9 Best Guar Gum Substitutes

Whether it’s baking, making a sauce, preparing a rich stew or whipping up a decadent dessert, guar gum can help.

It’s an amazing thickening and binding agent, providing structural integrity to gluten-free baked goods and emulsifying fats and oil to prevent separation.

So what are the best substitutes for guar gum? The best substitutes for guar gum are starches such as tapioca, arrowroot, potato, or corn. You can also try xanthan gum, locust bean gum, agar agar, psyllium husk, or gelatin, depending on what you’re using it for.

Read on to find out more about what guar gum is, how it works, and the best substitutes you can use in your kitchen to get similar results.

What is guar gum?

You may have seen guar gum on food labels, such as in canned coconut, and wondered what this ingredient really is.

It is a food additive that is added to products to help thicken and stabilize them so they last longer and have a better texture.

It is made from a legume called guar bean and you may also see it referred to as guarana.

Guar gum is a type of polysaccharide (a form of carbohydrate fiber) that absorbs into water and provides a gel-like consistency, so it is often used for thickening.

The sugar molecules that make up guar gum are mannose and galactose.

To obtain guar gum from guar beans, they are shelled, hydrated and ground, and then packaged as a powder for use throughout the culinary world.

When using guar gum, you don’t need a lot of it, as it has an incredible ability to absorb water to thicken, emulsify, or stabilize whatever you’re creating. Some research says that it can expand up to 10 or 20 times its original size.

Guar gum has a whitish-yellow color and very little odor or taste, so you don’t have to worry about it affecting the flavor of any food you add it to.

That is why it is such a popular additive, since it has a high fiber content and little flavor, color, taste and calories.

Why do we use guar gum?

Food manufacturers and home cooks and bakers often use guar gum in their recipes to help thicken them and give them a creamy texture.

It’s also great for emulsifying fats and liquids nowadays, to prevent them from separating, and you can use it to stabilize ingredients, especially in gluten-free baking.

When you bake with gluten-free flours, you’re missing the important gluten protein that helps give these products their characteristic texture and bounce.

Luckily, guar gum helps keep air and water in place as a binding agent to help replicate the role of gluten in gluten-free baking.

You may see guar gum used in some of the following foods or recipes:

• Canned Coconut Milk – Has a tendency to separate so the guar gum keeps it emulsified and helps thicken the cream.
• Yogurts and kefires 
• Ice creams 
• Gluten-free bakery and pastry products
• Sauces and other sauces
• Cereals
• soups and stews 
• puddings and custards
• Some juices and kombuchas 
• some cheeses 

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but if you see guar gum listed on the packaging of these products, you know why this fiber has been added.

Does guar gum have any benefits?

Since we know that fiber is good for our digestive system and for the microbiome community of beneficial bacteria that we maintain in our intestines, some potential health benefits of guar gum fiber in particular are worth investigating.

As always, before supplementing with anything, consult your doctor or qualified healthcare professional.

• Constipation : According to some research, guar gum supplementation may help relieve constipation by normalizing the amount of moisture in the digestive tract.
• Diarrhea : On the other side of the coin, the fiber content of guar gum can help slow down the motility of the digestive tract and alleviate the symptoms of diarrhea.
• IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome): Taking guar gum fiber may help reduce pain and improve digestive function in people with IBS.
• Cholesterol : There has been research that taking guar gum can lower LDL cholesterol levels, especially when combined with pectin. Psyllium husk may be more effective, but it’s still an interesting potential health benefit.
• May slow down sugar absorption – Being a fiber, guar gum can help slow down the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream, helping to keep your insulin and blood sugar levels stable.

Although you won’t be using large amounts of guar gum in your baking or homemade recipes, it’s still encouraging to know that, overall, this ingredient is going to have a net positive, rather than negative, effect on the body.

Are there any health concerns with guar gum?

As with most things in life, some people may have different reactions or experiences with guar gum than others.

Although it can help digestive health for many people, it can cause gas and bloating for some. These symptoms are likely a sign that bacteria are fermenting the fiber in the digestive tract.

In the 1990s, people taking mega-doses of guar gum were also reported to have some negative health effects, but in amounts far in excess of those found in baked goods or other foods.

Some studies have found no effect in people taking up to 15 grams of guar gum at a time, and considering that most products contain 3-4 grams or less in their entirety, you can be confident that you can consume this food without effects.

If you experience any side effects, such as gas and bloating, don’t worry! There are many alternatives that you can use to replace guar gum in your cooking and baking.

What are the best guar gum substitutes?

Surely we’ve all been happily cooking or baking and looked at the ingredient list only to realize we’ve overlooked one of the key components.

If that happens with guar gum, fear not! There are many common ingredients in the kitchen that you can substitute depending on your context.

As I have mentioned before, some people may experience some gas and bloating when consuming guar gum. If that’s the case, try one of these substitutes instead.

1. Xanthan gum

Like guar gum, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide (which is a chain of sugar and carbohydrate molecules).

You will find it used in almost the same places as guar gum in many recipes or commercial products, as it has similar functions.

Xanthan gum can emulsify fats and oils, thicken products, provide structure and texture to gluten-free baked goods, and prevent ice crystals from forming in ice cream and other frozen products.

