Gluten-Free | Grain-Free Sourdough Starter

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If you love sourdough like I do, but you’ve gone on a gluten-free diet, I have some great news for you. Yes, you can make gluten-free sourdough from this Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter and there are no special ingredients to buy!

And that’s not all–you can make a grain-free sourdough starter too. Read on for to get all of the sourdough loving life changing info you’ve been waiting for.

Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter in a Glass Bowl

I’m convinced that gluten is a big health concern for many, but I still love good bread. And while this flax bread is super tasty, there’s just nothing like a good sourdough.

We LOVE the tangy flavor of sourdough and since there are so many people who can’t tolerate gluten, I’ve been meaning to try my hand at making gluten-free sourdough bread. I am now that much closer to my goal :)!}

In order to prepare myself for this post, I wanted to put myself into the shoes of someone who is gluten-free.

When most people think “gluten-free,” they think that bread is no longer an option–particularly breads like sourdough.

So in order to be able to empathize with them in their struggle to balance nutrition with their allergies or intolerance… I did some “research.”

Basically, I wanted to think about what it would be like to be gluten-free.

And bread-free.

So I ate bread.

Homemade bread.

Two pieces, actually.

With a lot of butter.

And I realized how much I would miss it if I weren’t able to eat bread like this on a regular basis.

I’m not trying to rub it in anyone’s face – quite the contrary! I know how fortunate my family is to be able to eat whatever we want without breaking out in hives or keeling over in digestive pain.

It saddens me to imagine what it would be like to:

– not be able to walk into my kitchen and slice off a piece of bread whenever I want
– request the waiter to remove the basket of bread instead of refilling it
– worry about being sick for days because someone accidentally contaminated a cooking spoon!

I think I can understand your pain.

That’s why it truly brings me joy to share with you a way to have your cake–er, bread–and eat it too.

Gluten-free sourdough, baby. Oh yeah.

Imagine capturing wild yeast out of thin air and cultivating it over a period of several days so that without any help at all, it will magically make the dough rise and become a beautiful (and relatively inexpensive–) gluten-free loaf of bread.

It really isn’t as hard as it sounds!

But it is incredibly healthy! Quite possibly the healthiest bread you can make!

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Benefits of Sourdough

There are many benefits to sourdough including:

Digestable

Sourdough is easier to digest than regular bread (preventing issues like indigestion, etc.)

Beneficial Bacteria

Sourdough contains the healthy gut bacteria lactobacillus (the same major player in yogurt and kefir)

Fewer Nutrient-Binding Qualities

Most of the phytic acid in sourdough is broken down, reducing the effects of nutrient-binders on other foods in your diet.

Lower Glycemic Load

Since sourdough takes longer to digest, it doesn’t cause as much of a spike in blood sugar as traditional bread does.

Prebiotic Benefits

Since sourdough functions as a prebiotic, it helps support healthy digestion.

Reduced Acrylamide

Souring the dough reduces the amount of the amino acid asparagine that is a precursor of acrylamide formation, and acrylamide is a cancer-causing ingredient found in toasted grains, including bread crusts. So with sourdough, you can enjoy your bread crust with less acrylamide.

Gluten-Free vs. Regular Sourdough

Making a gluten-free sourdough starter isn’t any different than making a regular sourdough starter.

– Both start with flour and water.
– Both take a few days and both get bubbly.
– The only real difference comes when you’re ready to make sourdough bread and you have to pull out all the various types of gluten-free flour.

Gluten-free sourdough starter can be made in as little as seven days using gluten-free flour, water and a medium-sized bowl. I personally have successfully made gluten-free sourdough starter with brown rice flour, but I’ve read others have had success with white rice flour, teff flour, sorghum flour, or even a gluten-free all-purpose blend.

Typically, in the same way that using a blend of alternative sweeteners will work best when substituting for sugar, using a variety of flours will work best for your gluten-free sourdough.

Is Sourdough Gluten-free?

