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After years of baking with almond flour and converting recipes back and forth -from traditional recipes to grain-free and vice versa, you can say that I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t as an almond flour substitute.
There are many recipes on the internet that look and sound delicious, and unless you’re an experienced baker with almond flour, you probably don’t keep it in your pantry.
Almond flour is one of the most popular baking flours in most paleo, keto, and grain-free households and for this reason, many recipes were developed with it to fit those eating lifestyles.
I use almond flour in many of the recipes in my latest cookbook, Clean Treats for Everyone. You’ll also find other clean flours used, like oat flour or cassava flour. If you’re looking for cleaner recipes with alternative flour options check it out!
Clean Treats Cookbook
Healthy and wholesome dessert recipes you’ll want to eat made with clean ingredients you already have on hand.
Grab your copy today!
What Is Almond Flour?
Unlike traditional flour from wheat, almond flour isn’t a “flour” but ground almonds into a flour-like texture.
It is higher in fat, which gives bread, muffins, and brownies a moist and tender texture. It’s also a good source of healthy fats and protein and it is lower in carbohydrates compared to regular wheat flour. However, almond flour can be a problem if you have a nut allergy.
Most importantly, almond flour will not perform like traditional flour in baked recipes, so it is not a 1:1 substitute.
Alternatives to Almond Flour
So you find a great recipe on the internet that calls for almond flour and you realize that you don’t have any in your pantry. Before you take it upon yourself swap out “a few ingredients” here and there.
There are alternatives to almond flour in baking, but unfortunately, it is not as simple as swapping 1 cup almond flour for 1 cup of regular white or whole-wheat flour.
Nut-flours are often more finicky because they absorb liquids differently, have no gluten, and therefore, recipes will call for a specific ratio of wet to dry ingredients.
I recommend swapping the almond flour for another nut-based flour whenever possible. In today’s post, we’ll be discussing other substitutes like:
- Sunflower Seed Flour
- Cashew Flour
- Cassava Flour
- Oat Flour
- A Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- All-Purpose Flour
- Whole Wheat Flour
If you find yourself looking for baking substitutions for ingredients like butter, eggs, and dairy- you’ll find this post helpful.
It’s a life-saver on those occasions when you want to make a loaf of Banana Bread only to realize you’re out of eggs and butter.
Is Coconut Flour a Substitute for Almond Flour?
Coconut flour is not a subsitute for almond flour -in any capacity- without altering the entire recipe.
If you want to use coconut flour to bake or make your favorite recipes, I suggest you search for a recipe specifically created (that means that it’s been tested) with coconut flour.
Coconut flour absorbs 5-8x more liquid than almond flour since it’s made from dehydrated ground coconut meat, and will need adjustments to the liquid stated in the recipe and usually eggs as well.
Before you waste your ingredients, skip the substitution and find a suitable recipe.
Gluten-Free Almond Flour Substitutes
Below I’m listening grain-free options as well as more conventional flours that are easy to find and good for making multiple recipes.
When baking gluten-free, it’s not always a cup-for-cup replacement. Amounts may vary, and other chemical agents such as baking powder and baking soda may be needed.
Sunflower Seed Flour
Due to its similar consistency, this is one of the more popular gluten and nut-free substitutes for almond flour. Heads-up- sunflower seed flour can turn your baked good a tint of green due to the reactions with baking soda or powder.
The taste and texture will be fine- only the color will change. To avoid this, add a tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to the recipe, it should help.
Cashew Flour
Another 1:1 substitute for almond flour, and if you like cashews, it gives your favorite baked foods an incredible flavor. You can make it at home with cashews and a blender or purchase it online.
How to make a gluten-free flour blend
With some recipes, using a gluten-free flour blend can be helpful when it comes to finding a substitute for almond flour. If you want to make your own gluten-free flour blend, you will need:
- 2 cups of rice flour
- ⅔ cup potato starch
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon xantham gum
Gluten-free flours can require more moisture and often thickeners/binders such as xanthan gum or guar gum, so don’t skip these ingredients!
This blend is great for all sorts of baked goods, especially these chocolate chip cookies. Use the appropriate amount of flour and reserve the rest in an airtight container.
If you don’t have time to make a gluten-free flour blend, this one from Bob’s Red Mill has done wonders!
Nut-Free Substitutes for Almond Flour
An important note: eggs are often highly relied on in almond flour-based recipes. It’s nothing unusual to see 4 eggs for in one recipe. The proteins help to bind the ingredients and give the baked good more structure.
When replacing almond flour for one of these options, you’ll typically need to reduce the number of eggs by half.
