Cornstarch

A fine white starch from corn, used to thicken puddings, pie fillings and sauces and to soften the crumb of cakes and cookies.

Cornstarch: A bowl of fine white cornstarch with a spoon and a small glass of cornstarch slurry
  • Baking ingredients and additives

Also called: cornflour (UK), corn starch

Cornstarch thickens once it reaches about 203°F (95°C), so puddings and fillings must boil briefly. It gives a clearer, glossier set than flour and has about twice the thickening power. Mixing it with cold liquid first, as a slurry, prevents lumps.

Too much stirring after it thickens, or very acidic or frozen mixtures, can make it thin out again. In the UK it is called cornflour.

Bake it at VanillaGoods

Tools for this

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that help with this technique.

Related entries

Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Cornstarch (Q3393961), Wikidata