Xanthan Gum in Gluten Free Baking – A Complete Guide

All you need to know about Xanthan Gum and its use in gluten free baking.

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Xanthan Gum is ubiquitous in gluten free baking. Love it or hate it, it’s considered an important ingredient in the gluten free baking arsenal. Why? Because it replaces some of the properties of gluten and in particular, has the ability to help bind ingredients together, improving the overall structure and texture of gluten free bakes.

In this guide, I’ll share all you need to know about Xanthan Gum… What it is. Why it’s used. How it’s used. And what options you have if you choose not to use it.

The post is part of my Gluten Free Ingredients and Baking Basics guide which covers key information needed to create the best and most delicious gluten free food… Food that is so good, no one will ever know it’s gluten free!

What is Xanthan Gum?

Xanthan Gum is a natural and versatile sticky-walled polysaccharide (carbohydrate). It is fermented by the plant-based bacteria Xanthomonas campestris when fed a solution of glucose. Once produced, it is dried and turned into a white odourless powder.

First discovered in the 1950’s, it’s used in many commercial food products, from sauces and soups to ice cream and bakes… to thicken, stabilise, emulsify and bind. It’s neutral in flavour, soluble and importantly, stable through a wide range of temperatures.

Xanthan Gum is a hydrocolloid… meaning it absorbs and retains moisture to form a sticky gel. Thus, when mixed with liquids in gluten free baking, it helps to bind ingredients together and stabilise the bake structure. Thus it enables better rise, texture and shelf life.

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Is Xanthan Gum bad for you?

Xanthan Gum is sometimes seen as a negative ingredient as it is also used in some industrial products and cosmetics… But that doesn’t automatically make it bad for you. Indeed, in reality, it’s as natural as yeast!

Over the years, I’ve trawled the internet for reputable research on any potential risk or harm caused by the consumption of xanthan gum. Thus far, I’ve found no clear evidence that it is either unsafe or harmful to consume.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. If concerned that xanthan gum is having a negative impact on your health, seek advice from a trained medical professional.

As with pretty much anything we eat however, there are always people who are unable to tolerate it. Indeed for some, Xanthan Gum can cause a degree of increased digestive discomfort such as bloating and wind and even diarrhoea that is unwelcome. And again, like many ingested products, it is generally not considered safe for non-medically supervised consumption by babies under 1 year.

However, health professionals and researchers agree that at a general level, it is safe to consume up to around 13-15g xanthan gum per day (*source: European Food Safety Authority 2017 research) with no adverse dietary or physiological effects. In reality, you’d be hard-pressed to reach anywhere near this amount, even on an exceptionally bake-heavy gluten free diet.

**When using Xanthan Gum within a medically-required gluten free diet: Make sure (as with any ingredient) the product used is certified gluten free.

Why is Xanthan Gum used in gluten free baking?

So… What is it about baking gluten free that calls for the addition of xanthan gum as an important ingredient?

Let’s start with the role of gluten… In ‘standard’ baking, the gluten in wheat flour provides the ‘glue’ that holds the bake together and gives batter and dough stretch, flexibility and structure. It also supports the retention of moisture, ensuring bakes remain tender with a good shelf life.

The fundamental difference with *gluten free* baking is that there is no gluten in the flours used. And that means there is no moisture-supporting, binding ‘glue’.  Without an alternative binder to replace it, bakes are crumbly, dry, hard and go stale extremely quickly. And that’s where Xanthan Gum comes in.

Xanthan Gum acts as a gluten ‘replacer’ (at least to some extent). It helps to bind ingredients, gives bakes structure, and improves texture and shelf-life. I say ‘to some extent’ because although it does have some excellent binding qualities, Xanthan Gum is not a like-for-like substitute. Its effectiveness very much varies depending on the type of bake… It’s particularly effective for cakes, cookies and pastry (helping them stay moist and preventing crumbling). However, it does not offer the degree of elasticity, stretch and structure required for more complex bread bakes and doughs. Here, another alternative… Psyllium Husk… comes into its own. (See my complete guide to Psyllium Husk in Gluten Free Baking).

Having said this, I have actually developed some incredible bread recipes that use Xanthan Gum as the main binder (sometimes alongside gelatine or vege-gel). These include the most amazing Gluten Free Oat Bread, perfectly flexible Indian Flatbread, a wonderfully soft and fluffy Brown Baguette, easy Gluten Free Store Cupboard Bread and even some ‘no psyllium’ Hot Cross Buns.

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How much Xanthan Gum do you need?

The need for Xanthan Gum in a gluten free recipe is not automatic. Indeed, whether you add it and by how much is dependent on both the type of bake and its desired texture, as well as the base flour blend used… The best advice is to always follow a recipe as stated.

The flour blend

Some commercial gluten free flour blends already contain xanthan gum, although the amount in the blend is variable. This makes judging ‘how much’ is actually in a bake difficult and can lead to inconsistent results. For this reason, I always use flour blends that do not contain xanthan gum. Instead, I control and test the precise amount added to each recipe to achieve the best texture and structure for the specific bake. Too little and a bake may be dry and crumbly… too much and it may be dense, flat and gummy.

In addition, it’s worth noting that some flour blends (particularly rice-heavy blends) may need extra help in binding (and, indeed, more moisture). This is because they are particularly ‘thirsty’ and therefore, liable to otherwise be crumbly and dry. A good flour blend is always balanced for structure, protein and starch.

Either way, if you prefer to use a commercial blend, it’s important to check the ingredient label to see if Xanthan Gum is added. If it is, do not add any more to the recipe the first time you make it (unless specified otherwise). Then… if the bake is too crumbly, you might add a tiny additional amount next time…

If it’s too gummy on the other hand, that’s a worry… Consider mixing your own gluten free flour blends at home! I’ve shared lots of advice on the various gluten free flours and on flour blending here. I also share 3 distinct and versatile gluten free flour blend recipes that you can adopt at home.

