Thicken Your Sauce With Cornstarch (2024)

FAQs

Thicken Your Sauce With Cornstarch? ›

For each cup of liquid, you want to thicken, start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Add an equal amount of cold liquid and stir until smooth paste forms. This is your slurry. Whisk the slurry into the hot, simmering liquid that you want to thicken.

To make a slurry, start with 1 to 2 ratio of cornstarch to water. For example, prepare 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Then whisk together really well. When you add more water, it just takes more time to thicken the sauce or soup.

Cornstarch needs heat (in the ballpark of 203°F) in order for “starch gelatinization”—that is, the scientific process in which starch granules swell and absorb water—to occur. In other words, if you don't heat your cornstarch to a high enough temperature, your mixture will never thicken.

Because cornstarch is pure starch, it has twice the thickening power of flour, which is only part starch. Thus, twice as much flour is needed to achieve the same thickening as cornstarch. To thicken sauces, cornstarch is combined with cold water first, which is called a slurry.

For each cup of gravy you want, start with 2 tablespoons of drippings and fat, and 2 tablespoons of flour or cornstarch. (This will produce a rich and thick gravy. If you would like a thinner gravy, either start with one tablespoon each of drippings and starch, or add more liquid to thin the gravy.)

Cornstarch is one of the most commonly used thickeners, but it has some unique traits. So thanks for the good question! Cornstarch must be cooked to 95°C (203°F) before thickening begins. At that point, it usually thickens fairly quickly and the sauce turns from opaque to transparent.

There are no exact formulas regarding how much water to add, but it will end up being about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of water per cup (235 ml) of cornstarch. The secret is to add the water slowly and mix as you add it.

To thicken hot liquids, first mix cornstarch with a little cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into hot liquid until blended.

Cornstarch is a common thickening agent in the culinary arts, but if you add it directly to the liquid you want to thicken, it will clump up. To thicken a sauce or soup with cornstarch, you first need to make a slurry, which is a mixture of equal parts cornstarch and liquid (usually water, stock or wine).

Cornstarch works remarkably well as a thickener in sauces, gravy, and pie fillings, and some prefer it to flour. 2 You won't be able to taste the cornstarch the way you sometimes can taste the flour.

Do you mix cornstarch with hot or cold water? ›

A general rule of thumb, is 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked with 1 tablespoon of cold liquid for every cup of liquid you are trying to thicken. Whisk the slurry into the hot, simmering liquid that you want to thicken.

If you're cooking hot liquids like sauces, stock or broth, 1 tablespoon of corn starch per cup of liquid will give you a thin to medium consistency that's appropriate for soups or very thin sauces. 2 tablespoons per cup will give you a thicker, more gravy-like consistency.

The ratio is an easy one to remember: Use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per 1 cup of liquid for a perfect gluten-free gravy thickener every time.

To thicken hot liquids, first mix cornstarch with a little cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into hot liquid until blended. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and boil one minutes.

For each cup of liquid, you want to thicken, start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Add an equal amount of cold liquid and stir until smooth paste forms. This is your slurry.

Thick Sauces and Gravies

You always want to start by making a slurry: add a teaspoon or two of cornstarch to 2 to 3 tablespoons of water or stock and thoroughly whisk them together.

Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.