While I’m loving all of the almond-flour-based goodies coming out of my kitchen lately, unfortunately, almond flour isn’t cheap.
At first, I considered this a natural way to manage my baking habit– after all, I wouldn’t want to use such an expensive ingredient so often— but before long, my sweet tooth won out, and my bag of almond flour quickly disappeared.
I hate it when that happens.
MY LATEST VIDEOS—
Luckily, the lack of almond flour in my pantry gave me the perfect reason to try making my own almond flour.
I had no idea if a homemade version would work as well as my favorite Honeyville brand, but I figured it was worth a shot!
(And if you happen to have a Trader Joe’s in your area, blanched slivered almonds are pretty affordable!)
For my first attempt at homemade almond flour, I used a food processor to grind the almonds.
I was scared of turning my almonds into almond butter, so I used the “pulse” function to prevent the almonds from getting too blended. After a couple minutes of pulsing, I had a pretty good almond flour!
A little grainier than the Honeyville brand, but good enough.
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Next, I tried grinding the almonds in my Vitamix.
Since this blender is SO powerful, it only took about 20 seconds to turn one cup of almonds into a very fine flour! Definitely a better texture than using the food processor, so this will be the method I use from now on.
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Of course, simply grinding the flours wasn’t enough to know if they would really work in baking. I had to give them a test-run!
Oh, the things I must do for research.
I made a batch of almond flour sugar cookies, using one cup of the flour from the Vitamix and one cup of the flour from the food processor, and they turned out wonderfully! Perhaps just slightly grainier, thanks to the batch from the food processor, but still perfectly tasty and with a great texture.
I’ll definitely be using the homemade flour again!
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Now, for the important part.
How does the cost of making homemade flour compare to purchasing the Honeyville brand?
Let’s do the math:
8 oz. blanched slivered almonds (from my local Trader Joe’s) currently costs $2.49. That comes to about $0.31 per ounce.
5 lbs. of Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour (from Amazon with free shipping) currently costs $36.99. That comes to $0.46 per ounce.
So, that means you’d save $12.19 for each 5 lbs of almond flour that you make yourself.
Not bad! Still not as cheap as traditional flour, to be certain, but definitely worth it for those us wanting a grain-free option.
A few helpful tips for making your own almond flour:
- One cup of slivered almonds = about one cup of almond flour.
- One 8 oz. bag of these raw blanched slivered almonds turned into exactly 2 cups of almond flour–> just what you need for my cookie recipe!
- I only processed one cup of almonds at a time, as I was afraid that trying to blend too much at once would create an uneven texture.
- If you don’t mind seeing specks of brown in your resulting baked goods, you can also use regular (non-blanched) almonds for a similar result.
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I hope this helps you all create even more almond-flour-based goodies in the future!
Reader Feedback: Have you tried making your own flours before? Any good sources to share for cheaper blanched almonds or almond flour?
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
Ahh this is perfect! The main reason I haven’t tried almond flour yet is because it’s expensive, but I could totally make this myself! I wonder if you could do the same with chickpeas and make chickpea flour… although it’s not really that expensive so it’d probably just be easier to buy it. Bookmarking this one for sure. Thanks Megan!
Raw Michelle
LoL, believe it or not, as cheap as chickpea flour is, i even make my own rice flour too, and NOTHING is cheaper than rice flour. You can also just make coarse rice meal, and use it as a hot breakfast cereal. (I’m celiac, so oatmeal, my love, is off-limits because of the high likelihood of cross-field contamination) and the rice cereal at the store (I think it’s called cream of rice?) is made by Quaker- which means that during manufacturing, it spends a lot of time hanging out in a mill where wheat is also processed! Gah! Luckily, ^apparently we can make our flours ourselves, and still be safe, because whole grains are very hard to contaminate, since they can just be rinsed. 🙂
Kay
Don’t give up on oatmeal! Bob’s red mill products has gluten- free organic oats.
Lisa
One of Trader Joe’s oatmeal that comes in a resealable pouch is specifically gluten-free, safe for celiacs. Also, as mentioned Bob’s Red Mill tries to be also.
DanwhoCares
Hi Angela.
i hope you are still reading these comments. I left one for you, but I hit the wrong button and put is under #22 as a reply to “Beginner 28” by mistake. Please see it there. It might help you.
