Is Almond Flour Gluten-free?

Find out if almond flour is an ingredient that is safe for a gluten-free diet, what the difference is between almond flour and almond meal, and brands of gluten-free almond flour to buy at the store.

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Almond flour is a popular ingredient that you can find in many baking and cooking recipes. You may be wondering if you follow a gluten-free diet if this ingredient is safe for you to continue enjoying and using in your favorite recipes. In this post, we’re going to cover the basics of almond flour and how it fits into a gluten-free diet.

We’ll discuss what almond flour is and what it’s made from, the difference between almond flour and almond meal, and answer the question “is almond flour gluten-free?” We’ll wrap up this post with a list of gluten-free almond flour brands and some recipes to try.

What is almond flour?

Almond flour is made with blanched almonds that have been ground into a fine flour. Almond flour is often used in baking for gluten-free recipes, as well as low carb and keto recipes. 

Almond flour is a healthy flour to include in your diet, because it is full of vitamins and minerals that come from a natural source, as well as provide a great amount of protein and healthy fats in each serving.

Are almond flour and almond meal the same thing?

Almond flour and almond meal are not the same ingredient. Almond flour is blanched first, then the skins are removed before it is ground into a flour. 

Almond meal is usually made without cooking or removing any of the skins. These almonds are raw before they are ground into a flour like consistency. 

The result is that almond meal generally has a more brown color and slightly more fibrous texture than almond flour. Almond flour which is lighter in color and texture.

Are almonds gluten-free?

Almonds are naturally gluten-free as they don’t have any gluten-containing grains in them. 

The only time you would need to be worried about almonds not being gluten-free are if they are flavored or seasoned, but this likely wouldn’t be the case in almond flour.

Almonds that are plain and bought raw or roasted, or in this case blanched, you can feel generally safe enjoying them without any issue on a gluten-free diet.

The one thing that you want to be aware of when it comes to almonds and a gluten-free diet will depend on your level of sensitivity to gluten. You may want to look for a product that is labeled as “gluten-free” to ensure there isn’t a risk of cross contamination during processing.

I’d also avoid buying almond flour from bulk bins if you are sensitive to trace amounts of gluten in your system. Bulk bins are a notorious place for cross-contamination with gluten, so in this case it’s best to buy packaged products that have a gluten-free label on the package to know for certain that it is safe for a gluten-free diet.

Is almond flour gluten-free?

Almond flour is naturally gluten-free, and you can feel confident using this ingredient in your baking for all your gluten free recipes. 

If you are extremely sensitive to gluten even with trace amounts, you may consider buying an almond flour that has a gluten-free label on the packaging to ensure that there has been no cross-contamination in the facility where the almond flour was processed.

Can I use almond flour in place of regular flour or gluten-free flour?

Almond flour differs from other gluten-free flours or wheat flour in that the texture is less absorbent than many grain based flours, because it is more moist than grain based flours.

Almond flour can be used in all kinds of baked goods, such cake, cookies, and even breads. However, the substitution of almond flour to wheat flour may not always be a one-to-one ratio. 

Though the substitution of wheat flour or gluten-free flours will vary by recipe, you can be sure that you’ll need to use more almond flour in a recipe than you may have with a grain-based flour due to the higher moisture content.

How to know if your almond flour is gluten-free

If you are concerned about the almond flour that you buy being gluten free, the best way to be sure that the product you’re buying at the store is gluten-free is by looking for a gluten-free label on the packaging. A gluten-free label may just say “gluten-free” or it could be “certified gluten-free” by a third party company.

Either way, in order to have this label, the FDA requires that no packaged products can be sold with more than 20 PPM per ounce in the product. That means there are no trace amounts of gluten in the product. 

If you buy an almond flour with a gluten-free label you can feel more confident knowing you won’t have a reaction to gluten from that product. 

That said, it’s not always necessary to buy an almond flour with a gluten-free label for every person. Since almond flour is naturally gluten-free, you’ll generally not have a problem with this ingredient coming into contact with other gluten containing grains.

Just in case you are one of those people who need to avoid any trace amounts of gluten, looking for that label can be super helpful in your decision making process on which product to buy.

Where to buy almond flour

You can buy almond flour at many stores these days as it’s becoming more popular. You can look for it in the health food aisle or the gluten-free section of your grocery store. You can also look for it online if you can’t find it locally. 

The two places I recommend buying any gluten-free grocery items online are Amazon and Thrive Market,  as they both have competitive pricing with local stores and you are able to find what you’re looking for pretty easily. 

Gluten-free almond flour brands

Be on the lookout for one of these gluten-free almond flour brands next time you’re at the grocery store. You can also look for them online if you can’t find any of these brands locally. All of these brands have a gluten-free label, so you can feel good about purchasing these on your gluten-free diet.

• Anthony’s
• Barney Bakery
• Blue Diamond
• Bob’s Red Mill
• Fisher Chef’s Naturals
• Food to Live
• Honeyville
• King Arthur
• Now Real Foods
• Oh! Nuts
• Nature’s Eats
• Pillsbury
• Terrasoul
• Thrive Market
• Wellbee’s
• Wholesome Yum

Gluten-free recipes that use almond flour

Try one of these delicious gluten-free recipes using almond flour to make the most of this ingredient in your cooking and baking.

• Gluten-free Brownies
• Lemon Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins
• Gluten-free Cheesecake Crust
• Gluten-free Oatmeal Cookies
• Gluten-free Snickerdoodles
• Gluten-free Sugar Cookies
• Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies
• Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you’ve been wondering if almond flour is safe for your gluten-free diet, you can feel confident about adding this ingredient into all of your gluten-free recipes. 

Try one of the brands listed to ensure that this naturally gluten-free ingredient has been processed where it doesn’t come into contact with other gluten-containing grains, and enjoy one of these delicious gluten-free almond flour recipes to make the most of this healthy ingredient!

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