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’m new at using Almond Flour. I need to make Cornbread with Jalapeños and Onions for a Vegan Chili Cook Off on February 8th. In order for it to be right how much Almond Flour should I use??
Please search my blog for cornbread, you will find a good recipe.
Hi,
I am wondering if you might have some tips for high altitude baking in general, using very fine almond flour. I am at 7,000 feet. Thank you!
I’ve honestly never baked at high altitude but my understanding is that it’s similar to adjusting for conventional baking. But I did find this that might help. https://gfjules.com/high-altitude-gluten-free-baking-tips/
Hi! You sure know a lot about almond flour so I will consider you the expert for my question! I make a specialized chocolate chip cookie dough product that is wildly popular. Because of concerns about E. coli in raw flours such as Gold Medal and Pillsbury, it is recommended that I bake my flour for 10 minutes to destroy any potential bacteria. Therefore I do this religiously when making my cookie dough for raw consumption. I am trying to produce a gluten-free cookie dough for raw consumption and I am wondering if you suggest that it would be necessary to do the same with blanched almond flour. Since the almond flour is actually very finely ground nuts, I’m not sure whether it would be required. Any thoughts? Thanks!
I don’t know that I am the right person to ask about a food safety issue like this. I consume raw almond flour (and raw nuts) frequently but that doesn’t prove much!
Good morning,
I find that most almond flour baking recipes day that the finished beads, cookies, biscuits etc. should bee stored in an air tight container for a few days. Can you explain why just a few days?
Thanks
Jeff (keto for 13 months now)
If you mean in a container on the counter, then it’s because sugar free recipes like this are more prone to mold, since sugar inhibits mold but other sweeteners do not. But you can often keep them in the fridge for up to a week.
I tried baking some almond bread with psyllium husk powder. I got a container from NOW Foods. I heard their’s was a good brand, and I could get a small container (12oz). I had read it was the secret to making wonderful bread. It was a recipe I found on Pinterest. However, the hot bread had a horrible smell! And it pretty much tasted like it smelled! I’ve never heard anyone else having this problems. Is it just me? Because of that, I hesitate to use it again.
Hard to say why but it could be the psyllium.
Curious about a substitute for the whey protein? I’m allergic to whey — and all dairy and soy.
Egg white protein or hemp protein.
Hi Carolyn,
I was wondering if you could give me some pointers. I’m looking to adapt a family cookie recipe to keto. The cookies are similar to most Viennese Crescent Cookies recipes you see online (similar to this: http://www.kitchme.com/recipes/buttery-viennese-crescent-cookies) – they are short and tend to spread and puff up a bit. They are textured inside because of the hazelnut meal that you make to create them.
What do you think would be a good sub for the AP flour?
Thanks!,
Linda
What a great article.As a chef, the baking was not part of what I personally did so I am now learning about baking with almond flour and coconut flour. Here in Mexico they can be hard to find although Bob’s Red Barn is starting to appear in some “American” stores. I really thank you for all the personal detail you shared, I am sure it will save me from baking a lot of hockey pucks. Hockey is not a big sport here in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
What an information-packed and well-written post–thank you! I will come back to this one again and again! You’re a low carb rock star, my dear! -G
You reversed the meaning of the terms “blanched” and “unblanched” in your description. Blanched almonds have had the skins removed.
Glad to find this page. I have a big bag of almond flour and want to start doing something with it so I”ll be looking at recipes. I hope there’s one for zucchini bread since that’s in season; if not I”ll use your tips and do some experimenting.
I am not sure what you are seeing but I think you are not reading it right. I used blanched for almond flour and I clearly say: It should also be blanched almond flour, so that you get no little dark bits of skin.
This is probably what Barb is referring to:
In the Almond Meal paragraph, you say, “It can be both blanched (skins left on) and un-blanched (skins removed).”
Ah, thanks! I couldn’t see it… too close to writing it to see the mistakes. That’s why I need editors for my cookbooks! 🙂
Hi Carolyn!
I’ve been trying a handful of your recipes and loving them so far! Thanks so much for posting them 🙂 I am a new baker to almond flours/coconut flours etc. and really appreciate your blog!
I did have a few questions about using baking soda/powder and the science of baking. I noticed that in some chocolate chip cookie recipes you have used baking soda or powder. Why is that? Also, when doing some research about these leavening agents, I read that baking soda always needs an acid to activate it, however in some of your cookie recipes like this (https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/single-serve-low-carb-chocolate-chip-cookies/) you use baking soda without an acid (like buttermilk, etc). I just made the cookie and saw that it rose significantly and turned out well – how does this additive work within the recipe without an acid?
Thanks again and truly appreciate it!
Hi Lexi. Baking soda in cookies is common because you don’t want them to rise per se, but it helps them puff up a little and it typically browns better than baking powder. That’s why you often see it in cookie recipes with no extra acid to help it rise. Very different than if you were to make a cake!
Got it. Thank you!
Thank you for posting this! It’s helpful and I now know why I have a difficult time with certain recipes. I’m not letting my ingredients get room temperature.
That makes a huge difference. I always kick myself when I am in a hurry and I add cold ingredients. I get clumps of butter in my cakes and then little holes after it’s baked.
Is there a printable version of your info on almind flour? I like to print info out to highlight and study- I retain it much better!
Thank you
Debbie
Great article! Thanks so much! Just wondering if you have ever worked with vital wheat gluten in any almond flour recipes – particularly keto bread.
I used to, but I don’t eat any gluten anymore so I don’t have anything to really say about it.
Thank you so much for explaining how to use this flour. I love all your sweet treats (so does my family). I know when I make one of your recipes, it will be wonderful! Eating keto sweets is not cheap and I know when I make something of yours it won’t go in the trash.
Thanks for such a nice and useful tips …. Please keep sharing your knowledge with us. I will definitely share this post with my friends.