Almond flour is one of the main ingredients in macarons. Anytime you read a macaron recipe, you will see that almond flour or almond meal will be required. The two are commonly used interchangeably. However, you still need to judge for yourself which one its referring to in context of the particular recipe you are using since almond flour can also mean a more finer ground almond vs. a coarser almond meal (used for breading). There are also blanched and non-blanched almond flours/meals. Blanched almonds basically mean that the brown skin has been removed.
For making macarons, you always want to use blanched almond flour. When I first started making macarons, I found myself driving all around the city to find almond flour available only in specialty stores. On the other hand, blanched almonds in its raw form was available in almost every common grocery store. Being that I love convenience and did not prefer to visit a specialty store to get almond flour every time I wanted to bake these babies, I decided to try making my own almond flour. I found it to be quite easy and could be considerably cost saving too. But the best part about making your own almond flour is the consistent quality of your almond flour. There have been some almond flour that I’ve used before which were extremely oily and caused my macarons to become blotchy or “sweaty”.
There’s a video after the instructions below. I hope all of it helps you in your macaron making journey.
XOXO,
Mimi
❤ Grinding Your Own Almond Flour for Making Macarons ❤
What you will need:
– 2 big mixing bowls
– food processor
– sifter
– blanched almonds (65 grams)
– powdered sugar (65 grams)
1. Weigh out the amount of blanched almonds and powdered sugar you will need in your macaron recipe. In my recipe, that is 65 grams almonds and 65 grams powdered sugar.
2. Place the almonds into the food processor along with some of the powdered sugar. Start pulsing, stopping intermittently to bring up the sugar that have sunken to the bottom with a spoon. DO NOT grind almonds by itself without the sugar. Without it, your almonds will become too oily and turn into almond butter.
3. Sift the mixture into a big bowl and discard the big pieces that cannot be sifted.
4. Weigh out the amount of discarded amount. Take some fresh almonds to compensate for the discarded amounts and pulse it again along with some of the sifted mixture. (We need the icing sugar in the mixture to prevent the oils from coming out of the almonds.)
5. Pulse the almonds again & sift.
Alternative Tip: Weigh Out a Little More Almond than What the Recipe Calls For
Another tip is to weigh out a bit more almonds that what the recipe calls for. I find that I usually discard about 10 grams (from a total of 60 grams) of almonds that cannot be sifted so I compensate for that by weighing out an extra 10 grams of blanched almonds for grinding. You may need to adjust this amount depending on your own situation.
“My almonds feel wet and clumpy! Why?”
Grinding the almonds by itself without the powdered sugar will release the oil inside the nut and soon you will find that your almonds have become almond butter! So don’t forget to grind your almonds with the powdered sugar that’s needed in the recipe
“Should I double sift my almond flour?”
I usually only sift mine once. It’s so tedious that I don’t have the patience for any more than that and my macaron shells never turn out bumpy. If your sifter is fine enough and you seem to be getting good results from one sift, then by all means, save your time and your energy!
Shopping List for this Project
(Disclosure: affiliate links)
This is the same brand and similar model to the processor you see in my videos for grinding your own almond flour. It is made for Canadian/USA Voltage.
Accurate measurements by weight are crucial for making macarons successfully. Electronic scales are a MUST. This is the one I use in my kitchen. It’s compact and the top is tempered glass.
Where to buy almonds and almond flour in Vancouver? (list compiled in 2015)
Here is a list of the places that I know of for buying almonds and almond flour. It’s not exhaustive so if you happen to know of any other places, please drop me a note below. By far the lowest price I’ve found for almond flour is at Costco and the lowest price for slivered/whole almonds is at Superstore.
