What Is It? Wednesday: Hazelnut Meal/Flour

By: Cassidy Stockton | March 19 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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I bet you didn't even know there was such a thing as Hazelnut Meal. Almond meal is endlessly popular and seems there is a flour/meal for every nut now (no pun intended). We've been milling hazelnut meal for quite a while, 10 years to be exact, but, until recently, it was relatively unknown. As low carbohydrate and paleo diets gain in popularity, there seems to be a need for more variety in ingredients, and we're here to oblige.

Hazelnuts | Bob's Red Mill

What is it, exactly? It's quite simply, hazelnuts that have been ground into a meal. The nature of nut flours is such that you get some very fine pieces and some slightly larger pieces. Overall, the product is quite fine, but it is not as fine as a wheat flour, hence the term "meal" is used often to describe this product. We leave the skins intact, so you get the whole nutrition that hazelnuts (also known as filberts) offer. Hazelnut meal is a gluten free flour with no real starch of which to speak. Whole grains are composed of three parts, one of which is primarily starch and protein (endosperm). This piece of the grain is what comprises white flour. Nuts are a whole different story. They have a considerably lower proportion of carbohydrates and starch than a grain does. Making them great for low carb diets, but not so great for baking in the way that we typically think of it. Why would you use Hazelnut Meal? There are many reasons, but they break down into a few broad groups.
  1. You are a baker looking for a decadent addition to your baked goods.
  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.Hazelnut Meal Flour
How do you use it? You can use it the same way you would almond meal. I'm going to break it down for folks who might not be familiar with using nut flours in their daily lives. Because hazelnut meal does not contain gluten and is light on starches, it should be used in conjunction with other flours. Our suggestion is to replace no more than 25-30% of the flour in your recipe with hazelnut 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 hazelnut meal or almond meal to get started. It also makes a fantastic coating for proteins like chicken and fish and a great addition to smoothies. For recipe inspiration, look for recipes using almond meal and think outside of the box. Look for places that ask you to grind up hazelnuts and 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.

Hazelnut Pancakes with Coconut Chocolate Syrup | The Roasted Root

We have some great recipes using hazelnut meal coming up later in the week, but get started using it today with one of these fabulous recipes.

39 Comments

  1. Roxanne
    I use this flour to make the Apricot/Hazelnut tart in Lisa Yokelson's Baking by Flavor. Seriously good!

    I recently tried the scone recipe on the back of the bag - also very good.
    Reply
  2. Cindi Sullivan
    When recipe calls for "12ounces of hazelnuts, ground" would I measure 12 ounces of your hazelnut meal ? Or once ground, would they weigh less than 12ounces? I prefer to use your hazelnut meal, not grind my own hazelnuts.
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      Wow. That IS a good question. As long as you go by weight measurement and not volume, you should be fine to use 12 oz of our hazelnut flour. The weight should be consistent- 12 oz of whole hazelnuts that have been ground should yield 12 oz of hazelnut flour by weight.
      Reply
  3. Mike van Oostveen
    Mike van Oostveen
    Hi, I was looking to use it for smoothies (banana/cacao/hazelnut), but most if not all recipes they mention 1/4 cup of hazelnuts, how much of you flour would this translate to ?

    I understand it is a matter of taste, but would like to start out with a good base

    Thanks
    Mike
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      For a smoothie, I'd recommend in the range of 2-3 Tbsp hazelnut meal to start and see how you like it.
      Reply
  4. Mike van Oostveen
    Mike van Oostveen
    Thanks, will try it out and let you know how it worked out
    Reply
  5. dede murff
    Hi, I'm a Certified Health Coach. Can I substitute hazelnut flour for coconut flour. If not, can you suggest a nut flour that would work. I have a client who is allergic to coconuts. Thanks for your help.
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      Dede,

      Unfortunately, coconut flour is very unusual and not easily replaced. Instead, I suggest looking for recipes that use almond flour or hazelnut flour as their base. There are many these days.
      Reply
  6. mai subhi
    Hi,
    I was just wondering if i could use the hazelnut flour to make a healthier version of nutella?
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      Yes, absolutely! Check out this version from All Day I Dream About Food: http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2015/06/homemade-low-carb-chocolate-hazelnut-spread.html. Simply toast the flour first and use in place of hazelnuts.
      Reply
  7. Chad
    I am looking to place hazelnut flavor into my coffee. Can I add a dash of this into my coffee for a great tasting cup, without all the sugars and syrup that is out there?
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      You could, but it won't dissolve and it would be akin to adding ground nuts to your coffee.
      Reply
  8. Weatherfield
    I want to substitute hazelnut meal into a recipe calling for 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground. 2 questions:
    1) how much hazelnut meal would be equivalent to 1 C hazelnuts?
    2) can you toast hazelnut meal?

    Many thanks!
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      First off, 1-1/2 cups of hazelnuts are equal to 2 cups of hazelnut meal. Which I take to mean that you would need 3/4 cup of hazelnuts to make 1 cup of hazelnut meal. With that in mind, I'd say you could use 1-1/4 cup of hazelnut meal to be close enough for the 1 cup of hazelnuts.

