What Is It? Wednesday: Almond Meal/Flour

By: Cassidy Stockton | April 2 2014
We are very excited to bring you What Is It? Wednesdays! Every other Wednesday, we’ll explore a different ingredient or product in depth. We’ll be covering the benefits, uses, and common misconceptions about each. If you have any requests, leave them in the comments and we’ll work them into the schedule. 

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Almond Meal/Flour, the quintessential "paleo" and low carb baking ingredient, is a fabulous ingredient whether you're watching carbs or not. We started offering almond meal quite a while ago thinking it was just another neat, yet obscure, ingredient. Little did we know it would catch on like wildfire and become one of our top sellers. We recently expanded our nut flour lineup to include a Natural Almond Meal for those that want to use a whole food ingredient.

What Is Almond Meal?

Almond meal is sweet almonds that are ground into a “flour-like” consistency. As such, almond meal and almond flour are often times used to mean the same, but may differ in how fine the grind is. We offer two types of almond meal: natural almond meal and blanched almond meal. Because we came out with blanched first, it's really just known as almond meal around here, but if you look carefully at the packaging, it will say blanched.

What Is Blanched Almond Meal vs. Natural Almond Meal?

Blanched almond meal is simply almonds with the skins removed and ground into a coarse flour (meal). Our natural almond meal is made from whole almonds with the skins intact. There is only a slight difference between the two in their nutritional make-up (natural has slightly more vitamin E) and they perform identically in baking. The only real difference is in how they look. The natural is speckled with bits of almond fiber (skin), while the blanched is a creamy tan.

Almond Meal Comparison | Bob's Red Mill

What Is the Difference Between Almond Meal vs Almond Flour?

Almond meal and almond flour are terms that are often used interchangeably. The main difference between almond meal vs almond flour can be how fine the grind is, with almond flour being finer and almond meal being slightly coarser. In some cases, almond meal is made out of the whole raw almonds, while almond flour is made from peeled almonds. At Bob’s Red Mill, we interchange the terms, calling ours both a meal and a flour. Why do some manufacturers call their almond flour a "flour" and some a "meal" and Bob's Red Mill calls it both? A quick milling lesson: flour is the finest grind you can get. Meal is the next finest grind--coarser than flour, finer than grits. Almond flour is inherently coarser than conventional wheat flour. It has to be. If you grind almonds too finely, you know what you get? Almond butter. Some manufacturers get it super fine and pass it off as flour, while others err on the side of a coarser product, calling it a meal. Ours is on the fine end of the spectrum, but it's still coarser than wheat flour, so we call it a meal. When we first brought this product to market, we were concerned (and rightly so) that folks wouldn't know what to do with it. Adding the term flour tells the consumer that you use this product in baking.

Are Almond Meal and Almond Flour the Same Thing?

In short, yes, almond meal and almond flour are used interchangeably to mean the same thing. Almond meal might be a little more coarse while almond flour might be a little more fine.

Can You Substitute Almond Meal for Almond Flour?

The reality is that almond meal and almond flour are interchangeable terms, the only difference being the grind. The thinner the grind, and the closer it is to conventional wheat flour, the better it will be for baked goods. The more coarse it is, the better it is for breading or cooking if you need a flour substitute. It really comes down to a personal preference on the grind. Almond flour is a great gluten free flour to use in baked goods and is often used in many gluten free recipes.

Why Would You Use Almond Flour or Almond Meal?

As with Hazelnut Meal, there are many reasons one might use almond meal or almond flour, but they break down into a few broad groups.
  1. You are a baker looking for a decadent addition to your baked goods. Baked goods might taste better with a finer almond meal/flour.
  2. You are gluten free and looking for a way to boost the nutritional content of your baked goods.
  3. You are following a low carbohydrate diet or some variety, be it for weight loss or diabetes management. Lower in carbs than wheat flour or all-purpose flour, almond flour is lower is also packed with fiber and healthy fats.

How Do You Use Almond Flour or Almond Meal?

Almond meal can be used like any other nut flour, but those who might not be familiar with using nut flours in their daily lives would be wise to consider these points. Almond meal does not contain gluten and is light on starches, so it should be used in conjunction with other flours. Our suggestion is to replace no more than 25% of the flour in your recipe with almond meal. This will bring a richness and nutty texture to your baked goods. If you are looking to create baked goods with a low carbohydrate load, it can be used on its own or in conjunction with other flours that will help give it structure. As with coconut flour, we highly recommend using a recipe that is designed for almond meal to get started. It also makes a fantastic coating for proteins like chicken and fish and a great addition to smoothies. When you find a recipe that asks you to grind up almonds, use our flour instead. It’s the same thing, only we do all the work for you and you don’t have to wash your food processor.

Almond Blondie

Almond Meal Recipes to Try

There are no shortage of almond meal recipes available online, but here are a few great starter recipes. Find even more, here. Shop our gluten free flours and nut flour!

25 Comments

  1. JP
    Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing this, Cassidy!

    I'd noticed that our local Whole Foods stopped stocking the original (blanched) and now have only the natural (whole) and .. frankly, the whole looks a lot more coarse than the blanched. This concerned me because I could never get a good pie crust when baking with other less finely ground almond meals... they always came out grainy and very sticky.

