Is cornstarch the same as cornflour?
A British cornflour label usually points you to the powder an American sauce recipe needs. An American bag of corn flour points you to a different ingredient.
Quick answer
Yes, cornstarch is the same as cornflour in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand: a fine white corn starch used to thicken sauces and puddings. Buy cornflour for an American recipe calling for cornstarch. In the US, corn flour means finely ground corn with a corn flavor, so it isn't the same thickener. Check the ingredient label when the recipe and package come from different countries.
What to buy where you live
| Country | Look for | Label check |
|---|---|---|
| UK and Ireland | Cornflour | The fine white starch used for sauces |
| Australia and New Zealand | Cornflour | Check that the ingredient is corn starch |
| Canada and US | Cornstarch | Corn flour and cornmeal are different products |
| Germany | Maisstärke or Speisestärke | Speisestärke can also be wheat or potato starch |
| France | Fécule de maïs or maïzena | Look for maize starch |
| Spain and Latin America | Maicena, almidón de maíz or fécula de maíz | Choose starch rather than ground corn |
| Italy | Amido di mais | Fecola di patate is potato starch |
| Indonesia | Tepung maizena | Tepung jagung can mean ground corn |
| Brazil and Portugal | Amido de milho | Brazilian fubá is cornmeal |
The powder should be bright white and very fine, with a squeaky feel when rubbed between your fingers. Cornstarch comes from the starchy endosperm inside corn kernels. It has no corn flavor, which is why it can thicken a vanilla pudding without changing the taste.
Cornstarch vs corn flour and other look-alikes
| Product | What it is | Does it work the same way? |
|---|---|---|
| US cornstarch or UK cornflour | Pure corn starch | Yes, these names describe the same cooking ingredient |
| US corn flour | Finely ground corn, usually yellow and corn-flavored | No, it won't thicken like pure starch |
| Cornmeal or fubá | Coarser ground corn | No, it adds graininess and corn flavor |
| Masa harina | Flour from corn treated with lime | No, it is intended for foods such as tortillas |
| Potato starch | Starch from potatoes | A possible sauce substitute, with different heat behavior |
The word flour causes most of the confusion. British cornflour behaves as a starch; American all-purpose flour is wheat flour and makes an opaque sauce. A finely ground powder isn't necessarily the ingredient the recipe means.
Thicken a sauce without lumps
For a medium sauce, start with about 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch per 1 cup (240 ml) liquid. This is a starting point for sauce consistency, rather than an amount to add to every recipe. Follow a pudding or pie filling recipe's stated quantity.
- Stir the cornstarch into a little cold liquid until you have a smooth slurry. Break up any dry pockets before it goes near the pan.
- Whisk the slurry into the hot liquid. Adding dry powder straight to a hot sauce makes lumps that are hard to stir out.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and let it bubble for about a minute. It needs that heat to thicken fully and lose its raw starch taste.
- Reduce the heat once the sauce has thickened. Long boiling or hard stirring afterward can make it thin again.
Cornstarch gives a glossy, relatively clear sauce. It also appears in crispy coatings and some cookies and cakes, where it has a different job. Don't use a sauce-thickening rule to change the flour in a baking recipe.
Choose a substitute for the dish
Potato starch can replace cornstarch in equal amounts in most sauces. It thickens at a lower temperature and gives a clearer, slightly stretchier result. Avoid a long boil. Wheat flour needs a different amount and changes the appearance of the sauce.
For quantities and other options, use the cornstarch substitute guide. The best choice for gravy may differ from the best choice for a pie filling or a coating. When measuring by weight, the cups to grams tool helps keep the ingredient and its cup weight together.
Common mistakes after the sauce thickens
A sauce that thickens and then loosens may have boiled too long. Adding more powder directly to the pan repeats the lump problem. If you need to adjust it, mix a fresh slurry separately before adding it.
Acid weakens cornstarch's thickening a little. Freezing is another limitation: cornstarch sauces can turn spongy after thawing. If you're cooking ahead for the freezer, choose a recipe designed for that treatment rather than assuming the sauce will return to its original texture.
Questions
What is cornstarch called in the UK?
Cornflour. Choose the fine white starch sold for thickening sauces, rather than American corn flour or cornmeal.
Can I use cornflour instead of cornstarch?
Yes, if your cornflour is the UK-style corn starch. Use the same amount; the name change doesn't require a recipe adjustment.
Is cornstarch the same as cornmeal?
No. Cornmeal is ground corn with a coarser texture and corn flavor, so it won't make the smooth sauce that cornstarch does.
Why isn't my cornstarch sauce thickening?
It may need to reach a boil before the starch thickens fully. If it thickened earlier and then became thin, prolonged boiling or hard stirring may be the cause.
Keep reading
- Ingredient substitutesCornstarch substitute for thickening and fryingReplace cornstarch with flour, potato starch, arrowroot, tapioca or rice flour. Find the ratios, slurry method and best swaps for crispy coatings.
- Ingredients explainedAll-purpose flour in the UK and abroadAll-purpose flour means plain flour in the UK. Find the local names abroad, avoid self-raising flour, and measure US recipe cups by weight.
- Free kitchen toolsCups to grams for the recipe in front of youConvert cups to grams by ingredient, with worked examples for flour and sugar. Check US and metric cup sizes, measuring methods and butter amounts.