Dan
Jill
I usually take the leftover almond pulp from making my almond milk (which is done in a blender). Dehydrate the pulp, and then run the dried pulp through my food processor to reduce clumps. Works well for me.
Kym
You can use your Vitamix with chickpeas or almonds, but be forewarned the noise is just terrible. I either earplug or step outside for a minute or 2. Really hurts the ears! 🙁
Lacy
@Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat I have been getting ready to do a flour post about all different types of flours that you can make at home, cost differences, health differences, etc. I LOVE Hummus and have tried making my own version of “Chickpea flour” before and loved it for my hummus recipe! I have found in my research and in my own trying things out that you can make your own chickpea flour and it honestly costs about the same amount as buying it. I like to grind my own though. It makes me feel like I am not getting any extra fillers or anything in my flour. I will be posting it in about two weeks under my “Food” tab. You can check it out if you would like to.
Megan! Thank you for this post! It helped me in my research and confirmed a few things I was just pondering but hadn’t actually tried. I LOVE YOUR BLOG just for the record! I hope you don’t mind but in the post I mentioned to Angela about different flours, I hope to link to this post? I hope that’s okay?
Love and Blessings to you both,
Lacy
http://www.chosentheblog.com
Patrick
So glad you posed this, I had a question about almond flour. have you tried using the almond meal from Trader Joe’s in any of your recipes where this almond flour is used? Thoughts?
Megan
I haven’t tried using the almond meal, but I have seen some SCD books that called for almond flour OR almond meal– so I assume they can be used interchangeably?
Of course, that’s assuming that you’re not “baking to impress.” I have a feeling the almond meal would create a very grainy texture, which is why most recipes recommend using blanched almonds, so that you don’t have the texture from the skins. Let me know if you end up trying it!
Becky
I have used the bag of Trader Joes almond meal ($3.99) in every recipe I have tried here and its all good. I first used a $10.99 bag from my local health food store of a pure white almond flour, with the first receipt I tried…the TJ almond meal must have the skins on or be unbleached as it almost has a “wheat” look to the flour/meal. I have found it to have much better flavor and for the price stock up and keep it in the frig to last longer…so its on hand when I’m in the mood to bake! Thumbs up for the TJ almond meal!
Rosie@Dogs and Grandkids
I love TJ almond meal. I use it to bread anything I am going to fry. I haven’t tried baking with it.
Asia
I used Trader Joe’s almond meal and I agree…it gives the cookies a great flavor, and I prefer it over almond flour. Plus, it has more fiber, therefore, healthier :). Thanks for the tip!
Kate
Thank you!!!! I ust found this post about how you make your alomond flour from blanched slivered almonds. I will ge some tomorrow. This helped so much, and answers my previous post. 🙂
Brittany @ GOtheXtraMile
This is awesome! I’ve been wanting to try almond flour but couldn’t justify paying $15 for a tiny tiny bag lol
Juliet
Hello! Wonderful blog- I look forward to reading every day!I was also wondering what juicer you used; my birthday is coming up and I am going to treat myself to a juicer 🙂 but I’d love to have an idea of what to look for. Thanks!!
Megan
What a wonderful birthday present!
My favorite juicer is this Breville model: http://amzn.to/IocAfY Unfortunately, that model is REALLY popular right now, and rather hard to find in stores and online.
Another option, which is actually cheaper right now, is the upgraded model: http://amzn.to/HIlQC7
Happy shopping! 🙂
Lisa
This is such a great idea!! My bag of almond flour expired I just realized, so I will definitely try this out and not buy such an expensive bag!
sophie
Great post.
I have one question – Did you use the dry container for the Vitamix or the regular container to make the almond flour?
Megan
I just used the regular container! (I haven’t actually bought the dry container, since the regular one seems to handle everything I need.)
suzanne
I was going to ask that question which did you use the dry blade container as I don’t have that. So good to know!! Why don’t you use whole almonds? Why slivered? I would think whole raw almonds would be cheaper?
Megan
I used the slivered almonds because they came blanched– and I was trying to mimic the popular Honeyville brand of blanched almond flour. When I’m only baking for my own family, we do use whole almonds, because we don’t mind seeing brown flecks of almond skin in our baked goods!
