The Best Substitutes for Flour: Plain, Self-Raising, and Bread Flour Alternatives
You’re halfway through a recipe when you realise the flour bag is empty, or you’re trying to bake for someone who can’t eat gluten, or you’re just curious whether almond flour really can step in for plain flour in a Victoria sponge. Whatever’s brought you here, the answer is: yes, you can absolutely substitute for flour — you just need to know which swap works for which job.
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Flour isn’t one-size-fits-all even before you start looking at alternatives. Plain (all-purpose), self-raising (self-rising), and bread flour all behave differently, so the right substitute depends not just on what you’re replacing, but what you’re making. This guide covers all three, with practical ratios, honest notes on how each swap changes the result, and a quick terminology guide for UK and US readers.
A quick note on UK vs US terms: Throughout this post, plain flour and all-purpose flour are used interchangeably — they’re the same thing, though UK plain flour tends to be very slightly lower in protein, giving bakes a marginally more tender crumb. Self-raising (UK) and self-rising (US) are essentially the same too, with one difference: US self-rising flour usually includes a pinch of salt, while UK self-raising doesn’t. More on that below.
Plain / All-Purpose Flour Substitutes
Plain flour is the workhorse of the baking world. It’s what most cake, biscuit, muffin, pancake, and pastry recipes call for, and its relatively neutral protein content (around 10–12%) means it strikes a balance between tenderness and structure. When you’re looking for a substitute, the key question is: what do you need the flour to do in this recipe?
Almond Flour
Almond flour is probably the most popular plain flour substitute right now, and for good reason — it’s widely available in both the UK and US, it works in a surprisingly broad range of recipes, and it adds a gently nutty flavour that pairs beautifully with chocolate, citrus, and warming spices.
You can swap it in at a 1:1 ratio by volume in many simpler recipes — cookies, pancakes, quick breads — though the result will be denser and more moist than the original. It doesn’t contain gluten, so it won’t give you the same lift or structure; expect flatter, fudgier bakes. Almond flour also browns quickly, so keep an eye on your oven temperature and drop it by about 10°C / 25°F if you find things are catching.
It won’t work well in recipes that rely on gluten for structure — yeast breads, croissants, choux pastry — so don’t reach for it when making anything that needs to stretch or rise significantly.
Oat Flour
Oat flour is one of the most budget-friendly alternatives, and you can make it yourself by blitzing rolled oats in a food processor until fine. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavour that works well in pancakes, muffins, cookies, and banana bread.
The swap ratio is slightly different from almond flour: use about 1⅓ cups (130–140 g) of oat flour for every 1 cup (120 g) of plain / all-purpose flour, because oat flour is lighter and less dense. This isn’t a gluten-free option by default — oats are naturally gluten-free but frequently processed alongside wheat — so if you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, make sure you’re using certified gluten-free oat flour.
Oat flour doesn’t hold together as well as wheat flour, so it benefits from an extra egg or a tablespoon of flaxseed meal to help bind things. It works best when it makes up no more than half the flour in a recipe; for a full substitution, a little extra leavening (an extra ¼ tsp baking powder per cup) helps.
Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is extremely absorbent — far more so than any other flour substitute — and this is the thing that trips people up when they first bake with it. You can’t swap it in at 1:1; you need far less.
The standard guidance from both UK and US baking sources is to use ¼ to ⅓ cup of coconut flour for every 1 cup of plain / all-purpose flour, and to add extra eggs or liquid to compensate for its thirsty nature. A rough rule of thumb: for every ¼ cup of coconut flour, add one extra egg. It’s naturally grain-free, high in fibre, and slightly sweet, which makes it a popular choice for paleo and low-carb baking. It works well in dense recipes like brownies, pancakes, and mug cakes, but it’s not the right choice for anything delicate.
