Is Cornstarch Vegan or Gluten Free? Plus 5 Cornstarch Alternatives

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What is Cornstarch?

Cornstarch is a very smooth white powder derived from the corn grain. More specifically, the starch is obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel. It has many uses for culinary, household, and industrial purposes. Most commonly, cornstarch is used in the kitchen as a thickening agent for soups and sauces. It is sometimes preferred over flour for thickening because it forms a translucent mixture instead of an opaque one. Cornstarch is also used as an anticaking agent in powdered sugar.

Is Cornstarch Vegan?

Yes! Cornstarch is always vegan-friendly as far as we can find. The only ingredient in cornstarch is corn starch itself which is derived from corn. We could not find any brands that were not vegan friendly in our research, but a list of brands we verified to be vegan is below.

Is Cornstarch Gluten-Free?

Yes! As cornstarch is derived from corn and there is not any additional ingredients in it, cornstarch is gluten-free. However, not all brands are gluten-free because their cornstarch is processed in a facility with other gluten containing products. A list of gluten-free cornstarch brands are in the following section.

Gluten-Free and Vegan Cornstarch Brands

As there can be some cross-contamination in the processing facilities we have verified 9 companies to have both vegan and gluten-free cornstarch. These companies are as follows:

Five Cornstarch Alternatives

If you are someone who chooses to avoid corn products, the following are cornstarch alternatives to try.

Arrowroot – Arrowroot works very similar to cornstarch and even creates a clear gel so it is a great cornstarch alternative. Use arrowroot at a 1:1 ratio with cornstarch.
Potato Starch – Another similar alternative to cornstarch, potato starch can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio.
Wheat Flour – Wheat flour is a less powerful thickener than cornstarch so you need to use more to get the same effect. Substitute flour at a 2:1 ratio with cornstarch.
Tapioca – Tapioca is also a less powerful thickener than cornstarch so you need to use more to get the same effect. Substitute tapioca at a 2:1 ratio with cornstarch.
Rice Flour – Rice Flour is a flour made by grinding rice into a fine powder. It is a naturally gluten-free wheat flour substitute. As with wheat flour, rice flour should be substituted at a 1:1 ratio with cornstarch.