Gail
I was told to use the dry.
Heather Brandt
I don’t know if I can find gluten-free raw almonds to try this out. We’ve had reactions to dry fruit from Trader Joes (it was processed on same equipment as wheat) so I don’t know if I’d risk trying their nuts and not sure if I could find safe nuts anywhere else that would make this recipe less expensive than buying a bag of nuts 🙁
Megan
I wouldn’t risk it either, then! How disappointing that there is cross-contamination. :/
Glenda
Heather, http://www.nuts.com sells gluten-free raw almonds. I can’t vouch for the safeness of them from a gluten perspective; I bought from them because I need food that’s not corn contaminated and they were mentioned as a possible resource for nuts and dried fruit.
Viking
Wonderful post about making your own almond flour. I’ve done it for years and it works like a charm. I am VERY cautious with anything from Trader Joe’s. I mostly buy organic frozen fruit, avocados, or organic eggs there if I can’t get to my usual healthfood store. But that’s about all. They do not sell much legit healthy food – read ingredients before purchasing anything. I find very little at TJ’s that isn’t loaded with wheat/soy/salt/sugar/ingredients I can’t pronounce, or doesn’t have a high probability for cross-contamination. (I have a slight wheat allergy/gluten sensitivity which spawned my transition to Paleo eating. Never been happier/healthier). Just be leery about TJ’s food if you are concerned about something like Celiac. God bless!
amy guillemin
hi–i dont have a vitamix. i have a kitchenaid regular sized food processor and a regular blener. how do you make your almond flour? it got too sticky in the food processor…thanks for any help! amy
LizAshlee
Oh, I have been wanting to get a Vitamix for awhile and my poor Ninja just went out! 🙁 What model did you get? Any advice regarding pros and cons? I love almond flour!! I have made oat flour but that’s about it..have a great day!
Megan
A broken blender is the PERFECT excuse to upgrade to the Vitamix, if you ask me. 😉 (that’s when I broke down and bought one myself!)
I have this model and absolutely love it: http://amzn.to/HGGgG8
Not only is it significantly cheaper than the “newest” model, it also seems to be more durable. I’ve seen the newer models break rather quickly, while mine is still running strong! Of course, they’re all covered under a great warranty, but it’s nice that I haven’t had to use it!
Hope you get one soon! It’s totally a life-changer.
Gina Marie
I too love my vitamix and will have to try this recipe thank you. Unfortunately I cracked mine yesterday when grinding dried cheese rinds. Thanks for mentioning the warranty. Will look into that. Luckily I bought it at Bed bath and beyond with a 20% off coupon and their exchange policy is awesome. Your recipes are really fantastic. I hope it ok if I share a contest with you that I entered.
http://www.steamykitchen.com/27628-giveaway-vitamix-giveaway-from-whole-foods-market-driscolls.html
Will Means
When you used your Vitamix did you use the dry blade attachment or the regular blade? We have a Vitamix but don’t have the dry blade.
Robin DeMaio
That Vitamix doesn’t have the variable speeds, which is CRITICAL to getting the most out of your Vitamix! If you are going to spend money to get one, which I recommend, and I absolutely love mine, get one that has the variable speeds so you can make anything and everything! I got a refurbished one, which has a 5 year warranty. Go to Blenderlady.com and check out her info! (This isn’t me, it’s just a great source of info and knowledge about Vitamixes) — I’m not getting anything by recommending the site, just passing along what I have learned. Good luck!
Kym
When looking for a new Vitamix, I would DEFINITELY get the model with the container that is shorter and wider. 2 reasons: 1. Much easier to clean and 2. Fits better under upper cabinets. Other than that, LOVE my Vitamix!
KellyB
Hi
FYI:
I have used unblanced almond meal in your shortbread cookies and they turned out good.
Megan
Oh, good! Thanks for letting us know!
Louey
I like to try to get organic when I can. Are almonds one of those foods that doesn’t matter if you don’t buy organic?
