Last year I discovered cassava flour and I have been in love ever since. It’s such a great gluten free (and grain free) flour because it combines the elasticity of a starch with the wholegrain backbone of a grain flour. The taste is neutral and sweet, making it a great flour to use when trying to emulate the taste of a wheat based flour. With this in mind, I wanted to round up my cassava flour recipes (all of which are gluten free).

Cassava flour recipes (gluten free)

These recipes use varying quantities of cassava flour. A few of them use 100% cassava flour, but others use different gluten free flours as well. There are plenty of options for different diets – xanthan gum free, egg free, vegan and nut free options all feature in this list. I wanted to develop these recipes to be as useful as possible to people with dietary requirements.

If you like sorting through recipes based on flours, see my buckwheat flour recipes roundup and my sorghum flour recipes roundup. There is also a wealth of gluten free baking recipes in my cookbook, Intolerance Friendly Kitchen.

What is cassava flour?

Cassava flour is a gluten and grain free flour made from the cassava root. Cassava is made from both the starch and root itself. Conversely, its cousin, tapioca starch, is made from the starch component of the dried cassava root.

This means that cassava flour contains more fibre and ‘wholegrain’ qualities than tapioca flour. Because of this difference, the two flours are not substitutable and perform different functions in baking.

Tips for using cassava flour

Cassava flour is a great flour to work with and is arguably the most akin to using regular wheat flour. With that said, it does have a few quirks. Given that I have experimented with it consistently over the past year, I thought it might be helpful to share what I have learnt.

Firstly, there are two varieties of cassava flour – fermented and unfermented. Ottos cassava flour, the most prominent brand as far as my research goes – is fermented. I buy cassava flour from my local bulk food store and I suspect it is of the unfermented variety.

Why do I mention this? In my experience, fermented cassava flour seems to be a lot more absorbent than unfermented cassava flour. This means that you might need to add more or less liquid depending on the variety you are using.

Hydration matters when it comes to cassava flour. A dough that is too wet will create a very chewy, mochi like dough. So, adding just enough liquid to create a soft and pliable baked good is key to success when working with cassava flour.

Cassava flour recipes on my site

Cassava flour pancakes

These pancakes use 100% cassava flour for a fluffy and delicious pancake that is both gluten free and grain free. They’re xanthan gum free and can also be egg free/vegan.

Gluten free corn fritters

In the effort to make these gluten free corn fritters adaptable, I tested them with a number of different gluten free flours. One such flour, of course, was cassava flour. They can be made with 100% buckwheat flour, 100% cassava flour or some of each.

Grain free tortillas

These grain free tortillas have all the flexibility of a regular tortilla. Did I mention they are also egg free, nut free, xanthan gum free and easily vegan?

Grain free bread without xanthan gum

I can’t begin to tell you how many tests it took to perfect this grain free bread. It uses cassava flour and starches to create a lofty, white bread style loaf that is probably one of my favourite cassava flour recipes.

Vegan grain free bread without xanthan gum

Because the aforementioned grain free bread contains eggs and milk powder, I wanted to develop a vegan version. Every bit as lofty as it’s original counterpart, this loaf is the perfect cassava flour bread.

Gluten free banana pancakes

These gluten free banana pancakes are light, fluffy and sweet. They also happen to be egg free, easily vegan, nut free and xanthan gum free. Something for everyone!

Gluten free zucchini fritters

Like the corn fritters above, I wanted this recipe to be as useful as possible. As such, it has a number of different flour combinations in the recipe (including an option for 100% cassava flour).

Gluten free shortbread without xanthan gum

I have tested EVERY starch option under the sun for these gluten free shortbreads. My favourite of them all is cassava flour. It makes them light and buttery but not crumbly or dry.

Gluten free Dutch baby

This recipe for gluten free Dutch baby has an easy option to use cassava flour for the starch. This recipe is xanthan gum free and nut free.

Vegan, gluten free bagels

Okay, I know I am obsessed with these bagels. I don’t think I have written a recipe roundup that didn’t include them. You can safely use cassava flour for the starch portion of this recipe. The bagels are also xanthan gum free, nut free and come with a low FODMAP recipe for everything bagel seasoning.

Gluten free buckwheat bread

Much like the bagels, there has likely never been a recipe roundup on my site that didn’t include this buckwheat bread. Although it is made predominantly from buckwheat flour, you can use cassava flour as the starch component.

Gluten free gingerbread cookies

These gingerbread cookies are one of the recipes made from 100% cassava flour. They can be made regular or vegan, low FODMAP, with or without molasses, etc. The perfect festive treat that just happens to be grain free.

Grain free rough puff pastry

I absolutely loved developing this grain free rough puff pastry. The magic of cassava flour means that the pastry is not only gluten and grain free but also nut free.

Grain free self saucing chocolate pudding

As winter approaches, this grain free self saucing chocolate pudding is the perfect dessert recipe to have on hand. It uses almond meal and cassava flour for a rich and delicious dessert that nobody will know is allergy friendly.

Gluten free shortbread brownies

It feels a bit cheeky to include this recipe, but the base of these brownies is the aforementioned gluten free shortbread. These shortbread have an option to use cassava flour, which happens to be my favourite starch for this purpose. On top? Decadent and rich chocolate brownie made with almond meal.

Contrary to what you’d think, the shortbread seems to contrast with the richness of the brownie to create the perfect combination of taste and texture.