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Gluten-Free Section » Gluten Allergies » Gluten Free Food Facts » What Is Tapioca Starch and Tapioca Flour? {Gluten Free Food Facts}

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What Is Tapioca Starch and Tapioca Flour? {Gluten Free Food Facts}

Oct 25, 2012

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Have you ever wondered what the difference was between tapioca flour and tapioca starch?

I am guessing that many of you have because it is one of the most asked questioned that I have received when it comes to gluten free baking. It is confusing and one I had a lot of questions on when I first went gluten free.

In the United States tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same thing. I have found that Asian type markets and products tend to label it as tapioca starch and companies like Bob’s Red Mill tend to label it as tapioca flour, but there is no difference in the actual products. They are the same.

(Updated 2018) Bob’s Red Mill has updated their packaging and now has both names on the label.

Tapioca Flour

When it comes to recipes it really varies by the author or cookbook on what it is called, but if a recipe calls for tapioca starch, you can easily use tapioca flour, since they are the same thing.

So what is tapioca flour?

Tapioca flour comes from the root of the cassava plant. It basically the same thing as tapioca pearls, like you would use for pudding, but tapioca flour has been ground into a a flour.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll

Tapioca flour/starch adds structure to gluten free baking. It also helps give things a chewy and/or crisp texture, especially in things like cookies and cakes.

When over used in a recipe though tapioca flour can make food slimy and can also add a strong taste to the final product. Most recipes need some tapioca starch, but not too much, and finding that balance can sometimes be hard.

Tapioca flour can also be used as a thickener in sauces and gravy, but it is not my favorite thickener to use because I have found that it tends to make the sauce a bit slimy.

Tapioca flour is also in many premade and homemade gluten free flour blends.

gluten free dairy free banana bread

I know a few gluten free people that do not like the flavor of tapioca flour in their gluten free cooking and they often substitute cornstarch.

I know many have been happy with the results of doing this, for me though, I have found that it works sometimes better than others. And since my family does not mind the taste of tapioca starch in baked goods, I am fine with using it.

gluten free biscuits and gravy

A few of my favorite gluten free recipes that contain tapioca flour/tapioca starch

  • Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
  • Gluten Free Pumpkin Roll
  • Gluten Free Biscotti 
  • Gluten Free Biscuits and Gravy
  • Gluten Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
  • Gluten Free Blueberry Pancakes
  • Gluten Free Dairy Free Banana Bread
  • Gluten Free Dinner Rolls

Interested in learning more gluten free food facts? So far we have covered:

  • Rice
  • Quinoa
  • White Rice and Brown Rice Flour
  • Sweet Rice Flour and
  • Where to buy gluten free ingredients 

 

« Crock Pot Beef Sandwiches
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Filed Under: Gluten Allergies, Gluten Free Food Facts Tagged With: gluten free food facts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie H

    October 28, 2012 at 11:09 am

    Thanks Lynn! I’ve always wanted to know. I’ve seen cassava root at the grocery store before as a root vegetable. Since I now know that tapioca starch is actually a ground up vegetable, I feel so much better using it over any starch due to health concerns when using too much starch.

    Reply
    • Donna soma

      March 31, 2016 at 11:09 pm

      Donna soma

      Hi friend

      Tapioca flour n tap starch is two different products made out of tapioca roots (cassava) In Africa how they make tap flour is freshly slieced Tapioca has to be sun dried n ground until cause or fine . Colour of the flour is not as white like starch flour. Starch is highly process product n starch flr comes smaller packet than tap flr. Starch flour use always as small quantity for texturing the food or other similar things. Real tapioca flr comes from 1kg- 5 kg.

      Reply
      • JULIE H

        April 1, 2016 at 9:46 am

        Thank you Donna. What do you use the flour for? I ground up some cassava this year and have no clue what to do with it. I use both tapioca starch and arrowroot starch in GF (gluten free) baking as well as dim sum recipes. Lynn’s has the best GF cake recipes that uses the starch. The best dim sum recipe book I’ve ever found is called, “Asian Dumplings” by Andrea Nguyen.

