16 Must-Try Tapioca Flour Recipes for Gluten-Free Cooking (2024)

Tapioca flour comes from South America and is made from cassava root. It's totally gluten-free, grain-free and paleo-friendly. To prove you how awesome it is, I've collected 16 outstanding tapioca flour recipes for you to try!

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New year - new post series on the blog! This time I'm going to travel the world in 50 exotic, and not so well known to the majority of us, ingredients. Every week I'll publish 1 post dedicated to one ingredient. You can visit the special page devoted to this project to check the progress. Let's do it!

The ingredient I would love to start these series with is Tapioca Flour. It is a grain-free / gluten-free and paleo-friendly flour made from cassava root, a woody shrub native to Brazil and the rest of South America. It can be also calledmandioca, manioc, or aipim in some countries.

16 Must-Try Tapioca Flour Recipes for Gluten-Free Cooking (2)

The flour is made by peeling, shredding, and pressing cassava root until starch appears. Then, the starch is either passed through a sieve getting tapioca pearls (I used them in Vietnamese Che Chuoi Pudding) or dried getting white powder / flour. So, basically, Tapioca Flour is a starch. That's why sometimes you'll see or hear it called Tapioca Starch or Cassava Starch. Not Cassava Flour, though! The latter is a different product and we won't talk about it in this post.

This white South American powder is usually used, as other starches are, as a thickener for sauces, soups, desserts, etc. Tapioca flour is the main ingredient for Pao De Queijo - Brazilian Cheese Puffs I published a year ago. It's also popular in baking, creating an interesting chewy texture. Mild, and slightly sweet, it's a favorite in gluten-free cooking.

Tapioca Flour is also low in calories making it a good choice for those watching their weight.

Interested? I made a selection of 16 outstanding recipes for you to enjoy this South American product!

1. Pao de Queijo – Brazilian Cheese Bread

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Crispy outside, yet super soft and chewy inside, these little guys make a perfect snack for any occasion!

Recipe by: Cooking The Globe

2. Bika Ambon (Indonesian Honey Comb Cake)

16 Must-Try Tapioca Flour Recipes for Gluten-Free Cooking (4)

Squishy and rich tasting cake with wonderful aroma from kaffir lime leaves. A delicacy treasured by many in Indonesia!

Recipe by: What To Cook Today

3. Mint Paleo Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

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Light and fluffy, naturally sweetened, Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip Cake with DARK, velvety smooth and RICHHH chocolate ganache.

Recipe by: Food Faith Fitness

4. Soft Gluten Free Tapioca Wraps

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These easy, cheesy grain free gluten free wraps are made with simple gluten free pantry ingredients—plus they stay flexible even when they’re cold and freeze beautifully

Recipe by: Gluten Free On A Shoestring

5. Grain Free Rosemary Garlic Flatbread

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Just a simple grain free flatbread with fresh rosemary and garlic. Drizzle some olive oil all over it and you are good to go!

Recipe by: Savory Lotus

6. Paleo Dim Sum

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This paleo dim sum recipe uses a paleo pasta filled with flavorful ginger and pork and is steamed to perfection to make these amazing Asian potstickers.

Recipe by: The Things We'll Make

7. 3 Ingredient Crispy Waffles

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These waffles are ridiculously easy to make and require only three ingredients. They’re sweet, light and of course, crispy. Drizzle some maple syrup on top and you’ve got the perfect treat!

Recipe by: My Heart Beets

8. Crispy Halibut Orange Ginger Bites

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Amazingly crispycoating holding succulent halibut with hints of orange and ginger coming through in every bite.

Recipe by: Sugar Love Spices

9. Paleo Dinner Rolls

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This paleo bread recipe is nut free as well as grain and gluten free. It tapioca flour as well as coconut flour and a few other, simple ingredients.

Recipe by: Paleo Spirit

10. Rustic Paleo Breakfast Pizza

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This breakfast pizza is made from tapioca flour. It’s easily digestible and provides good carbs to help keep you full.

Recipe by: Ancestral Nutrition

11. Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella

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Ooey, gooey, stretchy, melty vegan mozzarella. Just dip some tortilla chips in this bad boy and welcome to heaven!

Recipe by: It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

12. 3 Ingredient Paleo Naan (Indian bread)

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The three ingredients that make up this magical batter are: almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut milk!

Recipe by: My Heart Beets

13. Mango Chicken With Coconut Cauliflower Rice

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This mango chicken is served over coconut cauliflower rice for a quick, easy and healthy spin on take-out that is ready in 30 mins!

Recipe by: Food Faith Fitness

14. Kuih Bangkit (Tapioca Cookies)

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Light, airy, and fragrant Kuih Bangkit (Tapioca Cookies) are a Chinese New Year favorite in Malaysia and Singapore. Uses Only 5 ingredients required!

