Food and Nutrition Service

More training, menu planning, and nutrition education materials for the 

CACFP can be found at https://teamnutrition.usda.gov.

Is My Recipe Whole Grain-Rich in the 

Child and Adult Care Food Program?

Some Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators prepare 

grain items from scratch. These items can be a wonderful addition to 

the menu and even count as a whole grain-rich food. You can follow 

the steps listed below to check if a recipe is whole grain-rich.

Circle or mark the grain ingredients in the 

recipe. For a list of common grain ingredients, 

see page 2. If your recipe has non-creditable 

flour or grains, there must be a greater amount 

of at least three other whole grain, enriched, 

bran, or germ ingredients in the recipe. 

1

3

4

2 Write down the names and amounts of the 

whole grain ingredients. Add the amounts of 

whole grain ingredients together.*

Amount Ingredient 

2 cups whole-wheat flour 

2 1⁄2 cups oatmeal 

Total: 4 1⁄2 cups whole grain ingredients

Write down the names and amounts of the 

enriched, bran, and germ ingredients. Add the 

amounts of these ingredients together.* 

Amount Ingredient 

2 cups enriched flour 

Total: 2 cups enriched ingredients

Compare the amount of whole grain ingredients 

to the amount of enriched, bran, and/or germ 

ingredients. If the total amount of whole 

grain ingredients is equal to or more than

the total amount of enriched, bran, or germ 

ingredients, the recipe is whole grain-rich.

Example: 4 1⁄2 cups of whole grain 

ingredients is more than 2 cups of enriched 

ingredients. Therefore, this recipe is 

whole grain-rich.

! *To convert fractions to decimals, see the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs Table 6: Decimal Equivalents 

of Commonly Used Fractions at: https://foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov/Content/TablesFBG/Table6_FBG.pdf.

Oatmeal Muffins

2 cups whole-wheat flour 

2 cups enriched flour

2 1⁄2 cups oatmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder
Common Grain Ingredients

Below are some common grain ingredients you might find in recipes. There are other whole grain, enriched, 

bran, germ, and non-creditable ingredients that are not listed below. 

Whole-Grain Ingredients

• Brown rice flour

• Corn masa/masa harina

• Cracked wheat

• Graham flour

Additionally, if the ingredient list 

includes the nutrients used to enrich 

the flour, then the flour is enriched. 

For example, an ingredient list for 

rice flour might read: “Long grain 

rice (niacin, iron, riboflavin, folic acid, 

thiamin).” The vitamins listed in the 

parenthesis indicate that the rice flour 

is enriched.

Enriched, Bran, and Germ Ingredients

• Enriched all-purpose flour

• Enriched bleached white flour

• Enriched bread flour

• Enriched corn flour/cornmeal

• Enriched rice flour

• Enriched unbleached white flour

• Oat bran

• Wheat bran

• Wheat germ

• Oats/oatmeal (any kind)

• White whole-wheat flour

• Whole grain corn flour/

cornmeal

• Whole rye flour

• Whole-wheat flour (includes

whole-wheat bread flour,

whole-wheat pastry flour, etc.)

Non-Creditable Grains or Flours

• Bean flour (such as soy,

chickpea, lentil, etc.)*

• Durum flour

• Nut or seed flour (such as

almond, sesame, etc.)

• Oat fiber

• Potato flour*

• Rice flour

• Semolina

• Wheat flour

• White flour

! *Not creditable toward the grain component, but may be creditable

toward the Vegetables or Meats/Meat Alternates components.

For more information, see https://foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov.

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Giving Grains Equal Measure

The amount of an ingredient in a recipe can be measured in different ways. Some 

recipes use cups, tablespoons (tbsp), or teaspoons (tsp) while other recipes will use 

ounces (oz) or pounds (lb). When adding up the amounts of ingredients to see if a recipe 

is whole grain-rich, make sure the grain ingredients are written in the same unit of measure. 

For example, in the oatmeal muffin recipe on page 1, the whole-wheat flour, the oatmeal, 

and the enriched flour are all measured in cups.

If a recipe lists the grain ingredients as different units of measure, follow the steps below to convert the 

ingredient amounts to the same unit.