Liz
I heard somewhere that all almonds in america have to be pasteurized, So I am lazy and get blanched almonds. Something about almond skins though
Angela
Just wanted to let you know Ange (from Eat spin run repeat) and I are drooling over your blog right now. hehe. Going to try the vitamix juice this weekend! xo
Megan
Make sure you strain your juice with something that you don’t mind getting stained! I ruined my first nut milk bag doing that… I’ve heard nylons work well. 😉
Hope you ladies enjoy your weekend!
Sharon B
Megan, I had a few (unused!) packages of Sheer Energy pantyhose. The legs are sturdy and they work great for straining almond milk or coconut milk.
Kilee
Perfect! I also love using almond flour, but hold out on purchasing it because of the price. I too thought, “oh I just won’t bake as much.” Yeah right! Thanks for sharing this on the blog. Have a great weekend!
Robyn@GirlonRaw
I actually make my own almond flour by making almond milk, dehydrating the pulp, then grinding the pulp down into a flour in the VM. Then you get two uses out of 1!
Megan
I’ve never had luck with turning my almond pulp into flour– the texture is always off! You’ll have to share your secret with me. 😉
Robyn@GirlonRaw
Hey girl 🙂 not sure this is much of a secret but here is video I filmed on how to do it http://girlonraw.com/2010/09/3596/
Robyn@GirlonRaw
Oh hey and I just saw you are based in LA. I am coming from Saudi Arabia to Long Beach next week for 10 days – so excited. Any places I MUST see? I am so excited too as I am meeting up with my gal pal Kristen Suzanne (I see you have her in your blog list) too 🙂 xxx
Megan
Thanks for the video! I’ve actually never been to Long Beach, but I usually recommend avoiding all the tourist-y areas if you plan on visiting LA. I like to take visitors to Griffith Park or the Hollywood sign for a hike, instead!
Hope you enjoy your visit with Kristen! 🙂
Veggie V! @ Veggie V's Vegan Adventure
I’ve really started looking forward to your posts. Love the grain-free desserts. Keep em comin!
Also, I’d been wondering about the home made almond flour too, so thanks for doing the leg-work! I would have done the same thing you did: try the food processor and then the Vitamix (or vise versa). I’m stocked up on the Trader Joe’s almond meal (have to travel to get to one, so stock up on whatever I can when I can), and you’re right, it doesn’t make very pretty food, but it does the job 😉
Eleni
Hi! I’m so glad I found this! I have been using Bob’s Red Mill almond flour/meal, not knowing that everybody seems to hate it. I just bought a Vitamix last week, so as soon as Trader Joe’s opens I’m heading out to buy some blanched almonds so I can make my own almond flour! Hopefully it turns out much better than Bob’s Red Mill.
Lynn D
Am going to try the almond flour from Azure standard as it has a good
price and delivers to next town.
Read on one website about the almond pasteurization that is required.
so called different stores to find out how their almonds or other nuts
were treated. Costco said all Kirkland labeled nuts are treated with PPO. Some places steam pasteurize and if roasted , that is considered pasteurizing…
What coffee grinder do you use? wanted one for grinding up cinnamon sticks,anise seeds…
Megan
Yes, almond pasteurization is required on all almonds in the USA, unless you can find a source directly from a local farmer. Many raw food websites offer imported Italian almonds, though, which are supposed to be truly raw. I’ve also seen the Italian raw almonds popping up at Whole Foods lately!
This is the coffee grinder I use, and I highly recommend it: http://amzn.to/INo9ni
Beth
Hi All,
I love the products sold by Matt Monarch at RawFood World. If I recall correctly he has been able to source truly raw almonds. Check out at http://www.rawfoodworld.com –
Marsha
What does PPO mean?
Dia
My concern is that the Trader Joes Almonds are not Organic… and I was under the impression that almonds are one food you want to buy organic…
Megan
Yes, organic is always ideal, but I’ve found it very challenging to find blanched organic almonds. So, that seems to be the compromise if you want perfect-looking cookies.
I’ve actually started grinding my own almond meal for baking, since Trader Joe’s does offer organic whole almonds now, so that’s always a good option, too!
Cathie
I just found a local farm that sells organic raw almonds. Haven’t order them yet, literally just found them. Site is organicalmondsraw.com I will let you know how they look when I received them. Made lots of almond milk today, and meal is in the oven right now, getting ready to attempt almond flour. Did I read somewhere that you can freeze almond milk? I made too much. Thank you for such a great and insightful website. Love reading it all.
