A few months ago, I published a recipe roundup post of my favorite almond flour recipes on Foolproof Living. As I always do, I scheduled it as a part of my weekly newsletter that I send out every Sunday. Since this was my usual routine, I didn’t think much about it. However, to my surprise, less than 15 minutes after the newsletter was sent out my inbox was filled with replies from my readers with the same message.
They were saying that even though they loved baking with almond flour, they found it to be too expensive to use on a regular basis.
It made me think, what if I could find a way to make almond flour at home cheaper than what it is sold at the store. After some online search and a lot of testing, I am happy to tell you that you no longer need to spend extra to buy almond flour from the supermarket.
What is Almond Flour Made Out Of
Before we talk about how to make homemade almond flour, first let’s talk about ingredients in 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.
How To Make Almond Flour
When it comes to making your own almond flour, there are 2 things you need to consider:
- What type almonds to use
- What type of equipment to use
Types of Almonds to Use To Make Your Own Almond Flour
As you already know, almonds come in several types and shapes. Raw, unsalted, roasted, salted, spiced, slivered, sliced, and blanched are just to name a few.
During my experiments, I found that the below 3 almonds deliver the best results when it comes to making almond 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.
- 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. If you want to learn how to blanch your own almonds, please give this Blanched Almonds post a read.
What is blanched almond flour then?
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. - Slivered Almonds: Slivered almonds are usually blanched almonds sliced across their diameter into thin sticks. They are not much different than blanched almonds, but I decided to include them here as I was able to find some slivered almonds for cheap.
The Difference Between Almond Flour and Almond Meal
Before I continue to talk about the equipment used to make almond flour, I want to make sure that you understand the difference between almond flour and almond meal. Almond meal is made by processing (pulverizing) raw and unsalted almonds with their skins on, whereas almond flour is made by processing blanched almonds (almonds with their skins removed).
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.
What Is The Difference Between Ground Almonds and Almond Flour:
I have recently been asked about the difference between ground almonds and almond flour. I thought I should answer this question here as you might be wondering the same thing.
The term ground almonds is another name for the almond meal (aka almond flour made by using almonds with the skin on). Therefore, the difference between the two comes from the type of almonds used (with or without the skin) to make almond flour/meal.
Now, let’s talk about the equipment used to make almond flour or almond meal. Here I want to mention that you can use all three types of almonds mentioned above to make your own almond meal at home. Additionally, in order to make it easy to manage and avoid almond flour turning into almond butter, I used 1 cup of almonds for both experiments mentioned below. If you need more almond flour I recommend making it in 1-cup almond increments.
How To Make Almond Flour In A Food Processor
To make almond flour in a food processor, you need 3 things:
- Raw, blanched or slivered almonds
- Food Processor with the blade attachment (it is also called sabatier blade)
- A silicone spatula
The process is simple: To grind almonds into flour, place a cup of almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse for 50-60 times in 1-second increments. The most important thing here is to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl of the processor every 10 seconds to make sure that (1) they are ground evenly and (2) the almond flour does not turn into almond butter.
In my experiments, my almonds turned into flour after 50 or 60 1-second pulses, but feel free to stop earlier or continue longer. The whole process of grinding almonds in a food processor takes around 2-3 minutes.
How To Make Almond Flour In a Vitamix (or Other High Powered Blender Brand)
If you have a high powered blender like Vitamix it happens much faster. The model I own is this older model Vitamix E310 (affiliate link) that I was gifted a few years back. Nowadays there are better models with more bells and whistles, but if you do not need all those fancy features this happens to be a really good one. I use it on a daily basis and it served me well over the years.
To make almond flour in a Vitamix, you place 1 cup of (raw, blanched, or slivered) almonds in the bowl of the blender, set the switch control switch to 2 or 3 (or a lower speed setting) and pulse for 20-25 1-second pulses. As it was with the food processor, I recommend stopping the blender and scraping the sides of the bowl a few times during the process.
