37 Almond Flour Recipes for Nuttier Cookies, Cakes, and Dinners
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Whether you’re looking for gluten-free alternatives or want to add nutty flavor to your baked goods, almond flour is an ingredient worth stocking in your pantry. Our best almond flour recipes include plenty of baked goods, like soft, colorful Persian cookies, as well as go-to breakfasts (almond flour pancakes and flourless blueberry muffins, anyone?). While many of these recipes are completely gluten-free, plenty of them pair almond flour with wheat flour, relying on the almond’s nutty flavor to enhance the taste and texture of various baked goods: Almond flour anchors a light joconde sponge and gives mini semolina cakes a moist, marzipan-like center.
When shopping for almond flour, you’ll see quite a few types at the store. What’s the difference between blanched and unblanched almond flour? The nuts in blanched almond flour have been flashed in boiling water and stripped of their skins, giving the resulting flour a creamier color (it’s often used in French macarons). Unblanched almond flour is just as finely ground, but since the almonds’ skins haven’t been removed, it will have some specks of dark brown. Appearances aside, these two flours function in the exact same way and can be used interchangeably. Almond meal is ground slightly coarser, but in most cases can be used as a substitute for almond flour too.
Photo by Farrah Skeiky1/37Toots (Soft Almond Flour Cookies)
Made with almond flour, rosewater, and sugar, toots (the Persian word for “mulberry,” and the name of these tiny treats) are traditionally made for Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. But we love to make this almond flour recipe year-round.
Photo by Shutterstock2/37Madeleines With Lavender Honey
A French patisserie staple, these madeleines are sweetened with lavender honey for a subtly fragrant, floral note. Yes, you will need a special pan, (though a mini cupcake tin can work in a pinch) but that means you can bake them again and again.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova3/37Joconde Cake
With its light, pliable crumb, sponge cake is ideal for jelly rolls and Bûche de Noël cakes. Traditional sponge cake recipes call for just all-purpose flour, but this one adds in a touch of almond flour for nutty depth.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell5/37Flourless Almond-Blueberry Muffins
Who doesn’t love waking up to fresh muffins? This almondy blueberry muffin is both gluten- and dairy-free; it gets its moist, tender crumb from applesauce. Not feeling the blueberries? This recipe would be just as good with chocolate chips.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi6/37Cauliflower-Crust Pizza With Tomatoes and Mozzarella
A pizza stone will take your homemade pizzas from good to great. But if you don’t want to collect another piece of kitchen equipment, no problem: Just flip a rimmed metal baking sheet upside-down and preheat it in the oven before sliding in your pie.
Photo by Alex Lau7/37Olive Oil Cake
If you’re not already baking with liqueurs, consider this recipe your invitation. Amaretto teams up with almond flour to deliver a warm, double-almond punch to this simple single-layer cake. Unlike butter, olive oil stays liquid at room temperature, which keeps this cake moist for days.
Photo by Paige Green9/37Granola Bark
This recipe for grown-up granola bars comes from Elisabeth Prueitt, cofounder of San Francisco’s Tartine and a maven of gluten-free baking. This crunchy granola “bark” gets its sweetness from maple syrup and coconut sugar; egg whites provide structure and keep the shards intact, making for the perfect portable breakfast.
Leo Gong10/37Insanely Good and Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies
Homemade almond flour is simply ground almonds, and while it’s not always a perfect swap for the bagged stuff, freshly ground almonds can be used as a gluten-free flour substitute in some baking recipes. Use it to make cakey, chocolaty almond flour brownies, spiced with cinnamon and sweetened with maple sugar.
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua14/37Tahini Hot Fudge Skillet Cake
Trade the cake pan for your favorite cast-iron skillet. This hot fudge skillet cake recipe calls for blanched almond flour, which keeps the cake gluten-free, while tahini adds dairy-free richness to the fudge-like cake.
Pierce Richard15/37Crispy Braeburn Apple and Almond Sheet Tart
Spreading a layer of almond cream at the base of a tart or galette keeps the base from going soggy. This sneaky ingredient has been a secret of French bakers for years, and it’s the key to this crispy-bottomed apple-almond galette. Keep this dessert recipe on hand for special occasions.
