Homemade Almond Flour

Almond flour (or almond meal) is made with only one ingredient and that is almonds. The types based on their shape and cut might differ but regardless almond flour is made from almonds.

Note that you cannot use any nut flour as a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour blend. Instead, use this flour in any recipe that specifically calls for almond meal or flour.

Raw Unsalted Almond With the Skin On: These are the raw almonds that are unprocessed and packaged after having their shells removed. These are ideal to make Almond Meal at home. The term ground almonds is another name for the almond meal

Blanched Almonds: These are the raw almonds with their skins removed. You can blanch your almonds at home or purchase already blanched almonds from the store. Blanched almonds are slightly more expensive because of the labor that goes into removing the skin from each almond. The almond flour you get when you use blanched almonds is usually called Blanched Almond Flour or just Almond Flour.

You can easily tell the difference between almond meal and almond flour just by looking at its color. If it is white then it is blanched. If it has brown pieces (from the skin of the almond) then it is almond meal.

Based on my years of experience of baking with almond flour, I found out that most of the time they can be used interchangeably. When I write my recipes, I make sure to include a note about whether you should use one or the other. Luckily nowadays, most other food bloggers/recipe authors do the same. However, if it is not specified in your recipe I recommend using almond flour instead of almond meal.

Recipe:

• Start with 1 1/2 cups blanched slivered almonds (or with skins on for almond meal). Because blanching almonds removes their skins, blanched almonds will yield a finer, more delicate texture than regular ones.
• Add the almonds to a high-speed blender, and process until they look just finer than bread crumbs, about 10 seconds.
• Stir to loosen any clumps or large chunks near the blender’s base, and process for a few seconds more.
• Be careful not to blend them for too long, or they will turn into almond butter!

If you are planning to use it later than a week or two, place it in an airtight jar, seal tightly, and keep it in your freezer. When you are ready to use it, measure the amount you need to use, let it sit on the kitchen counter for 15-20 minutes, and use it as directed in the recipe.

Super Fine Almond Flour

If you need super fine almond flour (mostly used in making French macarons), you can still make it at home, but it will require a little bit more work. To do so, sift the almond flour using a fine or medium-mesh strainer and processing the big pieces several times (using the same methods mentioned earlier) until no large pieces are left.

PRO TIP: One other way to make almond flour is by using the leftover almond pulp leftover from making almond milk at home.