❤ Almond Flour ❤
– Gourmet Warehouse $6.99/200 grams = $3.50/100 grams
1340 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V5L 1S3 (604) 253-3022
Gourmet Warehouse Westpoint Almond Meal $3.50/100 grams
– Superstore – Bob’s Red Mill $15.99/453 grams = $3.53/100 grams
Superstore – Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour $3.53/100 grams
– Whole Foods – Bob’s Red Mill $12.99/453 grams = $2.87/100 grams
Whole Foods – Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour = $2.87/100 grams
– Costco – Sunblest Almond Flour $21.99 = $1.62/100 grams
Costco – Sunblest Almond Flour $21.99 = $1.62/100 grams
– PriceSmart
❤ Blanched Almonds ❤
– Superstore – blanched slivered almonds in the bulk section sold at $2.79/100 grams
Superstore Bulk Section sold at $2.79/100 grams
– Superstore – No Name blanched sliced almonds $12.82 for 1 kg = $1.29/100 grams
Superstore – No Name blanched sliced almonds $1.29/100 grams
– Superstore – No Name Blanched slivered almonds $7.97 for 400 grams = $1.99/100 grams
– Gourmet Warehouse
- Cote D’Azur Skinless Sliced Almonds $4.39/200G = $2.20/100 grams
- Cote D’Azur Skinless Sliced Almonds $5.59/300G = $2/100 grams
- Cote D’Azur Slivered Blanched Almonds $6.99/250G = $2.80/100 grams
Gourmet Warehouse Cote D’azur Blanched Almonds. Depending on size, price from $2-$2.80/100 grams.
– Costco – Golden Boy Sliced Almonds $13.99/1.2 kg = $1.16/100 grams
(updated Dec 2014: I have not been able to find this product again after many attempts in the last part of the year)
Costco – Golden Boy Sliced Almonds $1.16/100 grams
– T&T supermarket – bulk section
– Whole Foods – bulk section
Drop me a note if you have any other sources for almonds or almond flour in Vancouver. Let’s talk baking 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi
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Laiian says
Hi there! I have been using the sunblest almond flour from Costco but every time my macarons come out blotchy and I’m not sure why. I’ve tried just sifting the flour and icing sugar, and also processed it and then sifted- every time it came out very blotchy and uneven. The crust is very thin and fragile! Sometimes it bakes perfectly and the oily spots don’t form until i take them out of the oven and they start cooling. Is this because the almond flour is too oily? If not, what else could it be? Thanks!
Mimi says
That could definitely be a reason! I had a similar experience with another brand of almond flour and I finally gave up on it (still have a huge bag left) and everything was perfect again. I like to make my own so I can control how much oil is released during the process. Having said that, another culprit may not be your almond flour. If you overbeat your meringe, that can happen too!
XOXO,
Mimi
Karen says
Hi Mimi,
I just stumbled upon this post searching for making macarons. I bought Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Blanched Almond Flour but it feels a bit ‘wet’. Did I buy the wrong flour?
Mimi says
Hi Karen,
Bob’s is definitely okay to use for macarons. I find certain brands can be more oily due to the oil being released from the nut while it’s pulsed.
XOXO,
Mimi
Alaina says
Mimi, the only almond flour I can find is “de-oiled.” It has twice failed using your recipe. It’s so dry and unable to use. Have any suggestions? It was 16$ and only 1.5 pounds. I’d rather not just waste all that money.
Mimi says
you can add some oil into the almonds and mix it up. it sounds scary but yes, some people find that oil helps them. I actually have a bag of almond powder that was ground too fine (by the company) and it creates blotchy macarons every time. I’ve since given up using it. It’s not worth wasting more time and my other ingredients. If it doesn’t work, save it for use on other desserts. Almond flour makes a nice tart crust.
xoxo,
Mimi
Effie J. Sorg says
Wow this is stunning! This is such a beautiful treat to serve for the holidays!
Pam says
How grams of almond and powder sugar do I need to use to make almond flour? I’m very inspired and determined to use your recipe, very simple and worth to try ☺️
Mimi says
Hi Pam,
Just use the ingredients in the recipe on my Best Macaron Recipe Post
xoxo
Mimi
Brittany says
Hi Mimi! I just found your blog and absolutely love it! I had a question about the Almond flour/mill. I bought the Bob’s Red Hill one and noticed it is course. Is this fine for using it to bake macaron’s or should I process it more? I tried using a grinder and didn’t really see a change. I baked and they came out fine but I noticed when eating them i could taste the chunky bits of almond. Is this typical or all sorts of wrong?