If the ingredients are 

in pounds and ounces:

Example: 2 lbs 6 oz whole-wheat flour

Multiply number of ounces by 0.0625 

to convert ounces to pounds.

6 oz x .0625 = 0.375 lb

Add the decimal to the whole number:

2 lb + 0.375 lbs = 

2.375 lbs of whole-wheat flour

If the ingredients are in 

teaspoons and cups:

Example: 3 cups + 2 tsp whole grain cornmeal

Multiply number of teaspoons by 0.021 

to convert teaspoons to cups.

2 tsp x .021 = 0.042 cups

Add the decimal to the whole number:

3 cups + 0.042 cups = 

3.042 cups of whole grain cornmeal

If the ingredients are 

in tablespoons and cups:

Example: 1 cup + 2 tbsp brown rice flour

Multiply number of tablespoons 

by 0.0625 to convert tablespoons to cups.

2 tbsp x .0625 = 0.125 cups

Add the decimal to the whole number:

1 cup + 0.125 cups = 

1.125 cups of brown rice flour

If the ingredients are 

in teaspoons and tablespoons:

Example: 1 tbsp + 2 tsp wheat bran

Multiply number of teaspoons by 0.33 

to convert teaspoons to tablespoons.

2 tsp x 0.33 = 0.66 tbsp

Add the decimal to the whole number:

3 tbsp + 0.66 tbsp = 

3.66 tbsp of wheat bran

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FNS-856 March 2020 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Try It Out!

Look at the ingredients for each recipe below. Which recipes are whole grain-rich?

Dinner Rolls

• 1 tablespoon Active

Dry Yeast

• 1 1⁄2 cups Warm Water

• 1 1⁄2 cups Enriched

All-Purpose Flour

• 1⁄4 cup Sugar

• 1 1⁄2 cups

Whole-Wheat Flour

• 1 teaspoon Salt

• 3 Large Eggs

• 2 teaspoons Canola Oil

Cornbread

• 1 1⁄2 cups

Whole-Wheat Flour

• 1 1⁄4 cups Enriched

Cornmeal

• 1⁄2 cup Enriched

Unbleached White Flour

• 2 tablespoons Sugar

• 1 tablespoon

Baking Powder

• 3⁄4 teaspoon Salt

• 2 Large Eggs

• 1 3⁄4 cups Nonfat Milk

• 1⁄4 cup Canola Oil

Pancakes

• 2 1⁄2 cups Rolled Oats

• 1 cup Enriched

Rice Flour

• 1⁄2 cup Almond Flour

• 1⁄4 cup Nonfat Milk

• 3 tablespoons Sugar

• 3 tablespoons

Baking Powder

• 1 tablespoon Salt

• 1 tablespoon

Baking Soda

• 1⁄2 cup Canola Oil

Is this recipe 

whole grain-rich?

 Yes  No

Is this recipe 

whole grain-rich?

 Yes  No

Is this recipe 

whole grain-rich?

 Yes  No

Answers: 

Yes, this recipe is whole grain-rich. This recipe has the same amount of whole grain Dinner Rolls: 

ingredients (1 1⁄2 cups whole-wheat flour) as enriched ingredients (1 1⁄2 cups enriched all-purpose flour). 

If the total amount of whole grain ingredients is equal to or more than the total amount of enriched, bran, 

or germ ingredients, the recipe is whole grain-rich.

No, this recipe is not whole grain-rich. This recipe has less whole grain ingredients than Cornbread: 

enriched ingredients. It contains 1 1⁄2 cups of whole grain ingredients (1 1⁄2 cups whole-wheat flour) and 

1 3⁄4 cups of enriched ingredients (1 1⁄4 cups enriched cornmeal and 1⁄2 cup enriched white flour).

 No, this recipe is not whole grain-rich. This recipe contains a 1⁄2 cup of almond flour, which is Pancakes:

a non-creditable flour. If the recipe has non-creditable flours or grains, there must be a greater amount of at 

least three other whole grain, enriched, bran, or germ ingredients in this recipe. This recipe only has two 

whole grain or enriched ingredients in greater amounts than the almond flour: the 2 1⁄2 cups of rolled oats 

(whole grain ingredient) and 1 cup of enriched rice flour (enriched ingredient).

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