While many think that sourdough is already gluten-free, here are the facts.

I have seen this argument many times. People claim that white flour has no gluten in it since all of the gluten is in the hull, and that whole grain flour sourdough bread is gluten-free since the enzymes break down the gluten.

Sadly, that is not the case.

White flour has between 8-11% gluten so all the gluten is not in the outer hull that is sifted away.

Not enough of the gluten is broken down by the fermentation process. The definition of gluten-free is 20ppm or less. Sourdough is known to have 2000 ppm of gluten. Regular bread has 80000 in many instances, so 2000 is less, but it’s not gf.

Please take care that if you need to avoid gluten that avoid traditional sourdough.

Grain-Free & Paleo Options

Since this post was published, several readers have asked if you can make sourdough starters without grains. Well, the good news, is–YES YOU CAN! There are 2 schools of thought on this, however.

Some say that you need at least 1/3 of your flours to be starch like tapioca, arrowroot, or maybe cassava flour. Starch is what feeds the yeast so that is the reason behind this requirement. If using coconut flour, however, you will need to add more water to the starter. Instead of a close to 1:1 ratio, for every cup of coconut flour that you use, you will need to use about 1 2/3 cups water.

Coconut Flour Sourdough Starter

Can you make a starter from only coconut flour? Good questions.

There are some who say that you can, while others say that you cannot.

The information is in the recipe card so you can try it, but you might need to add some sauerkraut juice for it to work and not sure what kind of recipes you can make with it.

Sourdough Starter from Only Nuts / Nut Flours

You can make sourdough starter from nuts and likely only from nut flours, but you will need to add a fermented medium to the starter–like sauerkraut.

Sourdough Recipes

Gluten-Free Sourdough Recipes

Following are a variety of gluten-free sourdough bread recipes for you to experiment with. Because in all honesty, all sourdough breads – with or without gluten – are an experiment. A tasty experiment you can top with butter.

Keep in mind that every recipe will be different, calling for different types of flour and possibly using yeast. I’ve included several sources so that you can find something that suits you!

Any of these recipes would be great topped with butter or Homemade Nut Butter. Mmmmmm.

Grain-free Sourdough Recipes

This is a grain-free sourdough recipe for you to try after you have your sourdough starter ready to go:

Grain-free Sourdough by It Takes Time

Grain-free AIP Sourdough Recipe

There are other grain-free sourdough recipes out there but those that call for a nut base will need a different method for fermenting due to them needing something to jump start it (like sauerkraut) rather than just the starch. This recipe is an example of that. I hope to have some additional recipes for you in the future.

What You’ll Need

To make gluten-free sourdough starter, you’ll need:

  • gluten-free flour (some grain-free options will work)
  • water
  • a jar (or bowl)
  • a cover
  • something to secure the cover

How to Make the Starter

Following are some images and some brief info about how to do this. Full instructions are below :).

gluten free sourdough starter process with flour and water in a jar

Combine flour (whatever gluten-free or grain-free flour or gluten-free flour blend you like) and water.

gluten free sourdough starter process Day 1 and 2 in jar
feeding the sourdough starter process Day 3 and 4

Feed the Starter for several days.

gluten free sourdough starter process Day 5 and 6 showing air pockets

When your sponge looks like photo #8, you’re ready to make sourdough bread!

Recipe Notes and Substitutions

  • Ingredient Amounts: The amounts we give in the ingredient list are the amounts you will need if you only feed the starter twice a day, which is the least number of times you should feed it.  So if you feed it more often, you will of course need more flour and water.
  • Flour: Gluten-free flour blends (just like with alternative sweeteners like stevia) tend to work best when used in conjunction with others. So it’s best not to try to make this sourdough starter or sourdough with only 1 GF flour. Personally, I recommend using a blend of flours. As you can read in this gluten-free baking tips post, using a blend of flours tends to make baked goods turn out better when using alternative flours.
  • Grain-Free: For a Paleo Sourdough Starter or AIP Sourdough Starter, just use organic cassava flour or organic tiger nut flour in place of the gluten-free grain flours.
  • THM: This recipe is an “E” for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.