Cassava Flour
The newfound darling in the paleo world! Made from the cassava root, it is soft, powdery, and very similar to wheat flour. I love using cassava flour to make these Cassava Flour Pancakes.
In most cases, you can substitute cassava flour at a 1:1 ratio for almond flour. However, I highly recommend skipping the “substitution” and searching for recipes that were specifically created with accurate measurements to be used with cassava flour.
Oat Flour
Another popular and super convenient gluten-free flour is oat flour! You can make it at home with old-fashioned oats and a blender like I do in this post or purchase it at the store. Watch how to make oat flour in this quick video.
All-Purpose White Flour
The rule of thumb for wheat flours is a 1:2 ratio of wheat flour to almond flour. For instance, if the recipe calls for 2 cups almond flour, you’ll need 1 cup of wheat flour.
Whole-Wheat Flour
Whole-wheat flour is denser than traditional white flour and is not a good substitute for almond flour alone. You’ll need to mix it with all-purpose white flour.
So if the recipe calls for 2 cups almond flour, you’ll need ½ cup of whole-wheat flour + ½ cup all-purpose white flour.
Which Almond Flour Substitute Tastes Best?
Sunflower seed flour is the winner with cassava coming in as second. Sunflower is the closest in taste and texture to almond flour, and if it weren’t for that green tint it gives- you’d have a hard time telling the difference.
Cassava is in a league of its own. The powdery, soft texture makes it easy to bake with and ideal for recipes like this Paleo Pancake Recipe. I don’t know of another gluten-free flour that makes lighter and thicker pancakes.
Is Almond Flour Keto?
Yes! Almond flour is a great keto-friendly option for baking as well as the cashew flour. Since they are both finely ground nuts, the carbohydrate content is low compared to other grain-free alternatives.
Which Almond Flour Substitute Works Best?
This is a tough one to answer since all almond flour recipes are developed specifically to be used with almond flour. If I had to choose, I would say that oat flour will perform best.
Almond Flour Substitute for Recipes | Homemade Oat Flour
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled or old-fashioned oats
Instructions
- Place the oats into the bowl of your food processor.
- Pulse the oats until they are ground into a powder-like consistency.
- Depending on the speed and power of your food processor, this process should take 60 seconds or less.
- Stop and stir to ensure that all the oats have been finely ground.
- Two cups of rolled oats will yield approximately 1 cup of oat flour.
- Store unused portion in air-tight container.
Kay says
This was very helpful, thank you!
Christie says
Hello!
I’m stocked up on oats and prepared to make the flour but I can’t seem to find the substitution ratio anywhere. Is it 1:1 with almond flour?
Laura Fuentes says
Hi Christie! Oat flour and almond flour will not behave the same in recipes. I recommend you search for recipes specifically created with oat flour in mind for maximum success!
April Tudor says
So amazingly helpful! My mom has a nut allergy and I have a gluten allergy. Also I do the paleo diet so I am picky about flour alternatives. We are both talented bakers so I think we are going to experiment with the sunflower seed flour and the cassava flour. And I NEED to try those pancakes! YUM! You rock!
Amber says
I made this recipe with fine ground kamut and it turned out pretty well! I use an oven from the 60’s/70’s and it no longer cooks evenly, so a heavy bottom or air-bake pan with walls is essential! Thank you so my ch for the recipe!
Dale Almond says
Thank you for this wonderful post. I am a very sensitive celiac, and can’t have coconut flour or any type of grain – even gluten free. I’ve had some success baking with 80% blanched almond flour and 20% tapioca flour, usually using 3 or four eggs as a binder. I’m trying to convert a few standard wheat flour recipes to paleo – childhood favorites, etc. I’m having difficulty figuring out the correct ratio of the almond/tapioca blend to standard all-purpose wheat flour, as well as any other adjustments that should be made. Do you have any suggestions or guidance on this? Thank you kindly.
Laura Fuentes says
Hi Dale, unfortunately, this is a lot of trial & error and there’s no single rule for converting with a mix of flours (such as almond and tapioca mixed). It’s’ for this reason that there are few recipes out there, people like me -who have successful websites for more than 10y- spend a lot of time on the testing process before publishing a recipe. I have some wonderful Almond Flour recipes on my website. I hope you’re able to use some of them! If you can have cassava flour, try these cassava flour pancakes.
Millie R says
I just decided to try the keto diet and noticed all the almond flour recipes and coconut substitute. Yikes I’m allergis to both, specially the almonds and several other nut varieties. Can you help me with a substitute and can that substitute be used for all keto recipes??
Thank you.
