Is Almond Flour the Same as Ground Almonds? A UK Baking Guide
Usually, yes. In UK shops, almond flour is mostly sold as ground almonds: blanched, skinless almonds ground to a pale powder. US-style almond flour is often milled a little finer, and almond meal keeps the skins on. You can swap ground almonds for almond flour gram for gram in most recipes. They have 6.9g carbs per 100g, against 80.9g in plain white flour.
At a glance
- 1:1swap ground almonds for almond flour by weight
- 6.9gcarbs per 100g of ground almonds (CoFID)
- 80.9gcarbs per 100g of plain white flour (CoFID)
- 96gin a US cup of almond flour, against 120g of plain flour
On this page
If you've picked up a keto or low-carb recipe from an American website, you've probably seen "almond flour" on the ingredients list and then struggled to find a bag labelled that way in a UK supermarket. What you will find in the baking aisle is ground almonds, usually next to the flaked almonds and the marzipan.
This guide explains whether the two are really the same, how they differ from almond meal and defatted almond flour, how their carbs compare with wheat flour, and how to swap them without your bake going wrong.
Are almond flour and ground almonds the same thing?
In the UK, mostly yes. "Almond flour" and "ground almonds" are two names for the same basic ingredient: almonds ground into a powder. UK shops and recipes tend to say ground almonds, while US recipes say almond flour.
The standard bags of ground almonds in UK supermarkets are usually made from blanched almonds, which means the brown skins have been removed before grinding. That gives a creamy, pale powder with no dark flecks, which is what most American recipes mean by almond flour.
The small differences come down to two things:
- How fine the grind is. Products sold as almond flour, sometimes called "superfine", are often milled and sifted a little finer than standard ground almonds. Ground almonds can feel slightly sandier between your fingers.
- Whether the skins are left on. Some ground almonds, often labelled "natural" or "skin-on", are made from whole almonds with the skins left on. These are darker and flecked with brown, and closer to what Americans call almond meal.
There's no legal definition of either name, so brands use them loosely. The quickest check is the ingredients list and the colour. If the ingredient is "blanched almonds" and the powder is pale and even, it will work wherever a recipe asks for almond flour.
Ground almonds, almond flour, almond meal and defatted flour
Here's how the four names you're likely to see compare:
| Name on the pack | Made from | Texture and colour | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground almonds (UK) | Usually blanched almonds | Pale, fine, slightly sandy | Most cakes, bakes and keto recipes |
| Almond flour, superfine | Blanched almonds | Pale and very fine | Macarons, smooth sponges, pale bakes |
| Almond meal, natural ground almonds | Whole almonds with skins | Brown-flecked, coarser | Rustic bakes, crumbles, coatings |
| Defatted almond flour | Almonds pressed for oil first | Very fine, dry and light | Recipes written for it |
Based on how UK and US brands describe these products and the Almond Board of California's guide to almond forms. Names vary by brand, so always check the ingredients and how the product looks.
Defatted almond flour is the one to watch. Some of the oil has been pressed out, so it has less fat and more protein and absorbs more liquid. It isn't a straight swap for ground almonds or ordinary almond flour unless the recipe was written for it.
Carbs: ground almonds vs wheat flour
Ground almonds and ordinary (full-fat) almond flour have the same nutrition, because they're the same ingredient. Defatted almond flour has less fat and more protein, so check the pack for its figures. The big difference is against wheat flour. Here are the figures per 100g from the UK government's food composition data (CoFID):
| Per 100g | Carbs | Fibre (NSP) | Fat | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Almonds, flaked and ground | 6.9g | 7.4g | 55.8g | 612 kcal |
| Plain white flour | 80.9g | 3.4g | 1.4g | 352 kcal |
| Wholemeal flour | 69.9g | 8.8g | 2.0g | 327 kcal |
Source: CoFID 2021, foods 14-870, 11-886 and 11-889. Carbohydrate excludes fibre, as on UK labels. CoFID gives fibre for ground almonds by the older NSP method, so the fibre on a pack (measured by the AOAC method) is usually higher.
So ground almonds have less than a tenth of the carbs of plain flour, weight for weight. A 30g portion of ground almonds has about 2.1g of carbs, compared with about 24.3g in 30g of plain flour. On UK labels, fibre is already left out of the carbohydrate figure, so there's nothing to subtract. Our guide to whether almond flour is keto goes into how it fits a low-carb diet in more detail.
The trade-off is fat and energy. Ground almonds are more than half fat, so 100g has around 612 kcal, against 352 kcal for plain flour. That's one reason almond flour recipes tend to use less flour overall and more eggs.
Can you use ground almonds instead of almond flour?
Yes. For most recipes, swap them gram for gram. If a recipe asks for 100g of almond flour, use 100g of blanched ground almonds. Cakes, brownies, cookies, pancakes, crumbles and keto breads will all work.