Recipe by: Malaysian Chinese Kitchen

16 Must-Try Tapioca Flour Recipes for Gluten-Free Cooking (2024)

FAQs

Is tapioca flour good or bad for you? ›

The bottom line. Tapioca is high in carbs and calories, so it is not a traditionally healthful food. However, it can help a person meet the recommended daily allowance of several important nutrients. It can also be a tasty, nutritious food choice for people who need to gain weight.

What does tapioca flour do in gluten-free baking? ›

Use It to Add Structure to Baked Goods

Adding just the right amount of tapioca flour to your baked treats will create a light, airy, crispy and chewy texture. Perfect for adding to bread, cookies, brownies and pie crusts, tapioca flour is a great way to ensure that your ingredients bind together without using gluten!

What is tapioca flour best for? ›

Tapioca flour is one of the most popular flours in the world. It is highly prized as a South America and Caribbean baking staple for quick cheese bread. In addition, it can be used to thicken pie fillings, gravies, soups, and sauces. It's not quite as expected in the United States, but it is gaining popularity quickly.

What does tapioca do in the body? ›

Tapioca provides small amounts of several nutrients, such as potassium and iron. Products made from tapioca like tapioca resistant maltodextrin (TRM) may offer a few health benefits, including reducing cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

What does tapioca do to your gut? ›

It's easy on your gut.

Tapioca starch is gluten-free, so it's a good choice if you have celiac disease. It's also easy to digest because it's low in FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols), a type of carbohydrate that's hard for your gut to process.

Is tapioca good for high blood pressure? ›

Tapioca is low in saturated fat and sodium and contains small amounts of potassium, which may help regulate blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. Cassava root is a source of natural resistant starch.

Can diabetes eat tapioca? ›

When processed properly, tapioca does not seem to have many negative health effects. Most negative health effects come from consuming poorly processed cassava root. Furthermore, tapioca may be unsuitable for people with diabetes since it's almost pure carbs.

What plant does tapioca come from? ›

Tapioca (/ˌtæpiˈoʊkə/; Portuguese: [tapiˈɔkɐ]) is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (Manihot esculenta, also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but whose use is now spread throughout South America.

Is tapioca flour keto? ›

Keto friendly flours are quite hard to find. Normal Tapioca can't be used for keto friendly cookies or can only be used very scarcely. But Soluble Tapioca offers an alternative to that issue because it is actually Keto-Friendly.

Can you eat tapioca flour without cooking? ›

Tapioca flour has welding properties The processing process often cannot avoid impurities Therefore, using raw tapioca flour With cold water can cause cold stomach and lead to diarrhea, especially in pregnant women and children. To be on the safe side, use cooked tapioca flour, or mix it with hot water.

Does tapioca flour go rancid? ›

Under proper storage conditions, tapioca flour typically remains usable for 6 to 12 months. Storing it in a cool, dry place away from sources of heat and moisture is critical for maintaining its quality.

Can tapioca flour replace all-purpose flour? ›

If you're in a pinch, you can swap all-purpose flour evenly for tapioca flour in most recipes, but keep in mind that all-purpose flour contains gluten. The swap may affect the texture of baked goods slightly—they'll have a little less chew and be slightly more dense.

Is tapioca an anti inflammatory? ›

A starch which comes from the cassava tuber. Tapioca caused an increase in anti-inflammatory bacteria and a decreased in pathogenic bacteria when fed to an animal model. However, this growth in beneficial bacteria may still be too much for patients with IBD.

Is tapioca good for arthritis? ›

Improves bone health: The tapioca starch is a good source of vitamin K, calcium and iron. These nutrients play an important role in protection and bone development. Bone mineral density decreases with age, causing problems such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and decreased flexibility.

Is tapioca good for your liver? ›

Benefits Of Tapioca Fiber

This is due to improved liver insulin resistance, improved serum lipid levels and reduced hepatic lipid deposition – which boosts fat metabolism (Hu F 2020).

Is tapioca starch inflammatory? ›

Tapioca caused an increase in anti-inflammatory bacteria and a decreased in pathogenic bacteria when fed to an animal model. However, this growth in beneficial bacteria may still be too much for patients with IBD. Consumption of starch has been shown to increase bacteria harmful to patients with IBD in this review.

Is tapioca a junk food? ›

One cup of dry tapioca pearls contains 544 calories. Tapioca doesn't have many health benefits, but it is grain- and gluten-free. It is a common ingredient in foods for those with Celiac disease or gluten intolerances. It may be a suitable replacement for wheat- or corn-based products.

Is tapioca better for you than rice? ›

Nutritional Comparison: Tapioca Flour vs Rice Flour

It is low in fat and protein, making it suitable for individuals looking for gluten-free options without added macronutrients. Rice flour, on the other hand, contains a higher protein content than tapioca flour, although the difference is not substantial.

Is cornstarch or tapioca flour healthier? ›

Nutritional Differences Between Cornstarch and Tapioca Flour

Cornstarch is primarily a source of carbohydrates, while tapioca flour offers limited nutritional benefits, mainly consisting of carbohydrates and minimal dietary fiber. The choice between the two will depend on your dietary needs and preferences.

References

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