Alternative Dish

  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » How To

    How to Make Almond Flour (or Any Seed or Nut Flour)

    By Maggie Updated Mar 24, 2020 · Published Apr 17, 2019

    • Share

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe

    Learn how simple it is to make your own almond flour or seed flour at home. Just a few simple steps to make this flour you can use in gluten-free baking.

    Make your own almond flour

    Almond flour is a staple for many people when baking gluten-free.

    Or, if you're like me and are sensitive to almonds, sunflower seed flour may be your staple.

    Either way, making your own seed or almond flour from scratch is easier than you may think.

    Almond flour is a great alternative to white flour and can be used to make chocolate chip cookies, pizza crust, muffins, and more.

    It's also great when blended with homemade oat flour or quinoa flour to make a DIY gluten-free flour blend!

    Jump to:
    • Why should I make my own almond or seed flour?
    • What is sunflower seed flour?
    • How to make almond flour (or any nut or seed flour)
    • What is the difference between almond meal and almond flour?
    • Can I substitute almond or seed flour for regular flour in my recipes?
    • More How-To Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why should I make my own almond or seed flour?

    Because it's so easy, and it'll make you feel like you're one of those "back to the earth" people that make everything from scratch. And that's cool these days.

    Also, making your almond or seed flour is very economical...especially if you skip the almonds and use sunflower seeds instead. As a price comparison from the bulk section of my local grocery store:

    • 1 pound of raw almonds cost $7.99 and 1 pound of almond flour cost $12.99. Making your own almond flour gives you a $5 savings!
    • 1 pound of sunflower seeds cost $3.99, which is a $4 savings over whole almonds and a $9 savings/pound over the almond flour! Wowza!

    What is sunflower seed flour?

    Sunflower seed flour (say that 3 times fast) is a gluten-free flour made from ground sunflower seeds. Let's just call it sunflour from now on  (cute, eh?). Why, you ask, would I do such a thing when almonds are obviously the most popular choice? A couple reasons:

    1. I want the recipes on this site to be friendly and accessible to everyone. If you have a nut allergy, sunflour is a gluten free option that works beautifully as a substitute for almond flour.
    2. I've developed some weird intolerance to almonds over the past few months and simply cannot eat them anymore. I experimented with sunflour and found it works like a charm. Hooray! And as an added bonus, sunflower seeds are much cheaper than almonds, so double hooray!

    How to make almond flour (or any nut or seed flour)

    Almond flour, or any nut or seed flour can be made quickly at home. All you need is nuts or seeds, a blender or food processor, and a mesh strainer.

    • First, add the nuts or seeds to your blender or food processor, turn it on high, and let it process for about 30-45 seconds. Make sure that you don't blend so long that the nuts or seeds turn into butter. The mixture should be finely ground, but shouldn't turn into a paste. If it does, well, then you've just made yourself some nut or seed butter, and there's nothing wrong with that!
    • At this point, you can use your flour just like this. Or, move on to the next step and sift it through a mesh strainer.
    • If you would like a more consistent and fine flour, I recommend sifting the almond meal through a mesh strainer. Dump the ground nuts or seeds into a mesh strainer set over a bowl. Sift the nuts or seeds into the bowl, using your fingers as necessary to help push the mixture through. The flour in the bowl is ready to use in your favorite recipes!
    • Note: After you've sifted the flour, you'll be left with nut or seed pieces that are too big to sift. Don't throw these pieces away! There are lots of things you can do with these leftovers. Put them back in the blender to grind and repeat the process above. Use them as the base for a pesto sauce. Or, add the seeds to a salad or soup for a crunchy topping.
    Make your own almond flour

    You can see a tutorial on how to make almond or seed flour here:

    What is the difference between almond meal and almond flour?

    Generally, almond meal is made from almonds that still contain their skins. This will make your baked goods darker, but won't affect your end result.

    Almond flour has the skin removed and is lighter in color. Almond meal and almond flour can be used interchangeably in baking recipes.

    Can I substitute almond or seed flour for regular flour in my recipes?

    Generally, almond and seed flours can be substituted for regular flour 1:1 in baking recipes, but the final outcome will be denser.

    Use a little extra leavening, ¼ teaspoon per cup, in your recipe to compensate for the denseness.