Troubleshooting Your Starter

Here are three of the most common things that you might notice while watching your starter and what they mean:

Too Much Starter 

If after a few days the starter begins to outgrow the bowl, pour some off to make a batch of sourdough pancakes. Leave at least 1/2 cup of starter in the bowl to continue feeding.

Liquid At the Top

Liquid may or may not collect at the surface of the starter. Either case is normal. (FYI: the liquid contains more lactobacillus and gives the bread its sourdough taste.)

No Bubbles – If you do not see bubbles at the top or at the sides of the starter, add a third feeding. Try to keep the feeding intervals equal. For example, 6am, 2pm and 10pm are all equally apart at 8 hours.

Boost Your Starter

One thing you can do is to add one to two tablespoons of water kefir, dairy kefir, kefir whey or kombucha in place of the water for just one feeding. Since you are adding more bacteria “goodies” to the mix, you are boosting fermentation action.

sourdough starter in jar with coffee filter cover.

FAQs

How Long Should You Feed Your Starter?

After the initial period of making the sponge, etc., your starter is officially in maintenance mode. Then you can feed it as often or as little as you like.

  1. At the very minimum, you can keep it in the fridge and feed it weekly. However it’s not recommended to have it in the fridge until after it’s 4 weeks old.
  2. You can keep it on the counter and feed it daily and use anything you don’t need for recipes.
  3. You could feed it daily with as little as 1 tablespoon water and flour to keep it fed but not produce a lot of starter.

How Long Can You Store Your Starter?

You can keep it for quite awhile provided you feed it daily. You will, however, need to revive it when you want to use it again.

  • Three and a half days before baking, remove the starter from the fridge and bring it to room temperature (let it rest for about 1/2 a day.
  • Feed with equal parts flour and water.
  • About 1/3 of a day later, feed the starter again.
  • Once you have foam and liquid rising to the top of the starter, you are use the starter for bread. If you don’t have that after 4-6 hours, keep feeding daily until you do.

Printable Recipe Card

gluten-free sourdough starter in a jar

Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter

Love sourdough but you're gluten free? This Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter is so easy–you can have tasty sourdough bread ready right away, even if you're avoiding gluten!
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breads
Cuisine: AIP, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, THM:S, Vegan
Keyword: coconut flour sourdough starter, gluten free sourdough starter, grain-free sourdough starter

Ingredients

Gluten-free Sourdough Starter

Coconut Flour Sourdough Starter

Instructions

Gluten-free Sourdough Starter

  • Combine 1/2 cup flour (whatever gluten-free flour or gluten-free flour blend you like) and a scant 1/2 cup filtered water in a medium to large bowl.
    Whisk until smooth and cover the gluten free sourdough starter with a cheesecloth or clean dishtowel to allow air to circulate but prevent particles from falling in.
    Set the bowl in a warm area where it will not be disturbed. A kitchen counter, pantry cabinet, or patio can all be good options.
  • Wait 12-24 hours.
  • At least twice a day for the next six days, at regular intervals, add 1/2 cup of flour and a scant 1/2 cup of filtered water to the existing starter.  Mix until smooth, and cover.
    This is called feeding the starter.
    Make sure to watch your starter carefully.
  • When your gluten-free sourdough starter is very bubbly and creates a dome on top 2-3 hours after each feeding (like the above picture), you are ready to make bread. This is often called the sponge and typically it takes 5-7 days for this to happen.
  • Use your starter for making the sourdough bread of choice. See above this recipe card in the post for some great options!

