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Cornstarch substitutes

Out of cornstarch? Here are the best substitutes — what to reach for, why it works, and how much to use. Arrowroot powder is the top pick.

  1. 01
    Arrowroot powderbest pick

    Clear, glossy thickener; great for fruit and acidic sauces.

    1:1

  2. 02
    Tapioca starch

    Glossy thickening, freeze-stable.

    1:1

  3. 03
    Potato starch

    Neutral, strong thickener for sauces.

    1:1

  4. 04
    All-purpose flour

    Common pantry thickener; cloudier, needs more.

    use 2x the amount

Cooking with cornstarch?

Paste your recipe into Mise — we'll find every ingredient as a real product you can buy, and swap the ones you can't, like cornstarch, for the closest match in stock.

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How we choose these

These are tested kitchen substitutes, chosen for matching flavor, texture, and role — with ratios so the swap actually works. Taste as you go; substitutes shift intensity, not just flavor.

Flavor data: Epicure (Radzikowski & Chen, 2026), arXiv:2605.22391, CC-BY-4.0.