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To make ground almonds at home, simply grind raw or blanched almonds in a food processor or high-speed blender until they reach a fine, flour-like consistency.
It’s one of the easiest kitchen shortcuts you’ll ever learn, and it saves you money too.
If you’ve ever stood in the baking aisle staring at pricey bags of almond flour, wondering how to make ground almonds at home, you’re in the right place.
With a handful of almonds and a few minutes, you can make ground almonds at home that work beautifully in cakes, cookies, smoothies, and even breading.
In this post, we’ll walk through how to make ground almonds at home step by step, the best techniques to get a fluffy texture, and the mistakes that turn ground almonds into almond butter.
Let’s get to it.
How to Make Ground Almonds at Home
Learning how to make ground almonds at home comes down to three things: the right almonds, the right equipment, and a little patience.
1. Start With the Right Almonds
To make ground almonds at home, you can use either raw whole almonds or blanched almonds with the skins removed.
Blanched almonds give you a lighter, finer grind that closely mimics store-bought almond flour.
Whole almonds with skins still work fine for most recipes, but the skins add a slightly bitter, earthy note.
If you want to make ground almonds at home that look and taste like the commercial stuff, go with blanched.
2. Dry Them Out First
Before you make ground almonds at home, make sure your almonds are completely dry.
If you’ve blanched them yourself, spread them on a baking sheet and let them air-dry, or toast them at 300°F (150°C) for about 10 minutes.
Dry almonds grind into a light powder, while damp almonds clump up and turn pasty fast.
This step is the difference between fluffy ground almonds and a sticky mess.
3. Grind in Short Pulses
The key technique for how to make ground almonds at home is pulsing, not blending.
Add your almonds to a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse in short bursts of 5 to 10 seconds.
After each pulse, scrape down the sides so everything grinds evenly.
Keep pulsing until the almonds resemble coarse crumbs, then fine flour.
If you run the machine continuously, the friction and oils will turn your ground almonds into almond butter before you know it.
4. Sift for a Finer Texture
Sifting is an optional but brilliant step when you make ground almonds at home.
Pour the ground almonds through a fine-mesh sieve and regrind whatever stays behind.
This gives you a silky, flour-like texture for delicate bakes like macarons and sponge cakes.
For everyday baking, you can skip the sifting and use your ground almonds as they are.
Tips for Perfect Ground Almonds at Home
These little tricks make all the difference when you make ground almonds at home.
1. Freeze the Almonds Before Grinding
Chilled almonds grind more cleanly because the cold keeps their natural oils firm.
Pop your almonds in the freezer for 30 minutes before you make ground almonds at home and you’ll notice a finer, drier consistency.
This is especially helpful with raw almonds, which are oilier than blanched ones.
2. Don’t Overgrind
The minute your ground almonds start clumping and climbing the sides of the bowl, stop.
Overgrinding releases the almond oils and pushes your flour toward butter.
A little unevenness is fine, so don’t chase perfection and risk ruining the batch.
3. Use One Cup Batches
Small batches are the secret to how to make ground almonds at home successfully.
One cup of almonds at a time gives the blades room to work and keeps the grind even.
Overfilling the processor leads to uneven results and a much longer grindy process.
4. Store Your Ground Almonds Properly
Once you’ve made your ground almonds at home, stash them in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.
For longer storage, keep your ground almonds in the freezer for up to six months.
Almond oils go rancid at room temperature, so the fridge is your friend here.
5. Don’t Use Ground Almonds as a 1:1 Flour Swap
Ground almonds made at home are not a straight swap for wheat flour in every recipe.
They have no gluten, so they can’t provide the same structure and rise.
Use them in recipes that call for almond flour, or blend them with other flours and binders for best results.
Once you get the hang of how to make ground almonds at home, you’ll never look at those supermarket bags the same way again.
So, How Do You Make Ground Almonds at Home?
You make ground almonds at home by drying raw or blanched almonds, pulsing them in a food processor until fluffy, and sifting for a finer texture.
It takes minutes, saves money, and gives you full control over quality.
Now that you know how to make ground almonds at home, grab a cup of almonds and give it a whirl.
Your next batch of macarons, muffins, or grain-free cookies will thank you.