (as gluten would) to the final result. As a general measurement, use 1-2 tsp of guar gum per cup of gluten-free flour.
8. Sweet Potato Starch
Sweet potato starch is a little more challenging to find, but it can result in some wonderful textures, like chewy Korean japchae noodles. It is a key part of Asian cuisine and can be found in most Asian supermarkets or online stores.
For use as a thickener, it can be directly substituted for potato starch.
How to Use Sweet Potato Starch as a Thickener:
- Make a slurry by using a 1:1 ratio: combine 1 tbsp potato starch with 1 tbsp cold liquid for about every cup of liquid you’re thickening. Add this slurry to your soups, sauces, or gravies.
- For frying, use that same 1:1 ratio of starch to liquid for an exceptionally crispy exterior to fried goods.
9. Agar Powder
Agar powder is naturally derived from seaweed and is often used as a great vegan alternative for making gelatin or gel-based foods like puddings, custards, or jellies.
How to Use Agar Powder as a Thickener:
- As with most of these thickeners, you should make a slurry with the powder to then add to the whole recipe. If using a recipe that calls for agar, use the written amount, but otherwise use agar depending on the consistency you are looking for.
- Start with 1 tsp of agar powder per cup of liquid in your dish for a thicker set, or 1/2-1/4 tsp for a softer set. Stir to dissolve the powder in an equal amount of cold liquid before adding to your hot liquid, where it should boil for about 1-2 minutes to activate it. Agar will help the dish to set as it cools.
10. Kudzu Powder
Kudzu powder comes from the root of the kudzu vine, a plant from East Asia that is used for both its culinary and medicinal purposes. It provides a subtle, slightly sweet, and nutty taste to dishes.
How to Use Kudzu Powder as a Thickener:
- For every cup of liquid in your recipe, use about 1 tbsp of kudzu powder. Dissolve the powder in equal parts of cold water to make your slurry. Add this to your dish and simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
- The powder can also be dissolved in warm water to drink as a tea and be enjoyed for its medicinal properties. It is said to help with menopausal symptoms and aid in digestive health, amongst other benefits.
Pro Tip
When working with thickeners, one key note is to always add your thickener of choice in the final steps of your cooking. This ensures that it doesn’t overheat, which can lead to undesirable textures in your dish and can cause the ingredients to lose their thickening power.
Stir the thickener into a simmering dish to incorporate and allow it to do its job of thickening, then remove from the heat. No need to cook for long periods of time after adding the thickener; add it, heat it gently with the dish, and enjoy!
Compare the Best Gluten-Free Thickeners at a Glance
With so many gluten-free thickening agents available, it can be tough to know which one is best for your specific dish, whether it’s a creamy soup, fruit pie, or fried favorite, like these gluten-free air fryer donuts.
To help you choose quickly and confidently, we’ve put together this easy-to-use comparison chart. It highlights the strengths, limitations, and ideal uses for each thickener, so you can get the perfect texture every time.
| Thickener | Best For | Not Good For | Acid Stable | Freeze Stable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornstarch | Sauces, gravies | Acidic dishes | ❌ | ❌ | Use a slurry to avoid clumping |
| Arrowroot | Sauces, pie fillings | Dairy-based recipes | ✅ | ✅ | Glossy finish |
| Tapioca | Pies, desserts | High-heat sauces | ✅ | ✅ | Soft texture, mild flavor |
| Potato Starch | Soups, frying | Long simmering | ✅ | ❌ | Add at the end of cooking |
| Xanthan Gum | Dressings, baking | Overuse → slimy texture | ✅ | ✅ | Start small — very strong |
| Guar Gum | Cold liquids, baking | Hot sauces | ✅ | ✅ | 8× stronger than cornstarch |
| Agar Powder | Jellies, custards | Thin sauces | ✅ | ✅ | Vegan gelatin alternative |
| Kudzu Powder | Soups, teas | Large-batch baking | ✅ | ✅ | Adds a subtle nutty flavor |
Quick Answers: Gluten-Free Thickener FAQs You Need to Know
Still have questions about choosing or using gluten-free thickeners? These quick answers tackle the most common issues home cooks run into, so you can troubleshoot problems, avoid common mistakes, and feel more confident in the kitchen. If you don’t see yours, just drop it in the comments below.
What is the best gluten-free thickener for gravy?
For rich, traditional gravies, a gluten-free roux made with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and butter delivers the best flavor and texture. For a quicker option, cornstarch or arrowroot works well when added as a slurry, though arrowroot is the better choice for acidic gravies.
Which gluten-free thickeners freeze and reheat well?
Arrowroot, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum maintain their texture after freezing and reheating. Cornstarch and potato starch often break down and become watery once thawed.
Can xanthan gum be used instead of cornstarch?
Xanthan gum can replace cornstarch in some applications, but it is much more concentrated. Start with about 1/4 teaspoon per cup of liquid and increase gradually. It works best in sauces, soups, and dressings rather than fried or crispy recipes.
What are the best gluten-free thickeners for clean eating or paleo diets?
Arrowroot, tapioca starch, and kudzu powder are minimally processed and commonly used in paleo-friendly cooking. If you prefer to avoid food gums, these starches are excellent natural options.
How do you prevent lumps when thickening sauces?
Always mix your thickener with a cold liquid to form a smooth slurry before adding it to hot foods. Slowly whisk the slurry into the dish while stirring continuously to ensure even thickening.
Try These Gluten-Free Recipes That Put Thickeners to Work
Now that you’ve got a better handle on which gluten-free thickeners to use and when, why not put them to the test in your own kitchen? These delicious, tried-and-true recipes use many of the ingredients we discussed above, and are perfect for building your confidence with gluten-free baking and cooking.
And if you’re hungry for more tips, tricks, and ingredient know-how, we’ve got you covered:
Have you used any of these thickeners in your gluten-free cooking journey? Let us know which one and what you made in the comments!