        Reply
  2. Dan

    July 29, 2013 at 10:50 pm

    Hello, just to clear something up, tapioca starch and flour are not the same thing. This is a strange misconception in the US. Tapioca flour is ground dried cassava root. To get the starch, boil the flour and strain. The white flaky substance that filters through is the starch. They are used differently and affect taste in a different way. Go into any asian supermarket and you will find tapioca starch and flour sold separately. It is like corn flour and corn starch.

    Reply
    • Donna soma

      March 31, 2016 at 12:39 am

      Donna

      I agreed with Dan

      Thinking same as tapioca flr I mixed boiling water with tap flour …it came in to colourless gluey, slimy ball n it’s vary chewy,yaack . Still I have half a bag of tap starch…..I have to find out what to do with the rest.

      Reply
      • Alice J

        May 9, 2016 at 3:44 pm

        when you figure it out let me know. it absolutely ruined my berry pie. boing boing boing, gah!

        Reply
  3. lisa aeschliman

    March 30, 2014 at 7:54 pm

    What is the carbs in this flour? Or Brazlian cheese bread. I am diabetic. I love these

    Reply
    • Rita Mason

      March 20, 2015 at 1:08 pm

      just learning howto use tapioca starch to
      thicken sauces. can you give me info on how to do this.?

      Reply
      • Lynn

        March 22, 2015 at 6:59 pm

        This is the gluten free gravy I make. It uses potato starch, but you can use tapicoa starch about the same. I usually prefer potato starch, but you use the same basic technique. I hope that helps.

        Reply
  4. Kathy

    August 4, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    If a recipe calls for tapioca starch, can I use Minute tapioca?

    Reply
    • Lynn

      August 4, 2014 at 3:15 pm

      No tapioca starch is a flour like substance similar to cornstarch, so it is not the same as tapioca like you would use in a pudding.

      Reply
  5. Anna

    August 14, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    Is tapioca starch the same as modified tapioca starch or expandex tapioca starch? Very confused here. 🙁

    Reply
    • Lynn

      August 28, 2014 at 3:18 pm

      I believe they are both different from regular tapioca starch.

      Reply
    • Annie

      July 21, 2017 at 10:24 pm

      Tapioca starch is difference with modified tapioca starch.

      Reply
  6. Bernice Dueck

    August 28, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    Can Minute Tapioca be used in place of tapioca starch? What about pearl tapioca…can it be put in a blender and used as tapioca starch?

    Reply
    • Lynn

      August 28, 2014 at 3:17 pm

      No it will not work the same. You need the actually tapioca starch/flour to have it work right in recipes.

      Reply
      • Donna soma

        March 31, 2016 at 12:49 am

        Donna s

        Lynn I used real tap starch thinking both r same but noooo it’s not .

        Reply
  7. Judy

    September 15, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    Thanks for the helpful info!

    Reply
  8. Renan

    December 6, 2014 at 8:53 am

    Dear Lynn,
    Complementing what Dan said, here in Brazil we actually have two kinds of tapioca starch: sweet (called ‘polvilho doce’) and sour (called ‘polvilho azedo’). Shortly, the sour kind passes through a fermentation process before the drying one. Clearly, they produce very distinct tastes in recipes.

    Reply
  9. Kitty Chang

    January 26, 2015 at 12:37 pm

    Thank you Lynn, I needed Tapioca Flour for a recipe; went to the store and picked up Tapioca Starch because it came in a smaller package. I almost died thinking its Tapioca flour I needed not Starch. And your explanation relieved me of my fears. Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  10. Yvonne

    April 1, 2015 at 1:31 am

    Can Arrowroot be used for tapioca flour .I was sold that instead of tapioca for hot cross buns

    Reply
    • Lynn

      April 1, 2015 at 8:59 am

      I do not think it will work the same.

      Reply
  11. Megan

    April 19, 2015 at 11:48 pm

    Why have you ignored all the comments stating that there is actually a difference between the two and that you information is NOT correct.