The type of bake and other ingredients

The other factor influencing whether and how much Xanthan Gum is needed in a recipe, is the type of bake. Cakes usually benefit from fractionally more to retain moisture for a soft crumb. Pastry equally needs enough to be malleable and sturdy to roll and shape, yet still needs to bake crisp. No one wants either a soggy, bouncy or bendy pie crust! Crunchy biscuits benefit from less for a good snap and drier texture. While some softer cookies may (confusingly) contain none at all, instead relying on the natural oils from nuts or the binding and structural qualities of egg for both texture and tenderness.

Indeed, on that note, the amount of Xanthan Gum required will further vary significantly depending on how much egg, fat (eg. butter, oil in nut flours and nut butters, cheese, etc) and other potential binders or moisture-retainers are in the mix… All of which offer unique qualities to the final bake.

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A rough guide…

All that said, I am often asked for help in converting standard (wheat) recipes for a gluten free diet. And this includes the question ‘How much xanthan gum do I need?’.

There is often no straight answer. Conversion may equally be dependent on other ingredients in the mix and how these might also be adapted. However, as a rough guide, I offer the following starting point from which to test, taste and tweak until happy that the recipe is as you want it…

Measurements

NOTE: Although there are slight weight variations dependent on the specific individual flours combined in each gluten free flour blend, the given wisdom is that 1 Cup of gluten free flour = 120 g (as an average).

Nonetheless… Given the need for particular accuracy when measuring ingredients for gluten free baking, my advice is to ALWAYS weigh ingredients for recipes in grams, unless otherwise stated.

**Bread and pasta recipes are developed to be specifically gluten free. Thus they are not covered above. For bread and pasta use and follow recipes that have been created for a gluten free diet.  

Xanthan Gum Substitutes

Even if you can’t tolerate Xanthan Gum, you still need to use a binder when baking gluten free. So what are your options?

Psyllium Husk Powder

Although psyllium husk is best used to bake gluten free bread, it can also be used as a substitute for xanthan gum, particularly for softer bakes such as cake and scones. Substitute at a ratio of around 2:1. That is, use psyllium husk powder at 2 times the amount of the xanthan gum stated (ie. 2 tsp psyllium for every 1 tsp xanthan gum). Sometimes, a little less than that is required.

NOTE: When using psyllium *as a substitute for xanthan gum*, it should be used as a finely ground POWDER. As cakes, scones, cookies, etc, have a lighter texture, the psyllium must be finely distributed throughout the batter.

For more information, see my complete guide on Psyllium Husk in Gluten Free Baking.

Guar Gum  

I occasionally use and test guar gum as a xanthan gum substitute (including in my Gluten Free Puff Pastry recipe). There are variable conversion rates suggested across the internet. However, I have found (thus far) that a substitution ratio of between 1:1 to a maximum of 2:1 guar gum to xanthan gum works well for the recipes tried. That is… a straight switch of the same amount of guar gum as xanthan gum, up to twice the amount of guar gum. I recommend starting with the same amount for any new recipe and testing the outcome before increasing the amount of guar gum used.   

Be aware that for bakes with a higher acid content (lemon, orange, etc), guar gum is less effective (losing some of its thickening qualities). In this case, use either an alternative binder or increase the amount of guar gum used.

Ground Chia Seeds and Ground Flax Seeds

While Chia and Flax seeds are very nutritious (and make great egg replacers), I’m not a fan of using them as a general binder in gluten free baking. My experience is that however carefully they are used, they create bakes that are dense, tight and a little ‘stodgy’. Thus, if using them to replace xanthan gum, I would restrict use to heavier bakes such as loaf cakes, fruit cakes and scones.

Having said this, some bakers love them, so feel free to experiment. The general rule of thumb is:

• Use them at around a ratio of 1:1.
• Grind them thoroughly into a fine powder for even distribution and texture.
• Add additional water to the recipe at 3 times the amount of chia/flax used (ie. 3 tsp water to every 1 tsp chia/flax).
• It can help to mix the chia/flax with the additional water to form a gel before adding to the batter.

Konjac Powder

Konjac powder (or glucomannan) comes from a plant root that is more commonly found and used in Asian cooking. However, like xanthan gum, it can be used to thicken and bind. While it’s not an ingredient I have tested, the general advice from those who have, is to replace xanthan gum with Konjac powder at a ratio of 1:1 (the same amount) up to a maximum of 1.5:1 (1½ times the amount).

Acacia Gum (Senegal Gum)

I was recently contacted by someone seeking to use Acacia Gum as a xanthan gum substitute. It is not an ingredient I have come across before, so I’m unable to advise. However, if anyone out there has any experience of it, please get in touch!

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Last word on Xanthan Gum…

I hope this helps to both demystify and explain the use of Xanthan Gum in gluten free baking. If you have any further questions or thoughts, I’d love to hear from you… You can leave a comment at the bottom of this post, contact me via social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) or send me an email at kate@glutenfreealchemist.com

If you need further inspiration using xanthan gum, head straight over to my Gluten Free Recipe Index, grab a cup of tea and browse my many bakes. Here are a few of my favourite ‘can’t believe it’s gluten free’ Xanthan Gum recipes to get you started…

• My ‘go to’ Chocolate Cake
• Swiss Roll
• Vanilla Cupcakes
• Chocolate Whoopie Pies
• Custard Creams Biscuits
• Traditional Scottish Shortbread Petticoat Tails
• Pumpkin Pie
• Portuguese Custard Tarts
• Apple, Cherry & Sultana Hot Cross Buns
• Indian Flatbreads

 All shared with my love

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