For the majority of people within the gluten-free baking community, xanthan gum is the holy grail of baking. It’s easily the most popular binding agent and most gluten-free recipes feature it as a crucial ingredient.
Recently, however, there has been some controversy surrounding xanthan gum as it appears to cause allergy-like symptoms in certain individuals. Add that to the fact that it’s highly processed, its use is being viewed as contradictory to the healthy and holistic approach that is sometimes embraced by gluten-free bakers.
So it leaves us with a problem or perhaps a challenge. Are there alternatives to xanthan gum and, if so, how can you use them in your baking to perhaps avoid the negative health effects that using xanthan may bring? Here are some alternatives and how to use them to substitute for xanthan gum in recipes.
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are an excellent binding agent and can absorb up to 12 times their own weight in water. They form a gel-like substance which improves the consistency of dough and locks in moisture when baking breads, pastries and cakes.
They can be ground, although this is not necessary for the binding effect to take place. Chia seeds are also extremely high in fiber and can have a laxative effect. They are popular replacements for xanthan gum because while they have a nutty flavor, it’s mild and tends not to interfere with the flavor of the baked goods they are added to.
Substituting xanthan for these is simple as you use a 1:1 ratio. Just use the same amount of chia (in weight) as you would xanthan and you’re all set!
Here is a recipe to see chia seeds in action:
Amazing Gluten Free White Bread Without Xanthan Gum
Psyllium Husk
Psyllium husk or psyllium fibre is a relatively new binding agent which is typically used as a xanthan gum substitute in breads. It has been scientifically proven to improve the structure of gluten-free dough and improve the texture, volume and rising of gluten free baked bread.
It is typically found as a dietary fibre supplement in most health stores and is used by athletes to lower cholesterol. A good rule of thumb for substituting psyllium husk powder for xanthan gum is to use 2 tsp. of psyllium husk powder for every cup of flour/ starch.
This gluten free popover recipe uses psyllium husk and it turns out perfectly.
Konjac Powder
Also known as Glucomannan powder, Konjac powder is ground up konjac root which has been used in Asia as a dietary fiber for several hundreds of years. Like Psyllium fiber, it is used as a supplementary source of fiber as well as a thickener.
Its high fiber content lends it numerous health benefits which include the reduction of blood cholesterol and a lower bowel cancer risk. It also helps control blood sugar levels but its binding properties are most relevant for our purposes.
When used in baking, you can use the same amount of Konjac powder as you would xanthan gum (1/2 teaspoon per cup of flour for cakes and breads). For other baked goods like flatbreads or tortillas, you can increase the amount of Konjac you use to ¾ teaspoon per cup of four to get the desired consistency.
Flax Seeds
Flaxseeds are extremely popular in baking and also as a health supplement (flaxseed oil). They are a great binding agent and are easily found (because of their popularity). On top of all this, they are cheap to buy!
In their natural form, flaxseeds are not very useful as a binding agent. They have to be ground first and then mixed with hot water. The water has to be boiled first and then mixed with the flax to form a gel like paste known as ‘slurry’ which is then added to gluten free flour for baking breads and cakes.
For substitution, use the same weight of ground flax as you would xanthan gum. Then mix it in twice the amount of water (2 tbsp of ground flax mixed with 4 tbsp of hot boiling water).
Check out this recipe for gluten free cinnamon raisin bread using flax seed meal.
Agar Agar
Agar Agar is a seaweed derivative which acts as a stabilizer, thickener and binding agent. It, like the other alternatives mentioned above, forms a gel-like paste when mixed with water. It is a popular vegan alternative to gelatin (another binding agent derived from animals) with excellent moisture retention properties.
It makes dough stretchy and elastic while making breads chewier. It’s recommended that you exercise restraint when using agar agar as it can retain so much moisture that breads and cakes end up soggy.
It’s worth noting that agar agar can be fairly pricey and a little difficult to find locally, so the internet is usually the best place to go. That said, it works a treat in baking because it has no odor, color or taste.