The big difference between these two products is how they are produced.

While guar gum comes from refining guar seeds, xanthan gum is the product of fermenting sugar (usually corn sugar) with a specific bacterium called Xanthomonas campestris.

The bacteria ferment the sugar and the resulting product is dried and sold as xanthan gum. This powder has very little taste and odor and is white, like guar gum.

This makes it the perfect complement to your cooking and baking, since it does not influence the final flavor, only the texture and structure.

You can basically use it interchangeably with guar gum . But it’s even more effective concentrated, so a little goes a long way. You may want to cut the amount in half and work from there.

2. Locust bean gum

Like guar gum and xanthan gum, locust bean gum is often used as a thickening agent, emulsifier, binder, and to give texture and structure to all kinds of products.

It is also known as locust bean gum, carob gum, and carobin, as it comes from the carob bean.

In general, locust bean gum dissolves best in hot foods, while guar gum works well in cold foods (it is also soluble in hot foods).

Locust bean gum is not as concentrated as guar gum, so you will need more to achieve the same consistency in your final product.

You can also combine it with xanthan gum to obtain the most elastic results in your gluten-free pastries.

3. Tapioca starch

If you make a lot of gluten-free baking, tapioca starch is surely one of your favorite ingredients. Helps give baked goods a texture and bounce similar to what you’d find in a regular gluten-containing product.

You may see it sold as tapioca starch, powder, or flour, but all three are the same thing.

Tapioca starch comes from the cassava (or cassava) root and works similarly to guar gum in that it helps bind ingredients together and provides elasticity to the final product. If you want to thicken a sauce or broth, this works well too.

I don’t like it as much cold as a salad dressing or something, but when heated it gives a great slimy texture, similar to guar gum.

However, it’s not as concentrated, so you’ll probably need to add a bit more. I use between 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of guar gum.

To thicken a sauce, gravy, custard, or ice cream, I make a slurry by stirring about a tablespoon for every 3-4 cups of liquid.

Scoop out some of the base liquid, stir in the tapioca starch to get rid of any lumps, and pour it back into the main mix, heating it up to activate its full potential.

4. Arrowroot starch

Arrowroot starch works much like tapioca starch. It is a great thickener for hot sauces, soups, stews, custards, etc.

It’s also amazing to use in gluten-free baking to bind ingredients together and provide structure and springy texture.

You may see it on the market as arrowroot starch, powder, or flour, but they can all be used interchangeably.

It is an easily digestible starch that is extracted from the roots of the arrowroot plant, Maranta arundinacea, and is widely used in gluten-free products.

Just like tapioca, you should make a porridge before adding it to hot liquids so you don’t end up with unappetizing lumps.

You will also need to use more arrowroot starch than guar gum in your baking, since it is not as concentrated. I would use approximately 2 tablespoons to 1 teaspoon of guar gum.

5. Potato starch

Potato starch is another excellent option to replace guar gum in many applications, especially when it comes to gluten-free baking.

It is also excellent for thickening sauces, soups, stews, custards, and other liquids that heat up. I don’t like it in cold applications.

As its name suggests, potato starch comes from potatoes. It is easily digestible, so it is perfect for people who may have stomach problems when digesting guar gum.

If you are adding it to hot liquids, be sure to remove some of the liquid to make a porridge before adding it.

This step will help prevent your sauce, soup, stew, pudding, or custard from developing unsightly lumps and bumps in its texture.

In most recipes you will want to use about 2 tablespoons for every teaspoon of guar gum, although it never hurts to do a quick search for your particular recipe to make sure the proportions are correct.

6. Corn starch

The last starch on our list, cornstarch, is probably one you have in your pantry.

It can be used to replace guar gum in the same way as other starches: in gluten-free baking and to thicken/emulsify soups, stews, sauces, custards and puddings.

You’ll want to make sure to slurp it before adding it to hot liquids, as trying to stir it directly in the dish can result in an unpleasant, lumpy texture.

It’s generally not as concentrated as guar gum, so you’ll want to use about 2 tablespoons for every teaspoon of guar gum.

7. Agar Agar

This vegan alternative to gelatin is made from seaweed and is usually sold as a powder, sheet or flake.

It acts as an excellent binder and thickener that you can use in confectionery, hot liquids such as sauces, stews, soups, jellies, custards, and puddings for a creamy texture.

If you are using it in baked goods, you can use it as is, dried and powdered. But if you plan to use it in liquids, you have to dissolve it first in hot water.

Most packages will tell you how to use it, so follow the instructions carefully and it will be a big change.

8. Jello

I love using gelatin to thicken sauces, soups, stews, custards, puddings, jellies, and even to add some texture to gluten-free baking.

It is a great thickening agent, retains moisture in baking, and adds elasticity to gluten-free doughs.

It’s an animal-derived product, made from animal collagen (often from beef or pork), so it’s actually a pure protein as opposed to a starch or polysaccharide.

9. Psyllium husk

You may recognize this ingredient from its use in Metamucil, but psyllium is also a great substitute for guar gum in baking.

It works as an excellent binder and provides structural integrity to whatever you’re making.

This product comes from the seed shell of the Plantago ovata plant (also called ispágula) and is basically pure soluble fiber.