Spoiler alert: Baked goods are my favourite. Kidding. Everyone should know that by now. I’d honestly eat all the baked goods if I could. Unfortunately, too much white flour and refined sugars aren’t exactly good for you, so I’ve had to keep a careful eye on my consumption of baked goods.
Luckily, I didn’t bake much before I started eating healthily, so I’ve never actually used white flour or refined sugar in my baked goods. But, since most recipes call for white flour or refined sugar, I’ve spent a lot of time learning which substitutions work and which don’t. I’ve already covered how to replace refined sugar and butter when baking, so today I wanted to share some of the white flour substitutions I use most often.
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I’ve also put together a printable cheat sheet to help you easily replace white flour when baking on the go. If you’re already a subscriber, check the subscriber-only area, type in the password and you should see the printable there. If you haven’t subscribed or forgot the password, just hit the image below!
I’ll preface this by saying that making substitutions in baking isn’t an exact science. There’s always going to be a level of trial and error involved since different recipes handle substitutions differently. But, I do have some tips that make substituting flour a little easier for me, and I hope they’ll be helpful for you as well.
7 Healthier ways to Replace White Flour when Baking
1. Whole Wheat Flour
This is the most used flour substitution in my baked goods. Whole wheat flour is full of nutrients and flavour and also adds a little extra fibre to your baked goods. But, be prepared for your whole wheat cookies and cakes to be a bit denser, heavier and darker than ones made with white flour.
Substitution Tip: Start by subbing 3/4 cup whole wheat flour for every cup of white flour.
Recipes using whole wheat flour: Vegan Pumpkin Spice Baked Donuts, Dairy Free Maple “Buttermilk” Biscuits
2. Oat Flour (finely ground oats)
Early on in my white flour substitution career (heh) I made the mistake of subbing all white flour for oat flour in a batch of muffins. They weren’t exactly bad, but they were extremely dense and and a strange gummy/soggy texture. Not exactly what I was going for. Now, I tend to replace white flour with a mix of oat and whole wheat flour when I’m making muffins and pancakes. It gets a little tricky when recipes only call for a cup or less of flour, but I generally replace 1/4 to 1/3 of white flour with oat flour and do a whole wheat flour substitution for the rest.
Substitution Tip: If I wanted to replace 2 cups of white flour, I’d use 1/2 cup oat flour and 1 to 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour.
Recipes using oat flour: Healthier Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Oatmeal Brownie Pancakes
3. Beans
I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical about this one when I first read about it since I haven’t always been a big lover of beans. Plus, there’s the whole ‘danger of undercooked beans’ thing. But both times I’ve tried using beans in place of flour, have resulted in some surprisingly yummy treats. Chickpeas and black beans are the most popular substitutions, but I’ve also tried black eyed peas with great results. Obviously, you should only use black beans when cocoa powder is involved, since the beans will turn your treats brown. But, other than that, this substitution is smooth sailing.
Substitution Tip: Replace 1 cup of white purpose flour with 1 cup of bean puree.
Recipes using beans: Black Eyed Peas Chocolate Chip Blondies, Peanut Butter Black Bean Brownie Cups
4. Buckwheat Flour
Most of my attempts at using buckwheat flour have ended in disaster, however, I’ve come to the conclusion that it was made for pancakes. Like oat flour, buckwheat flour is gluten free so replacing all the white flour in a recipe with buckwheat flour won’t yield the best results. But for some reason, just buckwheat flour pancakes work like magic.
Substitution Tip: Depending on the recipe, if I wanted to replace 2 cups of white flour, I’d use 1/2 to 3/4 cups buckwheat flour and 1 to 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour.
Recipes using buckwheat flour: 6 Ingredient Gluten Free Spinach Crepes, Lentil Pancake Loaf
5. Nut Flours
I’ve only attempted this once with almond flour and it wasn’t exactly the best experience, but I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt until I try it a few more times. Nut flours don’t rise the same way wheat flours do so it isn’t usually recommended to replace all wheat flours with nut flours unless you absolutely have to. But if your can stomach the wheat & gluten, I’d do a similar substitution to the oat flour substitution:
Substitution Tip: 1/4 cup nut flour + 1/2 to 2/3 cups whole wheat flour for every cup of white flour.