A few things help you get the same result:
- Weigh, don't use cups. A US cup of almond flour is about 96g and a cup of almond meal about 84g, according to King Arthur Baking's weight chart. If an American recipe gives cups, convert to grams before you start.
- Pick blanched for pale bakes. For a pale sponge, macarons or anything where colour matters, use blanched ground almonds. Skin-on ground almonds give a darker, more speckled crumb and a stronger almond flavour, which suits rustic bakes and crumble toppings.
- Sift for smooth textures. If a recipe needs a very fine texture, such as macarons or a delicate sponge, sift the ground almonds and use the finer part.
- Don't swap in defatted flour. It absorbs much more liquid, so the mixture can turn stiff and dry.
Blitz ground almonds in a food processor in short pulses of a second or two, then sift. Stop as soon as it looks finer. Almonds are oily, so if you blend for too long they clump and start turning into almond butter. Blending with some of the recipe's sweetener or another dry ingredient helps stop clumping.
Baking with almond flour instead of wheat flour
Swapping ground almonds for almond flour is easy. Swapping either of them for wheat flour is harder. Almond flour doesn't form gluten, the stretchy network that holds a wheat dough or sponge together, and it's much higher in fat. That changes how a bake behaves:
- Binding. Without gluten, bakes are more tender and crumbly. Almond flour recipes usually use more eggs, and keto breads and doughs often add psyllium husk or xanthan gum to hold them together.
- Moisture. The oil in the almonds keeps cakes moist, but bakes can be denser than a wheat sponge.
- Browning. Almond flour bakes colour faster. If the top browns before the middle is set, lower the oven by 10–20°C or cover it loosely with foil.
- Cooling. Almond flour cakes and cookies are fragile when hot and firm up as they cool, so leave them in the tin for a few minutes first.
That's why it's best to use a recipe written for almond flour, rather than swapping it into a wheat recipe 1:1. If you want to compare it with coconut flour, lupin flour and other low-carb options, see our guide to keto flours. Coconut flour in particular absorbs far more liquid than almond flour, so the two aren't interchangeable.
If you'd rather not work out the ratios yourself, several of our baking mixes are made with almond flour, so you only need to add a few fresh ingredients:
Free delivery is on orders over £30.
Storage and allergens
Because ground almonds are more than half fat, they can go stale faster than wheat flour once opened. Keep them in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard and use them by the date on the pack. If you bake with them only now and then, keep them in the fridge or freezer and let them come back to room temperature before you bake.
Almonds are a tree nut, one of the 14 allergens that must be highlighted on UK food labels. Ground almonds, almond flour and anything baked with them, including our almond flour baking mixes, aren't suitable for anyone with a tree nut allergy. For a nut-free low-carb bake, look for recipes written for seed flours, such as sunflower or pumpkin seed flour.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use ground almonds instead of almond flour?
Yes. In most recipes you can swap them gram for gram, because UK ground almonds are usually blanched almonds ground to a fine powder, which is what most recipes mean by almond flour. For macarons or very smooth sponges, sift them first or pick a finely ground, blanched product.
Is almond meal the same as ground almonds?
Not quite. Almond meal usually means almonds ground with their skins on, so it's darker, brown-flecked and a little coarser. Most UK ground almonds are made from blanched almonds, so they're paler and finer. Skin-on ground almonds, sometimes labelled natural, are the closest UK match to almond meal.
How many carbs are in ground almonds?
According to CoFID, ground almonds have 6.9g of carbohydrate per 100g, of which 4.2g is sugars. That's about 2.1g in a 30g portion. Plain white flour has 80.9g per 100g. UK labels already leave fibre out of the carbohydrate figure, so there's no need to subtract it.
Can you swap almond flour for plain flour 1:1?
Not reliably. Almond flour doesn't form gluten and is much higher in fat, so a straight swap usually gives a denser, more crumbly result that browns faster. Recipes written for almond flour use extra eggs or a binder such as psyllium husk or xanthan gum. It's best to follow one of those.
How do you make almond flour from ground almonds?
Blitz the ground almonds in a food processor in short pulses, then sift and re-blitz any larger pieces. Stop as soon as the texture looks finer, because blending for too long releases the oil and turns them into a paste. Adding a little of the recipe's dry ingredients helps stop clumping.
Sources
- GOV.UK / Public Health England. Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID) 2021. Carbohydrate, total sugars, NSP fibre, fat and energy per 100g for almonds, flaked and ground (14-870), plain white flour (11-886) and wholemeal flour (11-889). Per-30g figures are our own calculations.
- Almond Board of California. Almond forms for every function: almond flour, almond meal, blanched and natural almonds, and defatted almond flour.
- King Arthur Baking. Ingredient weight chart: almond flour 96g, almond meal 84g and all-purpose flour 120g per US cup.
- Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK). Allergen guidance for food businesses: the 14 allergens, including tree nuts.
- Groovy Keto product pages: Keto Chocolate Brownie Mix, Keto Vanilla Cake Mix and Groovy Keto Cookie Mix: ingredients and allergen information.