Super Fine Almond Flour At Home
The two methods I mentioned above produce great results to make most of the baked goods made with almond flour. However, if you go to your supermarket you will see that some brands also sell “Super Fine Almond Flour”. If I am being honest, the almond flour you get from using these two methods will not be super fine right off the bat.
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, I would recommend sifting 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.
How To Store Almond Flour or Almond Meal
If you use almond flour or almond meal in your cooking and baking regularly then it might be a good idea to grind your own almond flour and store it for later use.
I find that the best way to store almond flour/meal depends on how quickly you plan on using it. Therefore:
- If you are planning to use it within a week or two, place it in an airtight jar, seal tightly, and keep it in the pantry, preferably in a dark place.
- 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.
PRO TIP: One other way to make almond flour is by using the leftover almond pulp leftover from making almond milk at home. If you are interested in learning how I dry, store, and use almond pulp in recipes for a no-waste food kitchen be sure to check out the posts below:
My Recipe Testing With Homemade Almond Flour
After I made my own almond flour using the two methods used above, I decided to put both versions to test. First, I made my Almond Flour Chocolate Cake and then the second I made my Easy Banana Nut Muffins. I thought these recipes were ideal as they both used almond flour as the main flour type in the recipe.
The results were exactly as they should be. Neither my husband nor myself were able to tell the difference. *** For the record, I made these recipes over 4 times to make sure they deliver good results.
Now let’s talk numbers…
The Amount of Almond Flour You Get From Raw, Blanched or Slivered Almonds
Before I talk about the amount of money I saved by making almond flour at home, I want to talk about the amount of almond flour I was able to get from 1 cup of almonds. Please know that the weight measurements below are the results of my own testing using my own kitchen scale. Also, since the difference between the weight of raw almonds and blanched almonds is very small the numbers below are based on blanched almonds.
1 cup of blanched almonds are 5.2 ounces, which equals to 147 grams.
1 cup of almond flour made from 1 cup of blanched almonds is 4.2 ounces, which equals to 120 grams.
In other words, you get 1 ¼ cups (approximately) of almond flour using 1 cup blanched almonds.
Please know that these numbers might slightly change based on the types of almonds you are using. During my experiments, I tried two different brands of California almonds and the difference was very minuscule.
As I mentioned earlier, I also tried making almond flour using slivered almonds, mainly because I shop from Trader Joes regularly. If you are living outside the US and don’t know what Trader Joe’s is allow me to explain. Trader Joe’s is a supermarket where you can find mostly healthier foods at affordable prices. This is at least the case in the area I live in.
One of the reasons why I love shopping at Trader Joe’s is because I find good quality nuts and cheeses at cheaper prices compared to other supermarkets in my area.
As I was doing my research on the prices of almonds to make DIY almond flour, I was surprised to see 8 oz. of blanched slivered almonds to be $3.49. Compared to other supermarkets and brands this was a steal so I decided to put slivered almonds to test as well.
The result:
1 cup of slivered almonds was 4.5 ounces (127 grams) and it yielded 0.3 ounces more than a cup of almond flour, which is 4.2 ounces (120 grams)
How Much Do I Save From Making Almonds At Home
If you are a big fan of saving and numbers like I am, you will love this part. Before I continue with the $ amounts, please know that the amounts might change based on where you live and get your almonds from. Also, the $ amounts mentioned below may change depending on the time you are reading this post. My hope here is to give you an idea about the potential savings more so than providing you with exact numbers.
Additionally, to save on money I blanched my own almonds (please refer to the post I wrote about How To Blanch Almonds). Alternatively, if all you need is almond meal, you can skip this step.
So here is a breakdown on how much it costs to make almond flour at home:
A 3-pound bag of Raw Almonds in Sam’s Club (Wholesale supermarket) = $13.98
3 pounds = 48 ounces (1360 grams) and since 1 cup of almond flour = 4.2 ounces (120 grams), we get 11.42 cups of almond flour from 1 bag of raw almonds from Sam’s Club. As a result, 1 cup of almonds comes to $1.22.
