Have you ever tried spinning a bite of pasta and when it reaches your mouth, it doesn’t seem to have sauce? Here are some tips for using flour or cornstarch to thicken the sauce – things that may already be in your pantry. Increase the viscosity of sauces and gravies so that you can enjoy their rich flavor with every bite, and make your soup richer and fuller with this technique.
How to Thicken the Sauce with Flour
Use flour as a thickener:
- Use two tablespoons of flour and 1/4 cup of cold water to mix each cup of medium-thick sauce.
- Mix well with water to prevent clumping.
- Once the flour and water have been stirred into a sauce, cook over medium heat and stir until thickened and bubbly.
- Heat for another minute until the flour is cooked thoroughly.
How to Thicken the Sauce with Cornstarch
Using cornstarch to thicken the sauce is very similar to using flour, but requires a different amount:
- Each cup of medium-thick sauce is mixed using a tablespoon of cornstarch and a tablespoon of cold water (aka cornstarch syrup).
- Mix the cornstarch and water well and pour into the sauce.
- Cook over medium heat and stir until thickened and bubbly.
- Heat for another two minutes until the cornstarch is fully cooked.
Replace Flour with Cornstarch as a Gluten-Free Substitute
If someone in your household has allergy restrictions, your soup recipe may need a gluten-free thickener. It is important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening capacity of flour. If you need cornstarch instead of cornstarch to thicken the liquid in your recipe and you need 1/4 cup (four tablespoons) of flour, then you only need two tablespoons of cornstarch. If you’re using flour instead of cornstarch to thicken the sauce in your recipe, replace one tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
Other Thickeners
In addition to flour and cornstarch, there are other options to thicken food. When it comes to bisquees and other sauce-based recipes, you can make bolognese (a mixture of flour and fat). This is common for creamy soups (such as baked potato soup) and sauces (such as macaroni and cheese). (Get full instructions on how to make bolognese sauce here.) ）
Depending on your recipe, you can use eggs, flour paste, or raw puree as a liquid thickener. Soup thickeners depend on the recipe as certain thickeners can affect the taste of the soup.
Make the most of these thickening tips to make a chicken masalad for dinner or a delicious turkey gravy for a Thanksgiving meal. You can also add some sweetness to your menu, such as raspberry rhubarb waffle toppings or lemon curd.