Where to buy flour online right now

• With many of us taking up baking as a new hobby during quarantine, flour has become difficult to come by both in person at the grocery store and online.
• There are still many stores that have flour in stock online, from your traditional grocery delivery services to local mills grinding their own grain.
• Here’s a running list of places to order flour online, so you’ll have plenty in your pantry to bake to your heart’s content.
• Many of the stores included are currently experiencing shipping delays due to high demand, so you’ll find current shipping projections for each retailer below.
• If you’re looking to order other groceries or specialty food items, check out our running list of where to buy groceries online.

As the nationwide quarantine continues, many of us are brushing up on our indoor hobbies. Some of us are exercising, some are knitting, but the overwhelming majority of us are cooking and baking.

And if our Instagram feeds are any indication, so is much of the rest of the country. Baking – especially baking bread – has caught on as a quarantine hobby in a big way.

Baking takes just a few ingredients, minimal equipment, an oven, and time – which we’ve all got in spades right now – and the payoff is delicious. But as baking has become so popular so quickly, ingredients like flour have become hard to come by, with many grocery stores and online retailers experiencing stock issues.

Thankfully, there are still plenty of places online that carry flour, especially smaller mills that you can order from directly. Keep in mind that availability often changes by the minute, so some of these links may lead to sold-out products, but we're doing out best to continually update this post.

Here's a running list of online stores that still have flour in stock:

Direct from the mill

This category of shops is likely where you'll have the best luck buying flour online right now.

While everyone else is turning to retail giants like Amazon and Walmart and even large grocery chains like Whole Foods and Costco, people often forget about the little guy.

Artisinal mills are still in operation, grinding high-quality flours from the wheat they often grow themselves. You'll often pay a bit more for the luxury of farm-to-bread-basket freshly milled flour, but you'll also find flour of this ilk produces higher-quality baked goods. Plus, you'll support small businesses during a difficult time.

• Old Mill of Guilford: Founded in North Caroline in 1767, Old Mill of Guilford has been producing all-natural, stone-ground flours, grits, and cornmeal for over 250 years. It's selling white, wheat, rye, and other specialty flours in 2-lb or 5-lb bags. Shipping is calculated based on weight and delivery location. Shipping a 5-lb bag of flour to my Brooklyn apartment would be $13. There is currently a shipping delay of six to eight days because of demand.
• Hayden Flour Mills: Hayden Flour Mills is run by a father-daughter duo out of Queen Creek, Arizona. In addition to flour, it also sells crackers, pancake mixes, and yeast which has also been hard to find as of late. Some of its specialty flours like chickpea flour and semolina flour are currently sold out, but standbys like all-purpose, bread flour, and pastry flour are readily available. Shipping is a flat $12, but free on orders over $75. Hayden Flour Mills is not currently experiencing any shipping delays. Orders will go out in two to three business days.
• Janie's Mill: Run by fifth-generation farmers, Janie's Mill operates in Ashkum, Illinois grinding certified organic and kosher grain crops into high-quality flours. Its flours are available in 1.5-lb, 3-lb, or 25-lb bags, and shipping is based on weight and distance. A 3-lb bag of flour would cost $10.35 to ship to my Brooklyn apartment. Due to high demand, Janie's Mill is currently seeing shipping delays of seven to 10 days.
• Sunrise Flour Mill: Sunrise Flour Mill has been producing organic heritage flour in North Branch, Minnesota since 2007. Its flours come in 2.5-lb, 5-lb, 10-lb, and 25-lb bags, and there is plenty of stock available of white, wheat, pizza, and bread flours. Shipping is a flat $8.99 for orders of $50 or more. Sunrise Flour Mill's website currently gives no indication of any shipping delays.
• Castle Valley Mill: Castle Valley Mill has been grinding grain in Bucks County, Pennsylvania since 1730. It currently has 10-lb bags of hard whole wheat flour (good for bread), bolted hard whole wheat flour (good for pasta and pizza), and soft whole wheat flour (good for pancakes, muffins, and other baked goods). Shipping is free for orders over $30. It is currently processing orders in about three business days.