Laura Fuentes says
Unfortunately, when it comes to a keto diet, there are only a couple of “flours” that can be used: Almond and coconut. Both are low-carb and keto-approved. My recommendation is to look for cauliflower recipes which you can use instead. Flax is another alternative for some flax flatbreads and tortillas but I don’t know if you can have flax meal if you’re allergic to nuts (and seeds are ok). You can also use pumpkin seeds or or sunflower seeds to make a flour out of them and replace them in almond flour recipes.
Robert says
Thanks for the advice, I have oxalate sensitivity and almonds are very high in oxalates. Have you tried pea protein powder in recipes in place of almond flour? Lower fat for sure, but I wonder if adding the gums would balance that out?
Laura Fuentes says
Pea protein is not a great substitute for almond flour because the nutritional content and performance are completely different. I would suggest looking for recipes that are developed with pea protein (the website of the protein you purchase is always a great start). Great question!
Sophie says
Hi
Thanks for this. My daughter has to be gluten free but also has a nut/sesame and annoyingly potato allergy. She loves baking. Have you any suggestions for replacing the potato starch in a gluten free flour? We had a massive coconut flour failure as I think I tried it as a straight swap. She is ok with coconut allergy wise.
Ingrid says
This is so helpful. I’m new to alternative flours and this answered a lot of my questions.
Viviane says
Hi,
I’ve read that hemp protein powder can replace flour in muffins, but haven’t found an actual recipe. I have a recipe that calls for both oat flour and almond flour. Which one could it replace best?
Laura Fuentes says
Hemp protein powder is not always a good replacement for traditional flour. That said, I would replace the almond flour as long as it’s more than 1 cup in the recipe. They have similar texture and properties. It is not a good substitute for oat flour.
Lauren says
Great substitutes!
Alice says
Doing some grain free baking today and this was super helpful
Shannon says
Perfect!
Willa says
So many great swaps!
Lilac says
helpful!!
RF says
Hi there! Let’s say a muffin recipe called for 1 cup gluten free flour and a half cup almond flour…could I use 100% gluten free, or sub cassava for the almond? Thanks!
Laura Fuentes says
If a recipe calls for 1 cup gluten-free flour and 1 cup almond flour, you can probably get away with a total 2 cups (maybe 2 tablespoons less) of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Cassava is simply a starch and not a good substitute. I am not sure what type of recipe you’re making but perhaps look for the recipe already measured for only gluten-free flour. I hope this helps!
Patti Hitchcock-McMillan says
I am replacing oat flour for almond flour. Do I keep the eggs the same or add?
Laura Fuentes says
Hi Patti. I can’t advise because it depends on the recipe. With most recipes that have 2 or fewer eggs, you should be ok.
Shariefa MOMATH says
Can I replace the oat flour with sunflower seed flour
Laura Fuentes says
Unfortunately no.
Donna says
Any suggestion on what flour to use for a person allergic to eggs, wheat, and rye?
Laura Fuentes says
Yes. I would use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour Baking mix. It’s gluten-free, egg free, and can easily be substituted in most recipes 1:1.
Leah says
What is the ratio to use almond flour instead regular white flour?
Ie. If a recipe calls for 1 cup white flour, 1 egg, oil
Do I double the amount of eggs and oil?
Thank you
Laura Fuentes says
Although it can be a 1:1 substitute, it really depends on the recipe. I would search for the recipe you want specifically made for almond flour so you don’t waste your ingredients.
Cristy says
Oops…..if I substitute cashew flour for almond flour 1:1 do I need to adjust the number of eggs in my recipe? Disregard previous message from me.
Laura Fuentes says
Hi Christy, the amount of eggs should stay the same. Happy baking!
Kelly says
I am just a bit confused, so can I use oat flour as an almond substitute. 1:1. I am looking for recipes that are keto and almond free as my son has a severe reaction to almonds.
Laura Fuentes says
Hi kelly, oat flour is not a keto-friendly flour since it has a lot of carbs. I suggest you search for coconut flour recipes instead. Good luck!
Jenny says
Hi Laura! Thank you for all of this great information! What are your thoughts on hazelnut flour?
Laura Fuentes says
I’m very fond of Hazelnut flour. I love the taste of it in baked goods. It performs like almond flour and can be used in recipes 1:1. unfortunately, it’s expensive although delicious!
kendall says
Hi, was that a typo when you said that if a recipe calls for 2 cups of almond flour, to use 1/2 cup of whole wheat and 1/2 cup of white? Did you mean 1 cup of each or do you decrease the amount of flour if not using almond flour?
Thanks
Laura Fuentes says
It’s not a typo. The typical “rule” is a 2:1 ratio (2 almond: 1 wheat). However, it is not that way if you want to solely use whole-wheat flour. It’s denser. You can only substitute up to half a cup of the flour with whole wheat. At that point, I recommend you search for a recipe that’s been developed with the flour you have on hand.
