Aashirvaad’s Gluten Free Flour Could Have Been Better

Gluten to roti is what fat to butter is, inevitable. But if you’re going gluten-free, to try the paleo diet, or test the health benefits, this review may be for you.

Aashirvaad, one of the first names that pop in our head when we think of flours, introduced a gluten-free variant made with a unique set of ingredients. For our Aashirvaad Gluten Free flour review, we ordered the 1 kg pack and here’s how it went. 

Do we recommend this or are there better options?

Here are all details you must know about this gluten-free flour.

What were we looking for when reviewing Aashirvaad Gluten Free flour?

In addition to scanning the ingredient list and nutrition labels, we gauged the convenience, ease of preparation, taste, and texture. 

1. Taste

We compared the taste to other gluten-free flours like rice flour and multi-millet flours. Does Aashirvaad Gluten Free flour taste fresh? Were the salt levels balanced?

2. Texture

After scanning the ingredient list, we learnt that this gluten-free flour contains starch and psyllium husk powder. How did these components affect the texture?

We gauged the texture while kneading the flour, rolling the rotis, and tasting.

3. Nutrition Quotient

As claimed, is this flour truly high in fiber and protein? And is it a commendable source of magnesium and iron?

How different is this gluten-free flour from whole wheat flour, nutritionally?

4. Other Parameters

This review also covers details like the price, packaging, shelf life, etc.

Price + Packaging

A 1 kg pack is priced at Rs 210/- It has a five-month shelf life. It is a non-resealable, red and blue pack. 

Main Ingredients

Jawar flour (48.1%), flaked rice flour, starch, ragi flour (3.4%), dehydrated potato, milk solids, thickener (INS 415), psyllium husk powder, emulsifier (INS 471), and iodised salt are the main ingredients.

Isabgol (psyllium husk) is basically fiber that is commonly used as a laxative. One of the properties of this ingredient is absorbing water, which is why it acts as a binding agent and helps create a feeling of satiety. In packaged foods, Isabgol is used as a thickening agent too. 

The addition of ingredients like INS 471 and INS 415, although is logical to the texture (softness and elasticity), our question remains if you would want to have a roti with ingredients that ideally shouldn’t be a part of your daily diet. We have definitely had gluten free flours with a better set of ingredients.

How we made the roti

The preparation process was quite easy to follow. 100 ml boiling water was to be mixed into the flour. We kneaded this until a non-sticky dough was achieved. This was set aside for 20 minutes. Kneading a gluten free flour with hot water helps make a softer dough/rotis.

Then we rolled out the roti, cooked it on both sides and served it hot. 

Our Experience

The dough was fairly easy to knead. We let it rest for the recommended time before rolling the rotis. Rolling the rotis was slightly more challenging as compared to whole wheat rotis, owing to the fact that this was gluten-free. 

A 60-gram roti prepared with this flour offers 223 Kcal, 46.5 grams of carbohydrates, 5.4 grams of protein, 1.7 grams of fat, 6.9 grams of fiber. It also offers 2.6 mg of iron and 58.2 mg of magnesium which is fairly decent.

On the other hand, a 60-gram whole wheat roti provides 203 Kcal, 43.44 grams of carbohydrates, 8.22 grams of protein, 1.12 grams of fat, 7.3 grams of fiber. It also has 2.16 mg of iron and 70 mg of magnesium. 

Taste + Texture

The roti wasn’t hard or coarse. It has a fibrous bite. In our experience, it tasted best when warm. As the roti cools down, it turns slightly tough. As for the taste, we tried it with and without ghee. It showcased the characteristic flavors of millets, slightly earthy, rustic taste. Fortunately, it had no bitterness, neither was it unappetizing to eat. The salt was also well-rounded, no adjustments needed here.

Rotis are something that you eat everyday, maybe even twice or thrice daily. It’s not a one off thing. Hence, there comes the need for clean ingredients. As mentioned above, we’ve reviewed other gluten-free flours that have a much much cleaner ingredient list. 

Here are some interesting FAQs on Aashirvaad gluten free atta.

While the taste and texture were decent, we didn’t like the ingredient list of Aashirvaad Nature’s Superfoods Gluten-free flour. That said, it does deliver on the claims of being a good source of iron, magnesium, and fiber. 

However, the ingredient list is too complex for a commodity like flour that one would use one-two times everyday.