Mimi says
Hi Brittany,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I think as long as its not too clumpy, a few coarser pieces here and there is to be expected. I would process it in a food processor and sift it with a fine sieve and then discard all the bigger chunks 🙂
Xoxo Mimi
Ian Leapingwell says
Hi,
I buy whole almonds, blanch them in boiling water, then in cold water and skin them, then dry them and pulse them into powder with a little caster sugar. I put the powder through a fine sieve and weigh them. Any pieces of almond that don’t go through the sieve are added to a small amount of caster sugar and pulsed again to be added to the fine powder.
There is no waste because I use my Bamix stick blender with a powder attachment.
The macarons are another story.
Mimi says
hehe thanks for sharing your method. I hope you were able to get your macaron game going during the winter break. XOXO, Mimi
Mystery says
Just FYI, I was at Costco (in PoCo) today, and the almond flour – same bag and everything – has jumped in price to $27.99 ($2.06/100g). Here’s hoping my dad actually comes through with his promise to send almonds from his friend’s grove in Cali!
Mimi says
You are sooo right! I noticed this as well! I was actually looking at the Superstore slivered almonds, and the price increased twice already from this post (probably within 3 months only – 1st time was around $15, then now to $18) and I thought I would consider getting the Costco almond flour since I remembered they were just as much but lo and behold, the Costco ones also increased! What’s going on!?
Lisa | THINK LIKE A BOSS LADY says
Mimi,
How fine does the flour need to be?
And what is the most fool proof way to sift it?
Lisa | THINK LIKE A BOSS LADY
Mimi says
I have a handheld sifter with a handle for turning and it seems to sift well enough. I think any regular sifter will do since mine was just a regular one that you would fine in any cookware shop. I just put about half of the recipe almonds inside the sifter and tap on it with my hands instead of turning the knob. It’s much quicker. but I will use the turning knob sometimes just to bring some air back into the mixture so it will create pressure and be able to be pushed out.
Olivia @ livforcake says
And I’m spamming your blog with comments today….sorry! Have you tried the Costco almond flour? I’m just finishing up a bag and I don’t think I’ll get it again. It’s not fine enough and I find that even my food processor can’t quite grind down the larger bits. So, I end up discarding a bunch post-sifting which throws off my measurements!
indulgewithmimi says
That’s totally ok! I love talking baking 🙂 I have tried the Costco almond flour. I have no issues with it. It is course and I do need to process it in the machine and it does get it to a finer texture. The pink bears you see in the #macaronarts section of this site are made from that flour and you can see it is actually really fine and smooth. So my only reason for not re-buying it would be the price. I am doing as much work as I would be if I were to buy regular almond slices and process it myself. Therefore, why not just buy almond slices and process at a much cheaper price. I would only spend more for the convenience yet this is no more convenient for me. As for throwing off the measurement thing, just measure how much you’re throwing out and compensate for that. I always throw a little bit more in cuz I know I’ll be throwing away some.
Iris says
Hi! Sorry if I’m butting in but, I had the same issue as you with not being able to get my almond flour fine enough with a food processor. If you’re still having trouble with it, I just wanted to suggest using a blender. I use what is basically the Magic Bullet (I have some unknown Korean brand, Evermore Slim Mixer – there’s one single photo of it on google, haha) and it works perfectly at getting the larger bits of almonds that are too small for the food processor!
Mimi says
Thanks for sharing your experience. I love to hear from all of you. Your contributions help everybody in the baking community by providing more choices for them. It does sound very interesting and useful.
kevin says
costco almond flour has now gone up in price to i think almost 30.00 a bag (1.1kg)
try a coffee grinder ?
Mimi says
Yes, I think I have been seeing escalating prices ever since Late Spring. We’ve discussed the rising price of almond flour in different regions of the world. Here’s the discussion on Instagram if you’d like to see it: https://instagram.com/p/4TX88FQiD_/
Connie the chocoholic says
yay vancouver bloggers! i love all your tips and tricks so far, can’t wait to see more mac creations 🙂
and i gotta admit i made the nooby mistake of grinding almonds without icing sugar. no wonder mine turned into butter!
indulgewithmimi says
Your heart macaron post is very cute! Good ideas for the upcoming holiday!