Grace
Hi Megan! So, If you make almond flour using whole raw almonds, with the skins on them, will it just be grainier, or will it be the same with little specks of the skin color? Lots of Love, Thank yah bunches, Grace
Megan
Yes, I actually just grind down whole almonds now– it’s quick and easy! Just a little darker, due to the skins…
suzanne
Hi Megan I am confused? When I grind down whole almonds it makes my almond butter. Do I need to grind it longer to make flour?
Megan
Hi Suzanne! When you grind whole almonds into almond butter, they actually go through the “almond flour stage” quickly at the beginning of that process. It only takes 30-60 seconds in a blender (depending on the power) to create almond flour, while it usually takes more than a few minutes to grind them down into butter.
Cheryl
Hi Megan, Can you tell me which Vitamix you recommend? I tried clicking the link under your “recommended products” section, but when you click on the Vitamix, it takes you to the page for the juicer 🙂 I did a search myself on Amazon and there quite a few models. I had a little sticker shock when I saw how pricey they are, but considering how much almond flour I use, this would pay for itself for that alone within a year. Now, if only they’d open a Trader Joe’s in my area of PA! (for now, I’ll have to stock up at the one in NJ when I go to visit family once a month!)
Megan @ The Detoxinista
Hi Cheryl!
This is the Vitamix model that I own and love: http://amzn.to/HGGgG8
It’s an older model, and therefore much cheaper than some of the newer versions– but I also find that it’s more durable! I’ve used the newer model, and actually prefer mine, so I’d buy this one again in a heartbeat. (And will, if mine ever breaks!) If you order it on Amazon, like I did, it comes with free shipping and a 5 year warranty, too!
With how much almond flour, nut butters and almond milk I’m able to prepare at home, they absolutely pay for themselves! 🙂
Mercedes
FYI – Costco has begun carrying this blender regularly in stock and the fancier new version when trade shows have been coming into town. It might be another way to get a discount on this expensive (but worth it) blender.
Mary
Hi, Vitamix will sell you a “refurbished” mixer for about $100 cheaper; I purchased one through them about 3 years ago, and have been VERY pleased. They also give you the regular “new mixer” warranty, recipe book, etc. and were wonderful to work with over the phone. I’ve purchased the “dry” container since, and the almond flour comes out beautifully fine and fluffy.
Carolyn
Hi Cheryl, You might also check out QVC for a Vitamix. They have featured one as their today’s special value in January for the last two years. I got my new one for $399 with free shipping. It has a 64 oz container, is variable speed, has a 5 year warranty and came with a cookbook plus a drinks book. I have a 20 year old Vitamix that still works fine, but the new one was such a good buy that I couldn’t pass it up. QVC has Vitamixers on their website regularly too.
Jennifer
I recommend Ammin Nut Company, http://www.amminnut.com/ They’re a small family-run place in California. I just got a Vitamix, so I can’t wait to try making my own almond flour! I’ll pick up some blanched, silvered almonds at TJs.
By the way, for those of you on the fence, if you call Vitamix directly, they can do a 3-payment plan for you. I got a great deal on a refurbished machine that way. Google for a coupon code for free shipping too.
Nancy Michel
You can make the following types of flours at home. Using a Vita-Mix is the easiest way, but a food processor, blender or even a coffee grinder (if you don’t need to much) will work.
-Almond
-Hazelnut
-Walnut
-Rice
-Quinoia
-chickpea
– Any dried beans (use as thickeners for soups, stews or for making veggie dips
Hopes this helps.
Beginner28
I’m just now starting on my Paleo journey and was wondering if anyone knew of any blenders that are not $200+ that would still do the trick? I’m not wealthy and cannot afford a $400 blender!! ($400 is much better spent on bills and groceries!! LOL)
I would really like to try this, but I am currently lacking a blender.
Thanks!!
