Take the guesswork out of baking with almond flour! This comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know about this low carb, gluten-free flour alternative. Learn to make delectable keto desserts that rival anything from a bakery.
I’ve been baking with almond flour for so long that it’s become second nature to me. But it wasn’t always that way! Once upon a time I was like you, wondering how ground nuts could possibly make tasty baked goods. I made the classic error of trying to replace wheat flour cup-for-cup with almond flour. What a mess! My low carb cakes collapsed in on themselves and my keto cookies spread out too much. But I was determined to get it right.
Every “failure” taught me something important about how almond flour behaves, and that has completely changed the way I bake. Almond flour has become one of my keto pantry staples and I am never without a big bag of it. I love how versatile it is, and I use it for everything from fluffy keto muffins to the coating for keto chicken piccata.
But I also know how intimidating it can be for beginners – you feel like you are learning to bake all over again. This guide is here to walk you through everything I’ve learned over the years. I share all of my best tips and tricks so you can skip some the frustration and start baking with confidence. Because I firmly believe that once you understand how to use almond flour, you will come to love baking with it as much as I do.
What is Almond Flour?
Almond flour is made from finely ground blanched almonds. It has a light texture and neutral flavor, making it one of the most popular flours for low-carb and gluten-free baking. It’s rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fats, so it’s ideal for making keto desserts and treats.
Almond flour has only 5 grams of carbs per 1/4 cup, whereas wheat flour has 23 grams of carbs.
Many brands bill themselves as “finely ground” but are more coarse than I like. My favorite brands include Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur Flour, and Wellbee’s. Blue Diamond is a cost-effective choice, although it’s a little more coarse than others.
Almond Flour vs Almond Meal
Almond flour: Made from blanched almonds, finely ground, pale color, and the best choice for cakes, muffins, and cookies. It tends to be more expensive but produces a finer texture.
Almond meal: Made from almonds with the skin on, coarser in texture, darker with flecks, best for coatings and more rustic recipes. It’s less expensive but baked goods can be coarse and a little gritty. They also fall apart more easily, as there is less cohesion.
If you are new to keto baking, always start with finely ground almond flour for the most consistent results. Try easy recipes like Keto Almond Flour Cake or Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies to test it out.
How Almond Flour Behaves in Baking
- Gluten-free: Because almond flour doesn’t contain any gluten, it doesn’t provide as much structure as wheat flour. This can be offset with other ingredients, including eggs, protein powder, and xanthan gum.
- Fat and moisture content: Almond flour contains much more fat and moisture than wheat flour. Many almond flour baked goods need less oil and liquids than conventional recipes.
- Density: Almond flour is heavier than wheat flour and can produce dense baked goods if adjustments aren’t made. More leavening agent (baking powder or baking soda) is required for a proper rise.
- Not as fine: No matter how finely ground the almonds are, it won’t ever be as fine and powdery as wheat flour. But with proper care, you can make cakes and cookies that have a tender crumb and aren’t gritty.
Try my recipe for Keto Chocolate Chip Muffins to see how I use other ingredients to create a good rise and fine texture with almond flour.
Tips for Substituting Almond Flour
There is no simple formula for substituting almond flour for wheat flour – it all depends on what you are trying to make. Cookies are dense and crunchy whereas cakes should be light and fluffy, and they are going to take very different ratios of almond flour to other ingredients.
- No 1:1 swaps: For most recipes, like cakes and muffins, you will need more almond flour than wheat flour. When I am making over a recipe, like my Keto Birthday Cake, I often use 1.5 times the almond flour than a conventional recipe would call for.
- Oven temperature: I often reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees to avoid over-baking.
- Binders: As almond flour lacks gluten, I often increase the eggs. But be careful, as too many eggs can result in a rubbery texture! You can also add a little bit of xanthan gum (up to 1 teaspoon) for added structure.
- Protein powder: This is one of my best tricks for working with almond flour. Since gluten is a protein, another dry protein powder like whey or egg white, can help the baked goods rise properly and hold their shape. Try it out in recipes like Keto Zucchini Bread.
- Thicker batter: Be mindful that almond flour batter will always be thicker than those made with wheat. Resist the urge to thin it out too much, or you will end up with a soggy mess that won’t bake through.
