Spelt flour is made from the entire grain. It has a kind of tangy flavor and a subtle nutty taste. While this flour is rich in vitamins, many people don’t want to use it in recipes as it’s not gluten-free. If you are allergic to gluten or want to know helathier spelt flour substitutes, then stay with us. Another reason why you may choose other flours is that spelt flour is expensive.
Compared to some other types of flours, spelt flour is coarser in its texture. However, many like to work with it, and it is often used in baking bread, cakes, muffins, and scones. You can even use it in making chocolate chip cookies, waffles and pasta.
The best substitutes are divided into two main groups: gluten-free and with gluten. Gluten-free flours are Amaranth flour, Rice flour, Oat flour, Buckwheat flour and Quinoa flour. Flours that contain gluten are Einkorn flour, Rye flour, Emmer flour, Barley flour and Kamut flour. Let’s discuss each separately.
Best Spelt Flour Substitutes to try – Gluten and Gluten-free options
Gluten-Free Flours
Amaranth flour
Amaranth flour is one of the best substitutes for spelt and wheat flour. It is made from the seeds of the amaranth flower and is not considered to be grain flour.
It offers a crispy texture, distinctively nut-like flavor, and tastes slightly sweet and spicy at the same time. This flour has positive effects on cholesterol levels.
Amaranth flour is gluten-free and protein-rich flour mostly popular in pre-Columbian America. It’s used as a thickener in gravies, soups, and stews, but you can use it in baking too. Use it in a 1:1 ratio when substituting for spelt flour. If you choose it for baking, you may also add wheat or almond flour to get a better texture. Consider using this blend in baking pancakes, flatbread or biscuit dough. Always use amaranth flour in cooked dishes.
Rice Flour
Rice flour is made from finely milled rice. There are two types of rice flour: brown and white. Compared with brown rice, white rice comes with a milder flavor and lighter texture. Both brown and white rice flours can be good alternatives to spelt flour.
Rice flour works well in pies, cakes, and cookies. However, when substituting it for spelt flour you may add a little less of it to the recipe. You can use both white or brown rice flour instead of spelt flour. This is an affordable flour substitute and besides baking, you can also choose it for thickening soups and stews.
Oat Flour
Oat flour is a type of whole grain flour that contains proteins, minerals and vitamins such as vitamin B1.
Thanks to its light texture, oat flour is often used in bakeries. You can replace it with spelt flour when making pancakes and cookies. Oat flour offers a subtle, nutty, and sweet flavor.
If you want to use it often, then you may love the idea of making it at home. You can make it at home by blending the flakes out in a mixer or blender. Many bakery recipes meanth for kids require oat flour instead of regular flour, because oat flour is gluten-free and quite healthy for kids.
Buckwheat Flour
A high amount of minerals and vitamins are found in buckwheat flour. It tastes bitter and subtly nutty.
As a spelt flour replacement, it is widely used in baked goods such as cookies, muffins, pancakes, scones, and biscuits. You can use it to bake cakes, some types of bread as well as crusty crackers.
Buckwheat flour replaces other flours in the process of making noodles. Because of the lack of gluten, this flour acts somehow differently when used in baking.
Quinoa Flour
Quinoa flour is made from quinoa seeds. It’s another excellent substitute for spelt flour. It has a grassy and bitter taste that will be reflected in dishes and baked goods.
You can use it in simple baking recipes such as bread, pies, muffins, pancakes, waffles, crepes and cookies. Compared to spelt flour, quinoa flour has a denser texture.
It contains vitamin folate, which is one of the most necessary vitamins for pregnant women. Other vitamins found in quinoa flour are magnesium, potassium, iron and fiber.
Cricket Flour
This one may surprise you, but it replaces spelt flour in some recipes. There are several ways to make cricket flour; mill, crush, and roast, but the most common way is milling freeze-dried crickets. After this, the crickets are baked so that the processing could be easier. This is why cricket flour is high in protein.
Bitter, sweet, and nutty; this is how cricket flour tastes. It has a dark brown color and powdery texture. You can make breakfast biscuits, scones, butter cookies and pancakes with cricket flour.
Almond Flour
If you want to give your dough a subtle texture and get crispy baked goods, then you can use almond flour instead of spelt flour. It’s an excellent source of Magnesium and is high in oxalates.
Almond flour is a perfect choice for a keto diet. It can be a good alternative for spelt flour in recipes that require a lighter texture. Almond flour is better for baked products calling for cake-like consistency.
Flours with Gluten
Einkorn Flour
The first type of flour containing gluten is einkorn flour. It is recommended by the majority of chef cooks and bakers.
This is another whole grain flour that people used to use in ancient times. You can add it in soups, salads, or use in cooked dishes, pie crusts, waffles and bread. Breads made with einkorn flour are perfect for sandwiches.
Rye Flour
Although rye is grain flour, it is not considered a wheat variety. This flour is widely used in diets and fitness-related recipes. It contains less gluten in it than regular flour or some other types of wheat flour.
It tastes kind of earthy, slightly malty and nutty. However, you may try it yourself to get the true description of how it tastes. So, use it in baked goods such as chocolate cookies, apple pies, waffles and the like. Rye flour also makes a great pair with fruits and spices, nuts and chocolate.
Emmer Flour
Emmer flour is the closest to einkorn and spelt flours as it has also been used for ages. This flour offers a full-nutty flavor and tastes slightly sweet. You can bake cakes, breads and cookies with it. Emmer flour is usually used in the beer making process. It is low in gluten and high in protein.
You can use it in soups too. Sometimes Italian cooks like to make pastas with it, but the texture differs from the popular types of pasta.
Barley Flour
Barley flour is a 100% stone ground flour with a sweet, nut-like flavor. It is often used in cookies and bakery to enhance the flavor of pancakes, quick breads and flatbreads when substituting to spelt flour.
Since barley flour is rich in protein and minerals, it is often used in baby food. You can also add it to sauces and gravies to thicken and make them denser.
Doughs made with barley flour are somehow tender, that’s why you may add a little amount of wheat flour to make it more flexible.
Kamut Flour
The brand name for khorasan wheat is Kamut. This is another flour used from ancient times, and it can be a good alternative to spelt flour. Its grains are bigger and it comes with a tender, buttery, nutty flavor. It is high in protein and vitamins such as vitamin B1, and vitamin B3 as well as manganese and selenium.
It is used in recipes of breads, cakes, waffles and beer production. You can also make pasta with kamut flour.
FAQs on Spelt Flour
What’s the best substitute for spelt flour?
Einkorn Flour is perhaps the best substitute for spelt flour. They both have similar texture and flavor in any recipe, however einkorn comes with a slightly stronger flavor. But you can replace it with spelt.
Can I replace spelt flour with regular flour?
Yes, you can use regular wheat flour in 1:1 ratio when choosing it as a alternative to spelt flour.
The main difference is that spelt flour is made from the grain while regular flour is made from wheat kernels.
Conclusion
Experiments with mixing different types of flours will help you find out their texture and learn how to use them in different recipes. Some varieties of flours are heavier and others are lighter in their textures. So, you should know which one to use if you want to make your dough rise and vice versa.