For Coconut Flour Starter

  • Combine 1/8 cup coconut flour with 1/2 cup filtered water in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. The mixture should be pourable but not thin.
  • Cover the bowl with a plate or other air tight cover, making sure there’s at least a 1/2-inch gap of air at the top.
  • Approximately every 12 hours add another 1/8 cup of coconut flour and ½ cup purified water. Stir well and cover.
  • In 24–48 hours the mixture should get bubbly and smell fermented. If no bubbles form, try increasing the frequency of feedings to every 8-10 hours.
  • If at any time there isn't a 1/2 inch gap at the top of the starter, move it to a larger bowl.

Notes

  • Ingredient Amounts: The amounts we give in the ingredient list are the amounts you will need if you only feed the starter twice a day, which is the least number of times you should feed it.  So if you feed it more often, you will of course need more flour and water.
  • Flour: Gluten-free flour blends (just like with alternative sweeteners like stevia) tend to work best when used in conjunction with others. So it’s best not to try to make this sourdough starter or sourdough with only 1 GF flour. Personally, I recommend using a blend of flours. As you can read in this gluten-free baking tips post, using a blend of flours tends to make baked goods turn out better when using alternative flours.
  • Grain-Free: For a Paleo Sourdough Starter or AIP Sourdough Starter, just use organic cassava flour or organic tiger nut flour in place of the gluten-free grain flours.

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

A Great Gluten-free Sourdough Starter You Can Buy

I know how it goes. It’s exciting to think about doing everything yourself, but then you just might not get around to it.

If that’s how you’re feeling after reading this post, you can just buy this Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter and have it all done for you. This would make a great backup to have in your pantry too!

I Recommend
Cultures For Health Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter Culture

Cultures For Health Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter Culture

Cultures for Health is a trusted brand for all things fermented. Make tangy, fluffy sourdough bread indefinitely with this heirloom-style starter. Non-GMO and and easy to follow recipe!

This is a fabulous jumping off point for tons of healthy creativity in the kitchen. So many options from breads to biscuits and more.

Meet Tiffany 250px

Tiffany is a frugal foodie, balancing the desire to feed her family healthy food while being a good steward of her finances. She realized it was possible to eat nourishing, traditional food on a budget if she made baby-sized changes in the kitchen. She continues to work hard at mastering real foods without going broke and shares her journey at Don’t Waste the Crumbs.

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572 Comments

    1. Hi Sam – there are some links in the post for that–I don’t have a grain-free sourdough recipes on my site yet–but I hope to!

    1. Hi there. Typically you can store a starter in the fridge for one week. Two possibly. Longer than that and you will have to do something else–I have seen some people dry the starter into flour, crumbles, and shreds. It’s more work for sure but possible. Does that help?

      1. Hi, I have to chime in here… I have stored my starter for several weeks, I periodically feed it. I got worried once when it looked a little grey, but another baker said that’s what you want for good sourdough taste. So I keep using it for better sourdough as my starter ages…

  1. Thanks, I’ll try using this flour and other mixes I bought by Bobs Redmill. I’ll stay in touch , appreciate any help along the way…

    1. Hi there. I think you should be fine. Maybe just try a small batch and see? I would love to hear how it goes for you.

  2. Some people in my church are gluten intolerant so I decided to research it. I love sourdough breads, biscuits, etc. So I decided to google gluten-free sourdough starter when I came across your site. I read some of the posts. I use potato water or bean water instead of sugar or substitute sweetener every other feeding as they ferment quickly. Back in the day, when sugar was low, they always had potatoes and beans around. Also, I use distilled water instead of filtered water. Hope these ideas help others.

      1. Sorry for not getting back to you due to unforeseen circumstances and the holiday. I should have explained better. My sourdough starter is white flour, sugar, water (no chlorine) or potato water. My grandma would use either water (no chlorine), potato water or bean water – she had a recipe that “de-gas” the beans.

        I can eat gluten foods, however, some people need gluten free foods. So I decided to research and try gluten free baking. Plan to exchange gluten-free flours for regular flour for a sourdough starter for a new baking challenge. Hope this is more understanding.

