It’s almost time for dinner. You’re thinking about cooking some pasta, some bread, or maybe a homemade pizza. As you search through some recipes, you smile as you see familiar ingredients that are already in your pantry.
Then among the list, semolina flour comes up as a hot suggestion to make a delicious authentic Italian meal. But you don’t have this thing so now you’re looking for semolina flour substitutes that will save your dinner.
Without further ado, the following list are alternatives to semolina flour that you can use for your dish.
Check out these semolina flour substitutes
1. All-purpose flour
It’s the most common and efficient choice of flour for many recipes. If you don’t have semolina flour on hand, you can definitely use all-purpose flour to make a variety of dishes.
While this choice is not as naturally glutinous as semolina, with the right measurements and mixture you can produce the same consistency for most food.
This rather basic flour is suitable for all types of baked goods including bread, cookies, muffins, biscuits, etc. It is also used as a thickener for gravies, sauces, and stews. As its name suggests, all-purpose flour is a flour for all kinds of cooking needs.
2. Whole wheat flour
Whole wheat flour has a similar protein content to the durum wheat based flour and can also work well for the same dishes. It also gives food a chewier or more glutinous texture than other fine flour.
If you need flour to make baked goods like crackers, cookies, or bread, this is also an excellent choice to use. It can give a denser texture, richer flavor, browner color that looks great in pastries, and that delicious bready aroma.
Aside from baking, you can also use this flour to make pastas. Expect however for a tinge of bitterness and a much darker color for anything you make with this due to the bran layer mixed in the whole wheat flour. It’s not an off-putting thing though as long as you know how to work your recipe to accommodate the taste and texture of whole wheat.
3. Bread flour
Bread flour is sometimes confused to be either a regular flour or a type of whole wheat flour. To be precise, this is made from milling hard spring wheat kernels and comes in either a white or brown variety.
With a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, it is a better alternative when it comes to baked goods. Brown bread flour has a higher bran content than the white ones so it is even a much better choice as it gives your baked goods a darker brown color.
As its very name suggests, use this flour for breads and the like.
4. Amaranth flour
Rich in protein, gluten-free, and has high levels of calcium and other dietary minerals, amaranth flour is one of the healthiest substitutes for semolina flour.
This specialty flour is made from grinding seeds of amaranth, a plant native to Mesoamerica. It is a good choice for those aiming to change their diets for a healthier lifestyle.
With its sweet, nutty flavor and a subtle crunchy texture, amaranth flour is used for pizza crusts, unleavened flatbreads, and other baked goods. It is also used as a thickener for sauces, stews, and soups.
5. Garbanzo flour
Otherwise known as gram flour or chickpeas powder, garbanzo flour is another doable replacement for the ground durum wheat flour. It has a comparable flavor profile and culinary uses to semolina. It’s gluten-free though unlike the latter so it’s a safer choice for those with allergies.
Garbanzo flour is popular in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. Its unique nutty flavor is used in dishes like pakoras, hummus, falafel, and soccas. You can also use it for breads, pizza crusts, and crackers.
6. Quinoa flour
Quinoa flour is another gluten-free choice to use. Made from quinoa seeds, it is a relative to amaranth plant which brings it up to the top of the healthy choices.
Supposedly, quinoa flour has existed for thousands of years and quinoa itself is a staple for those who live in South America. Its nutritional quality is on par with amaranth flour and wins over semolina for its health benefits. However, it has a different effect in texture for your cooked food since it lacks gluten.
Regardless, you can still use quinoa for making gluten-free baked goods like muffins, pies, pancakes, etc. When combined with other ingredients, it can also serve as a thickener.
7. Rice flour
A staple ingredient in Asian cuisine, if you’re in a pinch, rice flour is also an alternative for semolina flour. Rice flour creates a stickier and thicker texture but it has a mild taste that works well for many dishes.
If you want to do some gluten-free baking, rice flour is your friend. If you also need a thickener for your gravy or sauce, you can use this too. Where this flour really shines though is when you want to make homemade noodles or pastas.
8. Corn flour
Corn flour is another helpful alternative you can use. It is a type of flour that’s derived from whole corn kernels, meaning it contains the hull, germ, and endosperm of a corn.
This is often confused with corn starch which is extracted just from the starchy portion of the corn that is the endosperm part. As such, since corn flour is milled from the whole corn grain, it contains more vitamins and other nutrients.