Almond Flour vs Coconut Flour
You cannot sub coconut flour for almond flour in a 1:1 ratio. I cannot state this more emphatically! Don’t even think about trying it or you will end up with hard, inedible thing that is only good for using as a hockey puck. Check out my article on Baking with Coconut Flour for more information.
Coconut flour is an entirely different creature than any flour based on tree nuts. It’s fine, powdery, dense and soaks up liquids like nobody’s business. It also requires more eggs to keep the final product together. And you want to use far less coconut flour for a recipe than you would almond flour, sometimes as little as one-third.
For beginner keto bakers, I recommend sticking with well-tested coconut flour recipes, if that’s what you want to use. I have a wonderful list of Coconut Flour Recipes for you to try.
How to Measure Almond Flour
You have two choices for measuring almond flour accurately.
- Scoop and level: This refers to scooping your measuring cup into the bag or canister, and leveling off the top with a knife or other straight instrument. Never pack the almond flour into the cup. A well-written recipe will always specify whether you need to pack an ingredient.
- Weigh your almond flour: The most accurate method for measuring any ingredient is by weight, rather than by volume. If you have a kitchen scale, you can use that for almond flour. A cup of almond flour weighs roughly about 110 grams.
Storage and Shelf Life
Because almond flour has a high fat content, it can go rancid faster than wheat flour. Depending on how quickly you use it, you may want to store it in a fridge or a freezer.
I recommend making sure the storage container is airtight. I store unopened bags in my cool basement pantry. Any opened bags are transferred to an airtight canister in my baking cupboard.
Best Practices for Baking
- Let your almond flour baked goods cool completely. I can’t emphasize this enough. While it’s tempting to dig in soon after they are baked, they are very fragile at this point. The texture and cohesiveness of low carb baked goods always improves upon cooling and sitting. Crackers, cookies and tart crusts will crisp up better and breads and muffins will hold together better when left to sit for an hour or two.
- Room temperature ingredients. Make sure your eggs, butter, and cream or almond milk are at room temperature, unless otherwise specified by the recipe. If they are cold, your batter will clump up.
- Grease that pan well! Low carb goodies can stick more than conventional ones, so really work that butter or oil into the corners of your pan.
- Watch it carefully. Almond flour baked goods can also brown more quickly than wheat flour recipes. If I am adapting a wheat-flour recipe, I almost always lower my oven temperature by 25 degrees F, and I watch it carefully. If the top and sides are browning too quickly, I cover the pan with aluminum foil.
- Don’t over-bake. Oven temperatures can vary tremendously so please only ever use baking times as a rough guideline. What takes 20 minutes in my oven may take more or less time in yours. You should always set your timer for 5 minutes LESS than the baking time says, and then check on it every 5 minutes after that.
Freezing Keto Baked Goods
Most almond flour baked goods are freezer-friendly. I have successfully frozen cakes, muffins, cookies, scones, and even keto pie crust. I usually freeze after baking before I glaze or frost the baked good in question.
Raw cookie dough can also be stored in the freezer. I often have a roll of dough for Keto Butter Pecan Cookies in the freezer, so I can bake a few whenever I want. And when I make a big batch of cookies like Chewy Keto Ginger Cookies, I often roll them into balls and freeze some of the uncooked balls.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make almond meal at home, but you likely won’t be successful at making finely ground almond flour. Small home appliances (food processors or blenders) are not strong enough to grind the almonds finely without turning them into almond butter.
Almond flour is a great choice for keto and low carb diets, as it has only 5 grams of carbs per 1/4 cup serving. It also has 3 grams of fiber, which means that each serving has only 2 grams net carbs.
Chances are that the almond flour you are using isn’t quite as finely ground as others. Blue Diamond and Kirkland (Costco brand) tend to be a little grittier than Bob’s Red Mill or Wellbee’s. But they are also more cost effective, so it’s a trade off.
If the cakes or muffins are crumbly, they don’t have enough binder in them. Eggs usually provide more structure, as does protein powder and xanthan gum. Consider adding an additional egg or more protein powder when you try again.
The best nut-free substitute for almond flour is sunflower seed flour. You can purchase it online or make your own at home, and it can be used cup for cup. Do be aware that leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda cause a reaction with the chlorophyll in sunflower seeds and baked goods can turn a funny green as they cool. But you can offset this by adding a tablespoon of an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice or vinegar. Make sure you read all my tips on how to make and use sunflower seed flour!