Chickpea Flour
Chickpea flour (also sold as gram flour or besan) is worth knowing about even if it’s not the first substitute that comes to mind. It has a distinctive earthy, slightly savoury flavour that can work against you in sweeter bakes, but it’s brilliant for savoury pancakes, flatbreads, fritters, and batters.
It swaps in at roughly 1:1 by weight for plain flour in savoury recipes, though you may need a little more liquid since chickpea flour absorbs water differently. It’s naturally gluten-free, high in protein, and gives a wonderfully crispy edge to things like pakoras, veggie fritters, and socca (French chickpea flatbread). If you’re making something like a banana bread or a spiced muffin where the savoury note would get lost, it can work there too — but taste as you go.
Rice Flour
Rice flour (white or brown) is a popular gluten-free baking staple, particularly in Asian cuisines and in commercial gluten-free flour blends. It has a mild, fairly neutral flavour and a slightly grainy texture when used on its own.
It can be swapped in at 1:1 by weight for plain flour in some recipes, but it performs best when combined with other gluten-free flours (like tapioca starch or potato starch) rather than used solo. On its own, rice flour can produce a slightly gritty or crumbly result — fine for shortbread or tempura batter, but less satisfying in a soft cake. If you’re doing a lot of gluten-free baking, a pre-mixed gluten-free flour blend (many of which use rice flour as their base) will give you more reliable results than rice flour alone.
Spelt Flour
Spelt is an ancient grain that contains gluten, so it’s not suitable for anyone with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy — but it does work for many people who find modern wheat harder to digest. Its flavour is nutty and slightly sweet, and it performs very similarly to plain flour in most recipes.
You can swap it in at 1:1 in cakes, biscuits, pancakes, and quick breads. The only thing to watch is that spelt’s gluten structure is more delicate than wheat’s, so it can over-develop quickly — try not to overmix batters and doughs made with spelt. It works particularly well in recipes that already have a rustic or hearty character: banana bread, oat biscuits, wholesome muffins, that sort of thing.
Self-Raising / Self-Rising Flour Substitutes
How to Make Your Own (UK and US Versions)
Before reaching for an alternative ingredient, it’s worth knowing you can almost always make self-raising flour yourself from plain flour and baking powder. Here’s how it works in both regions:
UK self-raising flour: Mix 100 g plain / all-purpose flour + 1 level teaspoon baking powder. No salt is typically included in UK self-raising flour, so add salt separately as the recipe specifies.
US self-rising flour: Mix 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour + 1½–2 teaspoons baking powder + ¼ teaspoon salt. Most US brands include salt in the mix.
This is genuinely the best substitution if you’ve simply run out of self-raising flour — you get exactly the right result without changing any other ingredient. If a UK reader is following a US recipe that calls for self-rising flour, use the US ratio (with the salt). If a US reader is following a UK recipe, use the UK ratio and add salt to taste as directed.
Baking Powder as a Leavening Boost
If a recipe calls for self-raising flour and you only have plain flour, the DIY method above is your answer. But there’s another scenario: you have a recipe that specifies plain flour plus baking powder, and you want to use self-raising flour instead. In that case, simply omit the baking powder called for in the recipe and use self-raising flour in its place. Easy swap, no maths needed.
Gluten-Free Self-Raising Flour
If you need a gluten-free version of self-raising flour, the process is the same as above — just start with a gluten-free plain flour blend instead of wheat flour. Most gluten-free flour blends work well here; add 1 teaspoon baking powder per 100 g / 1 cup of blend. Some blends already include a raising agent, so check the packet before you add more.
Bread Flour / Strong White Flour Substitutes
Bread flour (sold as strong white flour or strong bread flour in the UK) has a higher protein content than plain flour — typically 12–14% — which produces more gluten and gives bread its chewy, elastic crumb. If you’re out of it, here’s what you can reach for.
Plain / All-Purpose Flour
This is the most practical substitute for bread flour in most home kitchens. Both King Arthur Baking in the US and UK baking guidance confirm you can swap bread flour and plain / all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio in a pinch, and the loaf will still work.
