How to Make Almond Flour (2024)

FAQs

What if I don't have enough almond flour? ›

People can use a variety of flours to replace almond flour, depending on their dietary requirements. Other nut flours such as walnut or macadamia have similar nutritional profiles and are suitable for people following low-carb or keto diets. People can also use flours made from seeds such as sunflower or flaxseed.

Making your own almond flour at home is as simple as adding blanched almonds to your food processor or blender, and processing them until they are finely ground. However, there are a few tips & best practices to keep in mind: One cup of slivered almonds = about one cup of almond flour.

Almonds to Almond Flour conversion

1.5 cups almonds yield 2 cups plus one tablespoon of almond flour. To make 1 cup of flour , use 3/4 cup almonds.

Almond Flour vs All Purpose Flour

A good rule of thumb is to use 1/2 to 3/4 cup of almond flour for every 1 cup of wheat flour in a recipe. But not all recipes are suitable for almond flour substitution.

While there is not an exact conversion number, on average ¾ cups of traditional flour is likely converted at a 1:2 ratio of 1 ½ cups of almond flour. Almond flour can carry more moisture than traditional flour, therefore, you may need to add more of it to a recipe to prevent watery batter or dough.

Risks and Side Effects

If your body is not used to processing large amounts of fiber, almond flour may lead to an upset and/or bloated stomach. If you're following a low-FODMAP diet, almond flour contains a moderate amount of FODMAPs so it's recommended to limit serving sizes.

So, if you've ever made an almond flour recipe and had issues with the final product holding together, leaching out the oils or butter, or not rising properly and holding its shape, a likely culprit is that you are using the coarser almond meal, instead of almond flour.

Almond flour can be substituted for regular flour at a 1:1 ratio. It is important to note that almond flour may require more egg to bind the flour. Check out our almond flour recipe book here for more information on a specific recipe!

As mentioned above, almond flour is made from blanched, peeled almonds that have had their skins removed. It's fairly fine in texture and light in colour, lacking the darker specks from the skins. Ground almonds, on the other hand, are the same thing as almond meal – they're just ground, skin-on, unpeeled almonds.

If stored properly, almond flour has a shelf life of about one year.

Is almond flour healthier than flour? ›

Compared to wheat flour, almond flour has fewer sugars and carbohydrates. Switching to almond flour can help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels more effectively. Almond flour contains a lot of prebiotic dietary fiber. This type of fiber is digested by bacteria in your small intestine.

Leavening and rising to the occasion

Since almond flour can't trap air like gluten-containing flours, you'll often need a little extra help from leavening agents to ensure your baked goods are light and fluffy. Baking powder, baking soda, and whipped egg whites can all provide lift, but they must be used thoughtfully.

Not only is it simple to make, but homemade almond flour tastes fresher and is usually more cost-effective than storebought.

In an ideal situation, you should use raw, whole, blanched almonds. After that, any type of blanched almonds you have will work. You can use raw or roasted whole almonds that have the skins on, but you will need to blanch them to remove the skins.

1 cup of blanched almonds are 5.2 ounces, which equals to 147 grams. 1 cup of almond flour made from 1 cup of blanched almonds is 4.2 ounces, which equals to 120 grams. In other words, you get 1 ¼ cups (approximately) of almond flour using 1 cup blanched almonds.

Almond flour is a little more moist than wheat flour, and doesn't have quite the same binding qualities. You'll do best to substitute 1:1 to begin with, as many recipes respond well to this direct replacement. But be prepared to add more almond flour as you go to compensate for the wetter batter.

Sometimes tenderness is what you're after, especially in cakes or muffins, and that's where almond flour shines. Used alongside all-purpose or whole grain flours, it can lighten a batter or dough, adding depth and softness without heft.

In general, you can substitute almond meal (ground almonds) for almond flour, provided that the almond meal is very finely ground. In that case, the substitution shouldn't in any way affect the texture of the final bake.

Since all-purpose flour is a combination of soft and hard flours, a good substitution is a mixture of a soft flour, like cake flour, with a hard flour such as bread flour.

Almond flour makes a great thickener for a sauce but don't expect it to act the same as traditional flour. You'll need to cook off excess liquid to achieve a thicker consistency. For a smoother sauce, puree mixture after cooking.