# Cornstarch substitute?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornstarch-substitute/210468>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 30, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornstarch-substitute/210468 "2003-10-30T16:50:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![galrion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aca169/32.png) [@galrion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galrion)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornstarch-substitute/210468/1 "2003-10-30T16:50:33Z")

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Does anyone know of a substitute for cornstarch in a recipe?

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornstarch-substitute/210468/2 "2003-10-30T16:59:24Z")

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You mean as a thickener?

Flour, tapioca, arrowroot. It depends.

What’s the recipe?

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**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornstarch-substitute/210468/3 "2003-10-30T17:29:00Z")

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Flour’s the easiest and most people have it on hand. Stir together some flour and some water to make a thin paste (use a little more than the amount of cornstarch called for in the recipe.) Stir your paste into the liquid to thicken. Let simmer.

Sauces thickened with flour do not have the “glossy” look of sauces thickened with cornstarch.

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**Author:** ![galrion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aca169/32.png) [@galrion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galrion)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornstarch-substitute/210468/4 "2003-10-30T17:57:02Z")

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Thanks alot, it was a variety of recipes that had cornstarch in them, but I can’t eat cornstarch so was avoiding them.

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornstarch-substitute/210468/5 "2003-10-31T00:44:36Z")

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Finely shredded potato works, too.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornstarch-substitute/210468/6 "2003-10-31T00:57:51Z")

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Arrowroot is a very close substitute.

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**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cornstarch-substitute/210468/7 "2003-10-31T01:35:13Z")

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Here’s a great website discussing various starches (and it’s not just for baking): [http://www.baking911.com/pantry\_thickeners.htm](http://www.baking911.com/pantry_thickeners.htm)