Almond Flour Recipes to Try
Ready to test out this versatile low carb flour? Here are a few of my most popular recipes to get you started!
- Keto Almond Ricotta Cake
- Keto Blueberry Muffins
- Brown Butter Keto Blondies
- Keto Shortbread Cookies
- Keto Texas Sheet Cake
Have fun and let me know what you think! And if you have any other burning questions, leave a comment and I will do my best to answer them.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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This is a great tutorial on almond flour 🙂 Thank you! I would like to comment on the 2 vendors you recommended and how excited I was to see their pricing for a 5 lb. bag of almond flour; however, living in Alaska which apparently isn’t part of the US according to them, charged me an extra $29 to ship it here.
Thank you for the vendor referral. I’m still trying it out but disappointed with the price gouging on shipping.
That stinks, Alicia! Since I am originally from Canada, and all my family and friends have the same issue, I feel your pain!!!
Alicia, another reader just suggested this place, which sells almond flour to Canadians…maybe to Alaska too? http://www.jkgourmet.ca/products/almond-flour-2
Wonderful!! Thanks, Carolyn 🙂 I’ll check them out. At the end of the day, the cost is worth it to me to stay healthy and eat yummy, tasty food that isn’t full of preservatives, sugar, chemicals, etc.
I love your site/recipes. Thank you for all your help 🙂
Alicia, I just noticed that Honeyville Almond Flour is available through Amazon.com, with their “Free Super Saver Shipping” option.
Thank you so much, this is one of those articles that makes me think, “well, this changes everything!”
I had been using almond meal all along, until I purchased a bag of almond flour from Honeyville at your suggestion. Now, everything is so light and fluffy, almost indistinguishable from the regular flour versions.
My husband and I are new to the wheat free eating, and all I can say is bless you for your information on almond flour, I had just about given up on being able to bake anything ever again, I will buy correct almond flour, and try again. Thank you.
Carolyn, I can tell I’m going to refer back to this again and again!
I posted this over on the Wheat Belly FB page. Always talk about almond flour over there 🙂 Nice post.
Thank you! Hope people get something out of it! 🙂
You may want to add an option for Canadians (although I think available in US too) is JK Gourmet. I would think it is equal to Honeyville (although I’ve never used Honeyville). It is the finest one here as far as I know. http://www.jkgourmet.ca/products/almond-flour-2
I agree- JK is the best Canadian option I’ve found as Honeyville won’t ship here.
Canada also has Costco which sells the Kirkland brand, which is what I use and is very good. I have never seen the JK brand where I live in Canada. Carolyn mentioned it in the brands of flours available. When I can’t go to Costco, I buy Bob’s Red Mill at the grocery store.
Thank you so much for sharing all of your research….Years ago I adapted a lower carb lifestyle and was quite happy with it…..except for baking…..never could seem to find the time to get the hang of it…..I am turning over a new leaf today….thanks for offering the information to help increase my confidence for the task.
I definitely need to read this over several times! Thanks for sharing all of your extensive baking knowledge with us!
This is awesome! Thank you.
This is great information! To be honest, I have found no need to try to convert a traditional recipe to one using almond flour. You have so many good recipes that my every wish for yummy baked goodness can be found here on your blog, as well as those of your fellow Low-Carbing Among Friends authors 🙂
I always wondered how exactly a flour made from nuts could be substituted for wheat flour when nuts have so much fat in them. I feel enlightened now!
brilliant pice, loads of great tips for those who have and haven’t tried baking with Almond flour.
I have, with great success (your poppy-seed & lemon bundt cake)
and with no success whatsoever (as with your almond butter cake. I know where I went wrong though: I made my own almond milk and thought it would be no problem to use the cup of almonds I had soaked for the milk in the cake recipe. WRONG!! And boy was it 🙁 So good tip there too 😉 )
Loads of would be bakers will love you like we who know you already do.
Thanks. Oh dear about the butter cake. That one is definitely so reliant on the fine grind of proper almond flour. I think I have to make that recipe more specific.
