Baking with Almond Flour 101

By: Bob's Red Mill | May 4 2018

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. Almond flour is a type of nut flour made from finely ground almonds and a gluten free alternative to wheat flour or regular flour. 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

Baking with Almond Flour 101 _ Bob’s Red Mill

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 almond flour 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. This gluten free almond flour cookie recipe is 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!

 

44 Comments

  1. Suzie
    Looking for a diabetic friendly, gluten free snack cracker recipe.
    Can I use just almond flour instead of gluten free flour?my husband can’t have xanthum gum.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Suzie! Almond Flour will work for crackers. I would recommend checking out this recipe: Nooch Crackers
      Reply
  2. GC Harman
    Do you have a recipe for kransekake using the almond flour? All the recipes I find start with whole almonds and then grind them without noting what the resulting volume is. Thanking you in advance.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi GC, unfortunately we don't have a recipe but I would suggest looking for a recipe with a measurement in weight like this one so you don't have to guess the volume measurements between almonds and almond flour.
      Reply
  3. Lucky Cedarlane
    i want to make a King cake and in the past i have used ap flour. but would like to know it you think it would be ok to replace it with almond flour? I almond flour to make cornbread last night and it came out GREAT ! . King cake is mostly like a cinnamon roll dough. I look and did not see a Bread dough like recipe and just want to know you advice ?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi! We do have a recipe for King Cake on our website - find it here: Bob's Red Mill King Cake. Because of the nature of Almond Flour I would recommend subbing in only 25% of the flour called for in the King Cake Recipe. It will impart a great flavor but the wheat will hold the structure better.
      Reply
  4. Yvonne Laschon
    I would like to make a chicken tortilla casserole, without the flour tortillas. Do you have a recipe for making tortillas using the almond flour? I am trying to follow a keto diet. Thank you so much for your help
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Yvonne - we don't have an Almond Flour Tortilla recipe, but this Paleo Flatbread recipe might work! :)

      Paleo Flatbread Recipe
      Reply
  5. Donna L Kelley
    I just bought my first package of your Almond flour and was wondering if you have a recipe for French crapes. I would love to make them for breakfast on Christmas. Thanks for your reply.
    ☺️
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Donna! We haven't developed a recipe for crepes using our Almond Flour but this recipe from The Roasted Root looks like a good option.

      Almond Flour Crepes
      Reply
  6. Christine
    If I substitute almond flour directly for regular flour in my baking recipes, is a longer cooking time required for the almond flour mixture?
    Thank you for your time!
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Unfortunately, almond flour can not be substituted for all purpose flour as a 1 to 1 alternative. We highly recommend you speak with our recipe specialist for suggestions on how to use almond flour in your recipes. You can reach her at (800) 349-2173 or [email protected].
      Reply
  7. Angela
    I made a blueberry muffin recipe that called for almond flour.
    I used all new ingredients but the muffins didn’t rise.
    I’ve never baked with almond flour before but since the recipe called for it I assumed the cooking instructions would be accurate.
    Can you give me pointers for next time?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Angela, without knowing your recipe it's hard to say why the muffins didn't rise. You can contact our Customer Service team at 1-800-349-2173 or [email protected]. They're more than happy to help you with your recipe! :)
      Reply
  8. Betty
    If I substitute almond flour for all purpose flour to make bread do I need to increase the amount of flour? Also do I need to add baking powder?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Betty, Almond Flour is not a direct substitute for All Purpose Flour. I'd recommend using a bread recipe that already calls for Almond Flour OR only substituting up to 25% of the flour for Almond Flour. Baking Powder should be used if the recipe calls for it.
      Reply
  9. Antonio
    Frangipane (Crema Frangipane) is not a french recipe.
    While some sources connect it to the Italian marquis Frangipani (or count Frangipani in some sources like the Dictionnaire Etymologique of 1839), Franciscan Friars tradition put it as known since the time of Francesco of Assisi. So hundreds of years before the marquis, and connected to Giacoma Frangipane de Settesoli. At the time the "crema frangipane" was one of the various fillings of "mostaccioli" a pastry common in central and southern Italy
    Reply
  10. Karen
    Hi,
    Could I swap some all purpose flour with almond flour to add protein? What percentage would not affect the results or rest of ingredients?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Karen, I'd recommend starting by subbing 25% of the All Purpose out and using Almond Flour instead. If you have more recipe questions, you can email us at [email protected]
      Reply
  11. Hala
    Hi,
    For macrons, do you think I can substitute the almond flour quantity for natural almond? is it a one-to-one? or it needs more liquid?
    Thanks a lot!
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Though we haven't tried it, you should be able to exchange the two cup for cup. The natural almond flour will look different in the finished product though.
      Reply
  12. Carrie Poff
    How do you recommend substituting almond flour for wheat flour in a recipe? For example, the recipe calls for 2 cups flour. Some places I have seen 1:1 with adding an additional egg, others are 1 wheat:2 almond.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Carrie! We don't recommend using Almond Flour as a 1:1 substitution for Wheat Flour. As there's no gluten, there's no protein structure to create the same texture you'd have with wheat flour. Instead, we recommend experimenting with your recipes, starting with a 25% substitution of Almond Flour for regular flour. The success will truly depend on the recipe; Cookies, for example, would be must more forgiving than a loaf of chewy bread. If you have more questions, please email us at [email protected]
      Reply
  13. Kathy
    I haven’t used almond flour yet. I wanted to sub in for regular flour. I’m reading thing don’t rise as well. Could a little gluten be added to help? How much, if so? I’m interested in reducing carbs. Sugar too.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Kathy - Almond Flour is a delicious, low carb flour option! You're right though, it doesn't not behave in the same manner as wheat flour. Since there's no gluten proteins, there's less structure in baked goods and things tend not to rise as well. For the best results, we recommend only replacing about 25% of the total flour in your recipe with Almond Flour (1/4 cup per cup of flour). If you would like to use a higher percentage of Almond Flour and are not avoiding gluten, you could experiment adding Vital Wheat Gluten. This is not something we've tested; if you do, we'd love to hear your results.
      Reply
  14. winnie wan
    Hi

