Baking with Almond Flour 101

Almond flour has certainly made its delicious mark on paleo and gluten-free baking the last few years — and for good reason.

Almonds are a nutritious nut that provide manganese and vitamin E as well as monounsaturated fats and fiber. They’ll give you a boost of protein — though they are also low in carbohydrates and naturally gluten free. Adding baking with almond flour into your routine will provide you with an assortment of health benefits and can help you cut back on carbs. When it comes to carbs in almond flour, for every 1/4 cup of almond flour, there are 14 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fiber.

Almond flour adds texture and flavor, and is well-loved by those following a paleo diet. It can be used in pie crusts, cakes, cookies, pancakes, and breads. In addition, it can also be integrated into a variety of savory dishes, like in meatballs (instead of bread crumbs) as well as a coating for fish and chicken.

Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour from Blanched Almonds is made from ground whole, sweet almonds. The almonds are blanched to remove the skin and then they are ground to a fine texture that makes them ideal for baking a wide variety of gluten free, low carb, and grain free baked goods.

In addition, we also offer Super Fine Almond Flour From Whole Almonds, which is ground from whole almonds with the skin still intact. It also makes a great addition to your grain free baking recipes and is finely ground to create incredible cookies, pancakes, breads, and more.

If creative baking is in your future, try using almond flour recipes to experiment with French pastries like frangipane and macaroons. Or — for a simpler path to a divine dessert — use almond flour in place of graham cracker crumbs for a non-bake pie crust.

A tip from the Bob’s Red Mill team: make sure to keep your almond flour in the fridge or frozen to maintain optimum freshness!

For some inspiration, let’s take a deeper dive into some of our favorite recipes that beautifully utilize this nutrition-filled wonder flour.

Magically Moist Almond Cake

Going gluten free and grain free doesn’t mean foregoing taste or texture. Take this Magically Moist Almond Cake, one of our top recipes here at Bob’s Red Mill. A mix of organic coconut flour and almond flour is combined with butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla and almond extracts for a decadent and delightful any-time-of-the-year treat. Serve this cake at your next brunch — or anytime your sweet tooth takes hold.

Almond Pancakes

This recipe for Almond Pancakes can be found on Bob’s Red Mill bags of Natural Almond Meal. These high fiber paleo pancakes are the perfect way to start your day and give you a boost of nutritious energy. They require only seven ingredients — Natural Almond Flour, salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon, banana, eggs, and almond milk — and are super simple to throw together. Spread them with a dollop of almond butter or peanut butter for even more nutty flavor and all-day satisfaction.

Semolina Citrus Cake with Creamy Yogurt Frosting

This Semolina Citrus Cake is made with both semolina flour and almond flour for a unique texture that is both coarse and tender. As Bob’s Red Mill’s Chef Sarah House points out, it’s a recipe meant to highlight winter citrus using both the zest and juice of Meyer lemons, tangerines, or blood oranges. The frosting is made with cream cheese, plain Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, citrus juice, and powdered sugar, though you can also opt for a simple glaze made with just powdered sugar and juice. Pair a slice with your coffee in the morning and with your tea in the evening.

Pear Almond Mini Galettes

What could be better than a giant galette to serve after dinner? An elegant mini galette that is entirely your own! These personal Pear Almond Mini Galettes are made using both almond flour and almond extract for the filling alongside a sliced and scraped vanilla bean and two pounds of firm pears. The crust is made with Gluten-Free Pie Crust, butter, shortening, and ice water, and the topping is created simply with egg, water, sparkling sugar, and powdered sugar. Serve these beautiful galettes during the holidays — or any day, really.

Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookies

As the recipe headnote reiterates, these Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookies are light and crisp — the ideal match for coffee, tea, or a light dessert. The cookies are made using unsalted butter, brown sugar (or maple syrup), vanilla extract, gluten-free oat flour, and almond flour. They’re topped with sparkling sugar and ground cinnamon for an extra delightful and sweet bonus. Keep a batch on hand for mid-week afternoon tea dates with friends.

Almond Meal Bread

This Almond Meal Bread — with its slightly similar appearance to banana bread — is perfect for those following a low-carb diet. It has a whole grain texture and savory flavor that’s made for everything from sandwiches to snacking. If you have a bag of Bob’s almond flour on hand and are looking for a versatile way to use it up, whip up a big batch of this bread for family and friends. The best part? All you need are eggs, coconut oil, almond meal, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt.

Almond Flourless Cake

In this recipe, Eli Sussman creates an amazing Almond Flourless Cake complete with lemon zest, ground cinnamon, and almond extract. Egg whites are whipped to soft peaks with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of vinegar. As the egg whites begin to increase in volume, sugar is sprinkled in a bit at a time. This is then folded into the almond mixture to create a light batter. The batter is then poured into a mini-bundt pan for individual cakes that are as nice to look at as they are to eat!

Pumpkin Chai Boost Bars

These Pumpkin Chai Boost Bars are a tide-me-over type snack that can be eaten for breakfast or throughout the day to keep you fueled up and ready to tackle whatever is ahead. They’re kid friendly and created using Natural Almond Flour, Whole Grain Oat Flour, date sugar, Chai Protein Powder Nutritional Booster, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin seeds. To make them, simply line a loaf pan with parchment paper, spread your mixture into the pan, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, and then chill the bars for 20 minutes before cutting them.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

These Apple Cinnamon Muffins are warm and bursting with natural and nutritious sweetness. They’re made with almond flour to give them a thick consistency and are both gluten free as well as paleo. To make them, you’ll need red apple, coconut oil, egg whites, honey, almond flour, organic coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Cut them in half and give them a hearty spread of nut butter for a wonderful treat any time of day.

Gluten Free Apple Blackberry Crisp

This recipe for Gluten Free Apple Blackberry Crisp may quickly become one of your family’s all-time favorites. At Bob’s Red Mill, we’re convinced there are few things in this world as tasty as warm fruit laced with spices and topped with butter-filled crunchy bits on top. Of course, topping this dessert with a scoop of ice cream takes the cake — or shall we say, takes the crisp? And don’t be fooled. Despite how good this dessert is, it’s easy to throw together for a crowd any day of the week. Just make sure you have our gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour, almond flour, and gluten free rolled oats on hand to pair with your fruit, and you’ll be good to go!

Perfect Paleo Pie Crust

Not only does this Perfect Paleo Pie Crust make the perfect accompaniment to whatever goes inside it, but it’s also gluten free and packed full of protein. It’s made using almond flour, coconut oil, one egg, and kosher salt. If you don’t have a food processor, it can be made in a large mixing bowl. And, of course, don’t forget the next most important part — your favorite filling.

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

Give your classic chocolate chip cookies a twist with these gluten free, grain free, paleo friendly, dairy free and Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies. Sweetened with maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract and made especially decadent with dark chocolate, sliced almonds, and sea salt, these almond flour cookies will please any and all crowds. Make a batch or — better yet — make two.

So, whether you’re just beginning to experiment with almond flour in your low carb, grain free diet or you’re a seasoned flourless baking professional, we hope these recipes have given you some creative inspiration and encouraged you to get to the kitchen and bake the day away.

From all of us at Bob’s Red Mill, happy (almond flour) baking!