Agar agar is 80% fiber so it CAN have a laxative effect if too much is used. To use agar, you need to dissolve it in water first. Once it’s dissolved, you need to boil it (1-5 minutes for powder and 10-15 minutes for flakes).
So there are five great substitutes for xanthan gum that you can try out when you want a substitution to xanthan gum.
Next head over to 5 Alternatives to Xanthan gum and Guar gum in Gluten-Free Baking for more in-depth information about replacing gums in your baking. And while you’re here, sign up to the Gluten-Free-Bread email list below!
Heidi
I was just reading the information on substituting xanthan with ground flax seed. It says to use the same weight in flax seed as you would xanthan and make a slurry by mixing with twice the amount of hot boiled water. Two questions 1) most recipes don’t use measurements of weight so are we talking a 1:1 ratio? and 2) the example was 2TBS flax seed mixed with 5 TBS hot boiling water. Doubling 2 should be 4. What am I missing? Any help would be appreciated!!
Chrissy Lane
Hi Heidi,
Thanks for the questions!
Yes, that is a 1:1 ratio, so whatever the recipe calls for for xanthan gum, you could use flax seeds.
And then for when you mix it with the boiling water, as a general rule, it is ‘doubling the boiling water’, so you’re right – need to correct that 5 Tbsp, to 4 Tbsp. A little extra water is not a big deal though.
What is a big thing to keep in mind with these seeds is that they need to be ground very fine, to a powder, really, otherwise you risk having a seedy taste in your end result.
Hope that answers your questions!
Heidi
Thank you so much for your response! It is a great help as I am new to gluten free cooking. It is challenging and I am finding that some of the ingredients are costly so it helps that I can use a less expensive substitute!
Chrissy Lane
Absolutely!
Yeah, the cost of some of these ingredients can get pretty high. We’ll try to come up some tips for curbing the cost.
Thank U for the questions!
Nancy Hayes
I’m not worried about the gluten so much h. I just need to know if I can substitute it for baking powder
Christine
Hi Nancy,
Baking powder is tough to substitute – I don’t have a definite sub to use or suggest.
Sorry I can’t help more!
Elaine
Nancy, for 1 tsp. baking powder, substitute 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar + 1/4 tsp. baking soda. When substituting, quantities do fluctuate a bit depending on what specifically you’re baking. (See https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Substitute-Baking-Powder). I also sub white vinegar or FRESH lemon juice for the cream of tartar (https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/smart-choices/substitute-for-cream-of-tartar). You’ll need to experiment a bit with these until you’re satisfied with how the taste and texture of your baked goods turn out.
Sarah
Thank you SO much for your posts on substitutes for xanthan and guar gum. I am the first in my family that is gluten free and we’ve been finding it rather difficult to find things for me to eat (I’ve had salad for dinner almost every night for the past week) and our budget is tight so we can’t afford some of the pricey ingredients. It’s super nice to know there is a cheaper alternative!
Chrissy Lane
Hi Sarah,
Awesome!
So glad you enjoyed it AND found it helpful!
Thank u for the kind words!
Patty
I don’t have xanthan gum and I was going to use chia seeds that I do have. It says to use 1:1 ratio in weight. Chia seeds as you know are extremely light weight but I have no idea how heavy xanthan gum is so I have no way to determine how much chia seeds I need to equal 2 teaspoons of xanthan gum. I love these substitutes but they would be easier to exchange them if you gave the exchanges in ways other than weight. Also, since chia seeds double their size would you need more liquid?
Thank you for your help.
Patty
Chrissy Lane
Hi Patty,
This does need some clarifying – so what you would do is take 1 tablespoon of your ground chia seeds and mix it with 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Let that mixture sit for 15 minutes or until it becomes gel-like.
Then measure out how much you need to replace the xanthan gum on a 1:1 basis. So like 2 teaspoons of xanthan equals 2 teaspoons of chia mixture.
Does that make sense?