Megan
This $20 coffee grinder works great! http://amzn.to/NdiZTs
As far as blenders go, I haven’t found an affordable one that’s even remotely as effective as the Vitamix…
Alessandra
I like the Hamilton Beach Wave Maker Blender…Model 56221> It costs around $70 but is totally worth it. We’ve had one for three years at least and have made green smoothies with it almost daily and it is still going strong. Also great for making almond milk. I wouldn’t try to make almond meal in a blender as they are too narrow and would be hard on the blender. If you also have a food processor and did it a bit in the food processor and then a bit in the blender it might work…but a bit is all you need to do as otherwise it will turn to butter.
Nicole
I have a KitchenAid blender that I paid $100 for at Target. I couldn’t afford a good one at the time either. It had twice the power of the Oster blenders and has worked really well for the 2 years I have had it. I also bought the food processor and I don’t recommend it. The blender works much better for all my needs.
DanwhoCares
Welcome to the journey. The thing about the Vitamix besides its awesome power is that blade. it is NOT sharp. Therefore it crushes and mashes its contents rather than cutting and dicing them. I bought a cheap cuisinart portable last year and noticed in cleaning it that its blade can be used 1) sharp side or (repositioned upside down on its stem) 2) mashing side. Since it needs its plastic jar to operate (interlock), I haven’t wanted to use it, but I believe you could. Mine is the cheapest model, the “”Smart Stick with blender grinder attachment” It cost about $40 on sale at Macys.
Good luck.
And “Thanks Angela” for starting this post. Megan, I’m also replying to Angela up in #1 position. I appreciated your answer to her noting the conditions in flour mills, even the best of them.
DanwhoCares
Angela, I’m glad you are raising these important issues. To put my reply in context, let me digress and give you a bit of history. Sometime over 30 years ago I had a long daily doze of antibiotics and knew nothing about correcting my intestinal flora with acidophilus etc. The result was an overwhelming overgrowth of candida that eventually poisoned me. Twenty years ago I was very ill and was brought to health by a nutritionist who had studied with Dr. Loomis (NESS probiotics founder). The regimen of digestive enzymes and probiotics cured my bronchitis and stopped my asthma and cleared the candida from my brain so I could thing clearly again. Since then when I become careless and eat wheat, sugar, etc. the candida comes back and my brain goes into muddle. (Please remember that is different from Muggle.) Recently the nutritionist took me off ALL grain (except Quinoa and Amaranth) — as well as all sugary things. So I am becoming largely a raw organic foodie. (nuff of this)
The issue raised has several parts. Why not to buy flour? 1) All commercial flours are made in large machines which require maintenance and lubrication: since a bit of detergent residue and lubricating oil are allowed (by the U.S. Government) to be mixed into the food without anyone getting in trouble OR telling us, you can be assured that pre-packaged has most in it than the basic ingredient. 2) Granaries attract bugs and rodents which leave droppings of which a small amount is allowed in commercial grains and products. 3) Raw seeds and nuts have a germ along with fat, protein, and carbs. Once these are ground (whether roasted first or not) the germ and fat begin to spoil. This is how Betty Crocker (General Mills) made fortunes by selling white flour that is simply starch with the spoilable items removed (and Kellogg and Post made fortunes by doing the same thing with their “corn flakes”). 4) We consumers have no way of knowing how old grain is or how long ago it was ground into flour: it could be years old, like some peanut butter in stores. Manufacturers have ways of concealing rancidity so we do not notice it. 5) We cannot control what goes into commercial flour. Did you know that commercial “whole wheat” flour only needs to be 51% whole wheat flour and the rest can be white flour? Cheaper ingredients are allowed in all flours in small amounts (but that isn’t what we think we are buying is it?). There are other reasons too, but freshness and product control are the main reasons for grinding you own. I hope you continue on this path to a long healthy life.
Lisa
Hi, I make almond milk and wondered if I could use the pulp once dydrated in the oven again and blitzed, how long this would last for?
I seem to have a lot of pulp in the freezer now and not sure what to do with it…
Thanks 🙂
Megan
If the almond pulp is thoroughly dried in the oven, I would imagine it could last a while (maybe up to a month?). The more moisture you remove, the longer it will last at room temperature. Of course, I always err on the side of caution, and prefer to store things in my fridge for longer shelf life!
deb neulander
do you soak the almonds before grinding? if so, how do you dry them out?
