If you are new to gluten free baking you may find yourself wondering, “What is the difference between Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum?” Both ingredients are frequently called for in gluten-free recipes and can seem exotic at first, but they both serve the same general purpose as thickeners and emulsifiers. Quite simply, both these ingredients help keep your mixes mixed. They keep oil droplets from sticking together and separating, and solid particles from settling to the bottom. You can use just one or the other; or sometimes for the best results, you can use them in combination together. With the right guidance, gluten-free cooking can be made very easy and enjoyable.
In conventional recipes containing wheat, rye, barley, or triticale flour, the protein gluten in these flours serves the same purpose that guar gum and xanthan gum do in gluten-free baking. Gluten protein is what traditional recipes rely on as a thickening agent to thicken dough and batters and trap air bubbles to make your baked goods light and fluffy. Xanthan gum tends to help starches combine to trap air, while guar gum helps keep large particles suspended in the mix.
One of the differences between the two products is where they come from. Guar gum is made from a seed native to tropical Asia, while xanthan gum is made by a micro organism called
Xanthomonas Campestris.
In the kitchen, there are also important differences in using xanthan gum vs. guar gum when creating gluten-free foods. In general, guar gum is good for cold foods such as ice cream or pastry fillings, while xanthan gum is better for baked goods.
Xanthan gum is the right choice for yeasted breads. Foods with a high acid content (such as lemon juice) can cause guar gum to lose its thickening abilities. For recipes involving citrus, you will want to use xanthan gum or increase the amount of guar gum used.
In general, it is best to add both xanthan and guar gum to the oil component in a recipe, making complete mix of oil and gum before adding to the rest of liquid ingredients. Using a blender or a food processor is a great way to get the gums to dissolve properly.
The final difference between the two gums is the variation in quantities you will need for different foods. There are no hard and fast rules as to how to combine the two gums together, you’ll have to experiment yourself to see what works best in your recipes.
If you decide to use just one or the other, here are some helpful measurements for popular foods:
How much Xanthan Gum for Gluten Free Baking?
Cookies……………………………...¼ teaspoon per cup of flour
Cakes and Pancakes………………..½ teaspoon per cup of flour
Muffins and Quick Breads………... ¾ teaspoon per cup of flour
Breads……………………………....1 to 1-½ tsp. per cup of flour
Pizza Dough…………………..…... 2 teaspoons per cup of flour
For Salad Dressings…Use ½ tsp. Xanthan Gum per 8 oz. of liquid.
How much Guar Gum for Gluten Free Baking?
Cookies……………………………...¼ to ½ tsp. per cup of flour
Cakes and Pancakes………………..¾ teaspoon per cup of flour
Muffins and Quick Breads………....1 teaspoon per cup of flour
Breads……………………………....1-½ to 2 tsp. per cup of flour
Pizza Dough…………………..…....1 Tablespoon per cup of flour
For Hot Foods (gravies, stews , heated pudding)…Use 1-3 teaspoons per one quart of liquid.
For Cold Foods (salad dressing, ice creams, pudding) Use about 1-2 teaspoons per quart of liquid.
8/30/11 UPDATE: We are so pleased with the awesome response we get from this post and will do our best to answer any of your remaining questions. However, we have found that there are a lot of questions here that we don't know much about- like ice cream making and salad dressings. Again, we will do our best, but we're really only experts at baking with these two products.
8/1/18 UPDATE: Regarding allergens in Xanthan Gum: The microorganism that produces xanthan gum is fed a carbohydrate substrate produced from Non-GMO corn.
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I'd love to try baking molded cookies (using a cookie stamp or cookie mold) with a gluten-free recipe. In a wheat-flour based recipe, there is a small amount of egg, no baking powder, no baking soda, and one has to watch the amount of sugar, in order to keep the cookies from either puffing up or spreading out, and losing detail.
Maybe I'm asking for trouble here to even try this, but I thought I'd ask if anyone knew of a GF recipe that might work.
Thanks! :-)
Nice share. thanks.
I've had great success with making shaped sugar cookies for decorating gluten free. They do not spread. If you're interested, send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I'll send you my recipe.
And if you make cakes, do you have a tried and true GF for white cake or
cupcakes?
Thanks!