Lisi Sanabria
OMG! This site is amazing! You are wonderful, thank you all so much for what you are doing here, for the rest of us strugling with the gluten free life; sharing free information, recipes, advise And much more.
I live outside the US in a third world country, so for me is specially hard to find all the ingredientes And flours; not to mention the pricey they get in the “specialty ” stores. Lately I wasn’t able to bake me some goods, because they didn’t have the xantan gum. But we are blessed with chia and flax seeds available at the local markets; at a fair price. I am very happy right now, thank you, thank you!
Rebekah
I prefer to use Glucomannan powder instead of xanthan gum but I don’t know what the ratio is for substitution. The recipe I’m looking at calls for 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum. Any thoughts on how much Glucomannan powder? I could use psyllium husk but I don’t know the ratio for that either. Can you help?
Chrissy Lane
Hi Rebekah,
With Glucomannan powder, I would definitely start small – maybe use 1/4 tsp.
For the psyllium husk, use 1 tsp. to one cup of gluten free flour.
Hope this helps!
Lynn
How should I mix in the chia seed/water mixture into my mix? I tried stirring it into the water as I figured it needed to be mixed in well. My bread turned out flat/sunken in and very dense. Not good. Also, how to get it evenly distributed in the dough? It’s not yeast which is live and will grow throughout the entire dough and rise it. I appreciate it when a concept/idea of a way of doing something is explained all the way thru, in this case how to mix it in would be very much appreciated. Vegan, non-gluten, and almost medication free due to diet…..(off 4 meds!)
C.J. Brady
Hi Lynn,
Thanks for your comment!
With the chia seeds, you would mix them first with the water – so use 1 tbls. of chia seeds and 2 tbls. boiling water. Mix and let it sit until the mixture becomes a gel consistency. Then add it into your recipe.
Hope that helps!
Isiris
Thank you! That is exactly what I was wondering!
Seth
1:1replacement with Guatemala gum works well too
Wendy
What is the ratio of xanthan gum to ener g egg replacer? I will be using the egg replacer as a binder for my vegan patties. Thank you
Patricia
This is such a helpful site. Just the kind of information I’ve been looking for.
I am making spreadable vegan butter and the recipe calls for 1/4 tsp of xanthum gum. I have agar agar powder and flakes. How much of either should I use to replace the xanthum gum?
C.J. Brady
Hi Patricia,
Glad you enjoy it!
To answer your question, you would double the amount of the agar agar powder in place of xanthan gum. So try 1/2 tsp. of agar agar powder.
Thanks again for the kind words!
Linda
I put xanthan gum in my home made raw milk ice cream to make it creamier. My husband complained that my homemade ice cream wasn’t as creamy as the store bought, and I found a suggestion on someone’s blog to use xanthan gum…which DOES work. But, if there is a better substitute I would much rather use it. Which substitute would you suggest. Thank you for this website…good stuff in it 🙂
Dee
Hi,
You can buy Agar-Agar VERY inexpensively in Asian markets like Ranch-99, and Indian stores. Any place you have people from Vietnam and other parts of Asia live there are Asian markets. These are very inexpensive. It’s used in ‘coconut jello’ and other deserts in Vietnam and other parts of Asia.
kari
HI there, have enjoyed these comments. I’m trying to convert one of my mother’s yeast roll recipes to gluten free and I’m wondering what the ratio of agar agar would be to replace the Xanthan gum? Does it also need to be in boiling water and then added?
Karen
Thank you so much! We have eliminated corn from our diet. A lot of GF recipes have xanthan in them. I have chia seeds. Perfect!
Lynne
Do you have a GF recipe that does not use corn or potato starch, I can only have oat or brown rice or almond flour, and would like to make a fluffy sour dough bread and rolls (I do like yeast too) Thank you
C.J. Brady
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for asking. So you could take this recipe https://zestforbaking.com/making-perfect-guten-free-sourdough-bread and then for the gluten free flour mix, since it does call for potato starch, you could substitute arrowroot.
