Brown Rice flour is commonly used in baking because it offers a grainy texture to your baked items like your cookies and cakes. Frying, baking, and thickening your sauces and gravies are the uses of brown rice flour.
A notable characteristic of brown rice flour is its tendency to stale rapidly. It is much better to buy it in small quantities so you can use all of them before it stales. If there are some leftovers, you can store the brown rice flour in the fridge and seal them properly. In this way, it can last much longer.
If you run out of it completely, here are some of the replacements that can do the job.
- Sorghum Flour
- Potato Starch
- White Rice Flour
- Tapioca Flour
- Wheat Flour
- Millet Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Almond Flour
- Amaranth Flour
If you are fond of discovering new substitutes for your favorite ingredient, I bet it will be exciting for you!
But first, let us talk about brown rice flour. What’s brown rice flour? Do you know where it comes from? Do you know it has a lot of substitutes?
13 Best Brown Rice Flour Substitutes
Brown rice flour is a kind of flour derived from rice kernels with an intact bran layer. It comes from dehulled rice grains and is creamy white. It is obtained by first threshing the grains.
Second, the outer husk is separated and then dried. Third, it undergoes milling, and the outcome will be brown rice flour.
Brown rice flour has a high quantity of oil due to the germ and bran. It is an abundant source of vitamin B, iron, and fiber.[Source]
Among the many substitutes for brown rice flour, I prefer oat flour simply because I love oats. You can even make oat flour by grinding oats in the food processor.
Oat flour contains dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is easy to substitute. You don’t need to do complicated calculations since it is a simple conversion process using the 1:1 ratio.
It also has a lot of health benefits like the following. It reduces asthma and prevents runs and constipation. It also helps you lose excess weight and lowers blood sugar levels. It is helpful if you use oat flour and you have diabetes.
Cooking entails patience and a lot of creativity to make the perfect dish! It naturally comes if you have an innate knack for it or love to do it. It is easier and more efficient if you have the complete ingredients.
The following are the other substitutes for brown rice flour. Let us dig in.
Sorghum Flour
Sorghum flour is an essential grain in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. It is now a favorite ingredient for cooking in the South.
What is nice about sorghum flour is that it has the same texture and taste as brown rice flour. It is nutty and mildly sweet. It gives structure to your baked goodies, bread, and muffins.
In addition, sorghum flour has fiber, protein, minerals, and antioxidants. It lowers your cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of developing diabetes and heart diseases. If you want a healthy option, then it is a great substitute.
Use a 1:1 ratio in substituting for brown rice flour. A drawback of sorghum flour is it is not readily available compared to the other alternatives.
Potato Starch
Did you know that potato starch is another substitute for brown rice flour? It is tasteless and will not affect the flavor of your recipe.
It’s also gluten-free and is excellent for frying, baking, and as a thickening agent. Use the 1:1 ratio in the substitution.
White Rice Flour
White rice flour comes from polished and refined rice grains. The germ layers and outer bran were separated, leaving the white grain intact.
It works the same as brown rice. It has a neutral taste and is available in most grocery stores. It is excellent for deep-frying, thickening as well as baking.
For baking, you can use this by starting with the same amount as brown rice flour and gradually increasing it until you reach the consistency needed.
Tapioca Flour
Tapioca flour comes from dried cassava roots and is mildly sweet. It is best suited for desserts and well-baked goodies because of its flavor. It is also gluten-free and is the go-to ingredient to thicken fruit pie fillings.
Tapioca flour also works as a thickening agent for your gravies, soups, and sauces. You can also use it for breading vegetables and meats. It gives food a crunchy texture when used as a coating.
The disadvantage of using tapioca flour is that it has a high source of carbohydrates. If you are health conscious, you can lessen the use of it.
Use a 1:1 ratio in place of brown rice flour.
Wheat Flour
Wheat flour is another substitute for brown rice flour. It comes from grinding the whole wheat kernel containing the germ and bran.
It acts differently than rice flour. You can still use it by mixing less, use a few binders, and use a small amount of liquid when baking. It means you need to adjust the recipe to get a good product.
Remember that wheat flour also contains gluten. If you are looking for a gluten-free substitute, better choose another option.
Millet Flour
Millet flour comes from millet, a crop grown in Asia and Africa. It is harvested either by machine or hand. The grains are removed, crushed, and pounded to obtain the flour. It undergoes stone grinding to purify the flour.
