The 11 Best Millet Flour Substitutes For Your Recipes

Not having the ingredient that the recipe you’re following calls for can be quite frustrating. Luckily, this is one of those ingredients you can easily replace, as there are many adequate alternatives to millet flour.

Millet flour is a very specific type of flour, as it has a very fine texture and a sweet yet nutty aroma.

It resembles wheat flour, but it contains no gluten, which makes it perfect for those who are allergic to gluten or are simply looking for a gluten-free alternative.

However, as unique as it is, the millet flour substitutes we’ll be talking about today can replace it in pretty much any recipe. 

Keep on reading to discover the best millet flour substitute!

The best substitutes for millet flour

As the name itself implies, millet flour is produced from ground millet, which is a popular grain that belongs to the grass family but is often cultivated as a crop.

An important characteristic of millet flour concerns its flavor and aroma, as they’re often sweet and slightly nutty, which makes it stand out among other flour types.

Just like many other gluten-free kinds of flour, millet flour is rarely used on its own in baking as it cannot produce a stable, homogenous dough.

Nevertheless, it is often mixed with other types of flour (mostly glutinous) for baked goods, as it adds a specific aroma and flavor, as well as smooth texture.

Many people choose to use it in baking purely due to its impressive nutritional profile, as millet flour is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and protein. 

Aside from its gluten-free content, millet flour is also a whole-grain flour that can be added to pretty much all desserts, as well as savory dishes that require a nutritional boost.

As far as other cooking applications are concerned, millet flour can be used as a thickening agent in your soups, sauces, and dips, as well as a replacement for all-purpose flour in the batter.

Aside from adding a beautiful aroma to your baked goodies, and serving as a thickening agent and batter, millet flour can also add a beautiful creamy-white hue to all your dishes.

What could be a good replacement for millet flour? Let’s take a look at some of the most appealing options.

1. Sorghum flour

A spot-on substitute for millet flour is sorghum flour, also known as jowar flour. Just like millet flour, sorghum flour is also made from whole grains, which makes it extremely nutritious.

When it comes to its flavor profile, you can expect a sweet yet nutty taste and a slightly toasty aroma, which is yet another reason why you should use sorghum flour to replace millet flour in your recipes.

Just like millet flour, sorghum flour is completely gluten-free, so you can implement it into your diet even if you have a gluten sensitivity, or you’re just trying to make healthier choices.

2. Soy flour

Soy flour is made from roasted, de-hulled soybeans, and it is the roasting process that provides a toasty, nutty aroma that reminds of millet flour.

This is yet another gluten-free alternative to millet flour, and it has a very fine, powdery texture which makes it easy to implement it into your meals and mix with other types of flour in baking. 

When it comes to its overall flavor profile, you’ll notice that it does have a slightly stronger flavor and aroma than millet flour. 

This millet flour replacement is also darker in color, which is something to keep in mind if you don’t want your flour to alter the appearance of the dish.

3. Montina flour

Speaking of whole-grain types of flour, Montina flour can be a great replacement for millet flour. 

Montina flour contains no gluten, which ranks it high on the list of healthy alternatives to wheat flour.

However, the absence of gluten means that you will need to mix it with glutinous flour for most baking recipes, including bread and pastries. 

Montina flour, also known as Indian ricegrass, can also be purchased pre-mixed with tapioca flour and/or rice flour. 

4. Buckwheat flour

Buckwheat flour comes from ground buckwheat, which may resemble a grain, but it is actually a fruit. Nevertheless, it has many properties of grain and it is often treated like one.

Buckwheat flour has numerous culinary applications, but it is mostly used in pancake and galette batter, as well as in soba noodles. 

However, when it comes to baking, it is recommended not to use more than 50% of buckwheat flour for your dough, as it contains no gluten and lacks the stabilizer you need. 

5. Quinoa flour

Quinoa flour, just like the majority of flour options we’ve discussed, represents a great source of protein and fiber, which is the primary reason why people choose to use it in their baking and cooking.