LJinPA says
I have celiac and make gluten free flour blends for all purpose use. I recently learned I need to avoid almonds because of high oxalate content. If I’m making a gluten free flour blend that calls for almond flour, would oat flour be a 1:1 substitute? Thanks!
Laura Fuentes says
It really depends on what the purpose of that flour will be. Rarely almond flour is used in a gluten-free flour mix. It’s usually found in a paleo mix. These are two different types of flours and behave differently. Oat flour is a good substitute for traditional flour and you should not have to “mix” it with anything else.
Rachelle Unruh says
Would I do 1:1 ratio if I am using Cassava flour instead of Almond Flour? I am on the AIP diet and can’t have nuts.
Laura Fuentes says
In most cases, you can substitute cassava flour at a 1:1 ratio for almond flour. However, I highly recommend skipping the “substitution” and searching for recipes that were specifically created with accurate measurements to be used with cassava flour.
Chrsse says
I want to thank you for the cassava info! I appreciate the straight up advice to find a recipe specifically for cassava. This entire post is so helpful!
Latane says
I would like to try to make cheese straws out of almond flour. The recipe is 1 lb cheese, 2 cups plain flour and a stick butter. Do you think I can sub almond flour 1:1. Advise please.
Laura Fuentes says
I can only advise on recipes that I’ve tried myself and I have not tried it with those. Before you waste 2 cups of almond flour, I highly suggest you search for a recipe specifically developed with almond flour as the base.
Simone says
Hello, I have a few relatives that have nut allergies. Can I replace Almond flour for oat flour in my French macarons?
Laura Fuentes says
Simone, I recommend you look for a Macarons recipe created with whole-wheat flour or google for a “nut-free” French Macarons recipe. It’s always best to find recipes that were tested without having to make a substitution.
Sarah says
So how much oat flour should be used when substituting it for the almond flour in the bread recipe above?
Laura Fuentes says
If you are talking about the banana bread recipe linked in the post, you can use 1:1 oat flour for traditional flour.
Elisabeth Serrano says
Almond flour is indeed delicious and the best to make wonderful baked goids but, it us not available everywhere. Have you tried banana flour o peanut flour? Banana flour is avaikable and cheap in many countries as well as peanuts. In your experience, could these make a good keto flour substitute?
Laura Fuentes says
peanut flour, when finely ground, works as a great substitute for almond flour. I haven’t tried using banana flour but it’s very starchy and I don’t think it will behave as almond flour. I hope this helps!
Cheah says
Hi Laura, is it possible to substitute part of almond flour with coconut flour?
Laura Fuentes says
Hi Cheah, I just created an entire section in the post with this answer. The short answer: coconut flour is never a substitute for almond flour without changing the measurements of the other ingredients in the recipe.
Denise Carter says
carterscaps@yahoo.com
I really enjoyed your site.
Question; I made a 4 layer desert. Tried to keep it Keto. The bottom is the crust. I used almond flour, butter, pecans. It was tasty but the crust did not hold together as well as flour. Any suggestions?
Thank you, Denise Carter
Laura Fuentes says
When the crust doesn’t hold as well and it crumbles, I would suggest more “liquid” to help it stick. Depending on the recipe it can be butter, oil, egg, etc.
Rachel says
I have a cookie receipe that calls for two cups of flour but I want to use almond flour would I still use 2 cups
Laura Fuentes says
I suggest you find a recipe developed specifically for almond flour. As stated in the video and the post, it really depends on the recipe and you might be wasting expensive almond flour down the drain.
Feena says
Hi
If the original recipe use 1 1/2 cup of wheat flour and 4 eggs, how many cup of almond flour i have to use? The amount of eggs same or different? Thanks
Laura Fuentes says
Almond flour is not a substitute for wheat flour in most recipes. I suggest you look for a recipe that was developed with almond flour.
Deborah says
Hey shall I replace almond flour with oat flour by weight or volume?
How to replace one cup almond flour with oat flour?
Will baking powder or liquids need to be adjusted? Thx
Laura Fuentes says
It depends on the recipe, I usually adjust the volume by 1:1.
CT says
Hello, I’m looking at a recipe that calls for 1 cup almond flour. I don’t have almond flour, but have a gluten-free all-purpose flour that consists of rice flour potato starch, tapioca starch and xantham gum. Will I be able to use 1 cup of this gluten-free all purpose flour to substitute the almond flour?
Laura Fuentes says
Unfortunately, I cannot advise on a recipe that I haven’t developed or tested.