Mary
Without knowing a bit more about the original recipe, it's hard to say why the dough was so dry. It may be that you'll need to cut back on the flour by 1/4 cup or so. Otherwise, I would suggest increasing the oil or water (if called for) in the recipe by 1 Tbsp at a time until you reach the right consistency. If it calls for milk or water, I'd increase those instead of oil. I don't think adding an extra egg will solve your problem- it may change the recipe entirely.
Wet Ingredients:
1/2 C Butter
1 1/4 C Sugar
2 Eggs
Vanilla
Dry Ingredients:
2 C Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/3 C Oil
Thanks for your help. I am excited to be learning how to bake Gluten Free.
We recommend using 1-1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum for this recipe. We have a handy chart for determining how much xanthan gum to use in a recipe, here: http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=888
Xanthomonas campestris ferments glucose to create xanthan gum. The medium used is corn-based or soy-based, depending on the supplier. I hope that helps answer your question. Let us know if we can be of further assistance.
Yes, you can use this material. Please credit Bob's Red Mill when republishing. Thanks!
We need more information about your recipe to be able to advise you on how much xanthan gum to use. While it may not have traditional flour, what kind of starches and/or dry ingredients and in what quantities are you using? That will help us know how much gum to recommend.
Does Bob's Red Mill Xanthum Gum come from GMO or non-GMO corn???
Thanks!
Our xanthan gum is grown on non-GMO medium. Hope that helps! Thanks!
I have a question. Your xanthan gum is VERY different from all other xanthan gums on the market.Would you explain why that may be.Bobs is very strong and produces more of a gel like consistancy in the batter.
You know, I'm not really sure why ours would be any different than any others on the market. Just to be sure, you're comparing two xanthan gum products not guar gum and xanthan gum? Do you recall the other brands? That might help me track down an answer. Thanks!
We make a really nice chilli sauce that we are starting to sell to family and friends as they love our recipe. Recently though we have realised that the sauce tends to separate inside the glass bottle after a while. I have been told that I need to use xanthar gum to keep the sauce from separating, but I am not too sure when I have to do it (when ingredients are boiling or at the end of cooking, before blending?) or how much I should add per litre of sauce? Would very much appreciate your help here!
Xanthan gum will work either way, but to be on the safe side, I recommend adding it after boiling near the end of cooking. It should be added using a slurry to prevent clumping. I don't have an exact measurement per litre, but a good rule of thumb is about 1 tsp of Xanthan Gum per 1 Tb. of original thickener, or per cup of liquid. Since we sell this as a baking ingredient primarily, we aren't as well versed in using it for sauces. I definitely recommend experimenting with a small batch first to find the right consistency. I've used small amounts for pie fillings and they gel quite nicely. Best of luck!
Our best guess would be to use guar gum. 1 tsp per 8 oz should thicken the formula a lot. You may have to experiment a bit, as this is our best guess and not a guarantee. Good luck!
I was just wondering, does the xanthan or guar gum need to be added to a liquid first (you mention oil), or can it be mixed with vegetable shortening, which is also a fat but is solid.
Thank you!
Guar Gum naturally clumps when added to liquid since it is such a strong thickener. To help with this, I have heard adding the Guar Gum to a salt shaker and shaking it onto the liquid while whisking works well (since you add the powder slower while stirring it in). I have also heard adding salt or sugar helps prevent clumping as well, but not sure how this works. If there are small clumps, the mixture can sit for awhile and then whisk. We have not tried using Guar Gum in a yogurt application, so I am not sure when it should be added. I would guess before incubation.
I make an Italian oil and vinegar based salad dressing and am considering using xanthan gum so the creamy dressing stays creamy.
1.I add red wine vinegar, water and spices in the blender
2. then add oil. Do you think I can add the xanthan in step 1 (my slurry-around 1 1/2 cups of liquid) , along with the spices?
Thanks so much!
GREAT SITE! Glad I found it!
I'd recommend adding the xanthan gum in step one. I'd probably make a small slurry with it before adding, but it should work just fine. Good luck!