Now, let’s look at how much it costs to buy almond flour from a supermarket. Obviously, since we live in a free-market economy the prices of almond flour might change based on location and brand.
One brand that I love and use is Barney Butter Blanched Almond Flour (affiliate link). As of the time I am writing this post, one 13 oz. package of Barney Butter Almond Flour is $7.49 cents. If you do the math, 1 cup of almond flour (4.2 oz.) comes to $2.42.
In other words, by making my own almond flour at home using the methods I mentioned earlier I was able to save 50%. If you have the time and equipment, I think this is a steal.
How To Make Almond Flour
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw blanched or blanched slivered almonds
Instructions
- To make almond flour in a food processor: Place a cup of raw or blanched almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse for 50-60 times in 1-second increments. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl of the processor every 10 seconds to make sure that they are ground evenly.
- To Make Almond Flour Using a High Powered blender: Place 1 cup of (raw, blanched, or slivered) almonds in the bowl of the blender, set the switch control switch to 2 or 3 (or one of the lower speed settings) and pulse for 20-25 one-second pulses. As it was with the food processor, I recommend stopping the blender and scraping the sides of the bowl a few times during the process.
Video
Nutrition
Where can I buy almond flour? Any brands that you recommend?
Having been baking with almond flour for over 4 years now, I have tried almost every brand of almond flour and almond meal sold in the market place.
Below are a few brands I would recommend. These are national brands that are usually available in most supermarkets. However, I am including the links so you can also purchase them online. Please know that these are affiliate links.
- Blue Diamond Almond Flour – This is by far my most favorite brand as it has no odor and has an affordable price tag. Plus, it is conveniently sold in a 3-pound bag. I can easily use as much as I want and then freeze the rest for later use.
- Barney Almond Flour – If I have to buy it from the store, this is usually the one I purchase.
- Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour – I like their almond flour and almond meal. However, I find them to be more expensive than other brands.
- Trader Joe’s Almond Meal – If you are lucky enough to live close to a Trader Joe’s you should try their almond meal, it is fairly inexpensive and delicious.
A Few FAQs about Almond Flour Are Answered:
- What is the difference between almond flour and regular flour (aka all-purpose flour)? Almond flour is made of almonds whereas regular flour (all purpose flour) is made of a combination of soft and hard wheat kernels.
- Can you use almond flour in place of regular flour? Most people wonder if they can make a recipe healthier by using almond flour in place of all purpose flour. The answer to this question depends on the recipe itself and might require you to test your recipe a few times.
In general, you may use 1 cup all-purpose flour for 1 cup almond flour (1:1 ratio) in most cases, especially if the recipe uses eggs as a binder. However, the amount might vary depending on the recipe. Since almond flour typically requires more eggs (need more binding), you might have to increase the number of eggs (aka binding agent) used in the recipe. - How much almond flour does 1 cup almonds make? 1 cup of blanched almonds approximately makes 1 1/4 cups of almond flour. 1 cup almonds weigh (approximately) 5.2 ounces (147 grams).
- How much does 1 cup almond flour weigh? 1 cup almond flour weighs 4.2 ounces or approximately 120 grams.
- What is a good substitute for almond flour? Due to its high-fat content, I would recommend substituting almond flour with another nut flour such as cashew flour, sunflower seed flour, or macadamia nut flour. While it still depends on the recipe, most of the time the 1:1 ratio should work. However, please be aware that the taste of your baked goods would be different.
- Why is almond flour expensive? Since the only ingredient in almond flour is almonds, the price of almond flour goes hand in hand with raw almonds. When buying almond flour think about how much does it cost to buy almonds (or nuts in general).
- Is almond flour keto-diet friendly? Yes, since the only ingredient in almond flour is almonds and almonds are allowed in the keto diet, almond flour is a keto diet-friendly ingredient.
