The gluten-free flour aisle is rife with choice these days, and among the plethora of options you might find cassava flour. This nutrient-dense ingredient is made from cassava, a starchy tuber that’s beloved throughout South America, the Caribbean, and beyond for its nutty, earthy flavor and versatility. Highly absorptive and elastic with a neutral, pleasingly earthy flavor, it’s a terrific option in the gluten-free toolkit for tender cakes, stretchy tortillas, velvety gravies, and more. 

What is cassava?

A native plant of South America and staple crop throughout Africa and Asia, cassava — also known as yuca — grows deep in the soil in tropical and subtropical regions. It resembles an elongated potato with a hard, bark-like skin and typically has white flesh. If you buy fresh cassava, you must cook it before eating; in its raw form, it contains traces of cyanide, which is toxic to ingest. 

Cassava is not only allergen-friendly (it’s dairy, grain, and nut-free), but high in fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. It’s often prepared like potatoes — boiled, fried, mashed, or roasted. But one of the most popular uses for it is milling it into a gluten-free flour for use in baking.

What is cassava flour?

Cassava flour is made from the whole tubular cassava root that has been peeled, dehydrated, and pulverized into a fine, powdery substance. It’s not to be confused with tapioca flour or starch, which is also made from cassava, but is processed so that most of what remains is soluble fiber (that’s why tapioca starch is most often used as a thickener rather than as a substitute for traditional flours). 

How to use cassava flour

Cassava flour’s mild flavor and off-white color make it a favorite gluten-free substitute for baked goods that include brownies, cakes, muffins, cookies, crackers, bread, pancakes, and tortillas. It can also be used as a thickener for soup, broth, gravy, or béchamel sauce. 

When it comes to baking applications, cassava flour has a lighter texture than wheat-based wheat flour and tends to soak up high amounts of liquid, similar to coconut flour. It can be used in wheat flour recipes, though industry pros don’t recommend substituting at a one-to-one ratio in recipes that call for traditional wheat flour.

Bob’s Red Mill, which supplies GMO-free cassava flour, suggests starting with about ⅔ cup of cassava flour for every one cup of wheat flour and adjusting up as needed if the batter still seems too wet. Owing to its sticky texture, baking pros also recommend experimenting with a blend of non-wheat flours; try a mix of cassava flour and another grain-free flour like sorghum, chickpea, coconut, or buckwheat. 

Cassava flour is also a common addition to farofa, a side of crunchy toasted cassava that’s often served alongside stews in Afro-Brazilian Brazilian cuisine, according to chef Junior Borges. Try making farofa to serve with classic stews like Moqueca or Feijoada. 

Where to buy and store cassava flour

You can find cassava flour brands such as Otto’s Natural and Bob’s Red Mill in the health food section of larger supermarkets, at specialty health food stores, or online. Sometimes called manioc flour, cassava flour can also be found at Latin American grocery stores, where brands like Julia might be labeled as farinha de mandioca branda (the Portuguese term for manioc flour).

Because of its relatively low moisture content, cassava flour has a long shelf life. It’ll last in a cool, dry place like your pantry for up to two years.