    If you're new to gluten-free baking, I'd recommend starting by making recipes that have already been tested using almond flour to get used to the texture.

    More How-To Recipes

    • Crispy golden tofu waffle with a blue and white striped cloth background.
      Tofu Waffles
    • Slice of vegan pizza with a fluffy gluten-free crust, more pizza is in the background.
      Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
    • Stretchy vegan cashew mozzarella cheese being stretched from a bowl by a spoon.
      Stretchy Vegan Cashew Mozzarella
    • One vegan buttermilk biscuit stacked on top on of 2 other biscuits, more biscuits are scattered in the background with butter.
      Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits

    Did you make this recipe?
    Please leave a rating and tell us how you liked it!

    📖 Recipe

    Make your own almond flour

    Homemade Almond Flour or Seed Flour

    Learn how simple it is to make your own almond or seed flours at home.  Just a few simple steps and you'll have a beautiful flour you can use in gluten free baking and cooking.
    4.60 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 cups
    Author: Maggie
    Want to save this recipe?
    Enter your email & get this recipe sent to your inbox to save for later! Plus you’ll get even more tasty vegan recipes from us every week!
    Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
    Loading

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups almonds, sunflower seeds or other nut or seed

    Instructions

    • First, add the nuts or seeds to your blender or food processor, turn it on high and let it process for about 30-45 seconds.  Make sure that you don't blend so long that the nuts or seeds turn into butter.  The mixture should be finely ground, but shouldn't turn into a paste.  At this point you can use your flour just like this.  Or, move on to the next step and sift it through a mesh strainer.If you would like a more consistent and fine flour, 
    • I recommend sifting the almond meal through a mesh strainer. Dump the ground nuts or seeds into a mesh strainer set over a bowl. Sift the nuts or seeds into the bowl, using your fingers as necessary to help push the mixture through. The flour in the bowl is now ready to use in your favorite recipes!

    Notes

    Yield: 2 cups of almonds or sunflower seeds will yield about 2 ½ cups of flour.
    After you've sifted the flour, you'll be left with nut or seed pieces that are too big to sift. Don't throw these pieces away! There's lots of things you can do with these leftovers. Put them back in the blender to grind and repeat the process above. Use them as the base for a pesto sauce. Or, add the seeds to a salad or soup for a crunchy topping.
    Did you make this recipe? Share your experience! Mention @AlternativeDish on Instagram or Facebook, or drop a comment below—I'd love to hear from you!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1644kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 141g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 2016mg | Fiber: 34g | Sugar: 11g | Calcium: 755mg | Iron: 10.6mg

    More How To

    • Vegan oyster mushroom bacon in a ceramic bowl with more vegan bacon bits surrounding the bowl.
      Vegan Oyster Mushroom Bacon
    • Vegan mayo in a ceramic bowl with chips and a sandwich in the background.
      Vegan Tofu Mayo Recipe
    • Vegan easter bunny pancake with a bunny tail, paws, and ears on a board with strawberries, chocolate chips, banana slices, and coconut flakes.
      Vegan Easter Bunny Pancakes
    • Hand taking a piece of vegan quinoa pizza with sliced tomato, basil, and vegan mozzarella from a sliced pizza pie.
      Quinoa Pizza Crust (Vegan Gluten-Free Recipe)
    • Share

    Comments

      4.60 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Faith says

      May 01, 2019 at 5:50 pm

      Thank you for this! I've been loving replacing sunflower seeds for nuts lately, but never though about making it into a flour. Sunflour, here I come!

      Reply
    2. Shannon says

      December 27, 2019 at 9:32 am

      what kind of sifter do you use? maybe a link for Amazon. Also a food processor or a coffee grinder?

      Reply
      • Maggie says

        December 30, 2019 at 1:43 pm

        Hi Shannon! I use this mesh strainer rather than a sifter. It works so well and it is one less kitchen too to have around. https://amzn.to/2F7gWQ5 (all the product recommendations are Amazon affiliate links).
        I love Cuisinart food processors: https://amzn.to/37tgmIN
        And this is the coffee grinder I use: https://amzn.to/2Qb9cmp
        Hope that helps. Let me know if you have other questions!