Photo by Katie Newburn16/37Zucchini Pizza Crust With Lemony Pea Pesto
You’ve heard of cauliflower-crusted pizza, but have you ever tried zucchini pizza crust? Once you’ve baked the season’s inaugural loaves of zucchini bread, use the grated green squash in a crisp pizza crust, topped with punchy, fresh pea pesto.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco, prop styling by Emily Eisen17/37Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Francesco Tonelli18/37Sour Cherry Crumble
Sour cherries have a short season, so when you spot them, act fast. Use your bounty in this easy fruit crumble, which celebrates the classic combination of almonds and cherries. You can top it with freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but we prefer it with a dollop of lemony whipped ricotta.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime19/37Vegan Leek Latkes
Latkes aren’t just for Hanukkah. Almond flour and breadcrumbs bind these potato patties, helping them hold together while frying. Throw a latke party with an array of toppings like smoked salmon, dill, and sour cream. Or keep it simple with applesauce.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou20/37Gluten-Free Apple and Oat Muffins
Sprinkle an almond and oat crumble over the tops of these nutrient-packed muffins. Grated apples lend moisture, while also giving them an apple-cake-like texture. Pack them in a lunch box for a satisfyingly sweet breakfast to go.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Anna Stockwell21/37Flourless Pistachio Cake With Strawberry Meringue
Studded with pistachios and dusted with pulverized freeze-dried strawberries, this cake is a showstopper. If you can’t get your hands on superfine sugar for the meringue, just blitz some regular sugar in the food processor.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food & prop styling by Diana Yen23/37Gluten-Free Banana-Almond Pancakes With Date Caramel
Channel the flavors of banoffee pie in your weekend breakfast with these almond flour pancakes. No need to reach for the maple syrup—blend soaked dates to make a sticky, sweet (but refined sugar-free) caramel-like sauce.
Zoe Singer24/37Gluten-Free Coconut Layer Cake
Coconut and almond are a perfect pairing—just look at the staying power of the Almond Joy. Since both the frosting and cake can be made a day ahead, this is one of our favorite recipes for hosting—all you have to do day-of is assemble.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton25/37Flourless Almond Cookies With Cardamom, Orange Zest, and Pistachios
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni29/37Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cake
Dense, fudgy flourless chocolate cake will always have a special place in our hearts, but if you’re looking for a twist on the classic, give this almond flour chocolate meringue cake a spin. Swirling some of the reserved meringue with the cake batter before baking results in a striking marbled top—no decoration necessary.
Photo by Alex Lau30/37Semolina–Lemon Syrup Cakes
In this recipe, almond flour pairs up with semolina flour, a finely ground wheat flour commonly used in Italian pasta making. The resulting mini cakes have a superfine crumb, with sticky, marzipan-like centers.
William Abranowicz31/37Black Sesame-Pear Tea Cake
When ground finely, black sesame seeds eventually reach a spreadable consistency, similar to that of nut butter. The paste’s complex, umami-driven flavor tempers the sweetness of the pears and sugary crust of this tea cake.
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks32/37Torched Banana Cake
Banana bread meets crème brûlée meets pineapple upside-down cake in this torched banana cake recipe. A kitchen torch will give you an evenly caramelized, crispy top, but if you don’t have one, pop the sugar-sprinkled cake under the broiler for a couple minutes.
Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua33/37Easy-Fancy Pear Galette
Using store-bought puff pastry cuts down on the total time spent on this elegant yet speedy dessert. It feeds 8–12 people, making it a great dinner party contender.
Photograph by Isa Zapata34/37Extremadura Almond Pie
You may be surprised to find almond flour in a custard, but trust us: it works. (Have you met frangipane?) This almond pie is a Spanish favorite that relies on almond flour to provide body to the filling, resulting in a dense, fudgy texture. Even if you have a go-to pie crust recipe, use the one provided here: It’s designed to fit perfectly in the deep-dish pie tin.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni35/37Raspberry-Almond Thumbprint Cookies
As beautiful as they are tasty, these raspberry thumbprint cookies should absolutely earn a spot in your holiday cookie tin this year, right alongside the fan-favorite chocolate chip cookies.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Prop Styling by Emily Eisen, Food Styling by Chris Morocco36/37Fresh Fruit Tart With Almond Press-In Crust
Photo by Ted Cavanaugh, Chelsea Cavanaugh, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton37/37Alfajores With Coconut Dulce de Leche