    Arrowroot can be used in place of tapioca FLOUR as is DOES do the same thing!

    Reply
    • Lynn

      April 20, 2015 at 8:42 am

      I am not sure what you mean. In the US they are the same, most brands that produce them call them the same thing. Here is an example from Bob’s Red Mill where they are listing them as the same. https://www.bobsredmill.com/tapioca-flour.html

      Reply
      • Barfaulkner

        April 22, 2015 at 11:21 am

        I think maybe another misconception about US foods and foods from other countries. I assume that this flour starch thing is similar to our bacon vs France’s bacon which are not the same. I also assume that recipes in a US cookbook would be as you say starch and flour being the same. If you were to come across a Brazilian recipe perhaps it would not work. Are we importing prepackaged tapioca flour and/or tapioca starch?

        Reply
  12. Bram

    May 20, 2015 at 7:02 am

    Tapioca starch and Tapioca Flour are not the same thing. Tapioca starche is refined Tapioca flour. Tapioca starch (depending on the quality grade and its origen) has a way higher starch content than tapioca flour.
    In other words, tapioca flour is simply grinded and milled cassave roots. Tapioca starch had a extra proces step after that to get out alot more vibers, minirals (wich lowers the ash conent) and other things you dont need to give strength (viscosity) to your products. If you wanna eat a more ”pure” product you should chose Tapioca starch (as it is basicly only starch).
    To be honest I am not a foody or what ever you call it, and i think the gluten thing is more a trend than an actual alergy or intolerance. And this is actualy the first time I comment on what of these things.
    Sorry for my bad english btw, i hope u understand the message

    Reply
    • Jaime

      January 21, 2016 at 9:26 pm

      Sorry you feel this way about Gluten Free, but clearly you’ve never been with a person who consumes gluten & spends the night on the bathroom floor vomiting and unable to function or think clearly because of nausea & headaches. Regardless, Lynn, your info was very helpful to us in the U.S. & we appreciate your continued posts & guidances.

      Reply
      • Cynthia Browning

        May 16, 2017 at 1:50 pm

        Thank you Jaime!! I get that a lot! That gluten intolerance is a myth, a trend!! I know that in an effort to find out what is ailing people Gluten may be taken out of the diet when its not really needed. But Gluten intolerance is quite real and horrible! Ask a mother who hears her child crying all night!!

        Reply
  13. Sarah

    May 26, 2016 at 1:48 pm

    Can diabetics use this?

    Reply
    • Lynn

      May 26, 2016 at 7:27 pm

      It is a starch so I believe the glycemic index on it is higher. I don’t know if that helps or not. But it is a starch.

      Reply
    • Christine Williams

      November 11, 2020 at 10:03 pm

      That’s what I would like to know! I used a small amount in a recipe in place of regular flour thinking it wouldn’t be as bad. But not sure if that was a good thing??

      Reply
  14. Cathy

    July 15, 2016 at 12:00 pm

    Thank you for the information!!! I was trying to find tapioca “flour” for a vegan cheese recipe but could only find “starch” so I bought it but was worried. I’m glad to hear that it’s the same thing 😂

    Reply
    • Lynn

      July 15, 2016 at 12:38 pm

      I am glad this helped. I hope your recipe turns out delicious!

      Reply
      • Cathy

        July 15, 2016 at 12:50 pm

        So far, so good… It’s in the refrigerator now… The spatula was quite tasty though. 😉

        Reply
        • Marsha

          January 13, 2017 at 4:14 pm

          Cathy, how did the recipe turn out? I’m trying a vegan cheese dip and just bought a bag of Tapioca starch online. “Then” decided to read about tapioca flour/starch.

          Reply
  15. Julia Philips

    September 3, 2016 at 4:16 am

    From what I’ve researched and experienced Lynn has made complete sense in saying they are the same. Tapioca flour/starch is the same as with Arrowroot. Cassava is the root its derived from.All very high in carbs..if thats what your trying to establish..but a great wheat free substitute

    Reply
  16. Lyall Prestidge

    September 24, 2016 at 10:43 pm

    For what it’s worth, I bought what was called tapioca starch here in New Zealand, and the cheese balls came out exactly like the ones served at the Brazilian embassy here in Wellington NZ – delicious!