Recipes using nut flours: I’ll keep ya posted on my nut flour experiments once I start to use them a little more often!
6. Spelt Flour
I’ve had a wheat sensitivity for as long as I can remember but it was never bad enough for me to give up eating things that contain it (unlike my issues with dairy). That being said, I decided to start experimenting with spelt flour last year because a few naturopaths suggested it as an alternative. I’ve been baking almost exclusively with spelt flour for past year or so and I’ve loved the results. It’s pretty similar to wheat but has a few differences that make it easier to digest, which is always a plus.
Substitution tip: For best results replace 1 cup of white flour with 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1/2 cup spelt. If you’d prefer to replace all the wheat flour with spelt, make a one to one substitution, but reduce overall liquid by about 25%
Recipes using spelt flour: Vegan Orange Poppy Seed Baked Donuts, Easy Vegan Drop Biscuits
7. Coconut Flour
For the longest time, I refused to bake with coconut flour because it’s just so unpredictable. But there are loads of people who swear by baking with coconut flour so I know it can’t be all bad. The issue with this one is that it’s super absorbent. So attempting to substitute wheat flour with coconut flour ends in disaster more often than not. It’s much easier to start from scratch and develop an entirely new recipe than attempt to convert an existing one. But if you absolutely must make a substitution, I’ve given some pointers below that may be useful.
Substitution tips: Replace 1 cup of wheat flour with 1/4 – 1/3 cup of coconut flour and double or triple the number of eggs (or egg replacement) used.
Recipes using coconut flour: Paleo Vegan Nut Free Brownie Cookies
More baking substitutions:
What about you?
- Have you ever used these while flour substitutions?
- Did they work for you? Or did they end in disaster?
- Any other tips or white flour substitutions to add?
Share in the comments below!
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Originally published in April 2014
This is awesome, Giselle! I love how your posts are always so informative and help people in some way or another. 😀 I have lotsssss of experience now with non-white flour, but I’m always learning, failing, crying, succeeding with it all. Hah! Every baked good requires different textures so it gets quite tricky, but that’s keeps it fun, right? 😉 I love to use oats or millet in a lot of my baking.
ellie @ fit for the soul recently posted…Quinoa Protein Pancakes {gf}
I had not heard of the black bean substitution strategy before!
Rachel G recently posted…Photos that Made Me Smile
I have wanted to try those black bean brownies for a while. I will soon. I have ww flour with me at all times and like to make it exciting with rolled oats or seeds. Healthy baking can be a real adventure.
trininista recently posted…Retreat from Reality – Top O’Tobago Villas
I am currently obsessed with coconut flour, it’s perfection to me 😉 And it gives me the ability to make COOKIES!
GiGi Eats Celebrities recently posted…WTF Are They Made Of, Healthy Doughnuts
Thanks for the tips! I’ve cooked with whole wheat flour, but never the others. I’ll definitely give them a try next time I’m in the mood to bake! 😉
Katy recently posted…MIMM: A New Way to Namaste
I’ve also been trying to reduce the white flour in my foods. I’ve tried whole wheat flour a few times and yes it does make the goods seem a little heavier. I can still sneak it into my kids banana bread though. I love black beans but haven’t tried using them as a replacement. I may give it a go!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…Cinquo Vegetable tacos & Homemade salsa #Cinquo de Mayo
Good info and advice on the substitutions. I usually use whole wheat pastry flour in place of white or do half and half to make things more nutritious.
Kimberlee recently posted…Short Sleeve Top with Knitted Lace Panel
Great post! I don’t buy white flour either. I have been starting to use almond flour and coconut flour and really like it!
Kayla recently posted…Design Decisions
I love this! I was just starting to toy with the idea of replacing refined flour with something else, but had no idea what direction to go. So thanks for getting me started!
