Gluten-Free Flours: The Flour Library

Gluten-free flours are the flours, starches and binders you bake with instead of wheat, barley or rye flour. This library covers 54 of them, from rice, buckwheat and almond flour to tapioca starch and psyllium husk, and compares the 10 you will use most side by side. Rice, buckwheat, teff and most others here contain no gluten by nature but can pick it up in the field, the mill or the packing plant, so buy flour labelled gluten-free: in the US and the EU that label caps gluten at 20 ppm.

Which 10 gluten-free flours should you start with?

Start with these 10: seven flours (rice, buckwheat, almond, sorghum, chickpea, teff and oat) for flavour and body, and three starches (tapioca, corn and potato) for lightness.

How do the 10 essential gluten-free flours compare?

Buckwheat and oat flour carry the highest cross-contact risk of the 10, while tapioca, corn and potato starch rate highest for lightness.

Absorbency, binding and lightness rated 1 to 5 from our test bakes. Higher absorbency = needs more liquid; higher binding = more structure; higher lightness = airier crumb.

In short: pair one flour from this table with one starch, and buy each of them labelled gluten-free.

Flour or starch: what’s the difference?

Flours (rice, buckwheat, almond, sorghum, chickpea, teff, oat) are ground whole grains, seeds or nuts: they bring flavour, nutrition and some structure. Starches (tapioca, corn, potato) are refined, near-pure carbohydrates: they bring lightness, chew and moisture, but no flavour. Nearly every good GF bake combines both: roughly 70% flour to 30% starch is the classic starting ratio.

Questions about gluten-free flours

Is there a gluten-free flour that replaces wheat flour one to one?

No single gluten-free flour does everything wheat flour does, because none of them contains gluten, the protein that gives wheat dough its structure and stretch. Most gluten-free bakes combine a flour with a starch, roughly 70% flour to 30% starch, and many recipes add a binder such as xanthan gum or psyllium husk. Our flour substitutions guide shows what to swap when the shelf is empty.

Are naturally gluten-free flours safe for coeliacs?

It depends on the mill and the pack, not on the grain. Rice, buckwheat, chickpea and the other naturally gluten-free flours here contain no gluten of their own, but in a 2010 US study, 7 of 22 naturally gluten-free grains, seeds and flours bought without a gluten-free label held 20 ppm of gluten or more. Buy flour labelled gluten-free, skip open bulk bins, and see which flours contain gluten.

Is oat flour gluten-free?

Oat flour counts as gluten-free only when the pack says gluten-free: oats contain no gluten, but the NHS notes they can become contaminated with other cereals, and EU Regulation 828/2014 allows the claim on oats only when they are produced to avoid that contamination and hold no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. Coeliac UK says most people with coeliac disease can eat gluten-free oats and a very small number still react to them; if you notice symptoms, talk to your doctor or dietitian. Our oat flour page has the details.

What does gluten-free on a US flour bag mean?

A gluten-free claim on a US flour bag means the FDA rule 21 CFR 101.91 applies: the flour holds no wheat, rye or barley ingredient unless it was processed to remove gluten, and any gluten that could not be avoided stays below 20 ppm (rule read 21.10.2026). A bag without the claim has made no promise either way, even when the flour is gluten-free by nature.

What else helps when you bake with gluten-free flours?

• Flour Friday: a new flour deep-dive every week
• Flour substitutions: what to swap when the shelf is empty
• Label-reading FAQ: “may contain”, crossed grain, oats and more
• All recipes: put the flours to work

What is in the full A to Z? All 54 flours, starches and binders

The A to Z lists all 54 entries in 8 families plus one special case, wheat starch with the gluten removed; tap a family name for its side-by-side guide and how to choose.

Which flours does the library hold, family by family?

The essentials above, plus every other flour, starch and binder we have researched, grouped by family, each with its own coeliac safety notes.