Sandra
I can only buy almond meal in Australia where I shop. I have wanted to try this as when I use the almond meal it has like a granular type of texture in your mouth. I was thinking if I used the slivered almonds would it be more like almond flour I hear about and would that have a less granular texture.
Cheers
Sandra
Aysegul Sanford
I usually buy slivered almonds to make almond flour as they are usually on sale. So it should work if you use them.
Thanks Sandra.
Ljiljana Juric
Hi,
Thank you so much for this article and your website!
I was wondering if I can put the homemade almond flour in deep freeze?
One more time – Thank you!
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Ljiljana..
Thanks for your kind words.
You sure can. That is what I usually do too.
Hope this helps.
Michelle
I’m really impressed and pleased with the thoroughness of this post. I just did a random search to make some quick almond flour on the fly for some cookies that I wanted to make and hit the mother lode with your site. Thank you for such a well-done and well-researched test.
Aysegul Sanford
It makes me so happy that you liked it Michelle. That was exactly my intent. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by.
Laurie
I love this and have been doing the same thing! One other great plus for doing this is that almonds stay waaay more fresh BEFORE they are processed into flour. They go rancid and unfresh much faster after they are ground.
Aysegul Sanford
That’s a really good point Laurie. I think cakes that I make with freshly ground almond flour taste much better compared to the ones made with store-bought ones.
Thanks so much for chiming in. 🙂
Cheers!
Judy
Hugely helpful, what a blessing thank you so so much, have not had a chance to try it yet but about to go grain-free and looking for a good way to get there thank you again Judy
Aysegul Sanford
So happy you found it helpful Judy. Thanks for letting me know.
Marijke
Am reading your calculations wrong? You state: “1 cup of blanched almonds are 5.2 ounces, which equals to 147 grams. 1 cup of almond flour made from 1 cup of blanched almonds is 4.2 ounces, which equals to 120 grams. ” You then proceed to say that the flour is therefore 1 1/4 cups instead of – by my calculations – 0.8 cup.
Having lost 1 ounce you could not end up with more than 1 cup of almonds that you began with.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Marijke.
1 cup of blanched almonds are 5.2 ounces and when you run them through a blender and place the flour into a cup, you end up with more than 1 cup of almond flour. It is more like 1.23 cups.
I am not sure if I am understanding your question. If you could please clarify, I’d more than happy to help.
Tom
This is due to the weight of almonds in 1 cup being heavier than 1 cup of flour. There is air incorporated into the flour during the blending process. Marijke is correct in her amounts, but I see why it might be confusing!
Erin
So easy to make, love this instead of buying it at the store.
Aysegul Sanford
Can’t agree more. Thanks for stopping by.
Judy
Thank you so much! This will let me afford to make recipes that call for almond flour. And I was so relieved to hear I wasn’t the only one who thought it was expensive to buy, even at Target.
Aysegul Sanford
Oh you are not alone Judy. Almond flour is expensive, especially if you are a regular baker.
I am so happy to hear that it helped you. Wishing you happy baking.
Cheers!
Lori @ RecipeGirl
Oh gosh, this is great info to have on hand- thank you!
Stephanie Manley
I am bookmarking this, I use it infrequently, and I always have almond on hand to make this at home.
Toni | Boulder Locavore
I definitely need to try this!
Heather
This is going to save me so much money. I never even thought about making my own almond flour. Thank you!
Joanne
This almond flour is so much fresher than store-bought. Wonderful!
Liz
I love this recipe! It saves me from those last minute runs to the market to hunt down almond flour!!!
lc
this is so helpful!
Melissa Sperka
Perfect for baking projects with my gluten free friends, thanks!
GLenn
great recipe and write up. thank you!
Just FYI, you are not saving 98% though, you are saving just over 50%.
Still, definitely worth the effort when you consider how much I am using these days!
Aysegul Sanford
Hello!
So happy to hear that you found it useful. Sadly, math has never been my strongest pursuit.
