Is makki atta corn flour? Maize atta vs corn flour vs cornstarch

Makki atta is maize flour, which COWBERRY's product page also calls corn flour: milled from the whole maize grain, with the nutrition of maize itself — 334 kcal and 12.2 g of fibre per 100 g.

Cornstarch is the odd one out. It is the starch of maize, separated and dried, and the Dietary Guidelines for Indians group it with refined cereals, next to white flour.

Read the label, not the name. A maize flour pack may also say corn flour, and a starch pack may say cornstarch or maize starch; the ingredient line tells you which you have. The flour is for a roti, the starch is for a sauce.

If you want the numbers, the table below puts maize flour next to whole wheat atta for scale; if you want the recipe angle, skip to which to use where. The makki (maize) hub covers the grain, its names and its other pages.

Yes. Makki atta is maize flour: makki is the Hindi word for maize, and the Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT 2017) record the grain under the English name maize, with the Hindi name printed as Makka, so makki ka atta is simply maize flour. Corn is the same grain under its English name, so corn flour, read literally, is the same milled product, and COWBERRY's own maize flour page prints the pair together, maize flour (corn flour). For the grain's many other names, the maize vs corn page settles what to call it.

One name does mean a different product: cornstarch, also called maize starch, is not the grain but only its starch. The Dietary Guidelines for Indians mention starch among refined cereals, next to white flour, and list the extensive processing of grains into refined flours among processes where there may be extensive loss of native fibre and nutrients. Makki atta keeps the whole grain; cornstarch does not.

The table compares maize flour and whole wheat atta per 100 g; both are whole-grain flours, and cornstarch gets no column because no composition figures for it are given here. Maize flour carries 334 kcal, 8.8 g of protein, 64.8 g of carbohydrate and 12.2 g of fibre per 100 g, and it is naturally gluten-free, as COWBERRY's product page states, while wheat carries gluten. Whole wheat atta runs close on energy at 322 kcal, with more protein and iron, and the full contrast is on the makki vs wheat page.

In a serving, one roti made from 40 g of flour gives about 134 kcal, with 3.5 g of protein and 4.9 g of fibre.

Per 100 g raw, edible portion. Composition: IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN). GI: University of Sydney GI database. — means not reported. These are average values for the food; the label on a pack gives the values for that product.

Cornstarch, also called maize starch, is the starch of maize separated out of the grain and dried into a fine white powder. Where makki atta is the whole grain, cornstarch is one part of it.

In the kitchen it works by thickening: stirred into a little cold water and then into a hot sauce, soup or custard, the starch swells and sets the liquid. It is not a flour for dough — a roti kneaded from starch alone would have no structure — and no composition figures for it are given here. Where a recipe wants thickening, use cornstarch by the spoon; where a recipe wants a roti or a bake, use the flour.

In Indian kitchens, makki atta is the flour behind makki ki roti: the dough is patted by hand and cooked on a tawa, and the flour's listed uses also take in flatbreads, tortillas, porridge and muffins. COWBERRY's product pages also describe the grain's golden colour and the flour's earthy aroma.

Where a recipe's corn flour means maize flour, makki atta does the same work; COWBERRY lists cakes, muffins and flatbreads among maize flour's uses. Cornstarch is the one for sauces, soups and custards, mixed first with cold water and then into the hot liquid, where it thickens quickly. Let the recipe's use decide: if the ingredient goes into a dough or batter by the cup, it wants the flour; if a spoonful is stirred into cold water and then into a hot liquid to thicken it, it wants the starch, whatever name the recipe uses.

Milled maize can wear three labels — makki atta, maize flour or corn flour — so let the ingredient line, not the front of the pack, settle it. If the ingredient is maize, the grain, it is the flour, for a roti or a bake; if it says cornstarch or maize starch, it is the thickener.

For organic maize, look for a certification mark on the pack; COWBERRY's maize flour is India Organic, USDA & EU certified.

• Rotis and flatbreads: makki atta (maize flour), the whole grain, with the method on the makki ki roti recipe page.
• Cakes, muffins and batters: fine maize flour, the same grain.
• Sauces, soups and custards: cornstarch, in teaspoons.
• Porridge: maize flour porridge is a listed use of the flour on COWBERRY's product page.

Store maize flour in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, as COWBERRY's product page advises, and let the dish you are cooking pick the pack. For the same choice between the two grains themselves, see the makki vs wheat page; for gluten-free cooking, maize flour is the one, since wheat, barley and rye carry gluten.

What is the difference between makki atta and corn flour?

Often only the name. Makki atta is the Hindi name for maize flour, and COWBERRY's product page also calls maize flour corn flour; ground from the whole grain, it carries 334 kcal and 12.2 g of fibre per 100 g. The product that is actually different is cornstarch, the refined starch sold for thickening, so check the ingredient line.

What is maize starch?

Maize starch is the starch of maize, separated out and dried into a fine white powder, sold as cornstarch. The Dietary Guidelines for Indians group it with refined cereals, next to white flour. It thickens hot liquids, which is why it appears in sauces and soups, and no numbers are printed for it here.

Can we use makki atta instead of corn flour?

When the recipe means maize flour, yes: makki atta is maize flour and swaps in by weight. When the recipe means cornstarch as a thickener, no: makki atta will not thicken a sauce the way the starch does. Cups in a dough or batter point to the flour; a spoonful stirred into cold water to thicken points to the starch.

Does makki atta have gluten?

No. Makki atta is maize flour, and COWBERRY's product page states that maize flour is naturally gluten-free. The NHS names wheat, barley and rye as the three cereals that carry gluten, and maize is not one of them, so a roti made from makki atta alone has no gluten. If you avoid gluten for medical reasons, check the pack for how the flour was milled.

What is makki ka atta in English?

Maize flour, also called corn flour. Makki is the Hindi word for the grain (IFCT 2017 records the name as Makka) and atta means flour, so makki ka atta is the flour of maize, the golden grain behind makki ki roti. The full set of names is on the maize in hindi page.

Is corn flour same as makki atta?

When the pack or recipe means maize flour, yes: corn flour and makki atta are then two names for the same flour, ground from the whole maize grain, at 334 kcal and 12.2 g of fibre per 100 g. Cornstarch, the refined starch, is not this flour, so read the ingredient line: maize means flour, cornstarch or maize starch means starch.

Can maize increase blood sugar?

Yes. Maize is carbohydrate, 64.8 g per 100 g, and the University of Sydney GI database lists steamed maize grain, tested in South Korea, at GI 73, in the high band (70 and above); fibre is 12.2 g per 100 g. For diabetes, portion and meal plan matter more than any one number — see makki for diabetes, and clear changes with your doctor or dietitian.