Specialty food stores

• King Arthur Flour: King Arthur Flour is one of the only flour brands that sell direct-to-consumer. It currently has 5-lb bags of all-purpose and wheat flour available to order, but shipping is delayed three to four weeks. King Arthur is currently limiting sales to two bags of flour per order. Shipping is a flat $6.
• Nuts.com: In addition to its namesake, Nuts.com sells tons of other dry goods including baking supplies. It currently has bread flour and cake flour in stock along with several other specialty and gluten-free flours. Shipping is free for orders over $59. Otherwise, shipping is $6.99.
• Italian Food Online Store: If you're looking to brush up on your pizza and pasta making skills, the Italian Food Online Store has you covered. It's currently fully stocked with 00 flour (very finely ground flour for pizza and pasta) and semolina flour. Shipping is free on orders over $69. Otherwise, shipping is calculated by weight and distance. Shipping is currently delayed, but orders are expected to ship within five days.
• Webstaurant Store: If you're looking to buy in bulk, this is the spot. Webstaurant Store - which supplies both restaurants and individual customers alike - has a large selection of flour in 25-lb and 50-lb bags at good bulk prices. Shipping is based on weight and distance. A 50-lb bag of flour would have cost $17.98 to ship to my Brooklyn apartment.
• Round Eye Supply: Round Eye Supply is another restaurant supply store that also ships to residential addresses. It sells flour by the case, so you can buy several smaller bags of flour at reduced prices - for example, this case of eight 5-lb bags of flour. Consider going in with some neighbors or friends to split an order. Just make sure to arrange a socially distant drop-off. Shipping is based on weight and distance. Shipping is free on orders over $1,500, but you probably won't need that much flour. Due to demand, shipping is delayed five to seven days.
• Kalustyan's: Kalustyan's is a specialty market in New York City best known for its large selection of Indian and Middle Eastern spices. It's currently stocked with all-purpose flour in 1-lb bags in addition to many specialty flours. Shipping is based on weight and distance. A 1-lb bag of flour would have cost $11.87 to ship to my Brooklyn apartment. There is also a $5 handling fee. Due to high demand, orders are currently delayed seven to 10 days.
• Baker's Authority: Baker's Authority carries all the baking supplies you could ever need, including every type of flour you could imagine. It currently has large stocks of all-purpose, cake, pastry, whole wheat, bread flour, and many more specialty flours as well. It also carries common grocery store brands like Heckers and King Arthur. Shipping is based on weight and distance. A 5-lb bag of flour would have cost $9.68 to ship to my Brooklyn apartment. Baker's Authority is currently experiencing some shipping delays, but its website does not indicate how long they are.
• Thrive Market: Thrive Market sells natural and organic products at wholesale prices. As of now, they're sold out of all-purpose flour, but they have specialty flours in stock like almond flour, oat flour, gluten-free flour, and many more. Thrive Market is membership-based, and costs $9.94 a month.
• iGourmet: iGourmet sells both bulk and retail-sized gourmet foods, and it currently has corn flour, buckwheat all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and other specialty flours in stock. Shipping is a standard $13.99 per box.

Online grocery stores

Online grocery services may be the most difficult way to buy flour online these days since it's the first place many shoppers look. But the stock is based on zip code, and if you're putting in a large order of groceries anyway, it's definitely worth a look. These are our favorites.

• FreshDirect: Serving the greater New York metro and Washington, DC, FreshDirect is one of the best grocery delivery services we've tried in the area for its value, ease of use, and reliability. Delivery slots are currently in high demand, but I use the service and have had good luck in the last few weeks in my neighborhood. Fresh Direct's delivery fee is $5.99.
• Peapod: Peapod sends a personal shopper into your local Stop & Shop to pick up the ingredients you specify and delivery them to your door. It operates along the East Coast. If you're a Stop & Shop member, you can link your account to earn rewards through Peapod. The delivery fee ranges from $6.95 to $9.95 depending on the size of your order.
• Instacart: Instacart partners with local grocery stores - and even big box stores like Target - so you can shop at the store you usually patronize or support a local business. Delivery is $7.99, though there's an Express membership option for free delivery on orders over $35, which costs $99 a year or $9.99 per month.
• Shipt: Shipt is very similar to Instacart in that it sends a personal shopper to a local grocer of your choosing. It also membership-based, so you'll have to front the $14 a month or $99 a year to shop with Shipt.
• Boxed: Boxed offers dry goods in bulk at prices cheaper than retail. It's currently stocked with all-purpose flour as well as gluten-free and almond flour. Shipping is free on orders over $49. Otherwise, it's a flat $6.99.
• Walmart: You can shop at Walmart through its normal site or through Walmart Grocery. Both have flour in stock in my zip code. If you're shopping through Walmart Grocery, delivery fees are $9.94, but if you're shopping Walmart's regular stock, shipping is free on orders over $35.
• AmazonFresh: AmazonFresh is free for Prime members, so if you subscribe to the service, this should be your first stop. Prime members can also shop at their local Whole Foods where you might have more luck with specialty goods.
• Costco: Shopping online at Costco is open to all - not just members. Non-members are subject to some fees, though, like a $3 delivery fee for orders over $75 and up to $15 on orders under $75. There's also a 5% non-member surcharge on all orders.
• Mercato: Think of Mercato as a Seamless for independent grocers in your area. A quick search for flour yielded dozens of stores in my neighborhood with stock. It's a great way to support small businesses, but many stores have an order minimum and delivery fees vary.