Cornmeal vs. Corn Flour vs. Cornstarch: What’s the Difference?

Cornmeal is a type of coarse flour made by grinding whole corn kernels. There are different types of cornmeal depending on the kind of corn. For example, white cornmeal is made from white corn and yellow cornmeal is made from yellow corn.

Cornmeal is a staple food worldwide. Cornmeal is the main ingredient in porridge dishes, such as Italian polenta or Southern-style grits. You can use this gluten-free ingredient to make cornbread, muffins, tortillas, and flatbreads. Cornmeal is also an ingredient for chess pie filling, a popular Southern dessert with a pie shell filled with a custard made of butter, sugar, wheat flour, and cornmeal.

Corn flour is a fine powder made by grinding dried corn kernels (maize). Corn flour is naturally gluten-free, which means baked goods featuring corn flour won't produce the same rise as those made with wheat flour, but they will be tender and full of corn flavor.

As a gluten-free flour, corn flour is a popular choice for wheatless baked goods, from bread to waffles. In the Southern United States, corn flour has long been used to coat fried foods, such as shrimp. It adds a pleasant corn flavor and crispy crunch—without the grittiness of cornmeal.

Cornstarch is a grain starch made from the endosperm of the corn kern. Producers soak the corn kernels in liquid and remove the endosperm—the nutrient-rich inner layer of the grain—from the grain, then extract the starch and dry it to form a fine white powder.

Cornstarch is most commonly used in food preparation. Like potato starch and other root starches, cornstarch is useful as a thickener for soups, gravies, custards, and other liquid food items. Cooks usually mix cornstarch with a cold liquid to create a slurry before adding it to the hot liquid to thicken. Industrial food manufacturers use cornstarch as an anti-caking agent for items like shredded cheese and powdered sugar, to keep them from clumping.

In the United Kingdom and in Europe, corn flour refers to cornstarch. In the United States, cornmeal, cornstarch, and corn flour are distinct corn products. The differences include:

• Processing: Cornmeal and corn flour are whole grain flours made from whole corn kernels, while cornstarch is made from the endosperm of the corn kernel.
• Texture: Cornmeal is coarse, corn flour is fine, and cornstarch is powdery in texture.
• Taste: Cornmeal and corn flour are made from the whole corn kernel, so they have a very pronounced corn flavor. Cornstarch is made from a flavorless part of the kernel so it has no flavor, which is why it is ideal as a thickening agent.
• Uses: When boiled in water, cornmeal can be eaten by itself as a meal. You can also bake cornmeal into a bread or pastry. The primary use of corn flour is for baking, and cornstarch is best for thickening sauces and soups.
• Nutrients: Cornmeal and corn flour are whole grain flours that contain nutrients such as protein, fiber, carbohydrates, potassium, and starch. Cornstarch is made from the endosperm, so most of the nutrients have been removed; it's primarily composed of carbs and has a high starch content.
  

Cornstarch, corn flour, and cornmeal are all made from the same ingredient, but generally, you should not interchangeably use these products. One exception is substituting corn flour for cornmeal in chess pie filling. In baking, corn flour and cornmeal will yield different textures for the finished bread or cake.

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