Out of cornstarch
Thickening with flour when you are out of cornstarch
Updated
All three charts we use give the same swap for cornstarch: all-purpose flour, at twice the volume. The card below shows that one figure.
Illinois and Mississippi State label the line as being for thickening. Colorado State’s row has no such label but gives the same flour amount.
Replaces 1 tbsp cornstarch, for thickening
All-purpose flour
| Amount | Ingredient | ≈ grams |
|---|---|---|
| 2 tbsp | all-purpose flour | 16 g |
- University of Illinois Extension, Substitutions for Common Ingredients (modified December 2024), p. 2 — verified 2026-09-27
- Colorado State University Extension, Ingredient Substitutions (web page) — verified 2026-09-27
- Mississippi State University Extension, Ingredient Substitutions and Equivalents (Publication 1690, 2024), p. 3 — verified 2026-09-27
✓ 3 sources match Illinois Extension, Colorado State Extension, Mississippi State Extension list the same amounts.
Grams are volume-to-weight estimates from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached — 1 cup = 125 g. Blank means the chart does not say which kind to use, or the unit is not a volume.
Before you swap
- Colorado State and Mississippi State also list granular tapioca for cornstarch, and Colorado State lists arrowroot. Those swaps are not on this page yet.
- Because two of the charts tie the swap to thickening, this page presents it as a thickening swap, not a baking one.
How these ratios are checked: our method. Spotted a mismatch with a chart? Tell us and we will recheck the original.