Corn flour tastes a tad sweet and earthy with hints of corn flavor. You can use this to make waffles, pancakes, breads, muffins, and pastries. Just note that aside from the subtle corn taste, it can also give a yellowish color to your food.
9. Corn semolina
Another option you can use instead of the traditional semolina made from durum wheat is corn semolina. If you ever see a product called corn semolina, it usually just pertains to either a kind of cornmeal or a type of semolina produced from coarsely milled flour of a germ-free corn kernel.
This option is also sometimes called polenta because it is typically used for an Italian dish with the same name. Due to so many corn products and brands available, the distinction between cornmeal, corn flour, corn starch, and corn semolina have really blurred.
In any case, you can use this one too if you don’t have semolina flour.
10. Buckwheat flour
If you’re cutting off some calories, reducing carbs, or avoiding gluten, this option is for you. Buckwheat flour is grain-free and gluten-free, plus it’s got amino acids and is rich in heart-healthy nutrients. It’s quite a healthy flour.
While it shares the same nutty and subtle sweetness with the durum wheat based flour, buckwheat has a slight earthiness and bitterness to it. To level down its taste, adjust its amount and add other ingredients to get the perfect result.
11. Khorasan flour
Probably a less familiar option for many, khorasan flour is made from a type of wheat that has been used since Ancient Egypt. This Oriental wheat is commercially known as Kamut.
Kamut or khorasan flour also has great nutritional value so it’s a commendable and recommended product for your cooking needs.
So if you’re curious about what your distant ancestors consumed back in the day, try out this flour. It’s quite similar to semolina flour in terms of taste and culinary use so you won’t have a lot of problems.
12. Spelt flour
Nutritious and easy to digest, you can use spelt flour instead of semolina. The two flours have the same nutty flavor and contain gluten so you can use one for the other.
Spelt flour is also from an ancient variety of wheat like khorasan. It is high in dietary fiber which is helpful for your gut. Purportedly, it does not only aid in digestion but also in blood circulation, and it gives a boost to your immune system. The only catch is it contains gluten so it has negative effects for some people.
You can use spelt flour for pastries and baked goods. It’s also a good base ingredient for making pasta or desserts like crisps or crumbles.
Learn more: Ten 00 Flour Substitutes For Your Pizza and Pasta
Related FAQs
What is semolina flour?
Semolina flour is a type of flour made from hard durum wheat. It has a golden color and contains high amounts of gluten. Its texture varies from coarse, medium, and fine, which are relevant to the type of dish you’ll use it for. Generally, the medium coarse grind is the most common buy.
This flour is quite versatile but is frequently used in making traditional pasta, bread, and couscous. Its glutinous texture makes it a popular ingredient because it helps hold pasta or bread together while giving the food a soft chewy consistency.
Semolina has long been a favored ingredient in making Italian dishes. As much as it’s approved in Italy, it has also made its way across different cuisines and is now available in the global market. In India, semolina flour is cooked into a porridge. In Morocco, it is used to make a flatbread called khobz or in North Africa, it is a great ingredient for couscous. In European cuisine, sweet puddings are made of this flour.
There are a lot of foods you can make with semolina including pizza, bread, cakes, biscuits, pastas, gnocchi, porridge, and puddings. It can also be used as a thickener in soups, gravies, and stews. As you may notice, semolina flour is used for a variety of recipes that need molding, holding, or adding either a soft doughy or chewy texture.
What does semolina flour taste like in cooking?
Semolina flour creates a sweet, nutty taste for your food. It has an earthy aroma that helps bring out that toasty bready smell in pastries and baked goods.
What are gluten-free semolina flour alternatives?
There are actually a lot of gluten-free alternatives to semolina flour like amaranth, garbanzo, quinoa, rice, corn and buckwheat flours. In their natural state, these products are gluten-free but for your safety, you can double-check the packaging.
To wrap it up
There’s no need to worry if you’ve got no semolina flour in your pantry because there are a lot of alternatives you can use. In fact, some are even a much better choice if you’re looking out for your health. Otherwise, some are simply a lot more accessible or much more efficient for your cooking needs.
Depending on your dinner recipe for tonight or tomorrow, take note which among these semolina flour substitutes would come in handy. Hopefully, you already have one in store so you can start prepping right about now.