        Reply
    3. Amy says

      April 03, 2021 at 5:43 pm

      I have had to abandon the almond flour and almonds too due to the high oxalates! I'm now searching for recipes using sunflower seed flour and stumbled upon your site. I use to make my own almond flour so glad to know I can now make my own sunflower seed flour too. 🙂 Do you have any recipes specifically using sunflower seed flour? I've read places that it can turn baked goods green as a reaction to the leavening agents. Any tips for to avoid this?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Maggie says

        April 05, 2021 at 8:49 am

        Hi Amy, I use sunflower seed flour in the place of any recipe that calls for almond flour, and so far it hasn't failed me. It is true though, that sunflower seeds turn the baked goods green. The chlorophyll in the sunflower seeds reacts to baking powder and soda when baked. Since these are necessary components to helping baked goods rise (especially gluten free baked goods), I wouldn't try leaving those out. The baked goods turning green may look a bit odd, but it is completely harmless, I promise! Best of luck with the sunflower seed flour and your baking adventures!

        Reply
        • Amy says

          April 05, 2021 at 5:08 pm

          5 stars
          Thank you so much, Maggie for your reply back to me! I attempted my first bake with the sunflower seed flour this weekend and it was delicious...and no green! 🙂 I made a lemon cake replacing what would have been almond flour with the sunflower seed flour and it was so moist and delicious! I think I actually liked it better than when used with almond flour. It wasn't dense, but instead fluffy and moist just like a real gluten-laden cake, only healthier! 🙂 I think perhaps the addition of the lemon kept it from turning green. I've heard vinegar will also prevent the green color. At any rate, I'm so happy to have found a gluten-free, nut-free alternative and again, I thank you so much for your response.

          I will be looking around your blog for more great recipes! Thanks!

          Reply
    Headshot of Sarah Pilley.

    Hi, I'm Sarah!

    I’m so excited you stopped by! I'm thrilled to share my passion for tasty vegan food with you on the Alternative Dish. I focus on creating recipes that everyone can enjoy with allergy-friendly tips! 

    More About Me

    Vegan Summer Recipes

    • Brownie batter hummus in a bowl surrounded by strawberries.
      The BEST Brownie Batter Hummus (Easy Vegan Recipe)
    • Nutritional yeast tofu nugget on a fork with more in the background in a bowl.
      Nutritional Yeast Tofu
    • Two vegan gluten-free banana muffins with chocolate chips stacked on top of one another with more muffins and bananas in the background.
      Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
    • Chickpea chicken salad on a piece of bread with lettuce. Top piece of bread is slightly to the side. A bowl of vegan chicken salad is in the background.
      Best Chickpea Chicken Salad (Easy Vegan Recipe)

    What's Trending

    • Spoonful of golden colored popped quinoa with bowl of toasted quinoa in background, sitting on top of red, orange, and blue cloth napkin.
      How to Make Popped Quinoa (Easy, Crunchy Recipe)
    • Chocolate quinoa crunch bar on sheet of parchment paper. In background are 2 more bars. Quinoa crunch bar is sliced through and the popped quinoa looks like tiny polka dots against dark chocolate.
      Chocolate Quinoa Crunch Bars
    • Hand holding up a chickpea brownie with more in the background.
      Flourless Chickpea Brownies (Vegan & Gluten Free)
    • Vegan Bisquick pancakes stacked on a pink plate with chopped strawberries piled on top and maple syrup being poured. More pancakes and strawberries are in the background.
      Fluffy Bisquick Pancake Recipe (Without Eggs)

    New Dish Alert!

    • Cracker being dipped into a ceramic bowl filled with vegan spinach artichoke dip, surrounded by crackers.
      Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
    • Coconut date balls on a sheet of parchment paper with a few pieces of shredded coconut.
      Coconut Date Balls
    • Carrot cake overnight oats in a glass jar with a spoon taking out some of the oatmeal, bowls of shredded carrot, walnuts, oats, and coconut are in the background.
      Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
    • Vegan egg salad on a piece of toast with a bowl of eggless egg salad in the background.
      Vegan Egg Salad
    • Maple dijon tofu cubes on a fork with more on a baking tray.
      Maple Dijon Tofu
    • Jar of pumpkin spice overnight oats with a spoon and walnuts and chocolate chips.
      Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Get new recipes to your email!

    Unsubscribe at any time. Thanks for joining the Alternative Dish family.

    Privacy Policy | Accessibility Policy

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Alternative Dish

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.