Ingredient Guides

How To Make Almond Meal

By Samira Kazan

updated April 11, 2025

A Simple DIY for how to make almond meal PLUS almond meal vs. almond flour (and almond pulp), including recipe and usage suggestions!

Whether you follow particular dietary requirements and need an ‘alternative’ ingredient, or you just love almonds – this post contains a quick and simple DIY on how to make almond meal in just a few minutes. As well as a list of possible uses for the ingredient.

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• What is almond meal
• Almond meal vs. almond flour and almond pulp
• How to make almond meal
• Almond meal recipes and uses
• How to Make Almond Meal Recipe

What is almond meal

Almond meal is essentially ground up raw almonds into a relatively fine powder. The resulting ‘meal’ can then be used in a variety of recipes and is Keto, Whole30, Gluten-free, and Paleo-friendly. It is also a low-carb option.

It’s not technically the same as almond flour (as you’ll see in the next section) and can be called various things in-store like ‘ground almonds,’ ‘almond meal’ etc. However, there is a long list of ways that you can use almond meal in your diet.

Super nutritious containing lots of good fats, antioxidants, fiber, protein (6g per 1/4 cup serving), vitamin E, and magnesium. It also reduces hunger – to keep you full for longer.

Almond meal vs. almond flour and almond pulp

While it may seem like almond meal and almond flour are interchangeable, they are different ingredients. Whereas almond meal is made using plain untouched raw almonds, almond flour is made using blanched almonds (peeled). As a third option, you also have almond pulp – the leftover almond pulp after making homemade almond milk .

Including the skins affects the color and texture of the ingredient. For example, almond meal is darker and ‘chunkier’ than almond flour. Meanwhile, the almond pulp is similar to almond meal; however, it needs to be dried out before use.

Technically, all three of these ingredients can be used interchangeably in many circumstances. The noticeable difference is that the blanched almond flour will be less ‘grainy’ and more ‘refined’ – much like other flour varieties. Most recipes will be clear if they want you to use a specific product – especially as blanched almond flour is the most all-purpose flour-like in texture – so best for specific baked goods.

How to make almond meal

The process of making the almond meal is almost so easy that it’s not even worthy of a blog post. But the fact is, with it being such a versatile ingredient, I had to include this handy DIY here. Not only is making homemade almond meal practically effortless, but it also requires only ONE ingredient, a blender or food processor, and a few minutes of your time!

It is available to buy in stores, so some may wonder why bother to do it at home. Well, the truth of the matter is that it is often more cost-effective than store-bought options. Plus, it can taste better too – since it’s freshly ground. You don’t really know how long the almond meal in stores has been out for.

There are really only two steps to making almond meal:

First, pour your chosen amount of almonds into a blender or food processor (I also mention the coffee grinder method in the Notes section).

Then, blend until you receive a fairly fine powder (like fine bread crumbs).

Depending on the machine you use or how fine you want to blend the almonds, you can sieve the powder to collect the larger bits.

You can then grind them again to achieve a smoother texture.

However, there is a little bit more to it than just grinding the almonds. So read my How-To card below for the full instructions and tips. Otherwise, you may run the risk of ending up with almond butter (which, while delicious, definitely isn’t what we’re going for here).

Almond meal recipes and uses

There are a variety of ways that the meal can be used. For example:

• Using almond meal makes for a wonderful flour-free crumble topping.
• Almond meal can also be used as a breadcrumb substitute – both to coat items as well as to act as a binding agent. i.e., within meatballs, like this Mushroom & Lentil meatballs recipe.
• Pie & Tart crusts – both baked into as a gluten-free option, as well as for my vegan tarts. For example, this Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe .
• Cookies & Balls – whether using it in place of other flours or making almond-meal specific bites, i.e., these Almond Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies Recipe , or these Cacao & Almond Protein Balls .
• Candy Bars – Almond meal also works well for a variety of homemade candy bar alternatives. I.e., these Homemade snickers Bars (Vegan) and Vegan Twix Bars .
• Cakes – A wonderful gluten-free alternative. For example, in this Simple Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe .
• You can use almond meal to make marzipan or almond paste (like this Egg-Free Almond Paste recipe).
• Other – There are a variety of other sweet and savory recipes that you could use this meal in. For example, pancakes, crackers, this Gluten-free Muhammara Dip (Roasted Red Pepper Dip) , hummus, vegan cheese. It is also a good high-fiber addition to a smoothie.