Megan
I personally don’t soak mine before grinding. Technically, it would be better if you did soak them (to remove enzyme inhibitors), but then you would have to dry them in an oven or dehydrator. Moist nuts definitely won’t work, and I don’t have that kind of patience! I’ve heard that grinding and cooking nuts does help with mineral absorption, so hopefully that’s good enough. 🙂
narf7
I make my own almond milk to have in tea (the only milk aside from the more expensive cashew milk to give me a satisfying result with my regular beverage of choice) and I use the resulting almond lees to make almond flour with. I dehydrate the almond mass left over from processing the milk in the slow oven (drying oven) of my wood burning stove until it is well dried and crush the malty mix up to use as almond flour. Its light, fluffy and very flour like and fantastic for using for baking. The maltiness comes from soaking the raw almonds overnight before making the milk and its a very tasty flavour in baked goods.
janaki
What a great conversation! thanks to everyone for all the info. I have been ordering almonds from Briden Wilson farms in 10 pound bags, so i know they are raw and untreated. Love them! They taste better than any other almonds i’ve tried. I’m cooking for a family of five so we go through them quickly enough. I’ve never made almond flour though, going to try this week.
As far as blenders go, I’ve been cooking for twenty years with cheaper blenders. I finally saved up and bought a blend-tec. And I so wish I bought one years ago. It is an absolute worthwhile investment. I don’t even strain my almond milk anymore. My blender suggestion is to stick with $30 blenders or go for the blend-tec or vitamix. Everything in between just isn’t worth it.
Pamela in Puyallup WA
I’m loving the great insight of info here! I wanted to point out that Costco has the Blendtec Blender in our stores for $320 right now, and regularly, if purchased online or in department stores, it’s nearly $500. I LOVE it and cannot recommend it enough, if you can save a bit for it and get it. LOVE costco as they warranty things great and returns are a breeze, if need be. The unit they have at Costco also comes with the “Wildside” (larger) blender jar, to accommodate the bigger recipes from making soups, breads, ice-creams and so much more! =) I just got mine about last week (early Oct.) and they were getting down to about 20-ish there, so hurry, if you can! Luvz!
kat calder
I too have the Blendtec and love it. Fits under the counter and doesn’t need a plunger. Two plusses over the Vitamix in my book and slightly less expensive. Going to try almond flour. Thanks for the tips on this site.
Raquel bravo
Enjoyed all comments re. Almond flour. I am interested in whether the flour with the almond skins make it more nutritious or not. Comments.???
TonyaA
Megan, thank you for posting both options (and the link to the cookies) :-D. I’m going to make cookies for my Daddy, who has celiac disease. I have several types of gluten-free flour but no almond flour :/. I do, however, have about 4lbs of almonds! Yay!!
Patrick
Just a note: Amazon is now selling the almond flour for 43.99
da
wwww.nutsonline.com/www.nuts.com has gluten free and vegan everything, nuts, spices, flours, snacks,etd. Just click the gluten free tab and then nuts anbd you will see gluten free almonds and almond products
Melinda
I have a Vitamix and was going to try this recipe. How high did you have your Vitamix to grind the nuts for 20 seconds? Thanks!
Megan
I usually keep mine on low– too high, and it will become nut butter quickly! I use the tamper to help move them around, too.
Melinda
Thanks so much for your quick help! 🙂
Christine
Why not go all the way and blanch your own almonds. Here’s how: put 1 cup almonds in a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup and fill with water (filtered) till it covers the almonds. Place in microwave for 2 minutes. The skins slip right off when cooled enough to touch! I’ve been doing this for years saving lots of $$! Love the ideas here!
Sarah
Cannot wait to try this!! I am not gluten free but I limit refined carbs because of my body type. I also live in the Middle East where it is nearly impossible to find this!! Thanks 🙂
Sharon B
Jill, Robyn, and Narf7 (and anyone else who makes almond flour from the remaining pulp after almond milk is made), have you also used commercial almond flour? I wonder how they compare, besides the fact that the oil in the nuts makes the flour “moist.” (And we know that homemade is cheaper!)
I’ve made “regular” (by blanching, removing the skins, and grinding), and “post-almond milk,” but I’ve never had enough of either type to make large enough recipes to compare the quality / characteristics.
