16 Must-Try Tapioca Flour Recipes for Gluten-Free Cooking (2024)

Tapioca flour comes from South America and is made from cassava root. It's totally gluten-free, grain-free and paleo-friendly. To prove you how awesome it is, I've collected 16 outstanding tapioca flour recipes for you to try!

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New year - new post series on the blog! This time I'm going to travel the world in 50 exotic, and not so well known to the majority of us, ingredients. Every week I'll publish 1 post dedicated to one ingredient. You can visit the special page devoted to this project to check the progress. Let's do it!

The ingredient I would love to start these series with is Tapioca Flour. It is a grain-free / gluten-free and paleo-friendly flour made from cassava root, a woody shrub native to Brazil and the rest of South America. It can be also calledmandioca, manioc, or aipim in some countries.

16 Must-Try Tapioca Flour Recipes for Gluten-Free Cooking (2)

The flour is made by peeling, shredding, and pressing cassava root until starch appears. Then, the starch is either passed through a sieve getting tapioca pearls (I used them in Vietnamese Che Chuoi Pudding) or dried getting white powder / flour. So, basically, Tapioca Flour is a starch. That's why sometimes you'll see or hear it called Tapioca Starch or Cassava Starch. Not Cassava Flour, though! The latter is a different product and we won't talk about it in this post.

This white South American powder is usually used, as other starches are, as a thickener for sauces, soups, desserts, etc. Tapioca flour is the main ingredient for Pao De Queijo - Brazilian Cheese Puffs I published a year ago. It's also popular in baking, creating an interesting chewy texture. Mild, and slightly sweet, it's a favorite in gluten-free cooking.

Tapioca Flour is also low in calories making it a good choice for those watching their weight.

Interested? I made a selection of 16 outstanding recipes for you to enjoy this South American product!

1. Pao de Queijo – Brazilian Cheese Bread

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Crispy outside, yet super soft and chewy inside, these little guys make a perfect snack for any occasion!

Recipe by: Cooking The Globe

2. Bika Ambon (Indonesian Honey Comb Cake)

16 Must-Try Tapioca Flour Recipes for Gluten-Free Cooking (4)

Squishy and rich tasting cake with wonderful aroma from kaffir lime leaves. A delicacy treasured by many in Indonesia!

Recipe by: What To Cook Today

3. Mint Paleo Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

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Light and fluffy, naturally sweetened, Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip Cake with DARK, velvety smooth and RICHHH chocolate ganache.

Recipe by: Food Faith Fitness

4. Soft Gluten Free Tapioca Wraps

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These easy, cheesy grain free gluten free wraps are made with simple gluten free pantry ingredients—plus they stay flexible even when they’re cold and freeze beautifully

Recipe by: Gluten Free On A Shoestring

5. Grain Free Rosemary Garlic Flatbread

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Just a simple grain free flatbread with fresh rosemary and garlic. Drizzle some olive oil all over it and you are good to go!

Recipe by: Savory Lotus

6. Paleo Dim Sum

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This paleo dim sum recipe uses a paleo pasta filled with flavorful ginger and pork and is steamed to perfection to make these amazing Asian potstickers.

Recipe by: The Things We'll Make

7. 3 Ingredient Crispy Waffles

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These waffles are ridiculously easy to make and require only three ingredients. They’re sweet, light and of course, crispy. Drizzle some maple syrup on top and you’ve got the perfect treat!

Recipe by: My Heart Beets

8. Crispy Halibut Orange Ginger Bites

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Amazingly crispycoating holding succulent halibut with hints of orange and ginger coming through in every bite.

Recipe by: Sugar Love Spices

9. Paleo Dinner Rolls

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This paleo bread recipe is nut free as well as grain and gluten free. It tapioca flour as well as coconut flour and a few other, simple ingredients.

Recipe by: Paleo Spirit

10. Rustic Paleo Breakfast Pizza

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This breakfast pizza is made from tapioca flour. It’s easily digestible and provides good carbs to help keep you full.

Recipe by: Ancestral Nutrition

11. Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella

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Ooey, gooey, stretchy, melty vegan mozzarella. Just dip some tortilla chips in this bad boy and welcome to heaven!

Recipe by: It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

12. 3 Ingredient Paleo Naan (Indian bread)

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The three ingredients that make up this magical batter are: almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut milk!

Recipe by: My Heart Beets

13. Mango Chicken With Coconut Cauliflower Rice

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This mango chicken is served over coconut cauliflower rice for a quick, easy and healthy spin on take-out that is ready in 30 mins!

Recipe by: Food Faith Fitness

14. Kuih Bangkit (Tapioca Cookies)

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Light, airy, and fragrant Kuih Bangkit (Tapioca Cookies) are a Chinese New Year favorite in Malaysia and Singapore. Uses Only 5 ingredients required!