    I'll still be looking for (and buying!) the original, but will give the natural a try.
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      You're so welcome! I hope you enjoy the natural as much as you did the blanched. It should be the same, but oftentimes "should" and "is" are different. Best of luck!
      Reply
  2. Miliany Bonet
    Hi Cassidy! Me again.... :)

    I'm a raw vegan, which is why I'm curious on which products from Bob's Red Mills is raw. I'd like to know if these products are raw: quinoa flour, almond meal, coconut flour, and hazelnut meal.

    Are all your flours raw? Which products are not raw from Bob's Red Mill. I'd help if the package said it.

    Thanks again!
    Miliany
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      Yes, all of those products are raw. There are only a few of our items that are not raw- anything that's toasted or roasted (obviously) and all of our oat products, including the oat flour and oat bran. I can't think of any other flours that are not raw and most of our cereals are raw- as long as they don't have oats. Oats have to be stabilized, so they are not typically considered raw. I hope this helps. For more info, please give us a call at 800-349-2173.
      Reply
  3. JJ
    Where are your almonds sourced from?
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      Our almonds are sourced from California.
      Reply
  4. kim jornov
    does the almond meal /flour contain sulfites ..or are sulfites used in any processing ? Do you know if the almonds are sprayed with sulfites during the growing phase ?thank you
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      The almonds we use for our almond meal have not been treated with sulfites.
      Reply
  5. Martha
    Have they been sprayed with anything? I notice this meal is not organic.
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      This flour is milled from conventionally grown almonds. It is not organic and they are grown using standard farming practices.
      Reply
  6. Sara
    Almonds are one of the most heavily sprayed crops, I really wish you could find almonds that have not been sprayed for your almond flour!! "Standard farming practices" mean they have been doused in pesticides and herbicides so much that bees will die if they are there when they are sprayed! Very sad that you support that!
    Reply
  7. Gregor Miziumski
    Gregor Miziumski
    I have a cookie recipe in which I have used almond butter and (Odense) almond paste. I'd like to have more control over ingredients, and almond meal sounds like a good way to go. I'm trying to retain the richness I get from the butter. if almond meal is the same ingredients as almond butter, why is the butter wet, and meal dry? will it make a difference in the cooking? Thanks, Gregor
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      If you continue to grind our almond flour, it will become paste-like. Yes, replacing almond butter with almond meal will affect your recipe and make it drier. I'd suggest making your almond flour into paste first. Here are directions for creating almond paste (or marzipan) from almond flour: http://www.daringgourmet.com/2014/06/23/how-to-make-marzipan-almond-paste/ Marzipan has sugar and egg whites added.
      Reply
  8. Gregor Miziumski
    Gregor Miziumski
    Adding to the question above, I have read that almond flour/meal is commonly made from almonds that have had the oil extracted. is that the case with Bobs'?
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      Our Almond Flour is milled from whole, blanched almonds. No oil has been removed.
      Reply
  9. […] finely ground almond flour* Follow this link for an explanation of almond meal, almond flour, blanched, unblanched, etc. You can make your own almond flour simply by blitzing almonds in a food processor just short of turning them into almond butter. I use Bob's Red Mill Finely Ground Almond Meal/Flour from blanched almonds. It makes a smoother cookie and it's easier to weigh/sift since there are no almond skins and hence, fewer "almond balls" during the sifting process. […]
    Reply
  10. Prudence
    Used almond meal in pie crust
    recipe .
    Didn’t work
    Can I make flour out of almond meal
    in the food processor.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Prudence - Yes, you can blitz almond meal in the food processor to make it a finer texture. Here's a recipe for an Almond Flour pie crust:

      Perfect Paleo Pie Crust
      Reply
  11. perfecttime
    Where are your almonds sourced from?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi! All of our almonds for our Almond Flour are grown in California.
      Reply
  12. Joyce Robalino
    Can your almond flour or almond meal be substituted for finely chopped blanched almonds in an Italian or Greed Semolina Orange cake?

    The cake is a bit dense and is soaked in orange flower water syrup after baking. As far as I can tell it won't make a difference. The cake is a bit dense anyhow.

    In fact I think the flecks of almond si=kin might look good as this cake is bit rustic alway.
    Reply
  13. Lesley Armstrong
    Lesley Armstrong
    I have been trying to make a flourless chocolate cake using established cooks’ recipes using almond meal. I don’t like the lack of structure in the resulting cakes after following recipes to letter. The cakes seem to lack substance. Any ideas?
    Lesley
    Australia
    Reply
    1. Elisabeth Allie
      Hi Lesley, please email [email protected] for assistance.
      Reply
  14. brandy schappell
    brandy schappell
    Does the almond flour need to be heated first or can it be used in no heat recipes?
    Reply
    1. Elisabeth Allie
      Elisabeth Allie
      Hi Brandy! Unlike wheat flours, you can use Almond Flour safely in no-bake recipes.
      Reply

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