All-Purpose Flour Substitutes — What to Use Instead

Q: Can I use cake flour + cornstarch instead of all-purpose flour?

Yes. Use 1:1 (sub 2 tbsp per cup with cornstarch). Lower protein gives a more tender crumb. Best for cakes and pastries.

Q: Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour?

Yes. Use Use 3/4 cup per 1 cup AP flour, add 1-2 tbsp liquid. Higher protein and more absorbent. Makes denser, nuttier bakes.

Q: Can I use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour?

Yes. Use 1:1 by volume but results vary significantly. Gluten-free but completely different behaviour. Best in cookies and quick breads. Will not work in yeasted doughs.

Also known as maida, plain flour, refined wheat flour, मैदा.

All-purpose flour sits at roughly 10-12% protein, a deliberate compromise between the silk of cake flour and the chew of bread flour. Swapping it isn't really about substitution — it's about deciding which direction you want the crumb to lean, then engineering the protein back to neutral.

3 substitute optionsExact ratio guidanceRecipe-specific notes

Reviewed by the CupOrGram Editorial TeamSources: King Arthur Baking, USDA FoodData CentralMethodology

Best First Pick

Cake Flour + Cornstarch

Use 1:1 (sub 2 tbsp per cup with cornstarch) for the closest replacement in most recipes.

For most cakes, muffins, and tender quick breads, replace 1 cup AP with 7/8 cup cake flour plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch — this matches AP's protein content while pushing the crumb toward fine, even tenderness. If you want chew (pizza, bagels, rustic loaves), reach for bread flour at 1:1 and pull back the liquid by 1-2 tablespoons per cup.

View adjustment notes →

Quick Ratio Cheat Sheet

Cake Flour + Cornstarch1:1 (sub 2 tbsp per cup with cornstarch)

Whole Wheat FlourUse 3/4 cup per 1 cup AP flour, add 1-2 tbsp liquid

Almond Flour1:1 by volume but results vary significantly

Excellent: 1Good: 1Moderate: 1

When the best swap works

Cake flour plus cornstarch in butter cakes, pound cakes, and tender muffins — the lower-protein blend stays soft and avoids the slight toughness AP can introduce when overmixed.
Bread flour straight across in pizza dough, bagels, and lean hearth breads, where the extra gluten gives the chew and oven spring AP can only hint at.
Pastry flour or a 50/50 AP-cake blend in pie dough, scones, and biscuits — softer flour means flakier layers and a more forgiving rest in the fridge.

When to use caution

Cake flour alone in cookies — too little structure, so they spread thin and bake up pale and slack rather than holding their shape.
Bread flour in delicate genoise or chiffon — the strong gluten network fights the foam, producing a tight, leaden crumb instead of an airy one.
Self-rising flour as a quiet swap — it carries built-in salt and leavener, which throws off any recipe already calling for baking powder, soda, or salt.

Recipe Notes

Classic chocolate chip cookies

Stay with AP if you have it — the protein level is what gives Toll House-style cookies their crisp edge and chewy center. If you only have bread flour, the cookies will be noticeably chewier and slightly puffier; cut the flour by 2 tablespoons per cup and rest the dough overnight to mute the extra gluten.

Yellow birthday cake

Use 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons cake flour plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch for every cup of AP called for, sifted twice. The cornstarch interrupts gluten formation the same way AP's lower protein would, and the crumb comes out velvety enough to fork without crumbling.

New York-style pizza dough

Bread flour at 1:1 is the upgrade, not the substitute — AP works, but bread flour gives the cornicione that signature blister and pull. Pull the hydration back by about 2% (roughly 1 tablespoon per cup of flour) since the higher protein absorbs more water, and let the dough cold-ferment at least 24 hours for flavour.