Einkorn flour is a non-hybridized ancient wheat variety. I’ve gathered the best einkorn flour recipes so you can easily try your hand at using this healthier grain. Some people use einkorn 1:1 for modern wheat flour, but I find that doesn’t always work. That’s why I took the time to measure out einkorn and tested these recipes to ensure the best results. I’ll also share how to replace regular flour for einkorn flour in your favorite recipes, because once you start baking with einkorn, it will quickly become your favorite flour!
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What can I do with einkorn flour?
Any recipe you would normally use wheat flour in you can use einkorn! It does have a high protein content, though it has less elasticity than modern wheat. I recommend starting with cakes, pancakes (I’ll share a great recipe to start with at the end of this article), and muffins, since yeast can be a little tricky to work with in einkorn. Once you’re comfortable with making muffins, cake, and pancakes, move on to einkorn sandwich bread made with quick yeast or sourdough einkorn bread.
When you purchase einkorn flour, look for “all-purpose” on the label. Jovial Foods Einkorn All-Purpose Flour is my favorite flour and the easiest to find in the United States. You can buy one single bag or a 10-lb bulk bag. This means some of the bran has been removed and it will act more closely to the all-purpose flour you are used to. You’ll notice the flour is a little more yellow, so your baked goods might be a slightly different color than usual as well. If you prefer to use whole wheat einkorn, you can learn more about baking with this flour in the FAQ section or in the tip box below.
If you’re brand new to einkorn and want to learn more about the history of this ancient grain and the issue with modern wheat, check out What is Einkorn? And Tips for Using Einkorn Flour and listen to my podcast all about einkorn and gluten sensitive.
Can I eat einkorn wheat if I have celiac disease?
No! This is definitely some misinformation I have seen around. Einkorn IS wheat and it does contain gluten (although a weak gluten structure, it still contains wheat and gluten). The ancient grain is generally easier for people to digest if they have a minor intolerance. I myself find I can tolerate sourdough (which involves fermenting grains before consuming) or einkorn much easier than other forms of wheat. But if you have a life-threatening allergy or celiacs, you will not want to eat einkorn. Carla, the founder of Jovial Foods, started harvesting and producing einkorn flour because of her daughter’s gluten sensitivities (listen to her story in this podcast episode).
Benefits of einkorn flour
I’ve done the research and written a lot about the benefits of einkorn! Here are some of the top benefits of stocking and using einkorn flour in your real-food kitchen…
- Easier to Digest: Ancient grains, like einkorn, are easier to digest than modern wheat varieties. People with gluten sensitives (not celiacs, einkorn is not gluten free) find that einkorn is easier to digest due to its very weak gluten structure.
- Easy to Substitute: Once you’ve made a few recipes, it’s very easy to substitute all-purpose einkorn for your usual all-purpose flour.
- Excellent Nutritional Profile: Einkorn has a high protein content (30% higher than modern wheat), less starch (15% less than modern wheat), and contains carotenoids, minerals, and B vitamins.
- No Knead: Einkorn does not like to be fussed with or kneaded like wheat flour. For breads and rolls (i.e. cinnamon rolls, sandwich bread, and hamburger buns) that usually call for a long kneading process, your arms can take a break and let einkorn work its magic.
Can I substitute einkorn flour for regular flour?
If you have a favorite recipe and want to try using einkorn instead of whole wheat or all-purpose regular flour, here’s how to do that. Einkorn may be used cup for cup in recipes calling for whole wheat flour when making muffins, pancakes, cookies, and cakes. When making these recipes, you may need to reduce the liquid amount (such as the milk) by 15%. Einkorn absorbs liquid slowly. Allow einkorn batter to rest for 10 minutes before adding to a muffin, bread, or cake pan. If after 10 minutes of rest, you feel more flour is needed, add more einkorn at this time.
10 Best Einkorn Flour Recipes
Favorite Einkorn Recipes
The flavor and texture of einkorn flour translates to the most delicious, easier-to-digest baked goods, from cake and cupcakes to cookies to soup dumplings and scones and muffins. Most of the recipes on this list are made with all-purpose einkorn flour, but whole wheat einkorn may also be used (reduce the whole wheat einkorn by 1/4 cup). If you’re grinding einkorn berries to make flour at home, use the weight measurements (grams) versus cups provided in the recipes (this is far more accurate as freshly-milled flour will be light and airy).
1. Einkorn Pizza
You can easily make up an einkorn flour pizza dough that works great on the grill or in the oven. Just add your favorite toppings and dinner is ready in a flash!
My kids also love turning the pizza dough into mini flatbreads so they can have pizza lunchables for school. An even quicker option is to make these Einkorn Pizza Muffins – you could easily mix up the batter and bake these right after cooking your Homemade Einkorn Pizza Dough. That way you only cut up toppings once and have lunch ready-to-go for the entire week.
