Starting a gluten free diet can be confusing and overwhelming and it doesn't help that when first starting to bake and cook gluten free. You may be left wondering, Is cornflour and cornstarch gluten free? What the difference is between cornflour, maize flour, corn flour, and cornstarch.
As they are used when cooking and baking gluten-free recipes and are named differently in the US and UK, I thought it would be helpful to write this post sharing the differences as I do use them in some of my recipes such as my gluten free Yorkshire pudding and gluten free mac and cheese.
It is so easy to become confused when looking online for recipes depending on where the recipe writer is from in the world they may use different terms for the ingredients.
I have tried to simplify the differences between cornstarch and cornflour to make it easier to understand and hopefully help clear up any confusion for you when making recipes containing cornstarch, corn flour, maize flour, or cornflour.
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Cornflour Vs Corn flour
Cornflour (One word) in the UK is the same as US Cornstarch and is white in appearance. Corn flour (Two words) in the US is the same as UK Maize flour and has a yellow appearance.
Is Cornstarch gluten free?
Cornstarch in the US known as Cornflour in the UK is made from the endosperm of corn and contains no protein making it grain-free. In its purest form, Cornstarch is gluten free and best known for use in gluten free baking, and thickening sauces.
In some recipes such as sauces and gravy, cornstarch is a good gluten-free substitute for flour.
Always check the ingredients labels to be sure that it is gluten free as some brands may contain gluten due to cross-contamination during the process of manufacturing.
Is Corn flour gluten free?
Corn flour in the US known as Maize flour in the UK is made from whole corn kernels and is often known as finely ground corn meal. In its purest form, Corn flour is naturally gluten free.
Always check the ingredients labels to be sure that it is gluten free as some brands may contain gluten due to cross-contamination during the process of manufacturing.
Cornstarch Vs Corn flour
Cornstarch (Cornflour in the UK) is made from the endosperm of corn and contains no protein making it grain-free.
Corn flour (Maize flour in the UK) is made from whole corn kernels and is often known as finely ground cornmeal.
Corn flour Vs Cornmeal
The difference between corn flour and cornmeal is that corn flour is finely ground and cornmeal is coarsely ground. So it's all about the texture of the product. Corn flour is fine, with a more powdery texture. Cornmeal is a more coarse medium texture and not as fine as corn flour.
Cornstarch in the US is the same as Cornflour in the UK.
Corn flour in the US is the same as maize flour in the UK.
Cornstarch is a fine white powder made from the endosperm of corn and US corn flour is yellow in color and is made from whole corn kernels.
Useful links
I have tried to keep the information to the point and easy to understand with the basic information regarding the differences between corn flour and cornstarch. If you want to dive deeper I have added some links below that you might find useful.
Regional uses for Cornmeal (Wikipedia)
How is Cornstarch made (Kitchencuddle)
Gluten-free recipes that use Cornstarch - Cornflour
Other Gluten free Guides you might like
- Gluten free chocolate
- What alcohol is gluten free
- What is gluten free at Starbucks
- What Easter eggs are gluten free
I hope you found this Is Cornflour - Cornstarch gluten free information helpful.
Did you make this recipe? I would love to hear from you!