Almond flour is made from blanched almonds that are ground into a flour-like texture. Almond flour is used in cooking and baking as a gluten-free substitute for regular flour and contains more nutrients and fewer carbohydrates than regular flour.
Almond flour can be substituted with sunflower seed flour, almond meal, or oat flour. Oat flour is a great substitute for almond flour, but for gluten-free cooking, make sure to buy oats labeled as gluten-free. Oat flour has a light texture and a slightly nutty flavor.
When substituting almond flour in baking, you may need to change other ingredients in the recipe to maintain the desired consistency and texture.
Best Almond Flour Substitute: Oat Flour
The best substitute for almond flour is oat flour because oat flour absorbs liquids in a similar way to almond flour. Oat flour is heavier and darker in color than almond flour but offers a similar neutral flavor with a slight nuttiness.
Oat flour can be used in place of almond flour at a 1:1 ratio for your recipes. Oat flour has a light, chewy texture that works well when used to make bread, cookies, pie crusts, and biscuits.
Other Almond Flour Substitutes, Alternatives, and Replacements
Here are several gluten-free and nut-free alternatives to use in place of almond flour.
Homemade Almond Flour Substitutes
Homemade Almond Flour
Almond flour can be made at home if you can’t find pre-ground almond flour. Homemade almond flour can be made in 5 minutes and tastes fresher than store-bought almond flour.
To make homemade almond flour, blitz blanched almonds in a blender until the almonds become a fine powder. Don’t blitz almonds for too long because this will give the almonds a buttery texture.
You should use homemade almond flour as a 1:1 substitute to store-bought almond flour. Homemade almond flour can be used in cakes, cookies, pies, pasta, and soups.
Homemade Flour Blend
This homemade nut and gluten-free flour is made with several flours to create the right blend to substitute almond flour. There are gluten-free flour blends you can buy from a store, but it’s better to make your own at home to control the flour’s consistency.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice flour
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch
- ⅔ cup potato starch
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Directions
Mix the ingredients in a bowl to combine, then store the mixture in an airtight container for up to two months.
The homemade nut and gluten-free flour blend can be used as a 1:1 substitute for almond flour. This homemade flour works best in baked goods like cookies, muffins, pancakes, and brownies.
Nut-based Almond Flour Substitutes
Almond Meal
Almond meal is a good substitute for almond flour because almond meal uses the same ingredients: almonds. Almond meal is coarser and has a stronger almond taste than almond flour because the skin is left on the nuts when ground.
You can use almond meal as a 1:1 substitute for almond flour. Almond meal works well in quick bread, cookies, and granola bars, and tart crusts, but the almond meal isn’t a good substitute in cake-like recipes that require a lighter flour.
Macadamia Flour
Macadamia nut flour is made from ground macadamia nuts and offers a similar taste and light texture to almond flour. Macadamia nut flour has similar fat content but is lower in carbohydrates compared to almond flour.
You can make homemade macadamia nut flour by grinding raw, unsalted macadamia nuts in a blender until the nuts achieve a fine powder. Macadamia nut flour can be used as a 1:1 substitute for almond flour in cakes, muffins, bread, and other baked goods.
Hazelnut Flour
Hazelnut flour is made from ground hazelnuts and has a lighter texture than almond flour. Hazelnut flour can be used as a substitute for almond flour because hazelnut flour has a sweet and nutty flavor.
The light texture of hazelnut flour means that this flour should be combined with heavy flour when baking cake-like foods. You should add ½ cup hazelnut flour to ½ cup cassava flour for every 1 cup of almond flour needed.
In other recipes, hazelnut flour can be used on a 1:1 ratio as a substitute for almond flour. Hazelnut flour works well in pie crusts, cookies, homemade Nutella, and crumbly baked goods.
Cashew Flour
Cashew flour is a good substitute for almond flour because cashew flour has a similar nutty flavor and texture in baked goods. Cashew flour is naturally sweet and results in creamier baked goods when used as a substitute for almond flour.
Cashew flour can be used as a 1:1 substitute for almond flour in baked goods. Cashew flour is good for muffins, bread, cookies, cakes, and savory batter. You can also use cashew flour to thicken sauces.
Pecan Flour
Pecan flour is made from ground pecan nuts and works as a substitute for almond flour in baked goods because pecan flour holds ingredients together. Pecan flour is a good substitute for almond flour when used in foods that need thickness or creaminess.