2. Einkorn Muffins
Muffins are a favorite in my house. I like that they are easy to customize based on the ingredients you need to use up; there’s no need to go out and buy anything special. I created a Master Einkorn Muffin Recipe, especially for this purpose! You can choose to stir your special mixins into the batter or customize each muffin once you’ve put the batter into the tin.
The master einkorn muffin recipe is one of the most-popular einkorn recipes. Here’s what JR, from the Live Simply Community, had to say, “My wife and I are just starting our ‘real food’ journey. You and your website have been super helpful, and this muffin recipe was our first baking adventure. My wife has always had a gift for baking, so I’ve been incredibly blessed over the years with everything she does. We both agreed these muffins were, by far, the best thing she’s ever baked. All of the flavors are so rich and real. Thanks so much for all your time invested into helping others start eating healthy, real food! You’re a huge blessing!”
If you aren’t feeling creative on making your own varieties, I have lots to choose from:
- Lemon Poppy Einkorn Muffins
- Einkorn Cinnamon Roll Muffins
- Einkorn Banana Muffins
- Einkorn Pumpkin Spice Muffins
- Einkorn Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
3. Einkorn Dumpling Soup
Chicken and dumpling soup is a cold-weather comfort-food staple, even here in Florida. There’s just something about it that makes me smile when we eat it. One of my favorite parts of making Einkorn Chicken and Dumpling Soup is the fact that the “dumplings” cook right in the broth. There’s no need to turn on the oven and dirty more baking dishes, simply drop your batter into the bubbling soup, cover, and wait!
4. Einkorn Cake
Einkorn works really well in cakes. The all-purpose version, when sifted, makes the best crumb.This Honey-Sweetened Applesauce Carrot Cake is the perfect holiday presentation. If you like chocolate, definitely try Einkorn Chocolate Cake in a sheet pan. If you want cake that’s easy to serve for a party, then make cupcakes! You can either do a one-bowl double chocolate variety or opt for classic vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting.
Here’s what Brittni had to say about making the einkorn chocolate cake, “I don’t usually leave comments on blogs because I’m usually short of time (mom life). However, I had to sneak away for a minute to comment because this is truly the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. I’m pretty picky and usually cake is good because it’s chocolate cake, but this cake is absolutely incredible. My boys are sensitive to wheat but can eat Einkorn. It has been a learning curve baking with it so I’m usually not expecting out of this world with Einkorn recipes. Nonetheless, we decided to give this recipe a try after a quick google search for my son’s birthday. We were all very impressed. The frosting is beyond delicious. Truly the best frosting I’ve ever tasted. The cake is perfect in texture and flavor. All in all this recipe is a keeper. Thank you for sharing this recipe. We will be using it many many more times.”
5. Einkorn Pancakes and Waffles
Whether it’s a lazy weekend brunch or breakfast for dinner, pancakes are always a hit. Homemade Einkorn Pancakes are very quick to make and you can easily double them and freeze, making them a quick breakfast option or even packable for lunch.
Even easier than flipping individual pancakes is making it in a sheet pan! If you’ve never done this, I highly recommend it. These look lovely on a plate topped with fresh fruit slices.I don’t know about you, but my kids have always loved dipping things. Make breakfast hands-on by baking up a batch of Easy Mini Pancake Muffins.
Waffles made with einkorn are light and airy with a wonderful flavor and beautiful golden hue (a characteristic of einkorn). This Einkorn Waffles recipe can be made using all-purpose or whole wheat einkorn.
6. Einkorn Tortillas
If it’s Taco Tuesday or you just want a fast, easy bread for a sandwich, give Einkorn Tortillas a try. Yes, it is a lot more work than buying them at the store, but they look simply amazing with the butter and einkorn turning a lovely yellow shade. I promise once you get in the groove they aren’t difficult to make and look very impressive. You can also turn them into tortilla pizzas for a dinner where everyone makes their own pizza!
7. Einkorn Cookies
Everyone loves a classic chocolate chip cookie or classic oatmeal cookie. I think cookies are a great way to learn to use your scale for baking. It’s really easy to add the ingredients to your bowl without dirtying a bunch of measuring cups and spoons.
If you aren’t a fan of chocolate or oatmeal cookies, maybe Soft and Chewy Einkorn Snickerdoodles are more your style. I also tested out einkorn in my favorite Christmas cookies because the kids love decorating Einkorn Sugar Cookies. Or, get the whole family involved in making Einkorn Jam Thumbprint Cookies.
