Almond Flour Substitute for Recipes

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.

image: two small bowls side-by-side one filled with whole almonds and the other filled with almond flour.

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!

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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.

image: bowl of gluten-free flour to be used in place of almond flour.

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!

image: Gluten-Free flour blend in a sifter

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.

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.

I love using cassava flour to make these Cassava Flour Pancakes.

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.

image: stack of cassava flour pancakes topped with berries, butter and syrup.

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.