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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Hello,
I was wondering in using almond flour for making bread. You said you used a whey protein powder to hold the structure. What is the difference between that and vital wheat gluten? Which one is better to use?
I supposed that depends on your perspective. I don’t eat wheat or gluten, therefore I choose not to use vital wheat gluten.
There’s a huge difference between whey and vital wheat gluten. whey is made from milk, right? So, if you’re trying to avoid gluten, using vital wheat gluten would be a no, no.
Roughly speaking, what would the ratio of almond flour / meal to protein powder be?
Many thanks
Jo
That is an interesting question! Well, for many recipes, it’s 2 or 3 cups of almond flour to 1/4 to 1/3 cup of whey protein powder. I do it by gut instinct so there is no hard and fast ratio but I guess it would be 8:1 or 9:1.
Thanks, Carolyn!
Carolyn,
Thanks so much for your terrific blog! I’m having a lot of fun trying your recipes and getting back on the low-carb track.
Here’s a question I’m hoping you can help me with: I’m making a chili relleno casserole which calls for 1/4 cup of flour. Would substituting almond flour produce similar results?
Hi Carolyn. Above, you say that you don’t include weights in your recipes because many of your readers don’t use the scale to bake. I’m wondering if, sometime when you get around to it, you might weigh *your* typical 1 cup of almond flour as you scoop it into the measuring cup? Probably a little anal of me, but I do think it helps to weigh if I’m struggling to get a particular recipe to come out a certain way. And: lazy! It’s easier to weigh. I promise not to quote you back to yourself. 🙂
I already did that in this tutorial from a while back: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2013/02/low-carb-basics-baking-with-almond-flour.html Hope that helps!
D’oh! Totally missed it, thank you!
How much different from almond flour is hazelnut flour (or other nut flours for that matter)? I have a friend who has problems with almond flour. Thanks.
The only thing about hazelnut flour is that it’s typically not as finely ground. And it has the husks on so you see brown flecks. But I’ve used it in many muffins and cookie recipes and it still works out very well. Do you have a recipe in mind?
How do I follow you for recipe suggestions? I did not see a site.
I think you mean my Newsletter or RSS feed? Sign up here: http://mad.ly/signups/107971/join
Surely almond bread is bread. Period. I don’t get how it won’t interfere with a very low carb diet. I want to try it, but I’m worried it will torpedo all my efforts and start to put fat back on my waist etc. I’d like to toast it, and lather it with lashings of toasted cheese and tomatoes.. How would that taste I wonder. Thank you.
But almonds don’t contain the sort of carbs that wheat does. A very, very different beast altogether. It all depends on your carb intake, I guess.
Thank you so much for the detailed description. It was very informative. I have a questions that might be more superficial. I do not like the taste of almond extract in desserts. Does almond flour add a similar flavor to baked goods? Thanks!
In most baked goods, no it does not.
Hi. I’m a newbie only because my mother had her cholesterol check and her Dr noticed her blood sugar was just slightly high. She figured it was time to cut back on pasta, breads, chips, etc which we both LOVE! Both of us need to lose weight, anyway. So hard to give up stuff you love but after reading various articles about low carb recipes and ingredients, they don’t look too difficult to change your diet! I love to cook and bake. I read your article on almond flour and that you can freeze them. My question is: is it better to portion out, maybe by cups, to keep in the freezer so you can pull out what you need to bake with? I’m not sure what would be the typical amount for a cake/muffin/bread recipes.I think it’s pretty smart to do that so you don’t have to refreeze the flour over and over. What do you think?
I typically keep 6 or 7 cups of almond flour on my counter in a tupperware and put the rest of the bag in the freezer, but I use a lot of almond flour so that’s a good amount for me. I don’t think it matters that it thaws and freezes again when I get more but you could easily portion it out in ziploc bags.
I was the same Carolyn. However, I made the obvious connection. The foods I loved, some of them espoused as healthy, were making me obese. Only after going low-carb for two months do I realise how much harm I was doing to myself. Type 2 diabetes frightened me. No more starch or sugar for this one!
What is your opinion on Oat flour?
My opinion is that it can be useful in small quantities but it’s too high carb to use more than about 1/4 cup per recipe. I don’t usually use it at all anymore.
Hi Carolyn, have just come across your website today whilst trying to find out why my baked goods using almond flour always have a horrid taste to them – I live in the UK and have bought ground almonds which if I’m reading your post correctly is basically almond meal and not the flour that I thought. I have 3 bags of it but it won’t go to waste as I have a couple of recipes which don’t require baking so can use them up. Does the ‘taste’ come from the almond meal (ground almonds) heating up i.e. the fats? Every single recipe I’ve tried just never tastes quite right, I’ve found it difficult to source blanched almond flour and to be honest, I’m probably scared to try it incase it still tastes weird. Maybe it’s just my taste buds, but I know not to expect bread for instance to taste exactly like bread made with wheat flours. Help!