  3. This is my first time attempting a gluten free starter. Im pretty sure my 12 yr old daughter has a gluten intolerance, so my whole family is going to see if maybe we all can benefit from it….. Do I let the starter sit 12-24 hrs and then start feeding it twice a day and then only skim some off if it out grows the bowl? Thanks in advance! I’ve been looking online for weeks and this post has helped me the most!!

  4. Thank you for this! I’ve been meaning to try my hand at a gluten free sourdough because it’s my favorite and I really do miss fresh buttered bread.
    I am not allergic to wheat in that I have digestive issues. Mine presents as pain, and fortunately it is cumulative, so a piece of bread once in a while won’t kill me, cross-contamination is not that big a deal, but too much wheat in too short a time (a couple days in a row) and I start getting joint pain all over my body and my arthritis in one knee, from an old injury, flares up. It took years to figure out why I hurt so badly at the end of each day – practically limping. People sometimes think I’m doing it to diet or be trendy since I am not overly cautious about it. I just avoid it as much as possible so those rare times when I do have it won’t cripple me.

    1. You are so welcome! I completely understand. More and more people are getting ill / allergic. I just ran into an old friend w/ the same problem. It was gluten and dairy for her.

      1. Hi there -I have looked into that and it’s interesting, but puzzling. What I don’t understand is that the diet is very strict about lectins, but allows foods with small amounts and doesn’t allow properly prepared beans and grains. Those would, from my research, have the same amount of lectins as foods that are allowed on the diet. So I think it would make more sense to allow those so that a person could have a more broad diet. Also, I couldn’t find any evidence of the research that the doctor claims to have done. Thoughts?

    1. This is a confusing topic. Basically discarding keeps the starter from getting too big. You can of course use it to make other baked goods. You can also compost it.

  5. Do you have to keep feeding this until it is all used? And it stays out in the open, never in the fridge?

    1. Hi there – you mean until all 6 cups are used? That would be correct. Yes, the fermenting would stop at colder temperatures.

    1. Hello Kristene, there is a list of recipes in the post. Let me know if you can’t find them. I hope to have some on the blog eventually!

    2. Help! I am 3 days into my starter, feeding 3 times a day and have zero bubbles. I have hooch on top and have been stirring back in. I also have not discarded any starter. Any advice?

  6. Hi there, I’m currently making this starter, I have a technical question, what do i cover the starter with? I put it in a bowl like you pictured and covered it with muslin cloth but after reading other blogs im wodering if it need to be semi airtight? Thank you

    1. Hi there! Sorry for the delay. Had a bunch of things going on including a health issue w/ one of my boys. So I am reading that the main reason for covering is to keep things from falling in there so no worries! Hope it turned out well!

    1. Hello Denise! Thanks for reading and for commenting.

      The title of the post is clearly “Gluten-free / Grain-free Sourdough Starter”–did you see it labeled as something else somewhere?

      There are links to Gluten-free Sourdough recipes in the post where you can use the starter and I’m going to link to grain-free sourdough recipes hopefully today.

      Please let me know more about how you came to the post and what you read–I don’t want anyone to be mislead. Thanks again and hope that helps!

    1. Hi there. Sorry for the delay! I just added a link to the post for you. There aren’t many out there–most use nuts. I will see what I can do about having some more down the road!

  7. It is not specifically for bread it was purchased years ago for wine making . My mum used it successfully for kombucha . I have a picture of the bowl contents but it won’t let me attach here

  8. hello so my 3rd attempt has been underway since last monday complete with heating band used for wine making ……. it seems certainly busy but not seeing a “sponge” it is showing liquid on top and smells fermenty

    1. Hi there – do you know if that kind of band is appropriate for fermenting bread? Just not sure what temp it would result in.

  9. When this starter is ready, do I treat it like any other sourdough starter or is there a special way it needs to be kept alive? Before going gluten free I had a very old starter from my grandmother and was able to refrigerate it for months at a time when not using it. Can I do the same with this gluten free version?

    1. Yes you should be able to but there are different thoughts on how to handle a starter that is resting in the fridge. I say give it a try!