It is often used in gluten-free baking, but if you expect a firm, stable, non-crumbly structure, you should definitely consider mixing it with other types of flour that contain gluten.

A possible downside of quinoa flour is that it tends to have a bitter flavor. However, this doesn’t have to be the case with all batches, and whether you’ll notice it certainly depends upon your habits and preferences. 

6. Almond flour

Almond flour is a perfect choice for those of you who are looking for flour that can add that toasty, nutty, slightly sweet flavor to your desserts and baked goodies.

Aside from baking, almond flour also does well as a thickening agent, as well as a light batter – especially if you’re trying to avoid gluten in your diet. 

This flour is produced from blanched almonds, which is a process that removes their skin. The almonds are then roasted to bring out that nutty flavor and toasty aroma that can certainly be felt in the flour, as well. 

7. Brown rice flour

Brown rice flour is an excellent choice if you’re looking to add a bone-white hue to your baked goodies and dishes. 

Even though it is made from brown rice, this flour resembles wheat flour in both texture and color. However, contrary to wheat flour, it isn’t completely neutral, as it offers a subtle dose of toastiness and nuttiness. 

It is also a gluten-free option, and it works just as well in desserts as in savory dishes that require a thickening agent. It is also a great choice for a light coat of batter for your fish fillets, veggies, and meat cuts. 

8. Chickpea flour

When it comes to chickpea flour, you may come across different types, depending on the type of chickpea used. The two most common varieties are made from Kabuli chickpeas and desi chickpeas.

These two types of chickpea flour will often differ in color, as Kabuli chickpeas are creamy white, while desi chickpeas mostly come in darker colors. 

There might also be a noticeable difference in the texture between these two types, as the flour produced from desi chickpeas tends to be a lot more dense and fine.

Regardless of the type, chickpea flour is an excellent binder. 

Contrary to the previous options we’ve mentioned, it is quite sticky and can be used to bring the mixture together, whether you’re making veggie burgers or meatballs. 

9. Coconut flour

Coconut flour, made from dried coconut meat, is a particularly good choice for desserts, as it tends to have that distinctive, milky, slightly sweet flavor and aroma.

However, this coconut note is never too powerful, and you can definitely use it in savory dishes as well, without having to worry about these flavors taking over the entire flavor profile.

Coconut flour can also absorb a lot of liquid, so make sure to adjust other ingredients accordingly to get the perfect mixture. 

10. Wheat flour

In case you don’t have a gluten sensitivity, and the gluten content of your food isn’t one of your primary concerns, wheat flour is always a convenient choice.

Wheat flour often looks like millet flour and there is hardly anything you can’t make with it, especially when it comes to baked goodies. It is the single best choice when making bread, pizza dough, as well as cakes and cookies.

The recommended wheat to millet flour ratio when baking is 3:1, but this will depend upon the recipe and the kind of dough you’re aiming for. 

Wheat flour has no taste or aroma, and it is completely neutral which is exactly what makes it so versatile. 

You can use it in both savory and sweet dishes, as well as a powerful binding and thickening agent. Needless to say, it is the most convenient batter choice. 

11. Legumes flour

This type of flour is mostly produced from beans and lentils, and it is a pretty good gluten-free choice if you’re looking to replace millet flour in your recipes.

Since legumes have a very high protein content, this flour offers the same nutritional profile.

How to choose a millet flour substitute

In case gluten isn’t an important factor in your decision-making, plain wheat flour is surely the most convenient and affordable option out of all the flour types we mentioned.

In case you wouldn’t add any glutinous flour in your baking mixture, the dough wouldn’t reach the desired consistency, and your baked goods would crumble easily.

However, keep in mind that plain wheat flour has little to offer when it comes to important nutrients.

If you’re looking to stay in the slightly-sweet, nutty lane, we suggest choosing sorghum flour, soy flour, almond flour, brown rice flour, or coconut flour to replace millet flour in your recipes.

Montina, buckwheat, quinoa, chickpea, and legumes flour can be used in place of millet flour if you’re looking for nutritious options for your dishes.