Replace almond flour?

almond flour

As the name suggests, this is a flour made from almonds. It is widely used by people following a ketogenic or low-carb lifestyle. It is low in carbohydrates, contains good fats, fiber, and is used to create delicious baked goods such as cake, cookies, bread, etc.

But almond flour is not for everyone…

For example, if you have an intolerance to almonds (or all nuts), then it’s obviously not so handy to use this as a replacement for wheat flour. But there are also people who don’t like the taste or texture that almond flour gives. What can you use then? Can’t you make any baked goods at all? The answer is, yes, you certainly can! Fortunately, there are several other low-carb (and therefore suitable for keto) alternatives. In this article, I’m going to explain everything to you.

What can you use as substitutes?

You can easily make your own flour from any type of nuts or seeds. Sounds cool, right?! Think, for example, of walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, hazelnuts, macadamias, sesame seeds, etc…

How do you do this?
It’s much simpler than you might think!
Put the type of nuts or seeds you want to make flour from in the blender and grind it until you have a flour-like texture, that’s it!
Be careful not to grind it too long, as you’ll end up with a paste. So you might guess… This way, you can easily create your own variation of a completely ketogenic (thus also low-carb) peanut butter! Or make your own seed paste that you can use as a dip or dressing, hmmmm!

Don’t feel like making your own flour?

Fortunately, there are also more and more ready-made options available! Just type on Google what kind of flour you’re looking for, and there’s a good chance there’s a supplier for it 😉 Just make sure to carefully check the ingredients and nutritional values! Not everything that’s offered is actually suitable.

What proportions should you use?

Each product has its own characteristics. If you want to replace almond flour with another type of nut, you can typically use a 1:1 ratio. The same applies to sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. However, flaxseed is an exception. Flaxseed tends to take on an almost gel-like texture, so it’s not always suitable for a 1:1 replacement in every recipe. You can also choose to combine different types of nuts or seeds, using some flaxseed.

There are more alternatives

You can also choose to replace almond flour with coconut flour. Coconut flour has a mild coconut flavor, which may not be suitable for every recipe. Additionally, coconut flour absorbs much more moisture than the other substitutes mentioned, so you cannot replace it 1:1. You’ll need to use less flour or add more liquid. When using coconut flour as a replacement for almond flour, it’s best to use about half the amount. For example, if you needed 100 grams of almond flour, you’d replace it with 50 grams of coconut flour.

Which replacement should you choose now?

Which product you choose to replace almond flour with should be based on what you want to make. Not every product is delicious with a hazelnut or coconut flavor, but in some dishes, this can be very tasty!

Anything else to keep in mind?

Another thing to keep in mind is that each product has different nutritional values. So, when making your choice, take this into account as well. Also, compare the different brands available because the number of carbohydrates a product contains can vary significantly from one brand to another.

And also…
Something else to consider when using flaxseed is that you should not consume an unlimited amount of it per day. Well, technically, you can, as you are your own boss, but it is strongly discouraged. Flaxseed contains cyanogenic compounds. The human body can convert cyanogenic compounds into the poisonous cyanide (hydrogen cyanide). A quantity of 15 grams of ground flaxseed is considered safe, as long as you don’t do this for an extended period. This is roughly equivalent to 1 to 2 tablespoons. If you use up to a maximum of 45 grams, it’s better to divide this into 3 portions throughout the day, rather than consuming it all at once, so that your body has time to process the cyanogenic compounds.