Pecan flour can be used as a 1:1 substitute for almond flour and works well in stews, batters, cookies, pie crusts. Pecan flour turns foods a darker color and doesn’t work for foods that need a light finish.
Fruit and Vegetable-based Almond Flour Substitutes
Plantain Flour
Plantain flour is made from unripe, dried plantains, which look like bananas but have a more neutral and bland taste than bananas, making plantain flour a good substitute for almond flour. Plantains create a light flour texture that is similar to the texture created when using almond flour.
Plantain flour can be used as a 1:1 substitute for almond flour. Plantains absorb more liquid than almond flour, so you should add more liquid or adjust the recipe accordingly. Plantain flour is good for pancakes, waffles, pastries, and bread.
Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is made from dried and ground coconut meat and offers a fruity, sweet taste when substituted for almond flour. Coconut flour is a good substitute for almond flour flavor-wise.
Coconut flour absorbs more liquid than almond flour and you should use a 1:4 ratio when substituting coconut flour for almond flour. You should also double the number of eggs or add extra liquid to ensure your recipe isn’t too dry. Coconut flour is good for curries, bread, muffins, and cookies.
Coconut Flour and Tapioca Flour
A blend of coconut flour and tapioca flour can be used as a substitute for almond flour because this blend has a similar consistency and flavor to almond flour.
When mixing half coconut flour and half tapioca flour in a recipe, you can use a 1:1 substitute of the mixed flour to almond flour. Double the number of eggs in the recipe or add other liquids such as applesauce to prevent a dry bake.
The coconut and tapioca flour blend can be used in pie crusts and cookies, or to thicken sauces.
Cassava Flour
Cassava flour is a soft, powdery flour made by grinding the cassava root. Cassava flour makes a good substitute for almond flour because cassava flour acts as a good binding agent and has a neutral flavor similar to almond flour.
Cassava flour can be used as a 3:4 substitute for almond flour. Cassava flour can be used to make pasta dough, brownies, bread, muffins, and cakes. You can also use cassava flour as a flavor-free sauce thickener.
Wheat-based Almond Flour Substitutes
Wheat Flour
Wheat flour is flour made by grinding wheat into a powder form. Wheat flour can be used as a substitute for almond flour because, like almond flour, wheat flour offers a neutral taste.
Wheat flour is denser than almond flour and should be used as a 3:4 substitute for almond flour. You can also use ½ cup all-purpose flour with ½ cup wheat flour as a 3:4 substitute for almond flour. You should reduce the number of eggs in the recipe by half.
Wheat flour is best used in bread, flatbreads, wraps, and pitas.
All-purpose Flour
All-purpose flour is made from wheat grain with some parts of the plant removed, such as the wheat germ and bran. All-purpose flour is a good substitute for almond flour, although this flour is a better binding agent than almond flour.
All-purpose flour can be used as a 1:2 substitute for almond flour. You should reduce the number of eggs or amount of liquid in the recipe by half when substituting with all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour is best used for cakes, pastries, cookies, bread, and pie crusts.
Seed-based Almond Flour Substitutes
Sunflower Seed Flour
Sunflower seed flour is made by grinding sunflower seeds into a fine powder. Sunflower seed flour makes a good substitute for almond flour because this flour has a light texture and is suitable for nut-free diets. Sunflower seed flour offers a slightly nutty flavor with a hint of sweetness.
Sunflower seed flour can be used as a 1:1 substitute for almond flour. When substituting with sunflower seed flour, you should use half the amount of baking soda in the recipe.
Adding cream of tartar to the recipe will prevent the dish from turning green as a result of the chemical reactions between sunflower seeds and baking agents.
Flaxseed Flour
Flaxseed flour is made by finely grinding flaxseeds until a powder is formed. This flour is used in place of eggs in vegan dishes and can be used to replace almond flour.
When baking, flaxseed flour can be used as a 1:2 substitute for almond flour. Flaxseed flour is best combined with all-purpose flour to create more moist foods. Flaxseed flour can be used in waffles, pancakes, and muffins.
Pumpkin Seed Meal
Pumpkin seed meal is a flour-like powder made by blending whole pumpkin seeds into a powder-like texture. Pumpkin seed meal is a good substitute for almond flour because pumpkin seed meal has a neutral taste that won’t affect other flavors in a dish.
Pumpkin seed meal can be used as a 1:1 substitute for almond flour and works well in stews, soups, cookies, cakes, and bread.
