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Gluten-Free Grains and Flours
- Acorn: does not bind well. Is excellent in chocolate and spice products.
- Almond: works well in breads, pastries and cakes. Can use as coarse bits or flour.
- Amaranth: whole grain can be cooked as a cereal, popped like popcorn, sprouted, toasted or ground into flour. It is best mixed with other flours for baking yeast breads.
- Arrowroot: made from root of a tropical American plant. Typically used as thickening agent and blends well with other gluten-free flours.
- Artichoke: excellent addition to rice-potato-tapioca flour combinations for bread
- Buckwheat/Kasha: used whole, cracked, or ground into flour. Can be used as a pilaf or enjoyed as a hot cereal.
- Carrageen(an): obtained from seaweed and often used as thickening agent for ice cream etc.
- Chestnut: usually roasted, then used whole or ground into flour (does not bind well).
- Coconut flour: defatted coconut meat ground into flour. Very high in fiber. Absorbs lots of liquid in recipes – a little goes a long way.
- Corn (maize): yellow, blue, sweet, and popping corn are all gluten-free (GF). Good basic grain that can be used as flour or cornmeal for baking, breading, cereal, etc.
- Flax: usually listed as flax seed or flax seed meal. Used as a fiber in bulking agents and high fiber foods.
- Manioc: starch extract ground into a flour from cassava, tapioca, or yucca; is used as a thickener for soups, fruit fillings and glazes, much like cornstarch.
- Millet: small grass seeds which can be substituted for sorghum and used in soups or casseroles. The flour is similar to brown rice flour.
- Montina: is Indian rice grass used for an all purpose flour. It is high in protein, high in fiber and gluten-free
- Pea, beans, lentil: (mung bean, garbanzo bean, soya etc.) are basic protein flours. They are excellent additions to bread and baking products although you may need to add a softener in the dough such as egg whites or cottage cheese to counteract firmness. Soy is very high in nutrients and has a distinct flavor and high fat content. It is best used in combination with other flours.
- Potato Flour: made from whole potatoes it has a distinct potato flavor. Used in small quanitities it lends a hearty texture to baked goods and helps hold them together.
- Potato starch (a.k.a. potato starch flour): neutral flavor and a good addition to a GF flour mix. It adds a light, fluffy texture to baked goods and can be used as a thickener for sauces, gravies and puddings. (Not to be confused with pototo flour)
- Quinoa: mild nutty flavor, versatile; can be substituted for any grain. Used whole, as a hot cereal or ground into flour for baking. Adds moisture to baked goods.
- Rice: flours are staples for GF baking both brown and white varieties. Rice has a bland flavor and performs best when combined with other flours that add moisture and cohesiveness such as potato and soy. Sweet rice flour is stickier and has more starch than other rice flours. Rice bran and rice polish add nutrients and flavor.
- Sago: is a slightly gray starch prepared from the trunk or stems of palm trees and other plants. It has a mild flavor and can be used in baking on its own or in combination. It binds slightly but is not easy to work with.
- Sesame: whole, coarsely ground, or flour, it makes an excellent addition to breads and cookies.
- Sorghum (milo): any number of related cereal grasses with sweet, juicy stalks. Both the grains and the syrups are GF.
- Sunflower: whole or finely ground, a nutritious and flavorful addition to breads, cookies, etc.
- Tapioca: (cassava, manioc) excellent thickener for soups and gravies and adds a lightness in texture to other combinations for GF baked products. Keeps well in freezer.
- Taro: Taro is a starchy tropical root used as a thickener, similar to tapioca.
- Teff: is a very small black grain of the millet family, used as hot porridge or in flat bread.
- Wild rice: a tall, annual, aquatic grass that produces a flavorful GF flour.
- Water chestnut: when it is dried, it may be ground into a flour or powder and used as a thickener, or for coating foods prior to frying. Available online and in some Asian markets
Flours and Grains That Are Not Safe for a Gluten-Free Diet
- Barley: a documented gluten-containing grain. It is often used in malt, HPP, HVP, colorings and flavorings.
- Bulgur: wheat that has been cooked, dried, and coarsely ground.
- Durum: a hard wheat that yields flour and semolina used in macaroni products.
- Kamut: (a variety of wheat) a large kernelled grain.
- Oats: there are many varieties and many opinions it is not recommended due to cross contamination.
- Rye: a high reactor for CS and DH patients.
- Semolina: the larger kernels of wheat sifted out in flour milling process and used for pasta.
- Spelt: a primitive species of wheat native to southern Europe and western Asia.
- Triticale: a hybrid of rye and wheat. It is not gluten-free.
- Wheat: all varieties of wheat and wheat products should be avoided.
Other Items/Additives Recommended to Avoid
- Vinegars from grains (apple cider, wine, balsamic, rice, and rice wine are ok)
- MSG and HVP (hydrolyzed vegetable protein) may be made from gluten containing grains.
- Natural Flavors (find out if product contains MSG or HVP)
- Caramel color
- Tamari or soy sauce made from wheat.
- Miso powder or paste made from barley or buckwheat or that includes soy sauce.
- Yeast of any kind except baking yeast.
- Rice syrup made with enzymes grown on barley malt.
- Candies, flours or starch used on conveyor belts.