Cassava Flour: 40+ Favorite AIP Recipes - Gutsy By Nature (2024)

FAQs

Can you eat cassava flour on AIP? ›

AIP, being grain-free as well as gluten-free, creates a fairly good challenge. The main flours used in AIP baking are as follows: Cassava flour, Tapioca Starch, Coconut Flour, Tigernut Flour, and Arrowroot Starch.

While cassava flour can be substituted for wheat flour at a 1:1 ratio, it's denser than wheat flour which causes it to absorb more water. We suggest starting with less cassava flour (about ⅔ cup for every 1 cup of wheat flour) and adjusting the amount as needed to account for the differences.

The best way to use cassava flour is to mix it with other nutrient-dense foods to boost fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Cassava flour is not harmful. But you shouldn't eat it in its raw form, as it contains cyanogenic glycosides, which can turn into cyanide in the body.

Bonus: Cassava flour is low in sugar and minimally processed, so it's considered a Paleo-friendly ingredient that allows those following the diet to still enjoy baked goods when cravings strike.

Cassava Flour Contains Antioxidants

Aside from essential vitamins and minerals, cassava flour also contains antioxidants—some of which have anti-inflammatory effects. Incorporating a wide range of antioxidant-rich foods in your diet can help your body work to fight inflammatory-related symptoms.

Cassava is likely low in histamine and other amines and does not trigger release of the body's natural histamine. Every person has unique dietary triggers. Your reaction to cassava may be different than someone else's.

Consuming large amounts of poorly processed cassava flour may lead to cyanide poisoning. Long-term intake of small amounts may also lead to adverse health effects.

It has a neutral flavor and fine texture, though it is a bit lighter than all-purpose wheat flour. It also absorbs a little more liquid and doesn't always bake the same way.

Cassava flour, often referred to as yuca, is not to be confused with the popular houseplant. Instead, cassava is a root vegetable local to South America and a staple crop in many countries throughout Africa and Asia. Similar in texture to a sweet potato, the cassava plant features long tubers that grow underground.

Sun drying eliminates more cyanide than oven drying because of the prolonged contact time between linamarase and the glucosides in sun drying. Soaking followed by boiling is better than soaking or boiling alone in removing cyanide.

Is cassava flour good for the gut? ›

Cassava flour contains resistant starches. There are a variety of possible health benefits to eating resistant starches. These potential health benefits may include improved digestive and colon health and improved insulin sensitivity. Resistant starch in cassava flour may also help with weight loss efforts.

When stored properly, unopened cassava flour can last up to two years past the printed date on the package. Once opened, it's best to use within one year, although its quality may start deteriorating before this point if not stored correctly.

Cassava isn't a nightshade, a group of plants that include potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant. Some diets (like the autoimmune protocol diet) ban nightshades, which makes cassava an ideal substitute for potatoes. Research, however, doesn't suggest that nightshades are harmful to eat, the Cleveland Clinic says.

Cassava has a low glycemic index of 46, which means that it is less likely than some foods to cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. If you have diabetes, cassava could be a healthier choice than white potatoes, which have a high glycemic index of 85, according to DietAndFitnessToday.

Being that cassava flour does not rise well when mixed with yeast (because of its lack of gluten), it is not the best substitute when it comes to yeasted baked goods. Cassava flour and tapioca flour are sometimes used interchangeably, however, they're not the same product.

FOODS ALLOWED Beverages Juice, soda, sports drinks, coffee, tea and rice, oat, potato, hemp or coconut milk. Breads, crackers, flours, pasta and cereal made from the following: amaranth, arrowroot, barley, buckwheat, cassava, chickpea, lentil, millet, oats, potato, quinoa, rice, rye, sago, tapioca, and T'eff.

Cassava flour's resistant starch content can benefit your gut health in more than one way ( 11 ). Because resistant starch gets fermented in the large intestine, it serves as a prebiotic or food for your gut's friendly bacteria ( 7 ).

Cassava flour is made from yuca root. This is the flour that is used most frequently in AIP recipes.

Plantain Chips & Cassava Chips are two of My Favorite AIP Store-Bought Snacks. These chips are both great options because you can usually find these nowadays at regular grocery stores.