Most flour you find at the grocery will be made from wheat, but there is a wide variety of flour made from other ingredients, such as konjac flour.
If you have never heard of konjac flour before, you may be wondering what konjac flour is. I did the research, and here is what I learned!
What Is Konjac Flour?
Konjac flour is a type of flour made from the starchy parts of the konjac plant called the corm, and konjac flour is common in parts of Asia. Generally, konjac flour can be used to create noodles and as a thickening agent. You may also use konjac flour to substitute small amounts of wheat flour in baking recipes for softer textures.
Do you want to learn how konjac flour is made, how to use konjac flour in a baking recipe, and if konjac flour is gluten-free? Keep reading!
What Is Konjac Flour Made Of?
Konjac flour is made from the corms (the underground plant stem) of the konjac plant, which is a root vegetable found in various parts of Asia.
Keep in mind that konjac flour is only made from the starchy part of the konjac plant since the whole plant is not used to create konjac flour.
Is Konjac Flour A Wheat?
Konjac flour is not considered wheat because konjac flour is created from the konjac plant’s starchy parts, which is a type of root vegetable, not wheat.
What Does Konjac Flour Taste Like?
Konjac flour is said to have a very mild and neutral taste, but some people note that konjac flour tastes slightly salty.
What Is Konjac Flour Used For?
Primarily, the main use of konjac flour is to create noodles, such as shirataki noodles because konjac flour provides a texture very similar to wheat noodles.
In some cases, you may use konjac flour for baked goods to make the baked goods softer, but it would be best to mix konjac flour with other types of flour.
However, it may not be ideal to replace all the flour in a baking recipe with konjac flour because konjac flour is very soft and starchy compared to most flour used in baking.
Additionally, konjac flour is an excellent thickening agent because konjac flour comes from the starchier parts of the konjac plant, which can thicken many dishes.
For instance, you can generally use konjac flour in recipes that use cornstarch as a thickener, such as puddings, pie fillings, gravy, and sauces.
How Do I Use Konjac Flour In Baking?
Generally, it is not recommended to use konjac flour to completely replace flour like wheat flour in most baking recipes, but you can replace some of the wheat flour.
Typically, you can add half a teaspoon of konjac flour to every cup of flour in your recipe, but you should not add more than one teaspoon of konjac flour to your recipe.
If you were to add more than a teaspoon of konjac flour to your baking recipe, you will likely change the texture of your dish.
How Is Konjac Flour Made?
Konjac flour is made by taking the starchy parts of the konjac plant, which is called the corm, and slicing the corm.
Once the corm has been sliced, the corm gets dried and milled until the corm resembles a fine powder.
Where Is Konjac Flour From?
Konjac flour is from East Asian countries such as China and Japan, which is where konjac plants natively grow.
Is Konjac Flour The Same As Konjac Powder?
Technically, konjac flour is the same as konjac powder because they are simply different names for the same thing, and most people will use the two names interchangeably.
Some people will call konjac flour “konjac powder” because the flour resembles powder.
Is Konjac Flour Whole30 Approved?
Konjac flour is not considered Whole30 approved because the only pasta substitute the Whole30 diet allows is spiralized vegetables.
Is Konjac Flour Gluten-Free?
Konjac flour is a naturally gluten-free flour because konjac flour does not contain any wheat since konjac flour is made from the konjac plant, which is a root vegetable.
Is Konjac Flour Keto-Friendly?
Since konjac flour contains 0 net carbs and 2 grams of total carbs, konjac flour is considered keto-friendly.
Is Konjac Flour Hard To Digest?
Konjac flour being hard to digest will vary from person to person since each person has different dietary needs.
For instance, konjac flour is high in fiber, making konjac flour fine for most people to digest, but others may experience some trouble digesting konjac flour.
What Can I Substitute For Konjac Flour?
If you do not mind consuming gluten, you can use all-purpose flour instead of konjac flour if you want to use the flour to make pasta.
As for baked goods, you may not need to replace the konjac flour at all since konjac flour is used sparingly in baked recipes. You may only notice that your baked goods are not as tender.
If you need konjac flour as a thickening agent for soups, stews, pie fillings, etc., cornstarch is a decent replacement.
Konjac flour is normally used to substitute for cornstarch as a thickening agent in most recipes, so you can easily swap cornstarch into your recipe, but you may only need a little cornstarch.
Have a look at our related articles to learn what Kamut flour is, what kuttu flour is, and what keto flour is.
Conclusion
Konjac flour is a unique type of flour that comes from the Asian root vegetable konjac, and konjac flour is made from the starchy parts of the konjac plant.
Normally, konjac flour is used to make noodles and as a thickening agent, but some people may substitute a little wheat flour for konjac flour to create tender baked goods.