We actually have not heard of using the Xanthan Gum in this way. The product does thicken instantly, but we are not sure if it will create the consistency you are seeking. We think it would work, but we're really not sure. I'm sorry that we can't be of more help. Please do let us know if it does work. Thanks!
http://gfcomfortfood.com/?p=36
I think it would be interesting to understand what commercial bakery consultants do to "doctor" up a traditional recipe, using these ingredients and how to do this ourselves.
This is what I could find: Guar gum is often considered to be a good substitute for xanthan gum, however when substituting add an additional half of the required amount of xanthan to equal a comparable measure. As an example, if 2 teaspoons of xanthan gum is required, add 3 teaspoons of guar gum.
From: http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--37969/guar-gum.asp
Thanks so much!
I think you can successfully make vegan pancakes without using guar gum, but you would add it to the dry ingredients in this instance. It should work just fine in this recipe. This article has some more good info on using guar gum: http://www.livestrong.com/article/349309-how-to-use-guar-gum-to-bake/ You will probably want to use only a small amount per cup of flour- as only a small amount of rising is needed with pancakes.
I wonder if you can help me. I just turned gf and is trying to bake. However I am getting sick with the baking I am making. I have evaluated the different ingredients I have used. Do you think that the Xanthan gum is making sick. Please advise.
Some people cannot tolerate xanthan gum, but it truly could be any number of things. Here are some things that should also be looked at: are your baking pans/dishes new and dedicated? are you carefully checking ingredient lists for hidden sources of gluten? are you using products that may not be fully gluten free (shared equipment)? are your reactions gluten reactions or is it possible that it is another food issue- many folks also have issues with milk, eggs, soy with their gluten issues. I don't know what your life is like, but if you feel confident that xanthan gum is the variable, leave it out. We're not doctors here, but we have talked to A LOT of people with celiac disease. Here is what I would do- get scientific with it, try something that you didn't bake with xanthan gum in it. Do you still get the reaction? If yes, it sounds like xanthan gum is not going to work for you. Here is a post by Gluten Free Girl who cannot tolerate xanthan gum or guar gum and how she discovered it and what she is doing to get around using those ingredients: http://glutenfreegirl.com/gluten-free-whole-grain-muffins/ Best of luck!!
We're so glad the xanthan gum info is helping you out. We'd recommend a 1/2 tsp per cup of flour when making a pie crust or pastry dough.
Im making some limoncello cookies and because its so acidic due to the lemon and maybe the vodka thats in the juice. how much xanthan gum would you recommend per cup of flour? Thank you! such great information in your article.
At this point, your guess is as good as mine. I'd start with the recommended amount- about 1/4 tsp per cup of flour. The worst thing that would happen is crumbly cookies. A quick search showed folks using that amount of xanthan gum per cup of flour in cookies that use fresh lemon juice and others that use alcohol. I'm not sure what texture these cookies should be, although they sound wonderful, so I would start with the standard and if that doesn't yield the results you seek, try a little more. I'm sorry that we can't be of more help! Good luck!
We did not mean to give the impression that we're referring to wheat flour here. Flour can be made from any number of things, many of which are gluten free- brown rice, sorghum, garbanzo beans, etc. When we say 1 tsp per cup of flour- we mean any kind of flour or combinations of flour. You can use the gums in conventional baking and the general rule is X amount of Xanthan Gum per cup of flour (whatever type that might be). I hope this helps. For further assistance, please contact our customer service team at 800-349-2173
Cinnamon rolls are yeast-risen dough, so use 1 to 1-1/2 tsp of xanthan gum per cup of flour.
I am really sorry, but you're getting into territory we don't have much experience with. I'm guessing part of the issue is the oil you're using, but I'm really not sure if xanthan gum or guar gum will fix the problem. If you do try to experiment, definitely add the gum with the dry ingredients. Good luck!
Yes, vinegar will also affect the thickening ability of guar gum.
Shelf life on xanthan gum is 24 months. There should be a sell-by date on the side of the bag which is the expiration date. That may be missing. I'd not recommend using a bag that smells like vinegar, that's a pretty good indication that it's rancid.
Another new gluten free user here. I want to attempt to make bread with my new bread machine. First, does Bob's make guar gum, and is it ok to use in making bread? Or is xzanthan the only gum one should use? This is a great informative sight.
Thank you for creating this page.
The short answer here is, there is no corn at all in the xanthan gum.