Many types of flour are rich in carbs because they’re made from sources like wheat and other grains, which are a natural source of carbs. If you’re monitoring your carb intake for any reason, you likely already keep an eye on how many carbs are in your foods and drinks.
Which flours are the highest in carbs, you might be wondering? Seven of the highest-carb flours include:
- Cassava flour
- Brown rice flour
- Semolina flour
- White rice flour
- Bulgur wheat flour
- Potato flour
- Banana flour
Just how many carbs are in each of these flours? Keep reading to find out!
Carbs in flour
Carbohydrates (often referred to as just “carbs”) are a type of nutrient found in certain foods like fruits, starchy vegetables like potatoes, grains, and legumes. Carbs provide your body with energy and help supply glucose (sugar) to your cells.
Some people choose to limit carbs for personal or health reasons. If you have prediabetes, diabetes, or choose to follow a low-carb diet (here’s looking at you, keto), you’ll need to know how many carbs are in the foods and drinks you choose.
The amount of carbs in flour varies a lot – and that’s because you can make flour out of all sorts of things! If you make flour from a naturally low-carb food like nuts, then the flour will be low in carbs. On the other hand, if you make flour from a high-carb food like refined wheat, then the carb content of the flour will be higher.
7 flours with the most carbs
Without further ado, let’s look at 7 different flours with the most carbs (coming from our master list of 61 different flours)!
- Cassava flour – 31 grams of carbs per ¼ cup
Cassava flour is made from dried cassava root, which is native to tropical regions. It’s rich in resistant starch, which is known to benefit your digestive system.
Cassava flour is naturally gluten-free and is popular for making things like tortillas, pancakes, pasta, and more.
- Brown rice flour – 32 grams of carbs per ¼ cup
Brown rice flour is a popular gluten-free flour and is used to make anything from gluten-free pancakes, bread, and muffins to a thickener in gluten-free recipes.
An interesting fact: even though it’s made from brown rice, brown rice flour isn’t much lower in carbs than white rice flour.
- Semolina flour – 33 grams of carbs per ¼ cup
Semolina flour is made from hard wheat, which means it’s higher in protein and gluten. Hard wheat is ideal for baked goods where you want a lot of chewiness, like certain breads and pasta.
- White rice flour – 33 grams of carbs per ¼ cup
Like brown rice flour, white rice flour is a popular gluten-free flour. What’s the main difference?
Brown rice flour is a whole grain so has a slightly nutty taste, whereas white rice flour is refined and doesn’t contain all parts of the grain and will be virtually tasteless.
- Bulgur wheat flour – 35 grams of carbs per ¼ cup
Made from cracked wheat berries, bulgur wheat isn’t as finely ground as most flours, but it is broken down into smaller pieces to allow for quicker cooking.
Bulgur wheat is a whole grain most popular for making tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern salad containing bulgur, onions, tomatoes, parsley, mint, lemon juice, and olive oil.
- Potato flour – 38 grams of carbs per ¼ cup
Potato flour is a common ingredient in veggie crisps/straws and is naturally gluten-free. Thanks to its long shelf life, potato flour is a good choice among food manufacturers when it comes to versatile gluten-free flour.
- Banana flour – 40 grams carbs per ¼ cup
You might expect banana flour to be sweet, but that isn’t necessarily the case! Made from starchy green bananas that are lower in sugar (compared to yellow bananas), banana flour is high in starch but not high in sugar.
Banana flour can be used in both sweet and savory dishes, and unlike many types of flours, is suitable for a Paleo diet.
Nutritional comparison of high-carb flours
| Flour (per 1/4 cup) | Calories | Total carbs | Fiber | Fat | Protein |
| Cassava flour | 130 | 31 g | 2 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Brown rice flour | 150 | 32 g | 1 g | 1 g | 3 g |
| Semolina flour | 160 | 33 g | 1 g | 1 g | 6 g |
| White rice flour | 150 | 33 g | 0 g | 0 g | 2 g |
| Bulgur wheat flour | 160 | 35 g | 5 g | 0.5 g | 4 g |
| Potato flour | 160 | 38 g | 3 g | 0 g | 3 g |
| Banana flour | 160 | 40 g | <1 g | 0 g | 1 g |
FAQs:
Almond flour is among one of the lowest-carb flours you can find with only two grams of net carbs per serving (4 grams total carbs – 2 grams fiber = 2 grams net carbs).
Because fiber (a type of carb) doesn’t raise your blood sugar levels, it can be subtracted from total carbs in certain instances, such as low-carb diets or carbohydrate counting for people with diabetes. Net carbs are the number of carbs left over after the dietary fiber is deducted from the total carb count.
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