Do you like almonds normally? If so, then I can’t think it’s the almond flour/meal. They are only different from each other in terms of texture. Mind you, the unblanched variety does have the skins and maybe it’s a little bitter to you. But I might also wonder if it’s the sweetener you are using – what have you tried? Have you tried it any sort of chocolate recipe? Try these basic muffins (I made them with almond meal, unblanched), because chocolate can really hide flavours you might not like as much. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2010/05/mocha-muffins-with-chocolate-chunks-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html
Wow those muffins look great, will give them a try! I love almonds so was surprised with the weird taste, maybe it is the skins as it does seem to be quite bitter. Can’t remember all the sweeteners I’ve tried as have tried several different almond flour recipes from bread to english muffins – don’t think either even had sweetener. Will try the muffins and see if the chocolate helps – haven’t eaten bread in that long I don’t know why I keep trying to make it. Thanks for your reply.
Hi – I live in the UK too and tried the almond flour from Holland and Barrett in the chocolate cheesecake recipe and the base tasted like dog biscuits! The filling was great though. Even my daughter said it was like dog biscuits before I even mentioned what I thought it tasted like 🙂
Any suggestions – is it just the flour from HB? Loathed to by some more as super expensive at £9.99 for 500g – ouch!
Is it super fine and defatted almond flour? The one here in the US is just ground blanched almonds but I know that some of the ones in Europe are different… very powdery with much of the fat removed so they work very differently.
Thank you SO much for this great article. My bf is dieting…which means so am I. I am a sucker for carbs and that’s #1 OFF his list. I’m in need of low card alternatives and this has given me a light at the end of the tunnel. Definitely going to try …probably all of these recipes. lol.
Thank you so much for your post!! I have a quick question and wondered if someone could help me…. I live overseas and can access almond “meal” (as you described it) really easily, but it is very coarsely ground. Will it turn to mush if I put it in my coffee grinder or food processor to make it more finely ground? Anyone had any experience with that?
Also, I have done a lot of homemade almond milk and saved the pulp leftover and dried it out in my oven. Now I have a ton of coarse, bread-crumb like stuff that I have no idea what to do with but don’t want to just throw out. It seems that it could be very valuable in low carb baking! Any ideas? Would this be more like coconut flour since the oil has been taken out during the milk making process? Like I said, I am new to this, so any thoughts and advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!! Thanks again so much for this post!!
My thoughts…I think you could grind your almond meal a little more finely without it turning into almond butter. Give a little bit a try and see what happens. If you have a large food processor, you will actually need to put in a fair bit…I find they don’t grind small amounts well. Do you have a coffee grinder? That might be worth a try too.
The pulp you have will not be at all like coconut flour…coconut is SO dry and powdery. But don’t throw it out, I am sure it has great uses. Like this recipe, since it sounds like it would be great for the topping https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2011/11/cheesy-sausage-and-basil-stuffed-chicken-breasts-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html
I’d try grinding that finer too. It’s worth a shot!
Thanks for the handy primer. Some good tips in there that I might not have thought of my first time around, like increasing the leavening agent and compensating for the lack of gluten. Will be starting a keto diet soon, but I’ll need some baked goods to get me through. I think almond flour will fit the bill nicely!
You’re welcome. Good luck with Keto!
Thank you for this post! When starting low carb, I purchased almond “flour” in bulk from my local grocery store. It is so coarse and I didn’t realize it was because I had purchased the wrong thing. I am almost out and just put in an Amazon order (using your link) for the Honeyville. I’m excited to see what the consistency is like!
Thanks, Sandy! Almond meal has its uses for sure, but if you want a fine-textured cake, you do need a finer grind.
I’ve been wondering about moisture additions in low carb cakes –
I want to low-carb a recipe for a strawberry jello cake (paula deen’s – she adds the dry jello mix to the dry ingredients rather than a poke-cake method. already found a sugar free gelatin mix that works) that adds a bag of pureed strawberries to the cake batter. I am concerned about how the liquid might throw off the recipe, and how to counter it, however.
Please advise what if anything I might need to change in an LC cake recipe, below are ingredients I have to work with:
I’m currently using a Low-carb all purpose flour replacement as I only have about 1/2 cup of almond MEAL remaining, and maybe 3/4 cup coconut flour. I have xanthan gum, flax seed meal, carbquik, and whey protein powder, too.
the ingredients of the all-purpose “flour” are:
Vegetable fibers, wheat protein, wheat gluten, unbleached hard wheat flour, whey protein, low glycemic monosaccharide, baking powder (calcium acid phosphate, bicarbonate of soda), lecithin, yeast flakes, all natural monk fruit.
Because your low carb mix uses real wheat flour, I doubt you have to worry as much about the moisture content as if you were using almond. But when I do use almond flour and am including a “wet-ish” ingredient, I usually add about 1/4 cup coconut flour to help soak up that extra moisture. You could try that if you were concerned.