All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Store-bought noodles are nonnegotiable in our pantries, but homemade noodles? They are something else—earthy, chewy, and ridiculously fun. So grab an apron and let us show you how to Make Your Own Noodles. We’ve got glorious recipes, expert tips, handy guides, and so much more
Add potato starch to your stir-fry and, in a matter of seconds, watch a loose sauce transform into a thick, burbling glaze. But the magic doesn’t end there: Potato starch also has the ability to give any number of proteins, like chicken and tofu, a crispy coating. It can also be kneaded into a noodle dough for bouncy, nearly translucent Loh Shi Fun. This humble starch knows no bounds.
While there are countless types of starch out there—including cornstarch, tapioca starch, and more—potato starch in particular yields the crispiest potato pancakes and crackly-coated calamari. But what exactly is potato starch, and where do its magical powers come from? And how can you make the most of it in your cooking? Let’s find out.
What is potato starch?
If you’ve ever grated a pound of potatoes—say, for latkes—and soaked them in water until you’re ready to fry, you may have noticed some white, powdery stuff sinking to the bottom of the bowl. That, my friends, is pure potato starch. Do not dump it down the drain. When you’re ready to fry, incorporate the potato starch your spuds have shed back into the grated potato mixture to yield the crispiest fritters.
But you probably don't have time to grate and soak and strain a pile of potatoes every time you need some starch. (Do you?) It's easier to buy a bag of potato starch at the grocery store. Commercially available potato starch is produced in a similar way, just on a much larger scale: First, the potatoes are crushed to release their natural starches. Then the starch is dried to make the hardworking powder you’ll find in the baking aisle.
Potato starch vs. cornstarch
When used as a thickener, potato starch functions similarly to cornstarch. Often incorporated into dishes in the form of a slurry (starch dissolved in cold water), the potato starch particles swell and gelatinize, thickening sauces, puddings, custards, and more. But a few particular properties give potato starch an edge over its corny counterpart.
Potato starch has a lower gelatinization temperature than cornstarch, meaning it can thicken liquids faster when exposed to heat. If not fully cooked, cornstarch tends to leave behind residual, well, starchiness, whereas potato starch gives sauces a glossier, silkier texture. Potato starch can be used as a 1:1 substitute for cornstarch in just about any recipe: Use it in a dry dredge to give masala fried chicken a crispy shell, or add it to doughs or batters for snappier cookies and more tender baked goods.
Potato starch vs. potato flour
Though potato starch and potato flour might sound similar, these two ingredients are not interchangeable.
“Potato starch is the by-product of washed and peeled raw potatoes, dried into a very fine, white powder,” says cookbook author Hetty Lui McKinnon. Potato flour, on the other hand, is made from cooked potatoes, which are then dried and ground to a fine beige powder. As the potatoes cook, they release some of their starch, which gives potato flour a drier texture. “Potato flour is used more in baking, as a substitute for wheat flour,” says McKinnon.
The other primary difference is that, while potato starch is notably neutral flavor-wise, potato flour tastes a little earthy and potato-y.
Potato starch substitutes
There are many different starches, and in most applications, such as thickening sauces or giving meat a crispy coating, they can be used interchangeably. (If you’re searching for even more alternative thickening agents, check out these cornstarch substitutions.) Certain recipes, however, require more specificity—like McKinnon’s potato starch noodles.
“There are many starch-based noodles in Asian culture,” McKinnon notes, citing mung bean vermicelli, sweet potato starch noodles, and tapioca starch noodles, among others. McKinnon’s potato starch noodles are made with just three ingredients: potato starch, hot water, and oil. Since each type of starch absorbs water differently, substituting another type of starch will yield noodles that vary in bounciness and color. McKinnon recommends sticking to potato starch in this recipe.
Now get cooking
Play around with potato starch to see just how magical it can be. Coat popcorn chicken in potato starch to achieve a crackly crust. Swap it for cornstarch to give dumplings a crispy skirt, tenderize meat and thicken stir-frys, or mix a light tempura batter. But before any of that, make these spectacular potato noodles.
