Hi Emilia! Tapioca starch is an extract of the starch from the cassava root. It lends a nice chewy texture, and is often used as a thickener for soups, just like cornstarch (you may see where this is heading). It's a great alternative for flour in Gluten-Free recipes, and is popular in Keto ones as well. You can usually pick it up in stores in the flour aisle, as it's gotten more and more popular. As a substitution, we've had some luck with a few things. Cornstarch: a good option, but much stronger as a thickener. You'd need to cut the amount in half (for this recipe 1 cup, instead of 2). Potato Starch: like cornstarch, it's a bit heavier, and will lend a much denser product. Try reducing it by about 25-50%. There's some guesswork here, so have fun experimenting. Rice Flour: it's a lot stickier, so again, best to reduce the amount by 50%. Arrowroot: very similar to Tapioca, and can be used 1:1 equally. But, the results won't be as chewy. And finally: AP Flour. It totally defeats the purpose of a 'flourless recipe,' but in a pinch, is usable. However, because Tapioca dissolves much quicker, you made need to bake a bit longer. Hopefully these will help! Thanks for the question, and happy experimenting!
May 20, 2020 at 1:24pm
In reply to Can you use cornstarch as a… by Emilia (not verified)
Hi Emilia! Tapioca starch is an extract of the starch from the cassava root. It lends a nice chewy texture, and is often used as a thickener for soups, just like cornstarch (you may see where this is heading). It's a great alternative for flour in Gluten-Free recipes, and is popular in Keto ones as well. You can usually pick it up in stores in the flour aisle, as it's gotten more and more popular. As a substitution, we've had some luck with a few things. Cornstarch: a good option, but much stronger as a thickener. You'd need to cut the amount in half (for this recipe 1 cup, instead of 2). Potato Starch: like cornstarch, it's a bit heavier, and will lend a much denser product. Try reducing it by about 25-50%. There's some guesswork here, so have fun experimenting. Rice Flour: it's a lot stickier, so again, best to reduce the amount by 50%. Arrowroot: very similar to Tapioca, and can be used 1:1 equally. But, the results won't be as chewy. And finally: AP Flour. It totally defeats the purpose of a 'flourless recipe,' but in a pinch, is usable. However, because Tapioca dissolves much quicker, you made need to bake a bit longer. Hopefully these will help! Thanks for the question, and happy experimenting!