Thanks for letting me know.
Joanne
Hello there. Thanks for posting this. I do have a question….can I make a bunch and store it? Is it better to just make it as needed?
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Joanne,
So glad to hear that you found it useful.
It is up to you. I usually make it as needed, but you can make more and store in your freezer. If you do so, be sure to store in small quantities. I usually place 2 cups of almond flour in ziploc bags and store them in the freezer. It won’t freeze, but I recommend taking it out a day before your are ready to use and let it sit on the kitchen counter so that it will come to room temperature.
I hope this helps. I am here if you have any more questions.
Thanks for stopping by.
Ice
Carol
WOW! I had no idea I can make almond flour at home using my food processor. Thanks for such a detailed and informative post.
I love your almond flour chocolate cake. I will be sure to give making my own almond flour a try.
Aysegul Sanford
Oh this makes me so happy Carol. I no longer buy almond flour from the store. 🙂
Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.
Cheers!
Jude
Hi there, just wondering whether you’ve tested your homemade flour on bread recipes as they call for flour not meal. I live in Australia and almond flour is not commonplace here- I’ve never seen it in a supermarket- will have to check health food shop which is very expensive. Not sure my Breville blender is up to the task.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Jude,
I have never made a bread recipe using almond flour. However, almond flour and meal are pretty much the same thing with one difference. Almond meal is made from almonds with the skin on whereas almond flour is made from blanched almonds. Unless your recipe is asking for superfine almond flour, using almond flour and meal interchangably should be fine.
Though I strongly suggest using the kind of flour that your recipe is suggesting.
I think Breville blender should work to turn your almonds into flour. It might take a bit longer, but I think it would be quicker than food processor.
If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Thanks for stopping by.
Anita
Hi Jude , I am in Western Australia and yesterday bought
1 kilo Almond Flour from
Pantryman for $20 ?
Leone
Hi Jude.
I am in Australia also. Hopefully you have a Costco reasonably close as almond flour is available there. Coles and Woolworths do have it. It is expensive though. I make bread on almond flour. It is a mix and not risen by yeast. Regardless though it is delicious.
Marlene
Thanks for this! I have made my own almond meal with roasted unsalted almonds when I was out of Trader Joe’s. Why do you recommend raw almonds? Also, Kroger (Ralph’s in California) has blanched almond flour for about $8 a pound. And even better, Costco now carries it in 3 lb bags for about $10-11! Not sure I could get it fine enough for macarons at home, but for regular baking the homemade works really well.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Marlene,
I like raw almonds as their flavor is not as strong as roasted almonds. If you think about it, in a way they are being roasted during the baking process so using roasted almonds would only make them more roasted taking over all the other flavors. Though that is my preference and what I see all these supermarkets do.
If you prefer using roasted almonds and like the flavor you are more than welcome.
I am aware of all those supermarket options and know that there are good deals out there. However, I wanted to make sure that people also know that there is a way to make it at home as well.
I hear you about the macarons… You need superfine almond flour for them. You can turn blanched almonds into superfine almond flour, but it will require more work for sure.
Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!
Anita
I have noticed a lot of recipes call for extra fine almond flour. I bout some almond flour but it’s not extra fine. Can I make extra fine almond flour out of the almond flour I have? I’m new at this!
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Anita,
Yes, but it will take some hard work.
If you have a high powered blender you can put your almond flour and give it a few pulses. Then sift it through a fine (very important that it is fine) mesh strainer (something like this). Then whatever is left (the bigger pieces) put that back in the blender and repeat until all of the almond flour is small enough to go through the fine mash strainer.
You can do this with a food processor too. Though it might take a little longer.
Now, the important thing here is to do it in small batches and processing the flour in short (1-sec or so) pulses so the oils in the flour are not going to turn it into almond butter.
Like I said, it is a little bit of work, but if you are patient and do the extra work, it is possible.
Hope this helps. I am here if I can answer any other questions.