    I would like to ask if I could in any way use almond flour as a substitution for APF in this recipe link below.

    https://wildwildwhisk.com/matcha-green-tea-cupcakes/

    If so, whats the flour ratio and any adjustments I need to make to recipe which might work?

    Thanks for advice
    Winnie
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Winnie - Yes, you could likely use Almond Flour as a partial substitution in this recipe. We recommend substituting 25-30% of the flour with Almond Flour, but not 100%. Since Almond Flour is just ground almonds, there's more oil/moisture and less starch and structure created in comparison to All Purpose Flour.
      Reply
  15. Corinne Kulak
    Corinne Kulak
    Do you have a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies using almond flour?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Corinne - Hm, we don't have one that we've tested, but this looks like a good option: Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies
      Reply
  16. Paige
    Hi! I have been using your almond flour to make pumpkin carrot banana muffins. 1/2 cup grated carrots, 1 can of pumpkin puree and 3 mashed bananas. I add 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1/3 cup oil, 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Then 3.5 cups almond flour. It is still coming out too wet after baking 25 mins. What should change to make it less wet?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Paige, almond flour itself is more moist that all purpose flour and doesn't absorb as much liquid. With all the other wet ingredients you're using (carrots, pumpkin puree, bananas, eggs and milk) it likely will not bake through. Without knowing the exact measurements, it's hard to give advice. If you email us your recipe, we'd be happy to assist. Reach us at [email protected]
      Reply
  17. Ann
    Does almond flour crust always need to be baked before using?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Ann - not necessarily, though it would depend on your recipe. For this type of question, please email us at [email protected]
      Reply
      1. Jennifer
        As a sub question to this, do your almond flours not need to be heat treated like some flours?
        Reply
  18. Angela
    Where is the weight? For a page that is touted to be the “101” for baking with your almond flour, I’d expect to be able to find the weight per cup since all brands of almond flour can weigh slightly differently.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Angela, a cup of our Almond Flour weighs 112 g.
      Reply
  19. Karen
    Does the super fine almond flour measure and/or weigh the same as regular or coarse grind almond flour?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Karen - we only sell fine grind almond flour and only have nutritional and weight information for those products. You can find them linked below.

      Super-Fine Almond Flour
      Super-Fine Natural Almond Flour
      Reply
  20. angie
    i bought a bag of superfine almond flour and it has a couple of black bits in the bag (the bag has not been opened yet.) is this normal and ok to use? yes
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Thanks for reaching out. Our Customer Service team can best assist with this. Reach them at 1-800-349-2173 or [email protected]
      Reply
  21. Jacqueline Dolby
    Jacqueline Dolby
    I need to make the top layer of a 3 tiered wedding cake out of anything but all purpose white flour. I tried a whole wheat cake and I practically needed an electric knife to cut it, also it would be too heavy to be on the 3rd tier. I have a month to figure this out. I'm looking for a cake that will be fluffy. Is there anything I can add to the mixture that will help?
    Reply
    1. Elisabeth Allie
      Elisabeth Allie
      Our customer service team would be happy to brainstorm with you! Email [email protected].
      Reply
  22. Lisa
    I am thinking about what to expect if I modify a German Christmas cookie recipe by substituting almond flour for APF. Original ingredients that outcome depends on are:
    1 egg
    1/2 c sugar
    3 T honey
    3/8 c raw/blanched slivered almonds
    1 1/4 (1.25) c APF
    1/8 tsp baking soda.

    The dough is rolled out very thin, baked and cut into 1x2 in rectangles. I think there would be some real advantages for this cookie to use almond flour...and though I have been reading about it I still have questions and hope I can pick your brain! :) Wondering what your thoughts are on these questions:

    1) At the furthest extreme, if I were to sub almond flour for all the white flour, what would you expect the dough to be like? I'm thinking about things like is it stickier? More pliable (maybe easier to roll thin)? More or less difficult to work with in general?
    2) Again if I were to sub almond flour for all the white flour, how do you think the resulting cookie - assuming I can get the dough rolled out - would be different texture-wise? Chewier? More tender?
    3) What do you think of substituting almond flour for both the white flour *and* slivered almonds? The effect of the almonds in the original dough is probably very similar to almond flour, bc they get crushed and somewhat blended in when the dough is rolled out, and you don't get pieces or bits when you bite into a cookie.

    Thanks very much for any insights you can provide!
    Reply
    1. Elisabeth Allie
      Hi Lisa! Please contact [email protected] for more info.
      Reply

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