I have started using almond flour when making and my bake goods are not rising. The good come out flat. Am I doing something wrong? Please help.
Very helpful. Thanks so much.
Awesome info! Thanks so much!
Ok, at last I’m ready to give it a whirl. Thanks for answering so many of the questions I had about baking with almond flour! I think the only way I can get my dear husband on board with wheat-free living is with great baking…so wish us luck!
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this! Baking is tricky for many, and often the result is not good enough for the picky one’s of us. Your recepies lokes lovely, and I think I’ll try one this weekend 🙂 But- How to choose????
Thank you!
I am diabetic, I am trying to eat healthier. I tried gluten free and found it is more agreeable with me. I eat less, am satisfied by a much smaller portion and tend not to eat late at night; all of which are better for me. I am new to baking my own gf bread so I am experimenting. I bought nuts in bulk to make my own almond milk(so good I just love home made) and the happy result was almond flour just for drying. I sift the meal( I do not use blanched almonds, made the choice for more nutrition) I am finally getting more palletable bread. YEAH. Then I see “do not use almond flour too high in calories” I found your blog and you have excellent suggestions. Thank You. A side note is by eating less, I am loosing weight( it’s a GOOD thing) It is a struggle. GF for me is the way to go, I have more energy and feel better and I like to play with my food…… 😉
Good for you! Don’t buy into the “too many calories” thing…it’s not true. Eating good foods rich in fats helps keep you satiated and you do eat less. Hang in there!
Thanks! I figure if I am eating less, not having cravings and being satisfied the 50 extra calories really don’t matter. If you eat 5 items @100 cal each and 1 @ 160 well, do the math LOL
I read your comment as I too am diabetic. By following Keto, I am no longer on Insulin!! I’ve taken it 25 yrs!!! It’s a great way of life. Wish my married children with their children could want to stop using real sugars and flours but we all have to take our own paths. So very happy you are eating Keto!! A great present to purse!!
Hi I would like to follow Carolyn’s blog but I”m clueless of how to do it! Can I get her gluten info blogs sent to my email, or how do I find her again? Great info! Thanks Ayn
Looking forward to continuing to expand my healthier way of cooking. I’m anxious to receive your blogs, recipes and hope to be in the kitchen a lot!
I am so pleased I found this today on Pinterest. I’m diabetic and trying to lose my blood sugar numbers plus lose weight. These articles should be a huge help.
So glad to hear it!
I’ve reversed my type 2 diabetes by using low carb recipes like these. Lost 57lb in weight in 8 months and lowered blood pressure so off all meds.
URGENT. Just found this site. Very encouraging. My husband needs to lose weight and I need to figure out the best recipes. After considering one recipe I would like to know if I can put the almond flour, baking powder and salt together to store it for a few days?
Why would you need to do that?
Hi Carolyn,
I’ve just made an orange cake with almond flour, eggs, sugar and cooked whole orange. It looks and smells great, and it’s for a party tomorrow. Before serving, I’ll sprinkle icing sugar on it.
Would you please tell me how I should store the cake? Do I wrap it, refrigerate it, put it on the back porch??????
Thanks.
I’d say it’s probably okay for today on the counter, unless it’s an overly moist cake. But I would wrap it in foil to keep it from drying out.
Hi again,
I forgot to say that the cake has slivered almonds on top.
Viv
I just wanted to say that I make my own almond milk. After straining I am left with almond pulp which I then dehydrate at no higher that 115 degrees then process in food processor resulting in almond flour. I like using this better that Bobs or any store bought almond flour as it is not grainy and more powdery like regular flour.
sandra…is flour with almond pulp behave same as store bought or flour from whole almonds or needs to modify recipes with less liquid or more flour??
Why does Almond flour baked items make me choke?
I have no idea, but I suspect you haven’t made good ones that are nice and moist.
I found that so funny because I have the same problem! I can’t wait to try your recipes! Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge.
Where can I buy the book.
I look forward to a book with yur ideas. How do I get it?
I have been trying to cook with almond flour for a couple of years, and yours is the first one that makes sense, and agrees with what I have tried. And explains why someof the things I tried did not work at all. Usually I do not like the almond flour recipes I find, and my modifications of my favorite recipes sometims work and sometimes do not. Now I have better ideas on what will work. I am so excited to try them out.