So use this flour mix: https://zestforbaking.com/how-to-make-gluten-free-bread-flour-mix but use arrowroot http://shrsl.com/mbbn for the starch.
That’s a lot of info – Hope it makes sense.
Let me know if you have questions!
Christine
Anna
I wish to replace xanthan gum with ground flax seeds
The receipt says to use 1 tablespoon of xanthan gum, how do you make the equivalent?
In the middle of baking a pumpkin pie and realised no xAnthan in the cupboard.
Many thanks
C.J. Brady
Hi Anna,
Thanks for asking.
For 1 tablespoon of xanthan gum, use 2 tsp. of ground flax seeds mixed with 4 tsp. of hot water.
Hope that helps!
Christine
Christina
hi so when you are using flax seed to water 1:2 once that is gelled is that when you put it in the recipe? is it the mixture that you go by when following a recipe or the actual amount of flax seed/ gum in the recipe meaning would be 1 tbsp. of flax seed mixture in the recipe or 1 tbsp. of the flax seed only?
C.J. Brady
Hi Christina,
Thanks for asking. So yes, I always add it once it’s a gel consistency. Actually, in most recipes, I’ll indicate, ‘Add chia / flax mixture’.
And it’s the equivalent of what the xanthan gum amount is – so for instance, in this recipe, https://zestforbaking.com/amazing-gluten-free-white-bread-without-xanthan-gum the 2 tsp. of flax and chia seeds comes together to replace xanthan gum. If I were to use xanthan gum in it, I’d probably use 1 – 2 tsp. of it.
Hope that helps. It’s a complicated balance!
Christine
Mrs. Lee
If the all purpose flour has Acacia Gum do you need to add Xanthan Gum?
C.J. Brady
Hi,
Acacia gum would function the same way that xanthan does. No need to add xanthan gum to it.
S.C.
Hi, I wanted to use psyllium husks instead of Xanthan Gum. The recipe calls for 2 tsp of xanthan gum, how much psyllium should I use? Also if I were to use chia seeds or flax seed should I let 1 tbs of seed ground sit in 2 tbs or boiling or just hot water and then measure out 2 tsp? Please Help! Thank you
C.J. Brady
Hi,
Thanks for asking.
A good rule of thumb is 1 tsp. psyllium husk powder for every cup of flour. So if the recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of flour – use a full tablespoon of psyllium husk powder.
Hope that helps!
Christine
Bill R
Psyllium Husk
Psyllium husk or psyllium fibre is a relatively new binding agent which is typically used as a xanthan gum substitute in breads. It has been scientifically proven to improve the structure of gluten-free dough and improve the texture, volume and rising of gluten free baked bread.
It is typically found as a dietary fibre supplement in most health stores and is used by athletes to lower cholesterol. A good rule of thumb for substituting psyllium husk powder for xanthan gum is to use 2 tsp. of psyllium husk powder for every cup of flour/ starch.
Sorry I’m confused, is it 1 tsp or 2?
C.J. Brady
Hi Bill,
Thanks for asking.
It’s usually 2 tsp. for every cup of flour or starch. So if you’re using 1 cup, it would be 1 tsp.
That’s a general rule – some recipes may indicate different measurements.
Hope that helps!
Christine
shalom
I’m trying to avoid flax. What is the substitution ratio for chia and flax, is it 1:1? Ex. if a recipe calls for 1tbs flax seed would I use 1tbs chia seed?
Christine
Hi!
Yes, exactly right – I just use a 1:1 ratio.
Hope that helps!
Christine
shalom
Thank you for answering
Sharifa
Hi, i haven’t gone through all the comments,so I want to know if anyone has asked about Guar Gum. I use that as a binding agent. Also do you have any sugar free and dairy free recipes for breads.
Christine
Hi,
Thanks for asking – I have category for dairy free recipes, but not sugar free. It’s something I may look into though!
Here’s the search for dairy free recipes: https://zestforbaking.com/recipes
Hope that helps!
