Tapioca starch

Tapioca starch, also sold as tapioca flour, is a starch extracted from the cassava root. It is naturally free of fat, protein and gluten, and it is available as a flour or starch, in flakes or as a fine powder.

In the kitchen it works as a thickening agent with strong gelling power. It can withstand a freeze and thaw cycle without breaking down, which makes it a useful choice for puddings, fillings and sauces that may be chilled or frozen. Like other starches, it needs heat to finish thickening, so it is cooked with the liquid it is meant to set.

In gluten-free baking it helps improve texture and moisture in the absence of gluten, which is why it often turns up beside other alternative flours in breads, cakes and cookies.