Do you need a buckwheat flour substitute because your recipe requires it? Or do you want to use buckwheat flour because it is gluten free? In either case, buckwheat is enjoying resurgent popularity because of its many health benefits. Buckwheat is not a grain, but is used as one so is known as a pseudocereal.
It has an earthy and nutty taste that may appeal to you. It is also darker in color than conventional flours. Buckwheat flour is used to make a variety of foods including noodles, leavened and unleavened breads, cakes, and cookies.
Because it is gluten free, it may be difficult for it to hold together in certain recipes without using other ingredients to make it easier to stick together. Buckwheat flour also absorbs a lot more water than many other flours, so you may need to adjust the amount of liquid used in a recipe.
Some Healthy Buckwheat Flour Substitutes
1. Whole Wheat Flour
Whole Wheat flour comes from wholewheat that is ground. It is not refined, so has more fiber and nutrition, is protein rich and can be used in many dishes to replace all purpose, cake, bread flours or any other flours.
This flour has gluten and the dough holds together very well. Ideally, the dough should be well kneaded and then rested for some time as this helps develop the gluten in the dough. You should not use this if you have an intolerance to gluten.
2. All Purpose Flour
All purpose flour is the refined version of wholewheat flour. It is white in color and is typically used in its many avatars in cakes, cookies, breads, pancakes, pies, to thicken sauces and gravies. It is bland in taste.
While it is stripped of a lot of its nutrition, including fiber, it is rich in carbohydrates and widely used in most countries because it is cheap, easily available, and people are habituated to using it in their foods. You can replace some part of all purpose flour with buckwheat flour and vice versa for better results.
3. Rice Flour
Rice flour can be made from white or brown rice. While the brown rice version has more fiber and nutrition, it can add some color to the food it is used in. It is gluten free and can be used in many dishes instead of a gluten rich flour or you can replace it in part with other gluten free flours, since mixing different flours often gives better results.
This flour lends itself to specific baked goods and also noodles for people who are gluten intolerant. It is difficult to bake bread and cookies with it unless you are using a special recipe that calls for rice flour. You can use it instead of buckwheat flour in many foods.
4. Oat Flour
Oats are healthy, being rich in fiber and other nutrients. If you don’t have oat flour on hand, you can always grind the oats you have to make flour. This can also be used as a thickening agent since it does give out some starch.
You can use oat flour in place of buckwheat flour in many foods including cakes. It has a milder flavor and lighter color than buckwheat, so the end result will be somewhat different.
5. Quinoa Flour
As a superfood that is protein and fiber rich, quinoa is extremely popular in savory and sweet dishes. When ground into a flour, it can be used as a replacement for buckwheat flour, though it is best that you use it in smaller quantities, unless you are using a recipe calling for quinoa flour. Like buckwheat, it absorbs a lot of moisture.
However, it can be used in cakes, desserts, puddings, and other sweet dishes. It is best to use it along with wholewheat or all purpose flour if you are looking for a particular texture and taste.
Read more: 11 Amazing Substitutes for Quinoa to Keep You Healthy
6. Sorghum Flour
Sorghum is a millet that is rich in taste and fiber. It is ground into a flour and can easily replace buckwheat flour because it has an earthy taste and dark color, similar to that of buckwheat.
This gluten free flour can be used in baked foods, including breads and cookies. It gives a smoother taste and texture to these foods. It is used to make unleavened flat breads in many countries, including India.
7. Potato Flour
Who would’ve thought that potato flour could be the ticket to deliciousness? For a very long time, I didn’t even realize that a thing like potato flour existed! That was a loss, because this thing is amazing. Before moving forward, remember that potato flour and potato starch are entirely different things.
Potato flour is a wonderful thickening agent that adds flavor and body to dishes like soups. Mix a bit of it in soba noodles or yeast bread and you’ve got something crispy and delicious.
However, it’s not the best pick for replacing buckwheat flour entirely in several dishes. Potato flour is best used as a thickening agent in soups, where it can completely replace buckwheat. For other dishes, remember that it holds a lot of water and can make things too dense. So combine it with other flours for best results.
8. Spelt Flour
Spelt is from a kind of wheat, but it is different from wholewheat. It has gluten, so is not suitable for those looking for a gluten free alternative. It is nutritious, fiber rich, with a nutty and sweet taste and flavor so is a suitable substitute for buckwheat flour.
It is used to make pancakes, cakes, and bread, among other baked goods. Spelt gives an even better taste and texture to foods that require all purpose flour.
9. Chickpea Flour
The vegan-friendly chickpea flour has a lot of nutrients without going overboard with calories. Also known as Garbanzo bean flour, it is popular around the world, including India, Middle East, Italy, and France.
It’s a lovely binding agent with a whole lot of proteins. When replacing buckwheat flour with chickpea flour, you’ll have to contend with a few very noticeable changes.
Chickpea flour will change the taste of the recipe. While some find it very similar to buckwheat, this isn’t a property to take lightly. It might also result in creamier and denser recipes. If that’s your thing, using this four is an absolute win. Alternatively, add more water when doing the substitution!
FAQ
Is buckwheat flour the same as wheat flour?
Buckwheat has similar nutritional values as wheat flour. However, it is a different grain or rather a pseudocereal with very different taste and texture.
What is the difference between buckwheat flour and regular flour?
Buckwheat flour is gluten free. It also absorbs more liquid than regular flour.
How do I substitute all-purpose flour for buckwheat flour?
Final Words
When you use a gluten free buckwheat flour substitute, you may need to add other starchy products (or egg) to bind the flour together. If you use a flour containing gluten, you will not have to face this issue.
Instead of buckwheat flour, you can use rice flour, wholewheat flour, quinoa flour, oat flour, sorghum flour, spelt flour or one of the many other flours available. Your recipe may require tweaking to get the results you want, since each flour has its own flavor and moisture absorbing qualities. You may need to experiment a bit to see which one works for you.