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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What is the best way to store baked goods made with almond flour? I’m googling with no luck. Should they be refrigerated? Or are they okay on the counter? I know the fridge can mess with moisture content, and almond flour baked goods already always seem SUPER moist (like, I have to bake them way longer than the recipe says).
A general search will yield no results because, just like regular flour, it all depends. Harder baked stuff, like cookies and biscotti, are often find on the counter for up to a week. Muffins and cakes are usually fine for 3 days unless they are VERY moist, and then they are best in the fridge. Anything that seems like it’s moist enough to mold… refrigerate!
Hi, all the recipes that I have tried with almond flour have turned out really gritty, almost like sand. I used the Costco Kirkland superfine almond flour. Any suggestions?
Well, what recipes are you using? Kirkland is a decent brand so I suspect the recipes, not the brand of almond flour.
I have a recipe that calls for 1/2 cup of DEFATTED almond flour. Can I use regular almond flour instead? Would I need to reduce some of the liquid in the recipe?
Defatted is a whole different ball game, it’s very powdery and fine. I think you can use the regular but you will need to keep adding it until the batter seems like the right consistency.
Some recipes on the internet use different combinations of oils, like coconut or butter olive oil etc. Does oil choice affect the texture of almond flour baking?
Absolutely. Coconut oil and butter don’t melt the same way so it does have an affect.
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your experiences cooking with almond flour. I started the Keto lifestyle back in August 2019, and I have tried several recipes ( brownie, pancakes and cake) with almond flour and most of them have a gritty or grainy taste. I am wondering is there anything I can do to help decrease or not have this type of taste.
Thanks in advance,
Great article (even if it crushed my dreams of an easy flour conversion)!! I’ve been cooking low carb for several months now, and am about to embark on my first “recipe overhaul” of my MIL’s delicious sour cream muffins. It’s a simple recipe of only butter, sour cream and self-rising flour. After reading this article I’m torn as to whether to use strictly almond flour, strictly coconut flour, or a mix of both. Time to tinker and get messy!!
Check out my sour cream cranberry muffins, that may help a bit!
What experience have you had with almond flour and making a keto pizza on a pizza stone? First time I tried it on a pizza stone I used the fathead crust recipe, prebaked it before adding the toppings, and it ended up sticking everywhere. The next time I put a base of cornmeal on the stone to avoid it sticking and ommited the prebake. It did not stick but it came out super wet on the center. I was doing some research into other dough alternatives but before I move on I wanted to know what sort of experience you’ve had. Is it a matter of adding more coconut flour, perfecting the timing of the prebake before adding toppings or ditching the fathead crust? Just curious. Thank you!
Use parchment on top of the stone. It will get more crisp but won’t stick.
Hello. I’m new to baking with almond flour. I made a cake from a keto recipe but the middle was still wet after time was up. Left it in a bit longer and the result was an overly moist middle and dry outer edge. Any tips for k owing when it’s done?
Unless it’s my own recipe, I can’t really guide you.
I am at 9500 ft and more often than not my cakes etc. are sunk in the middle. Are there any adjustments to be made?
Yes, of course. Same adjustments that you make for regular baking… King Arthur Flour has good advice on how to adjust for elevation.
What storage containers do you use? I am never sure on the right kind to buy from a preservation and toxicity perspective.
For my almond flour? I have stainless steel baking canisters and I transfer my almond flour to it when I get it home.
Almond flour has a really strong taste, it seems. Everything I bake with it just tastes like almond flour. Am I doing something wrong or do you have any extra tips?
Thanks so much!
I’m new to Keto baking but since I found your site and recipes, I’m hooked. I read this article a while back and just re-read it trying to figure out why I ended up with a pile of (delicious!) crumbs instead of a cake! I have learned my lesson about letting it cool completely.
Thank you for all your hard work and time with your blog and recipes. I plan to head over to Amazon and buy your cookbooks right now!
Thanks, Patty! What were you trying to make that ended up as crumbs? Perhaps if you link me to the recipe, I can help.
Thanks, Carolyn. This is the recipe link:
https://swervesweet.com/recipes/glazed-chocolate-donuts
I made this recipe once before and it worked pretty well. I used coconut oil that time instead of avocado oil. This time I used avocado oil and used a food processor instead of a blender, but only used the pulse a few times so it didn’t get overly processed(? does that matter?).
The only other difference between my batch today and before is the brand of almond flour. I used 1cup Bob’s Red Mill before. This time I used 3/4c Bob’s red mill and 1/4 c Kirkland’s Blanched Almond flour to make up the full 1c almond flour.
I may not have baked them long enough. I’m not sure how to tell when my items are done. Is there a way similar to wheat flour where you can press it and it springs back, etc.?
And I just realize YOU have a donut recipe! Why, why, why didn’t I look there first?! 🙂
As I mentioned, I’m new to all of this, but am enjoying learning by trial and error. I appreciate your response and any tip you can offer for future success.
That’s actually my recipe too! Not sure why it’s falling apart the second time but yes, let them cool before taking out of the pan. Always always always.
Thanks. I bought your cookbook for Keto desserts yesterday, and after reading it, (and wiping the drool off my screen), I found some tips (such as weighing the flour and really, REALLY oiling the pans) that I think will help me. I’ll be making it again soon so I’ll be more careful.
Thanks again!
Hi planning to bake a paleo cake using almond flour, I need the texture to be similar to sponge cake (light n fluffy yet firm enough to frost it). Would it be possible to replace the cake flour to almond flour (1:1) or need to add some arrowroot flour? The recipe requires baking powder, can I add the same amount of baking powder or increase the amount of baking powder if I use almond flour? Pls advise thanks
No, it’s never possible to replace cake flour with almond flour 1:1. Please use one of my MANY cake recipes and follow the amounts and instructions there. You can use a paleo sweetener like coconut sugar, but if you use honey, you will need to reduce the liquids.
I can’t thnak you enough for the great article!! I have been using bob’s Red Mill but will be trying other brands also to gauge the difference in baking cakes!
I have been absolutely loving all your recipes!!
Am I reading the Almond Meal paragraph #3 (under the picture of the meal vs flour) that blanched meal has the dark hull bits and the unblanched was the husks removed?
Sorry, that’s a typo. Blanched is the white kind, no skins or hulls.
I am very new to almond flour substitution. I began eating Keto about 6 weeks ago and I am just now beginning to attempt converting some of my favorite family recipes using almond flour. I would like to know if there is a formula for adding zantham gum to almond flour as a direct substitute for wheat flour? I would like to attempt making some Indian Fry Bread, but my recipe is very simplified and I’m not sure where to start for adding zantham gum to my recipe to get a close consistency for the original recipe. Any suggestions would be helpful! Thank you in advance.
As I state in the article, there simply is no direct substitute for wheat flour.
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