Equipment

• Grain grinder

IngredientsUS CustomaryMetric1x2x3x

• ▢ 1.5 cup almonds

Instructions

• Place the almonds into a blender/food processor or seed grinder. * Depending on if you want to make just enough for a particular recipe or a large batch, it’s good to note that it’s usually around a 1.5:1 yield of almonds to almond meal. i.e., 1.5 cups of raw almonds will give you around 1 cup of almond meal.
• Pulse the almonds for 10-15 seconds at a time. In between pulses, shake up the blender to make sure the nuts are close to the blade again and not clumping up in the jug, then pulse once more. ** The almond meal is ready when it has a fine bread-crumb like consistency.
• Sieve the powder to collect larger bits and then grind them again.
• Transfer into an air-tight jar/container. You can store this in the fridge for 1 month or the freezer for 3 months.

Video

Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Recipes › Desserts

Almond Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies Recipe

By Samira Kazan

updated September 21, 2020

Delicious gluten-free, vegan bite-size almond & pistachio thumbprint cookies. Not only are they easy to make- they can either be baked or kept as a no-bake cookie recipe!

These almond pistachio thumbprint cookies are a delicious vegan and gluten-free cookies recipe using almond flour and pistachio butter. Unlike your generic shortbread thumbprint cookies, these vegan bite-size snacks have a delightful crumbly almond base and can be cooked or kept as a no-bake cookie recipe.

Depending on whether you want these as raw snacks or baked cookies, they are delicious. However, it’s worth noting that there will be some textural difference.

For the raw version, these pistachio thumbprint cookies are a little more gooey and moist. In comparison, when baked, these cookies are more crumbly.

I always love to switch up classic recipes and decided that rather than using the usual choice of jam filling for this thumbprint cookie recipe, I used some homemade pistachio butter .

Pistachio butter is one of the most delicious, decadent version of all nut butters and yet can be made at home with just pistachios, salt and a blender or food processor. Plus the pistachio flavour compliments the flavour of the gluten-free almond cookies.

These cookies are then an excellent healthier cookie snack option. They can also be displayed in mini cupcake cakes, in a gift box, for a delicious homemade edible gift at Christmas (or any time of the year!).

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve been cooking up a storm this festive period, with a new recipe posted every day. Honestly, I couldn’t wait for the day to share these pistachio thumbprint cookies though because they are one of my favourite treats so far.

I’ve very recently compiled a post for the ultimate guide to homemade nut & seed butters, so I have spent a LOT of time this year in the kitchen blending up delicious nut butters and nut butter recipes. As much as I have a soft spot for good old almond butter, pistachio butter has taken my heart.

While it’s not a nut butter you’d want to eat by the spoonful every day (or rather you would – but your hips wouldn’t like it!), pistachio butter has an incredible luxury element that works well in so many different recipes. Check out my pistachio butter post for some inspiration.

Want to save this recipe?

• Variations on these thumbprint cookies
• How To Make The Thumbprint Cookies
• Other great snack recipes you may like
• Pistachio Almond Cookies Recipe

Variations on these thumbprint cookies

Obviously, my filling of choice is my homemade pistachio butter. However, you can experiment with various fillings including a delicious vegan homemade Nutella , the classic choice of jam, or even some vegan chocolate chips (that will melt from the heat and be heavenly!).

For a sweeter pistachio creme style filling, melt some white chocolate in a heatproof bowl then mix in some pistachio butter with a dash of homemade vanilla powder .

You can also make a delicious chocolate version of these pistachio thumbprint cookies by adding some cocoa powder into the base almond cookies recipe. If the biscuit mix feels too crumbly after adding the powder, add another tsp of coconut oil to offset the powder.

Plus, you can experiment with additional toppings for the pistachio thumbprint cookies. For example, a drizzle of melted white chocolate is a lovely dessert-like touch.

Note* For vegan cookies use dairy-free white chocolate and chocolate chips.

How To Make The Thumbprint Cookies

This pistachio thumbprint cookies recipe is super simple and can be made in just five minutes if you’re keeping them raw. Or around 20 minutes, if baking- which means they’re an excellent option for a last-minute edible gift idea or to whip up on busy days when you don’t have much time to spare.

The almond cookies base is made up of almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut flour and cardamon.

Don’t fret if you don’t have almond flour to hand though as this can be whizzed up in a couple of minutes. Blitz some raw almonds in a high-speed food processor for a couple of minutes and you’ll get homemade almond flour, which is a great gluten-free flour to have to hand at all times.

