Types of Food Thickening Agents

Used only for slightly thickening custards or sauces, liaisons are made by tempering 1/3 of your hot mixture / sauce to a stainless steel bowl of whipped egg yolks and cream. Constantly whisk this so the eggs and cream do not curdle. Once homogenous, add the entire contents of the bowl back to the mixture / sauce and keep whisking until the sauce turns slightly thicker. Using the liaison method also gives your sauces a richer, creamier texture and mouthfeel. 

• Vegetarian & Gluten-Free

As a liquid thickening agent, a roux is a perfect way to add viscosity to various soups and sauces, especially four out of the five Mother Sauces used in French cuisine. Equal parts flour and fat are whisked in a hot pan until smooth, and then cooked to either a white, blond, or brown roux depending on desired caramelization and depth. Gluten-free flours can be used in place of the more common flours to offer more options for your gluten-sensitive patrons. 

• Vegetarian

Using starches such as cornstarch, arrowroot powder, and the like requires more than simply adding the powder to your batch of soup. If added straight to the pot in this way, the starch will quickly clump up and not homogenously disperse throughout your dish. To combat this, you must first make a slurry. In a small bowl, add an equal amount of starch and cold liquid together and smooth out until a paste forms, creating the slurry. Whisk your slurry into the hot, simmering liquid that you wish to thicken and bring to a boil. Keep whisking and boiling simultaneously until there is no longer a starch taste. 

• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Equal parts flour and soft, pliable butter, these two ingredients are kneaded together until every flour particle is coated with the fat, creating a dough ball known as beurre manie. This thickening agent is perfect for adding shine and viscosity to your sauces, soups, and stews. 

• Vegetarian

The most common of all the starches, corn starch is derived from corn, making it vegan and gluten-free, as well as transparent and relatively flavorless. This completely versatile starch is used in savory and sweet dishes alike: gelatinizing fruit pie fillings or thickening your hefty, stick-to-your-bones soups.

• Thickens soups, sauces, gravies, and pie fillings
• Coats foods before frying to create a crispy exterior 
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

As a plant-based, all-purpose thickening agent and stabilizer, xanthan gum is commonly used to thicken sauces and gravies, and it is famous in the gluten-free baking community! Plus, mixing this with yogurt, ice cream, sherbet, and frozen yogurt adds substance and thickness, as well as prevents ice crystals from forming.

• Thickens soups, sauces, gravies, and pie fillings
• Stabilizes ice cream and other frozen treats
• Mimics the elasticity and viscosity of gluten in gluten-free baked goods
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Coming in powder or sheet forms, gelatin is made from the collagen that is found in various animal body parts. Gelatin can be used as a stabilizer or texturizer, but it is most commonly used as a thickener for marshmallows, gummy snacks, trifles, aspics, mousse, mirror glazes, panna cotta, and other gelatin desserts. 

• Thickens puddings, ice cream, and panna cotta
• Creates a firm texture in gummy candies, marshmallows, and other desserts
• Not recommended for use with pineapple, guava, kiwi, or ginger root
• Gluten-Free

Pectin is a natural starch that is found in the seeds, rinds, and membranes of citrus fruits, and it is especially high in structured, firmer fruits such as apples and quinces. Unlike gelatin, pectin is not made from animal collagen, meaning it's vegan-friendly. Mainly used for thickening jams, jellies, and marmalades, this natural thickener gels the macerated fruits when combined with acid and sugar and cooked at around 220 degrees Fahrenheit. 

• Thickens jams, jellies, marmalades, and preserves 
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Potato starch is just as its name suggests: starch that is extracted from potatoes. As an amazing thickening and binding agent, it is ever popular in many gluten-free recipes. With a low gelatinizing temperature, relatively colorless, odorless, and tasteless, and a strong binding texture, potato starch is used for cooking and baking applications alike.

• Thickens soups, sauces, gravies, and pie fillings
• Coats foods before frying to create a crispy exterior
• Not recommended for use in dishes with a long cooking or baking time 
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Extracted from the cassava plant, tapioca starch is a very fine, starchy, white powder that is a great thickening agent for food. Slightly sweet, tapioca starch is sometimes used in place of cornstarch, potato starch, and even wheat flour in gluten-free baking! Tapioca starch gives baked goods a crispy crust and chewy center, and is superior to arrowroot starch and potato starch.

• Thickens soups, sauces, and desserts
• Creates a crisp, chewy texture in gluten-free baked goods
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Derived from various tropical plants such as arrowroot plant, tapioca, and cassava, arrowroot powder is a colorless and flavorless thickener that has twice the thickening power of flour, and stands up against acids that normally break down other starches. 

• Thickens soups, sauces, gravies, and pie fillings
• Coats foods before frying to create a crispy exterior
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Made from red algae, this thickener is a jelly-like substance that is perfect for substitution with gelatin when making vegetarian and vegan foods. Agar-agar, often referred to as "kanten" or "agar", is odorless, flavorless, and colorless, keeping your recipes to their tried-and-true perfection. 

• Used in Asian desserts as a plant-based substitute for gelatin in vegan recipes
• Utilized in preserves, jellies, and jams
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Also known as sodium bicarbonate, this alkaline compound will release carbon dioxide gas if both an acid and moisture are present. When heated during baking, the carbon dioxide expands to give baked goods their characteristic texture known as "crumb." Heat is not necessary for this reaction to occur; therefore, products made with baking soda must be baked at once to prevent carbon dioxide escaping from batter or dough.

Acids commonly used with baking soda are buttermilk, sour cream, lemon juice, honey, molasses, and fruits high in acid such as citrus.

• Leavening agent in baked goods that include acidic ingredients like buttermilk, cream of tartar, lemon juice, or molasses
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Prep Note: If more leavening action is needed, add baking powder instead of baking soda. Too much baking soda results in a soapy or bitter taste, and yellow and brown coloring.

This is a mixture of baking soda and an added acid, such as cream of tartar and/or sodium aluminum sulfate. Baking powder also contains a starch to prevent lumping and to balance chemical reactions. Once baking powder is in contact with liquid, it reacts quickly; therefore, products made with baking powder must be baked soon after the powder is added to prevent carbon dioxide escaping from batter or dough.

• Leavening agent in baked goods with low acidity levels
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Yeast feeds on sugars, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide, the gas that raises a dough to give it the proper texture. This organic leavening agent will take a substantial amount of time to rise, so temperature must be controlled carefully.

• Leavening agent in bread, pizza crusts, and some cakes
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Popular in desserts, many people don't realize cocoa powder is actually a starch despite common belief. Made from the brown powder left after fat (cocoa butter) is removed from cocoa beans, cocoa powder does not contain sweetener or flavoring and is used primarily in baked goods.

• Thickens and adds chocolate flavor to baked goods and desserts
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

Also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, this fine white powder is a by-product of the wine-making process forming inside barrels during grape fermentation. Cream of Tartar is commonly used when beating egg whites to increase heat tolerance and volume, making it ideal for meringues and soufflés. It will also help prevent the crystallization of sugar syrups, resulting in creamier candy and frostings. 

• Stabilizes whipped cream and egg whites
• Adds creamy texture to candies and frostings
• Vegan & Gluten-Free

A dry mix of malted barley flour, wheat flour, and powdered milk, malted milk powder is commonly used to thicken milkshakes and baked goods.

• Thickens milkshakes
• Adds umami flavor to baked goods
• Vegetarian