8. Einkorn Sandwich Bread
I admit, I will often pick up bread from the market, especially when it is sourdough. I love supporting these small businesses and bread just seems so hard to make, doesn’t it? However, I have had great success making Einkorn Bread with yeast. There’s just something so magical about watching the dough rise above the pan, and nothing is better than the aroma of it baking in the oven. Make this for special occasions, especially thickly sliced and turned into French toast! If you’d like to make einkorn sourdough bread, I recommend this recipe from Jovial Foods.
Not sandwich bread, but worth mentioning here is cornbread. Einkorn makes the best cornbread to serve alongside soups, a protein and veggie, or as-is (just because you want cornbread in your life)! Here’s my skillet cornbread recipe using all-purpose einkorn flour.
9. Einkorn Scones
Scones can really elevate your tea or coffee time. I think they are one of the best baked goods for sharing with a group of friends in your home. They are very sturdy so they also travel well if you are taking a meal to a friend. My Einkorn Blueberry Scones have a wonderful lemon glaze on top.
If you love all things pumpkin, then you’ll want these Einkorn Pumpkin Scones. Don’t skip the maple pecan glaze – it really makes them a fun treat.
10. Einkorn Biscuits
Flaky biscuits are a labor of love, and you can increase their nutrition with einkorn flour. Homemade Einkorn Biscuits roll out quickly and make beautiful layers.I also took that recipe and modified it slightly to make individual chicken pot pies.
Einkorn Flour Q&A
Is einkorn the healthiest flour?
Einkorn is a variety of wheat. It’s known as the oldest variety of wheat, or the first wheat, making it an ancient grain. Unlike modern day wheat, which had undergone hybridization, einkorn still holds to its original properties and nutritional values. In our effort to make modern wheat “better” and more efficient from a production standpoint (through hybridization, mono-cropping, etc.), nutrients have been lost. Einkorn has a much higher protein content (30% more than modern wheat) and less starch (15% less than modern wheat), along with a higher concentration of minerals and flavor. Einkorn is also easier to digest. Einkorn is among the healthiest wheat flours. This study comparing einkorn vs. modern wheat is fascinating.
Can you use einkorn flour for baking?
Yes! Einkorn is one of the best wheat flours to use for baking. It has a light, slightly nutty flavor with excellent nutritional qualities (30% higher protein content than modern wheat, 15% less starch, high concentration of minerals). You can enjoy your favorite baked goods without compromising nutrition or flavor. Cakes, breads, muffins, cupcakes, pancakes, and scones are some of the best baked goods to make with einkorn flour. You can use all-purpose einkorn flour 1:1 for all-purpose regular flour in most of these recipes.
Does einkorn flour cause inflammation?
This study, Integrated Evaluation of the Potential Health Benefits of Einkorn-Based Breads, is a fascinating study on the health benefits of einkorn vs. modern-wheat. “The four breads having the best characteristics were selected, and the product of their digestion was used to evaluate their anti-inflammatory effect using Caco-2 cells. Our results confirm the higher carotenoid levels in einkorn than in modern wheats, and the effectiveness of sourdough fermentation in maintaining these levels…” Einkorn shows promise in being anti-inflammatory (compared to modern wheat) and when paired with sourdough practices (sourdough pre-digests grains during the fermentation process, learn more), einkorn may be anti-inflammatory and is easier to digest. If you already have a sourdough starter, make my favorite sourdough einkorn banana muffins.
Can you use einkorn flour in place of all purpose flour?
Yes, you can use einkorn flour in place of all-purpose flour. I recommend using all-purpose einkorn, which has some of the bran removed (not all). According to Jovial Foods, “All Purpose (einkorn) is a high-extraction, lighter flour that has had 20% of the bran and germ removed after milling and will stay fresh longer.” If you want to use whole wheat einkorn in place of all purpose flour, decrease the flour amount by 1/4 cup. Allow a batter made with einkorn flour to rest for 10 minutes before baking, as einkorn flour is slower to absorb liquid.
Is einkorn flour the same as all purpose flour?
Einkorn flour is not the same as all-purpose flour made from hard white wheat berries. Einkorn flour is made from einkorn wheat berries, an ancient grain. There are two types of einkorn flour: whole wheat einkorn and all-purpose einkorn. Whole wheat einkorn flour is 100% of the ground einkorn grain. All-purpose einkorn flour has 20% of the bran from the grain removed.
Is all-purpose einkorn flour whole grain?
My favorite flour to use for baking is all-purpose einkorn flour as it produces light and fluffy baked goods. All-purpose einkorn flour is not whole grain; 20% of the bran is removed. This actually makes all-purpose einkorn flour easier to digest, making it ideal for healthier baking. Whole wheat einkorn flour is a whole grain.
What type of scale do you recommend?
Hey Marilyn, This is the one I’ve used for many years: https://amzn.to/3JWlDvQ I’m not partial to this particular one and there are many brands that are much cheaper online. I would stick with a digital food scale, and one that you can adjust between grams and ounces.