This recipe is also a great way to use leftover almond pulp after making homemade almond milk . Simply allow the pulp to dry out, and it’s ready to use as almond flour.

Note* For this particular recipe the ground almonds don’t have to be too fine, which is why any of the above options will work fine for the almond cookies recipe.

The method

To begin, mix the almond flour with the other base ingredients and then form small, one bite-sized cookies. If you want you can measure these out and use around 1tbsp per cookie. However, I eyeballed it and made 14 of them.

To make them into thumbprint cookies, the process is precisely what it says. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, and then you can use a finger/ thumb to make the indentations. You could also use the rounded back of a spoon. In fact, I used a small 1/2 tsp measuring spoon for an even indentation in each cookie.

If you’re in a hurry to enjoy these delicious cookies, then you can have these as a no-bake cookie recipe by simply adding some pistachio butter to them now and decorating with some pomegranate seeds and chopped pistachios.

Note* Due to the gluten-free nature of these cookies and the lack of dairy, these cookies are more crumbly than general cookie dough so cracking around the edges when pressing your indentation is perfectly normal.

However, if you want to bake the cookies, then you can now bake them in the oven either in mini cupcake cups or on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

These only take ten minutes to bake in the oven and will turn a lovely golden colour around the edges.

If you want to use some chocolate chips as a filling, you’ll want to add these to the cookies while they’re still warm, so they melt into the thumbprint.

For the pistachio butter-filled cookies, allow the cookies to cool down a bit before filling them.

Again you can decorate the pistachio cookies with pomegranate seeds and ground pistachios or even a sprinkle of desiccated coconut. Also, feel free to experiment with other fillings and toppings of your choice.

For a sweeter, dessert-like version you can drizzle some white chocolate over the cookies at the end. Or, for a chocolate thumbprint cookie version, you can add some cocoa powder into the base almond cookie recipe.

Other great snack recipes you may like

For another delicious no-bake snack recipe, you may like these healthy cacao & almond protein balls or these coconut bliss balls . These 4-Ingredient Stuffed Dates: with home-made almond butter & Chocolate are always a winner too!

IngredientsUS CustomaryMetric1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups almond flour
• ▢ 3 tBsp coconut oil
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cardamom powder
• ▢ 2 tBsp maple syrup
• ▢ 2 tBsp coconut flour
• ▢ 1/4 cup pistachio butter

Toppings (optional)

• ▢ ground pistachios
• ▢ pomegranate seeds

Instructions

• To begin, mix the almond flour* with the other base ingredients and then form small, one bite-sized cookies. If you want you can measure these out and use around 1tbsp per cookie. However, I eyeballed it and made 14 of them.
• To make them into thumbprint cookies, the process is precisely what it says. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, and then you can use a finger/ thumb to make the indentations. You could also use the rounded back of a spoon. In fact, I used a small 1/2 tsp measuring spoon for an even indentation in each cookie.**
• If you’re in a hurry to enjoy these delicious cookies, then you can have these as a no-bake cookie recipe by simply adding some pistachio butter to them now and decorating with some pomegranate seeds and chopped pistachios.
• However, if you want to bake the cookies, then you can now bake them in the oven either in mini cupcake cups or on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
• These only take ten minutes to bake in the oven at 160ºC (fan-assisted) and will turn a lovely golden colour around the edges.
• Once cooled down, add the pistachio butter and decorate.***

Video

Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

How to Make Almond Meal

Equipment

• Grain grinder

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup almonds

Instructions

• Place the almonds into a blender/food processor or seed grinder. * Depending on if you want to make just enough for a particular recipe or a large batch, it’s good to note that it’s usually around a 1.5:1 yield of almonds to almond meal. i.e., 1.5 cups of raw almonds will give you around 1 cup of almond meal.
• Pulse the almonds for 10-15 seconds at a time. In between pulses, shake up the blender to make sure the nuts are close to the blade again and not clumping up in the jug, then pulse once more. ** The almond meal is ready when it has a fine bread-crumb like consistency.
• Sieve the powder to collect larger bits and then grind them again.
• Transfer into an air-tight jar/container. You can store this in the fridge for 1 month or the freezer for 3 months.

Video

Notes

Nutrition

Recipe on Alphafoodie: https://www.alphafoodie.com/how-to-make-almond-meal/