Many low-carb or keto recipes use almond flour, but if a person doesn’t have it on hand there are suitable alternatives. Other nut or seed flours work well in many recipes. People can also substitute wheat flour if their diet permits.
Manufacturers make almond flour from blanched almonds without skin, which they grind into a powder that is flour-like in texture.
People sometimes confuse almond flour with almond meal. People make almond meal by grinding up almonds with their husks still on, which produces a product with a coarser texture than almond flour.
Almond flour is
Almond flour is usually preferable to almond meal for making baked goods, as the finer texture is more suited to helping foods rise during baking.
If someone doesn’t have almond flour, or if they are allergic to almonds, they can use a substitute to make their recipe, but may have to adapt the ingredients.
The following is a list of suitable flours to substitute for almond flour. The article also looks at the health benefits of individual flours and how to use them in cooking and baking.
People can use wheat flour to replace almond flour, if it fits with their dietary preferences and needs.
Wheat flour and
Additionally, wheat flour contains gluten, so it is not suitable for those following a gluten-free diet.
White flour is a refined carbohydrate and can cause a spike in blood glucose. The sugar in whole wheat flour is absorbed more slowly. Choosing whole grains like wheat flour rather than refined grains like white flour can help someone maintain their energy and manage their weight.
Wheat flour and all-purpose flour are suitable for most baking recipes, but people may need to adapt other ingredients when substituting them for almond flour.
People can buy oat flour from a store or make it by finely grinding rolled oats in a food processor or blender.
Oat flour is lighter than almond flour and can make baked goods light and fluffy with a subtle nutty flavor. Compared to almond flour,
Oats are a good source of soluble fiber. A
Although oats are naturally gluten-free, the manufacturing processes can contaminate them with gluten. Therefore people with gluten intolerance should purchase oats that are specifically labeled gluten-free.
Sunflower seed flour is a gluten-free flour that manufacturers make by grinding sunflower seeds into powder.
Because it is nut-free, it may better suit those with nut allergies, as well as people following paleo and keto diets.
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- antioxidant
- anti-inflammatory
- antihypertensive
- skin-protective
- antimicrobial
When using sunflour seed flour in recipes, some sources suggest adding cream of tartar to the recipe to prevent the food from turning green due to chlorophyll present in the seeds.
People also can replace almond flour with other nut flours, such as cashew, macadamia, or walnut flours. If they can’t find versions of these flours in grocery stores, they can make their own by grinding unflavored and unsalted nuts in a food processor.
The benefit of using other nuts to replace almond flour is that they have a similar texture and fat content, and a person won’t have to adapt their recipe too much.
In addition, all nuts are higher in fats and protein and lower in carbohydrates than regular wheat flour or oat flour, so many nut flours are suitable for keto or low-carb diets and can easily replace each other in recipes in the same volume.
Nuts are rich in minerals, vitamins, and fiber, and
Coconut flour quickly absorbs moisture. Therefore someone using it in a recipe may need to modify it by adding extra eggs or liquids. Coconut flour can make recipes dry and more crumbly, so using half coconut flour and half a different type of flour may make for a better texture when baking.
Compared to almond flour,
Flaxseed, which some people call linseed, has a nutty flavor, and people can successfully use it in baking and cooking as a flour substitute.
Someone can either buy ground flaxseed or grind whole seeds into flour in a coffee grinder or blender. It is best to store ground flaxseed in the refrigerator, as due to its high fat content, it turns rancid quickly.
Flaxseed flour is higher in carbohydrates than almond flour, with
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People can use a variety of flours to replace almond flour, depending on their dietary requirements. Other nut flours such as walnut or macadamia have similar nutritional profiles and are suitable for people following low-carb or keto diets.
People can also use flours made from seeds such as sunflower or flaxseed. Those who are not adhering to a low-carb diet can use all-purpose or whole wheat flour.
When substituting other types of flour for almond flour in a recipe, people should be mindful that the taste and texture may be different, and they may have to adapt the amounts of other ingredients.