It is gluten-free and has vitamins and minerals. It is ideal for baking bread, cakes, muffins, and cookies. It has a relatively strong nutty flavor with mild sweetness.
You may also mix it with another flour so its taste will not be overwhelming.
Coconut Flour
Another gluten-free substitute for brown rice flour is coconut flour. It comes from grated coconuts.
It is a good source of protein, fiber, and MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides) that aid your body in fighting off heart problems, increased levels of blood sugar, and poor digestion.
It also has a sweet taste.
You can add more eggs or milk when using coconut flour in baking. It will make sure the inside of your baked goodie is moist.
For baking, use ¾ cup of coconut flour in place of 1 cup brown rice flour.
Almond Flour
Almond flour comes from ground almonds. It has an intense almond-like flavor due to its source. The starch level of almond flour is not the same as the others since it comes from a nut and not from grain, unlike the rest.
It has low carbohydrates, but has high levels of protein. It is the best option for you if you want to slim down.
Because of its intense almond-like flavor, it makes it most appropriate for baking sweet goodies. Almond flour is also suited for coating chicken or fish, and makes your dish more delicious.
Bear in mind to avoid using almond flour when you serve your baked goodies to people who are allergic to nuts. You also need to monitor the cooking time when you use almond flour since it bakes more quickly compared to other flours.
It also does not take in liquid as much as brown rice flour. The solution is mixing it with tapioca or oat flour.
You can use a 1:1 ratio in substituting for brown rice flour.
Amaranth Flour
Amaranth flour comes from amaranth seeds that were pounded and turned into fine powder. It is gluten-free and contains fiber and protein.
Amaranth flour serves as a thickening agent. It is another alternative to making pancakes and baking flatbread.
You can use amaranth flour in the same quantity as brown rice flour.
Oat Flour
Oat flour is gluten-free and has dietary fiber, antioxidants, protein, vitamins, and minerals. It is also a great source of carbohydrates and gives only 50 calories per 100 grams of oat flour.
It makes your cookies firm. It also gives a fine quality to your baked goodies.
You can easily buy it in most grocery stores. You can grind your oats in a food processor or blender if you have no time to go out.
Oat flour gives a homey and nutty flavor to your bread and other baked goodies like brown rice flour.
The substitution is a cup of oat flour for a cup of brown rice flour.
Cornstarch
Would you believe cornstarch is also a substitute for brown rice flour? It is excellent for frying, baking, and as a thickening agent. It will make your fried food crispier and tastier.
Do not splash it directly into your sauce when using it as a thickening agent. Mix one tablespoon of water and cornstarch before pouring it into your sauce. Then cook it at low to medium heat to remove the starchy flavor.
Use it in the same quantity as brown rice flour in frying or baking.
Arrowroot Flour
Arrowroot flour is another alternative to brown rice flour. It is grain-free, vegan, paleo-friendly, and gluten-free. It is also known as arrowroot powder or arrowroot starch. It has no flavor. It is for thickening, baking, and frying your favorite recipes.
Especially in baking, you can combine arrowroot flour with tapioca, almond, or coconut flour to get tasty bread.
Use the 1:1 ratio in place of brown rice flour.
All Purpose Flour
All Purpose Flour is another substitute for brown rice flour and is ideal for frying, thickening, and baking. It is best suited as a thickener for sauces and gravies.
Use the 1:1 ratio in substituting it for brown rice flour.
Substitute For Brown Rice Flour Related FAQs
Is brown rice flour gluten-free?
Yes, brown rice flour is gluten-free. It is made from brown rice and does not have wheat.
Which is healthier, brown rice flour or white rice flour?
Brown rice flour is healthier than white rice flour because it has a higher protein level and is more nutritious compared to white rice flour.
It is also not milled heavily compared to white rice flour. Its bran is intact.
What are the health benefits of brown rice flour?
The following are the health benefits of brown rice flour. It lowers your risk of getting heart-related problems, gives healthy digestion, and aids in maintaining your weight.
In addition, it does not contain trans-fats which raises your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol. It elevates your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol.
Is brown rice good for baking?
Yes, brown rice is good for baking because it makes your cake light and fluffy and your cookies crunchy.
