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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I love your videos and your recipes because you are so down to earth and unpretentious. I’m new at this low-carb cooking and can’t wait to get more confidence in almond baking. we don’t seem to have as many outlets in Western Australia that sell a lot of your ingredients that you suggest. I’ll have buy on Amazon if I can.
I can sometimes suggest replacements but I am not alway sure what you can get there!
are there any changes that need to be made when baking above 5,000 ft?
I don’t see many entries saying to modify if at altitudes that high.
Yes! It’s the same things you do for conventional baking. I don’t bake at altitude but I know that King Arthur Baking has a really good tutorial on it.
Thank you so much for explaining all about the different flours … I’m so new at wanting to try keto recipes it ain’t even funny and I really do get so confused ….
I really am not a very good baker even with flour …lol …so I follow the recipes to a T .
So thank you for explaining about the scoop and level off without packing it in that really helped out alot … I really cannot wait to experiment with some brownies first …
I bought my almond flour , and monk sugar and now I received my zero chocolate chips … I cannot wait to try your other recipes also …Have a Great October ….
Thanks for this info! Question: I’ve baked several keto desserts, for example, pound cake with almond flour, but even though I always used the fine ground almond flour, I’ve had problems with the cake being very oil. For example, yesterday I converted a Victoria Sponge cake recipe and used the equivalent almond flour instead of regular flour, but used the amount of butter called for in the recipe. Do you need to reduce the amount of butter in these recipes? Thanks!
This is a very helpful post! I am curious about why the Blue Diamond Almond people (https://www.bluediamond.com/blog/baking-with-almond-flour) say never to use baking powder with almond flour. It seems to work beautifully for you, however. I am confused about the best leavening agent.
I have NO idea why they say that, but they are very very wrong, I can tell you. There is no reason not to use baking powder or baking soda. That’s absolutely ridiculous! And every keto blogger I know uses baking powder without issue. Without it, the baked goods won’t rise as well. If you use too many eggs, they will be eggy and rubbery.
My tutorial on baking with almond flour is far more comprehensive than theirs: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-basics-baking-with-almond-flour/
Thank you! I’ve been searching for exactly this kind of almond flour baking information for a long time! Very helpful!
I would like to see the more nutritional facts as I am a diabetic and have heart disease. I need to see the cholesterol in the baking. thank you
You can use online calculators to get the information you need.
This Carolyn. I’ve been experimenting with almond flour since learning um gluten/wheat sensitive over 20 years ago (where’d the time go??????). Two things I’ve found helpful:
1. Allowing batter to sit at room temp for a bit improves texture
2. I’m allergic to corn which is in most baking powders, so for leavening I use baking soda and cream of tartar.
Although I’m terrible about measuring ingredients, I do look forward to trying some of your recipes.
Hi. I tried your devils food cake recipe, but made 9 jumbo cupcakes instead of cake layers. I was disappointed as the cupcakes deflated (middles sunk) after I got them out of the oven.
I used your specified ingredients and brands and measured CAREFULLY – but I am new to keto baking. Cupcakes were super crumbly. They were bitter (too much Dutch chocolate?) Batter seemed too thick. Appreciate your comments!
Something went wrong, for certain, if the batter was very thick and they were dry and crumbly. What brands of almond flour and sweetener did you use? Also… are you at elevation at all?
Hi, I’m just thinking of starting a keto way of life. Thank you so much for your amazing information.
I use a Thermomix and try to make everything from scratch. Can I make my own blanched almond flour, would it be fine enough?
I eagerly await your answer and look forward to starting my keto journey.
Many thanks,
Penny
No, really there is no way to make it fine enough at home.
I loved you article on the different flowers. Started keto a year ago. Lost 40 lbs.
Over holidays I gained 6 lbs.. back on keto. I’m 76 active and it’s just my husband and I and our new toy poodle Siri. My husband is borderline diabetic and this has been good for him as well.
I love to cook and enjoy keto meals. But my husband has to have his dessert.
He enjoyed all keto desserts especially cheese cake.
I will try and read all of your articles. I want to understand it better.
Thank you, your explanations are wonderful and easy to understand.
Mary
Is this information covered in one of your books? I would love to add this at my learning library. Is it available to print out?
All of this and a lot more is in The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking! https://amzn.to/2n0XQWf
If I want to use Almond Flour instead of regular Flour would The amounts be The Same.
Did you read this post? I already addressed that! 🙂
Caroline, this is absolutely wonderful thank you. I am so serious about that! My family will be so incredibly happy. I’m going to try to print this article because your expert advice can’t be beat, I am a 68-year-old woman who has lost 70 pounds on keto and will continue especially now! ????
Can you please tell me if you sift almond and coconut flour before measuring for a recipe as you do with most former white flour baking?
I haven’t seen this addressed anywhere and not sure yes or no to do it.
Thank you so much for all you do to help all of your followers on this low carb, no to low sugar lifestyle. It’s been a lifesaver and so helpful, and can’t forget fun ????
Love your humor.
If the recipe does not specify to sift, then you don’t sift. Just like conventional recipes.
I baked “JJ Virgin’s Blueberry Muffin recipe so my mom who’s diabetic can enjoy a “dessert” at a family birthday party today (her trigger is cake!). But between my dry ingredient substitutions: almond flour instead of regular flour; almond milk instead of coconut milk; coconut MCT oil instead of summer other oil- they still aren’t rising after in the preheated oven at 350 for over 30 mins ???? The batter was a tad on the soupy side & my measuring was not SUPER precise. Ideas?
Ideas? Sure… use my blueberry muffin recipe instead. Never heard of JJ Virgin but I am diabetic and all my recipes are appropriate for persons with diabetes. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-blueberry-muffins/
You simply can’t sub almond flour for regular flour, as this article is very clear about.