Jenn @ Optimization Actually recently posted…Vitamins – My Daily Regimen
I haven’t tried to use beans to replace flour yet-interesting idea! Thanks for the suggestions
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…5 Fitness Trends I’d Love To Try
I have used black beans one time when making brownies but I do not think I got the ratio right bc I could definitely taste the beans in them.
I’ve been using a mix of almond and buckwheat flours to make pizza crusts and it’s delish!
Nicole @ Fitful Focus recently posted…Fabletics June Collection
I have recently baked a little, because I’ve been playing around with using aquafaba (bean brine) as an egg substitute. I wasn’t worried about flour, except I decided to use gluten free (not from need, but I had some rice flour on hand). I also tried a gluten free one to one flour that was a blend of a few different types of flour. It actually worked well, but I have no idea if it’s any healthier than white flour.
Debbie @ Coach Debbie Runs recently posted…My Plans and Goals for Blogfest and IDEAWorld
King Arthur Flours makes a White Whole Wheat Flour, and I’m wondering if you’ve ever tried that? How would that substitute?
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…Book Club Interview with Alexandra Heminsley, author of Running Like A Girl
More great info Giselle. I don’t bake often but I’ve gotten pretty good at flour substitutions to make a recipe gluten free. I need to try the chickpea flour. Thanks for sharing with Fitness Friday!
jill conyers recently posted…Lorna Jane INSPIRED
Yep! I’ve used all of these except buckwheat flour! I love almond meal!
Great tips for the kitchen! Thanks for sharing.
rachel recently posted…The Slug
I use a lot of whole wheat flour and oat flour. It’s always good to throw a little healthy twist into recipes!
Kate @KateMovingForward recently posted…7 Quick & Healthy Dinner Ideas
Great post! I am far from a baker and have no idea how to sub out white flour, thanks for sharing.
Toni recently posted…Are You Race Ready?
I’ve never heard of substituting beans for white flour before. Thanks for the idea!
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…Friday Five – Five Things That I’m Missing Now That I’m Pregnant
I totally agree– buckwheat flour makes the best pancakes! That’s what I use it for most of the time. It’s pretty good in graham crackery type cookies, too– but only if it’s a small proportion of the total flours.
I’ve had the same experience with oat flour– it absorbs so much more moisture than what flour, so it always gives baked goods a gummy texture. I use it combined with almond or coconut flour and find that helps balance it out.
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine recently posted…Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies (GF, VG)
I love this! I really need to try spelt flour. Oat flour is my favorite right now because it gives a chewy and doughy texture to baked goods!
Giselle! This is incredibly resourceful! I just pinned it because right now, I’m unable to bake. I go home in a few weeks though and I want to try some of this out!
Julia @ Drops of Jules recently posted…Welcome to Drops of Jules! (Update on my Religion/Faith)
I adore this website – its so usefull and helpfull
Thanks intended for supplying such great subject material
I am so thankful for finding this article! However I am wondering which of these substitutes can be used without being cooked/baked and still be safe for eating?
So Amazing, can’t wait to try it!
alix recently posted…What is Resurge? Lose Weight in the ‘Deep Sleep’ Mode | Review
nice tricks to keep healthy lifestyle. thanks for sharing it
Rosella Sle recently posted…What is Resurge? Lose Weight in the ‘Deep Sleep’ Mode | Review
nice tricks to keep healthy lifestyle. thanks for sharing helpful tricks
Rosella Sle recently posted…فوائد العسل وأفضل أماكن شراء العسل الطبيعي والعضوي | كود خصم ايهرب
nice tricks to keep healthy lifestyle. thanks for sharing helpful tricks
Rosella Sleo recently posted…فوائد العسل وأفضل أماكن شراء العسل الطبيعي والعضوي | كود خصم ايهرب
I like the idea of replacing white flour, my doctor has told me to cut carbs and almond flour does that but I really want to find something that I can use to bake some old fashion recipes that also reduces carbohydrates. My family recipe for pound cake comes to mind, I’m afraid that whole wheat flour would still have too many carbs. Since I know that all almond flour probably will not work, and there needs to be some kind of gluten to help hold the cake together, would you have any suggestions that I can try.