      Secondly, yes you can toast hazelnut meal. I would do it slowly and carefully, though, since you're working with such small particles.
      Reply
  9. Susan Rae
    I have a recipe that says to use 3/4 cup almond flour bobs, and says that person used your blanched almond flour. I have the flour, but what is a bob? Thanks.
    Reply
    1. Cassidy Stockton
      I think they just meant to use our brand. That is all.
      Reply
  10. Rebecca Kelch Mitchell
    Rebecca Kelch Mitchell
    We used hazelnut meal with white flour (1/2 and 1/2) for a raw apple cake we made recently. Also substituted white cane sugar with date nut sugar (1/2 and 1/2). He is diabetic. It tasted fantastic!
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Yay! Thank you for your feedback. We're so happy they worked out for you with the substitutions and that your family loved them!
      Reply
  11. Patricia King
    I’d like to try to incorporate some Hazelnut Meal along with some recipes that call for Almond Flour. What ratio would you recommend of each? Would 2 parts Almond Flour and 1 part Hazelnut Meal Work?
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      You can interchange the almond flour and hazelnut meal 1 to 1, so whatever ratio you would like to try will work.
      Reply
  12. Holly Anderson
    I'm reading your response to Weatherfield and I'm having a hard time imagining that 1.5 cups of whole hazelnuts turns into 2.0 cups of hazelnut meal, given that there's space between the hazelnuts in that 1.5 cups that isn't present once they're ground up. Did you perhaps get the numbers flipped, such that 2.0 cups of whole hazelnuts would turn into 1.5 cups of hazelnut meal?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Holly - No, that number is correct (though I understand your perspective!)

      By grinding the hazelnuts into a fine flour you create a lighter and less dense product; the tiny particles that now make up the flour aren't as tightly packed as they were as a whole hazelnut. Though the weight of 1 1/2 cup of whole hazelnuts and 2 cups of Hazelnut Flour is the same, the density will change resulting in an increase in volume.

      I hope that makes sense but if you have more questions, please feel free to contact our Customer Service team at 1-800-349-2173 or [email protected]
      Reply
  13. Rolonde Marchand
    Rolonde Marchand
    Hello,
    I see the hazelnut meal is classified as gluten free, but my husband is Celiac. Some products are listed as gluten free, but would this be safe for someone who is Celiac?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Rolonde, yes - our Hazelnut Flour is processed in our dedicated Gluten Free Facility.
      Reply
  14. Andy
    My biscotti recipe calls for chopped hazelnuts. As a time-saver, can I use hazelnut meal instead and, if so, should I adjust the amount of AP flour? Thanks. Stay well.
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Andy - You wouldn't get the same texture if you subbed Hazelnut Flour for chopped hazelnuts. Our Hazelnut Flour is finely milled and would be a better substitute for a portion of the flour.
      Reply
  15. debbie
    Hi - Can I substitute plain flour with hazelnut meal ? I'd like to bake a tea cake with the nutty flavor, thinking instead of 1.5 cup plain flour to use 1 cup plain flour and half cup hazelnut meal.. would that work?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Debbie - Our suggestion is to replace no more than 25-30% of the flour in your recipe with hazelnut meal. This will bring a richness and nutty texture to your baked goods.
      Reply
  16. Niza
    Hi im going to make a boston creme donut. The recipe includes 1 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup coconut flour.
    Can i replace almond flour with 1 cup hazelnut flour instead?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Niza - Yes, you can use Hazelnut Flour instead here. In most recipes it will work just great as a 1:1 swap :)
      Reply
  17. Healthy Living
    A well detailed and useful article. Many thanks
    for sharing, it's definitely going to help plenty of people
    out there. You always post useful information, some of
    which I share on Twitter.
    Reply
  18. AREMIS JAMES
    This is a question is it ok to eat the hazelnut meal raw? Or add it to baked goods as garnish without any additional cooking?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Whitney Barnes
      Hi Aremis, you can eat our hazelnut flour raw - it is just made from ground hazelnuts.
      Reply
  19. Dana
    Hi! I am going to be making a cake and the recipe calls for 2oz whole hazelnuts to be roasted and ground. I bought your hazelnut flour instead. Would I use 2oz ground hazelnut flour or more?
    Reply
    1. Elisabeth Allie
      Elisabeth Allie
      2 oz should work!
      Reply
  20. Deb Voytko
    I have a recipe that calls for 1/3 c. hazelnuts, ground. How much would that measure, using your hazelnut meal?
    Reply
  21. […] able to use it as you would all-purpose flour, since it has neither starch nor gluten content, per Bob’s Red Mill.For best results, choose recipes that use hazelnut meal or substitute no more than a quarter of the […]
    Reply
  22. […] able to use it as you would all-purpose flour, since it has neither starch nor gluten content, per Bob’s Red Mill.For best results, choose recipes that use hazelnut meal or substitute no more than a quarter of the […]
    Reply
  23. […] able to use it as you would all-purpose flour, since it has neither starch nor gluten content, per Bob’s Red Mill.For best results, choose recipes that use hazelnut meal or substitute no more than a quarter of the […]
    Reply

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