Teff personally reminds me of oat flour. You know why? Because you can also make a really good morning porridge from it and enjoy the goodness of a chocolatey taste.
As it turns into flour, it’s a surprising treat for those who can’t take gluten-baked goods. This flour can do just fine just like other flours without having gluten in it.
If you’re on a search for teff flour but just can’t find any, it’s not the end. You can actually substitute teff flour with tapioca flour.
Other substitutes that you can take advantage of include sorghum flour, rice flour, quinoa flour, oat flour, millet flour, and coconut flour. For sure, you can find one of these substitutes in one of your grocery markets.
But before that, let’s get acquainted first with each of them and how you can use it for your favorite recipes.
Teff Flour Substitutes
1. Tapioca flour
Looking for another gluten-free substitute like teff flour? One of your great options would be tapioca flour. It might not have the same chocolatey taste but it works excellently just like teff.
You might see two different things in the store like tapioca starch and tapioca flour. Don’t panic or get confused since both are just the same.
You can pick either one of them for your next baking session. For best results, only use 20% of tapioca flour and the rest of the 80% can be another type of flour.
2. Sorghum flour
If you like the taste and aroma of wheat for your bread, then sorghum flour is your best substitute.
It’s also gluten-free and one of my go-to healthy flours when baking desserts such as cookies and brownies. You will surely love the texture that sorghum flour has to offer, it’s like using classic teff or wheat flour.
Just remember though that for making cakes, you would need to mix it with other flours as well since it can get pretty dense.
3. Rice flour
Whether you pick brown or white rice flour, you can choose whatever depending on your preference. The only difference that the two would have is that brown rice flour can be a lot denser than white rice flour.
I like using this substitute for teff flour because it can be mixed with any types of baking recipes. Sometimes I don’t mix it with any flour since it’s not as dense compared to the two flours we’ve mentioned above.
Also, if you’re missing your teff porridge, you can make some from rice flour and just add some cocoa mix and sugar.
4. Quinoa flour
For healthier and denser bread, you can substitute teff flour with quinoa flour.
The great thing about using quinoa flour is that it adds that nutty and earthy flavor to the dish. However, it’s best to not put too much since it can get a bit bitter.
To take out the bitterness from its flavor, you can mix it with other gluten-free flour such as rice flour or almond flour.
On top of that, you get to enjoy your daily carbs while also benefiting from their high nutritional value.
5. Oat flour
Like I said earlier, teff flour reminds me of oat flour. If you want the closest one possible, I would surely go for oat flour.
You can make your own homemade oat flour by grinding oat grains in the food processor. This flour is quite versatile when it comes to baked dishes.
You can use it for bread or sweet desserts and even cake mixes. For cake mixes, you would need to mix them with other types of flour to achieve that airy and fluffy finish.
6. Millet flour
If you haven’t heard of millet flour by now, it’s about time to get acquainted with it. It’s one of the sweet type flours that you can find in the market.
Although it’s sweet, the flavor is not too overwhelming that it shadows other ingredients. Plus, it’s healthier as it’s packed with magnesium which most flours don’t have.
Millet flour offers that crumbly texture to the dish, so it’s best to use this as an ingredient for your favorite cornbreads, muffins, and pie crusts.
7. Coconut flour
Your final resort if none of those 6 substitutes are available would be coconut flour. You will like the aroma and taste of this flour so much that you don’t even need to use vanilla extract when baking.
The aroma is so strong that you will still notice it even when mixed with other ingredients. For best results, use coconut flour for all of your baked dishes that don’t need rising.
Coconut flour can be dense, if you need to use it for cakes you would have to mix it with other flours for it to be fluffy.
FAQs
What is teff flour?
Teff flour comes from a whole grain flour that is much lighter and subtle in flavor. In the regions in Ethiopia, this flour is widely used as a food staple that dates back centuries ago. Best used for making flatbreads paired with savory dishes.
Is teff flour a healthy ingredient?
Yes, it’s one of the healthiest carbs that you can add to your diet. It has very low sodium content which aids hypertension or high blood pressure. It also has magnesium that helps your cardiovascular system to stay in good shape and avoid other related diseases.
Can I substitute teff flour with all-purpose flour?
Yes, you can do so. The rule of thumb would be ¼ of teff flour over 1 cup of all-purpose flour. You don’t need to use much teff flour since it’s denser than all-purpose flour.
Is teff flour expensive?
Yes, it can be more expensive than other flours. That’s because it’s not widely grown in some areas and the import fees add to the cost of the flour.
With so many choices to substitute teff flour, pretty sure you’ve made your choice by now. Share with us in the comments below which one you’ve tried already and how was your experience.