FAQs
Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.
What else thickens soup besides cornstarch? ›
5 Best Cornstarch Substitutes
- All-Purpose Flour. Yep, that's right — all-purpose flour is a very stable thickener. ...
- Arrowroot Powder. If you happen to have this starch on hand, you're in luck: It has the same thickening power as cornstarch, and it creates a beautiful, shiny sauce. ...
- Potato Starch. ...
- Rice Flour. ...
- Tapioca Starch.
How to thicken sauce with no cornstarch? ›
Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.
How to thicken broth without flour or cornstarch? ›
Pureeing veggies as a thick soup base is an option, but you can leave the pieces whole. The veggies release just the right amount of starch during cooking to thicken the soup.
What is the 4 other thickening agents for soup? ›
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch is the most common thickening agent used in the industry. ...
- Pre-gelatinized Starches. Pre-gelatinized starches are mixed with sugar and then added to the water or juice. ...
- Arrowroot. ...
- Agar-Agar. ...
- Algin (Sodium Alginate) ...
- Gelatin. ...
- Gum Arabic or Acacia. ...
- Gum Tragacanth.
What can I use as a thickening agent instead of cornstarch? ›
Which one you use depends on the recipe, your needs, and what pantry staples you have on hand.
- Potato Starch. Potato starch is the cornstarch substitute favorite of associate food editor Kendra Vaculin. ...
- Rice Flour. ...
- All-Purpose Flour. ...
- Tapioca Flour. ...
- Arrowroot Powder. ...
- Xanthan Gum.
What is the healthiest thickening agent? ›
Easy-to-access alternatives are wheat flour, arrowroot flour, and rice flour. These are good alternatives to cornstarch because they are more nutritious and contain fewer carbohydrates and calories. Xanthan and guar gum are much stronger thickeners than cornstarch, but they can be harder to obtain and use.
Is it better to thicken with flour or cornstarch? ›
Because cornstarch is pure starch, it has twice the thickening power of flour, which is only part starch. Thus, twice as much flour is needed to achieve the same thickening as cornstarch. To thicken sauces, cornstarch is combined with cold water first, which is called a slurry.
What is the secret ingredient to thicken soup? ›
Add Flour Or Cornstarch
Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool. Add a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until it's blended smooth. Next, bring the soup to a simmer and add the mixture back to the pot. Pro tip: Don't dump in the entire mixture at once.
How to thicken stew if you don't have cornstarch? ›
There are five ways I know of to thicken a stew, soup or sauce:
- adding a roux (starch)
- reducing (using heat to evaporate some of the water)
- adding cream (or something similar)
- adding powdered gelatin.
- adding pureed vegetable.
If you don't have cornstarch handy, flour is a similar alternative that can be used to thicken soup (for a gluten-free option, you can also use arrowroot flour). There are a few ways to incorporate flour into soup, which work to avoid clumping and the raw taste of flour.
How do you thicken soup naturally? ›
The most straightforward way to thicken soup is to puree the vegetables. Starchy vegetables in particular offer the most creaminess. Try with corn, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, or yams. Blend half (for a chunkier texture) or all of the vegetables and liquid together.
How to thicken sauce without cornstarch or flour? ›
Steps to use it:
- In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of arrowroot to 1 tablespoon of cold water.
- Whisk the arrowroot and water together to create a slurry.
- Add slurry to your sauce and put on medium heat.
- Boil the sauce for one minute.
- Check the thickness of your sauce by coating the back of a spoon with it.
Does soup thicken as it cools? ›
Does soup thicken as it cools? Soup that contains some amount of starch, whether it be potatoes, rice, pasta, or an added thickener like cornstarch or flour will definitely thicken once it cools.
What is the best ingredient to thicken soup? ›
Add Flour Or Cornstarch
You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute.
What thickens better than cornstarch? ›
Glucomannan
It's a far more powerful thickening agent by amount, so use about half the amount of glucomannan as you would cornstarch. About one teaspoon to every cup of liquid is a common suggestion. Since glucomannan tends to clump in high heat, mix it with cold water before adding it to your dish.
How can I thicken soup without adding anything? ›
Foods like rice, bread, potatoes and beans are naturally high in starches, which, when broken down, act as a thickening agent. With rice, the grains will break down into the soup as it's simmered and stirred, releasing the starches and thickening the soup.