Quinoa Flour Recipe: How to Make Quinoa Flour

Quinoa flour is a fine powder that results from grinding or blending dry quinoa or quinoa flakes. Quinoa is a high-protein, nutrient-dense ancient grain that contains many essential amino acids.

Some quinoa flour recipes call for toasted quinoa, while others call for fresh, untoasted quinoa. All quinoa flour recipes must use dry quinoa, as blending cooked quinoa produces a paste instead. Quinoa flour is a popular gluten-free flour substitute for all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, and other grain flours in gluten-free baking recipes. It mixes well with other gluten-free flours, such as almond flour, oat flour, or chickpea flour—some grocery stores even sell these mixes as gluten-free flour blends.

Store quinoa flour in the same way you would other flours: in an airtight container in a dry pantry that receives little light exposure. There, it will keep for a couple months. Quinoa flour lasts longer in the refrigerator, or still longer in the freezer.

Quinoa flour is a popular choice for gluten-free recipes, although this often requires the addition of stabilizers, such as xanthan gum or tapioca starch, to replace the gluten. Here are eight gluten-free foods you can make with quinoa flour:

• Bread: Mix quinoa flour with other gluten-free flours to create a gluten-free flour blend, or use quinoa flour alone to make gluten-free bread. Some of the other pantry staples you will need are dry ingredients like baking powder or baking soda, or yeast for a yeasted bread.
• Brownies: Using quinoa flour results in fudgy brownies—similar to flourless chocolate cake—due to its lack of gluten. The quinoa flour adds volume and a cake-like texture to the brownies but keeps them soft and tender. Make them vegan brownies by using coconut oil, a flax egg, and maple syrup for sweetness.
• Cookies: Gluten-free peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and other gluten-free cookie recipes that use quinoa flour are light, airy, and a little nutty from the quinoa seeds themselves. Quinoa flour provides baked goods like cookies with a tenderness, whether they’re soft and chewy or thin and crispy.
• Pancakes: Overmixing is a risk when you’re making homemade pancakes because overworking the gluten in traditional flour creates tough and rubbery pancakes. Quinoa flour pancakes are more likely to stay tender because the gluten-free quinoa flour reacts differently during mixing. The same is true for quinoa flour waffles.
• Pizza crust: Cauliflower pizza crust is a popular gluten-free alternative to traditional pizza crust, but you can also use quinoa flour to make pizza crust. Use quinoa flour instead of all-purpose flour or bread flour so the pizza crust still benefits from the flavor and texture of yeast but remains gluten-free.
• Smoothies: To add protein and thickness to a smoothie, add quinoa flour, which will not alter the taste. In addition to fruits and vegetables, you can try mixing in peanut butter and almond milk as well.
• Soups: To thicken soups, make a roux with quinoa flour instead of gluten flour. It works differently since quinoa flour lacks gluten, but it still thickens soups, as well as sauces. Adding some ground flaxseed to the quinoa flour will enhance the thickening power even further.
• Tortillas: Using quinoa to make tortillas results in a tortilla that’s more similar in texture to corn tortillas than flour tortillas. If you like the texture and bite of corn tortillas but are looking for an alternative, quinoa flour tortillas might be a good option.