Arrowroot is a herb plant cultivated as a starch which is extracted from the plant rootstock. This herb is native to rainforest habitats such as Africa, Australia, Jamaica and South Asia. It is commonly used as a binder or food thickening agent in many gluten free recipes including puddings, jellies, cakes, sauces and cookies.

Arrowroot powder is sold in the form of a fine white powder similar in look to cornstarch but has many advantages over cornstarch. Arrowroot has a very bland taste which makes the neutral taste ideal for cookies, baked goods and sauces. Cornstarch can make a good arrowroot substitute however arrowroot powder can work as a thickening agent at much lower temperatures than normal flour or cornstarch. Arrowroot is not affected when you need to freeze or thaw it although it does not mix well with dairy products and tends to form a slimy mixture.

Arrowroot is great for making thick sauces as it will not make your sauce go cloudy like cornstarch will. When used in baking it is best to mix the arrowroot powder in a cold liquid before adding it to a hot baking mix to avoid clumping.

Arrowroot has a lack of gluten which makes it good for baking but unlike wheat flour it lacks the protein content being a pure carbohydrate like many other starches.

Arrowroot Substitute Quantity

If your looking for an arrowroot substitute then you could try using the following guidelines when using either all purpose flour or cornstarch as an arrowroot substitute.

1 teaspoon Arrowroot = 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

1 teaspoon Arrowroot = 1 teaspoon Cornstarch

Arrowroot Substitute Summary

The best arrowroot substitute to use will depend on what you are baking or cooking. The following is a quick guideline for you to use when deciding which stabiliser is best for your needs.

Arrowroot

• Best used if you need to thicken an acidic liquid such as vinegar or lemon juice
• Best used if you require to freeze and thaw
• Best used if you require a thickener at lower temperatures
• Better for making clear soups

Cornstarch (Arrowroot Substitute)

• Best to use when you need to thicken dairy products as arrowroot tends to produce a slimy mixture
• Better for producing a meat sauce
• Better for high temperature foods such as pies

Cornstarch can make a good arrowroot substitute however you can find more substitutes available here.