Recipe by: Malaysian Chinese Kitchen

16 Must-Try Tapioca Flour Recipes for Gluten-Free Cooking (2024)

FAQs

Can I use tapioca flour for gluten-free flour? ›

Tapioca Flour is one of our most versatile gluten free flours. This starchy, slightly sweet flour is a staple in gluten free baking and a fantastic thickening agent in soups, sauces and pie fillings. Tapioca flour comes from cassava (manihot esculenta), a plant common to South America.

Can Coeliacs eat tapioca flour? ›

Tapioca is almost pure starch and has very limited nutritional value ( 1 , 2 ). However, it's naturally gluten-free, so it can serve as a wheat substitute in cooking and baking for people who are on a gluten-free diet. Tapioca is a dried product and usually sold as white flour, flakes, or pearls.

Is tapioca good for your stomach? ›

It's easy on your gut.

Tapioca starch is gluten-free, so it's a good choice if you have celiac disease. It's also easy to digest because it's low in FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols), a type of carbohydrate that's hard for your gut to process.

Can you replace all-purpose flour with tapioca flour? ›

If you're in a pinch, you can swap all-purpose flour evenly for tapioca flour in most recipes, but keep in mind that all-purpose flour contains gluten. The swap may affect the texture of baked goods slightly—they'll have a little less chew and be slightly more dense.

What does tapioca flour do in gluten free baking? ›

When added to baked goods, tapioca starch helps the ingredients properly bind together. A function that gluten is often used for. Tapioca starch's binding abilities help bakers achieve baked goods that are fluffy, light and spongy in texture.

Can you fry with tapioca flour? ›

People may use tapioca flour when frying food. It makes a good coating for meat, fish, or other foods before the frying takes place. This helps create a crispy crust or outer layer during the frying process.

Is tapioca good for IBS? ›

Easy to digest

Many people find it easier to digest than flours that producers make from grains or nuts. Doctors may recommend tapioca as a suitable source of calories for people with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diverticulitis that can cause flares of digestive symptoms.

Can celiacs have bubble tea? ›

Answer. Yes, plain boba tea (also known as bubble tea, pearl milk tea, or tapioca milk tea) should be gluten free (GF). Boba is a tea drink originating from Taiwan, it usually consists of tea, milk and tapioca balls.

Can people with IBS have tapioca? ›

Okay to eat: Foods made from grains like arrowroot, buckwheat, cornmeal, millet, and oats. You can also eat potato flour, quinoa, rice, sorghum, tapioca, and teff. Cereals, pasta, breads, corn tortillas and baked goods made from these grains are also okay. (These grains may be labeled "gluten-free.")

What are the disadvantages of tapioca? ›

Side effects might include stomach pain, bloating, gas, and vomiting. Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Tapioca is commonly consumed in foods. There isn't enough reliable information to know if tapioca is safe to use in larger amounts as medicine when pregnant or breast-feeding.

Is tapioca an anti-inflammatory? ›

A starch which comes from the cassava tuber. Tapioca caused an increase in anti-inflammatory bacteria and a decreased in pathogenic bacteria when fed to an animal model. However, this growth in beneficial bacteria may still be too much for patients with IBD.

Is tapioca bad for acid reflux? ›

Foods to include: Brown rice, whole wheat, cuscous, millets, oats and barley are good to consume regularly. Tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, tapioca and cassava, are also OK as long as they are cooked plain and not with spices.

Can you bake with tapioca flour? ›

Yes! Tapioca flour is a grain free and naturally gluten free powder that you can use in baking, cooking, and frying. It has a neutral flavor that makes it perfect for both sweet and savory foods. Tapioca flour is also Paleo (it's grain-free), and vegan.

Is tapioca flour healthier than flour? ›

When it comes to nutritional value, there are some notable differences between All Purpose Flour and Tapioca Flour. All Purpose Flour contains a higher amount of protein and fiber compared to Tapioca Flour. It also contains essential vitamins and minerals, such as iron and vitamin B.

How do I substitute gluten-free flour? ›

If the original recipe calls for 260 grams of all-purpose flour, substitute with 260 grams of your blend. Beat the batter more. Because gluten-free flours provide less structure than all-purpose, the batter or dough you make with them may require more beating than that which you are accustomed.

Can you substitute tapioca flour for wheat flour? ›

Usually tapioca flour can be subbed in a 1:1 ratio for wheat flour. For example, to substitute tapioca flour (or starch) for wheat/all-purpose flour in recipes, start by using about 1 tablespoon–1.5 tablespoons of tapioca for every tablespoon wheat flour in the original recipe.

How much tapioca starch to add to gluten-free flour? ›

Custom Flour Blends
IngredientBasic BlendSelf-Rising Flour
Rice Flour2-3/4 cups (15.4 oz)1-1/4 cups white rice flour (6.5 oz)
Bean Flours
Corn or Potato Starch1-1/4 cups (8 oz)3/4 cup cornstarch (3.5 oz) or 4 oz potato starch
Tapioca Starch/Flour1/3 cup (1.5 oz)1/4 cup (1.1 oz)
6 more rows

Which gluten-free flour is closest to all-purpose flour? ›

Brown rice flour is about as close to a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour as it gets since it provides structure and a “wheat-like” flavor.

References

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