    Reply
    • Lynn

      September 25, 2016 at 7:29 pm

      I am so glad that you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  17. Lew

    March 14, 2017 at 11:06 pm

    Tapioca flour is most commonly sold as Arrowroot.
    I use it to thicken my chicken and vegetable curries.
    Use it to thicken all curries and casseroles.
    The easiest way is to mix a teaspoon into a small amount of water and add sparingly until you achieve your desired consistency.
    I never mess with the starch just the flour.
    Use the same as cornflour.
    I like the consistency it gives to sauces.
    Use sparingly in your stir fry just before serving to allow all those spicy juices to cling to and cover all the goodies in the stir fry

    Reply
  18. Cynthia Browning

    May 16, 2017 at 1:52 pm

    i hate to say that I am STILL confused as to weather starch and flour are the same! I have a recipe for flat bread that calls for Tapioca starch. I have Tapioca flour at home! I hate to waste very expensive ingredients! Which is it! I know the author of this site says it’s the same but after reading all these comments I am unsure. Help.

    Reply
  19. ilyse halter

    August 7, 2017 at 4:03 pm

    I just read your post about tapioca flour. Can you use arrow root in place of this?

    Thanks,

    Ilyse

    Reply
  20. Ginny Hanks

    October 19, 2017 at 11:10 am

    You can use tapioca starch to make instant pudding, to thicken fruit pillings for pies, making jam and a lot of other things, BUT it must be added to the sugar or what ever sweetener you are using first. Good for diebetic jam. Before I retired as a chef, I used it all the time in our bakery.

    Reply
  21. Diane M Jensen

    February 26, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    Is tapioca flour Keto friendly. Ive found pasta recipes that use it but wanted to make sure.

    Reply
    • Lynn

      February 26, 2019 at 1:04 pm

      I am not sure. I think it is considered low carb, but I am not sure that it is keto friendly. Sorry I don’t know enough about the keto diet to be sure on that.

      Reply
  22. Nelson Cano

    May 1, 2019 at 7:41 pm

    Hi everyone,
    In my country, we use cassava starch to make chipá, is a kind of small bread. usually eaten as a breakfast.
    Starch is obtained from the roots. The traditional way is: ground the cassava and wash it several times. Separate the washing from the ground roots using a fine cloth. Collect washing. Let it settle down, removed water and collect white powder(starch) and let it dry under the sun. The remaining ground root can be ground very fine and you will get the cassava flour. Usually, we mix to 50-50 % with normal wheat flour to make bread. Which are cheaper than normal bread.
    This method is used in the countryside, usually farmers of small lots(3-5 Hectares). The encourage them to plant cassava, produce their own cassava starch and flour. Any excess is an added value. They may sell the cassava starch and flour.

    Reply
  23. Kristin

    November 15, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    Your tapioca flour recipes don’t appear to have tapioca flour (or starch) listed… should we just use it instead of the rice flour?

    Reply
    • Kristin

      November 15, 2020 at 1:05 pm

      Specifically I was looking at the cinnamon rolls and pumpkin rolls…

      Reply
      • Lynn

        November 15, 2020 at 3:56 pm

        My gluten free cinnamon roll recipe, this one that is linked, does have tapioca flour in it. Is this the one that you were talking about? https://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/gluten-free-cinnamon-rolls/

        Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Healthy Chicken Piccata with Capers | Paleo Grubs says:
    July 9, 2015 at 11:17 am

    […] let’s do it the Paleo way and swap out that all-purpose flour with tapioca flour, a healthier alternative. And instead of the butter let’s stick to olive oil for the healthy […]

    Reply

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Lynn's Kitchen AdventuresI love to cook and bake, and my family loves to eat. Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures is all about sharing my love of cooking, recipes, tips, and ideas of how I combine this cooking passion with a busy life. [Read More]

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