What changes is texture: you’ll get a slightly less chewy crumb and a loaf that rises a fraction less because there’s less gluten development. For everyday sandwich bread and softer rolls, this is barely noticeable. For recipes where maximum chew is the whole point — bagels, pizza dough, sourdough — the difference will be more pronounced. Worth knowing that UK plain flour is typically around 10–11% protein, which is lower than US all-purpose (around 11–12%), so UK readers may notice a slightly softer result when swapping.
Whole Wheat / Wholemeal Flour
If you want to substitute bread flour with something that brings its own character, whole wheat (US) or wholemeal (UK) flour is an option. It has high protein content, but because it also contains the wheat bran, it disrupts gluten development — meaning you get structure but not the same elasticity.
A sensible approach is to replace only part of the bread flour with wholemeal: try a 50/50 mix with plain flour, or use it at up to 25% of the total flour weight. Expect a denser, more flavourful loaf with a heartier texture. Adding a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten per cup of wholemeal flour (if you can find it) helps restore some of the structure you lose.
What to Avoid for Bread
Don’t use cake flour as a substitute for bread flour — it’s too low in protein and will give you a crumbly, flat result. Similarly, while almond flour, coconut flour, and oat flour all work in non-yeasted baking, they’re not suitable replacements for bread flour in yeasted doughs. You need at least some gluten to trap the gas produced by yeast; without it, the dough won’t rise and hold its shape.
Gluten-Free Baking: A Few Extra Notes
If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease or a serious wheat allergy, the most reliable approach is to use a dedicated gluten-free flour blend rather than a single alternative flour. These blends are typically a mix of rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch, and they’re designed to mimic the behaviour of plain wheat flour as closely as possible.
Most blends can be swapped in at 1:1 for plain flour in cakes, biscuits, and quick breads. The texture may be slightly different — a little denser, or occasionally slightly gummier — but the results are generally very good. Adding half a teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of gluten-free flour blend (if the blend doesn’t already include it) helps bind things together and improves the final texture significantly.
It’s also worth knowing that gluten-free bakes often benefit from a little extra liquid and a slightly longer rest before baking, which gives the starches time to absorb moisture and hydrate properly. Don’t skip this if a gluten-free recipe specifies a resting period — it genuinely makes a difference.
Quick-Reference Substitution Table
Here’s a summary of the main swaps at a glance:
Final Thoughts
The most important thing when substituting flour is understanding what role the flour plays in a specific recipe. In a cake, it’s providing structure and absorbing fat and liquid. In a bread, it’s developing gluten to trap gas and create chew. In a batter, it’s creating a coating or thickener. Once you know what you’re asking flour to do, you can make a much better guess at which alternative will get you there.
If you need a gluten-free bake that really works, lean on a quality gluten-free blend rather than a single alternative flour, and don’t be afraid to add a little extra binding help with an egg or a teaspoon of xanthan gum. And if you’ve simply run out of self-raising flour, you never need to panic — plain flour and baking powder is all you need, and you almost certainly have both in the cupboard right now.
Enjoyed this guide? You might also find these useful:
- The Best Substitutes for Butter in Baking and Cooking — everything from oil to yoghurt, with ratios for each
- Egg Substitutes: The Complete Guide to Baking and Cooking Without Eggs — flax eggs, aquafaba, applesauce, and more
- Coconut Flour: What It Is and How You Can Use It — a deeper look at this ultra-absorbent baking staple
- Unlocking the Secret of Buttermilk: Benefits, Substitutes, and More — useful when a flour substitute also changes the liquid balance in your bake
- 8 Best Bread Recipes to Make at Home — for when you want to put your bread flour knowledge to use
What flour substitute has surprised you most in the kitchen? Drop a comment below — I’d love to hear what’s worked (and what hasn’t) for you.
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