Christine
Peg Curtacci
You are providing a wonderful service for those with Celiac Disease. I am on a advisory board for a Celiac Support group, was just looking for less expensive sugar cokkies recipie for a friend and thankfully found your site. I always have Chia and Flax seeds in the house.
will defintely share with our support group.
Christine
Thank you Peg! Really appreciate that!
Christine
sigrid
Hey there:) I was wondering, does chia have to be turned into a slurry in gluten free bread, before mixing it into the batter? Also, the recipe i use for gf bread uses milk, not water. Not wanting to add additional liquid to the recipe, could I make the slurry with hot milk?
Christine
Thanks for asking!
As far as the chia seeds go, it depends on the recipe. Sometimes you do mix it up and sometimes not. If it’s acting as an egg replacer, then yes, you would mix it up into a slurry first.
And I’ve never used milk instead of water, so I can’t say for sure, but I would think it would work just fine.
Hope that helps!
Christine
Sheri Hall
One of the best and least expensive places to find Agar Agar powder is an Asian store. I get “Telephone Brand” at my local Asian store for $1.79 for .88oz (25gram). Serving size is 1/4t (1gram) in 120gram boiling water, so that makes 25 servings per package. PS- Asian stores are a rich supply of fresh veg, wonderful rices, spices, tofu, ginger, galanga, eggplant, sushi ingredients, seaweed wraps,coconut, curry paste, and many other delicacies! Do yourself a favor and take a field trip to one near you! You will be pleasantly surprised at what you find!
Christine
Thank you for the tips Sheri! Yes, I agree, I love Asian supermarkets!
Christine
Sheri Hall
My Pleasure!
Yupeng
Hi Christine,
Thank you for the wonderful articles on this topic. I am thinking to use agar powder to hopefully make my dough stretchy enough. My question is after boiling the agar agar powder with water, can I let it cool first and then mix it with flour, or I have to use the solution hot?
Best regards,
YP
Christine
Hi Yupeng,
Thanks for asking – yes, let it cool. Most of the time, ingredients need to be at room temperature. So this goes for the agar agar too.
Hope that helps!
~Christine
Yupeng
Thank you so much, Christine!
Lanette Dykman
Hi Christine!
Thank you so much for this article. I found a GF roll recipe that used the psyllium husk and they turned out amazing, but I hadn’t had a chance to experiment with substituting it for xanthan in other baked goods. Does it mess with your hydration? What “general” changes do you have to make when substituting psyllium for xanthan in a GF flour blend? I use sorghum/tapioca starch/potato starch/brown rice in my flour blend.
Best!
Lanette
Christine
Hi Lanette,
Thanks for asking! So I hate the response it depends, but it really does depend on the recipe. Psyllium is definitely a good substitute to use though. Typically it doesn’t alter the hydration of the recipe, but it’s a good idea to let the batter sit for a few minutes after combining the wet and dry ingredients. I’ve found that really helps with texture.
Hope that helps!
~Christine
Stephanie
Locust bean gum is not on your list. How can I replace xanthan gum in baking with locust bean gum? And, will the results be the same? Or would one of the other options you listed be better? Through trial and error I have learned that xanthan gum gives me terrible diarrhea. I finally found a gluten free yeast bread recipe that is so good, but every time I make it I get diarrhea. The only ingredient in the recipe that was new to me was xanthan gum.
Christine
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for asking – so that’s one I’ve not tested before so it’s not on the list.
Not having worked with it, I can’t say for certain what the results would be or how much to add.
Psyllium husk powder is usually my go-to for yeast breads though.
Hope that helps!
Christine
Jane Ashton
Hi Christine….is the psyllium suggestion (2 tsp per cup of flour) for the powder, ie not whole psyllium husks, but the ground psyllium husks..actually a powder? Also, do you need to add more water with this, or put in water first? Thanks 🙂
Christine
Hi Jane,
The powder! And you don’t need more water – just use as-is. Psyllium husk is one of my favorite gum substitutes!
Hope this helps!
~Christine
Jane
Thanks so much!