Thanks,
Sharon
Megan
The “flour” made from almond pulp is very different from store-bought almond flour, thanks to the oil that is removed in the milk-making process. I have found I need to compensate by adding more fat to the mix in any baked goods that I try to use it in!
Sharon B
Thanks for your reply, Megan! I also found the almond pulp flour to be drier. I’ve found no recipes on-line that call for this type of flour, which would, as you mentioned, require additional fat (yum!).
BTW, I found a review of the two most popular commercial brands, comparing their texture. Interesting!
http://www.gluten-free-around-the-world.com/blanched-almond-flour.html . It appears that the difference between the two is the “grind” and NOT that one of them was de-fatted.
Megan
Also, make sure you try out my recipe for Raw Cookie Dough Bites: https://detoxinista.com/2013/03/raw-cookie-dough-bites-vegan/
It’s my favorite way to use up the leftover almond pulp! 🙂
Lynn Warren
I just bought 3 lbs of almonds at Costco for 12.69. If my math is correct that’s 26 cents per ounce. Better than Trader Joe’s price. Best of luck to everyone who is trying to live a better lifestyle. I love web sites like this. Thank you Megan.
Jen
Hi, I used a coffee grinder to make blanched almond flour using Trader Joe’s blanched almonds. Works great! I made chocolate chip cookies (based on your recipes) using about 1 cup of almond pulp, with a cup of homemade almond flour and about a half cup of TJs almond meal. Turned out really well, and healthy chocolate chip cookies. I will also try making the cookies without the almond pulp, but I had some and I decided to see how they would turn out.
P.S. I’ve also seen info about blanching almonds at home. It’s quick and you just pop off the skin (apparently where most of the “anti-nutrients” are), and you could dry them and try to make blanched almond flour this way…?
Nimbrethil
Thanks for posting this!
FYI, you can’t accidentally make a nut butter. It takes at least a good 25 minutes in a food processor to turn any nut into butter, and that’s the bare minimum. The process is faster if you roast the nuts first, and it can also depend on the power of the food processor or blender you’re using, but you’re not going to make a nut butter without deliberately trying, so just a minute or three of grinding any nut…it isn’t going to turn into butter that fast, so no need to stress that detail.
Megan
You can accidentally make almond butter if you grind your flour in a Vitamix– mine makes most nut butters in just about 1 minute! But, yes, in a food processor it would be nearly impossible.
Nancy Janigian
Happily I recently found you Megan 🙂 I can no longer have wheat and we have enjoyed a lot of your recipes. Since we don’t eat meat or fish etc either we rely a lot on nuts but with all the posts above I was concerned since it seems we can no longer get anything without it being laden with pesticides. I wrote to Paramount Farms who supplies costco with a lot of there nuts pistachios almonds … asked them if they used phosmet on their Wonderful pistachios 2 days ago have not heard back and if I had to guess probably will not. I read above that ALL costco’s nuts have PPO used on them does that include walnuts? Will buy TJ’s organic almonds after this thanks for the info on that. I attempt to buy organic most of the time but it is cost prohibitive with all the cooking that I do.
thanks for all your info 🙂
Leslie Eriksson
Thank you soooo much for this. I live on the island of Crete. While Cretans have some stuff that is different there is no way they have almond flour. I can now make my own. Looking forward as we are LCHF now for almost two years and I have been looking for a flour substitute as long as that!!!! HOORAH!!!!!
marcia
I found blanched, slivered almonds at Winco (a big grocery store with lots of bulk bins) for $3.65 for a whole POUND!that’s about 1/2 the price of TJs per pound. Anyone now the best blade to use for making almond flour in a food processor? I don’t have a Vita Mix.
Marilyn
I use whole almonds to make my almond flour. I soak them overnight, dehydrate them, use the food processor initially and then to my Blentec to finish it off to a nice flour. I store in the freezer so there is no chance of it becoming rancid. Nuts.com is a great place to purchase quality products.
Mark
Hey everyone,
I just found almond sliver on http://www.nutsinbulk.com/slivered-almonds-1-pound-bulk.html for $7.50/ pound
Just thought you would like to know…
Mark