People on low-carbohydrate diets, like Keto, often use almond flour for baking and cooking purposes. A quarter cup of Nature’s Eats Blanched Almond Flour contains 11 grams of Fat and 6 grams of Carbohydrates. It is also gluten-free and Kosher. Eating low-carb foods doesn’t cause a large fluctuation in blood sugar levels, making low-carb foods good for diabetics.
There are many different substitutes for almond flour including several other nut flours, seed flours, bean flours, and fruit flours. What substitute you choose will depend on why you want a substitute. Having nut allergies, gluten intolerance, wanting low carb options, or just adding more variety or nutrition to your diet, are all reasons to look for alternative flours to use in baking and cooking. Most flour substitutes can not be used on a 1 cup to 1 cup ratio without some adjustments to a recipe. Often, more eggs, liquid, or oil will need to be added to a recipe, depending on what flour you are using. Some experimentation might have to happen before you find a substitute that fulfills your baking needs.
Almond Flour Substitutes
Walnut Flour
Flours made from finely ground nuts provide low carb options when baking. 100 g of Nature’s Eats walnut flour contains 13.33 grams of carbs, 66.67 grams of fat, and 13.33 grams of protein.
Macadamia Flour
Macadamia nuts are another option since they contain less carbs than almonds. 100 g of macadamia nuts contain 13.82 g carbs, 75.77 g of fat, and 7.71 g of protein while 100 grams of almonds contain 21.55 g carbohydrates, 49.93 g of fat, and 21.15 g of protein.
Hazelnut Flour
Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut flour contains 17.86 g of carbs, 60.71 g fat, and 14.29 g protein in 100 g.
Chia Seed Flour
100 g of Anthony’s Organic ground Chia seed contains 28.58 carbs, 35.71 g fat, and 14.29 g protein. Using 100 percent Chia seed flour will not work in all recipes. It works best in recipes where the dough is thick or gummy. In recipes that have a more solid mixture, like cookie dough, it is best to use 1 part chia and 3 parts regular or gluten free flour.
Cashew Flour
100 g of Nature’s Eats Cashew flour contains 33.33 grams of carbs, 46.67 grams of fat, and 20 grams of protein.
Sunflower Seed Flour
Sunflower seed flour can also be used as a substitute for almond flour. Sunflower seeds are extremely nutritious and contain protein, fiber, vitamin E, copper, manganese, selenium, magnesium, folate, and various B vitamins. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, 100 g of sunflower seed flour (partially defatted) contains 35.83 g carbs, 1.61 g fat, and 48.06 g protein.
Coconut Flour
Healthworks Superfood Coconut flour contains 56.25 g carbs, 12.88 g fat, and 18.75 g protein in 100 g of flour. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture so you might have to double the number of eggs in a recipe. The abundance of eggs can change the flavor of the recipe so it might be better to combine coconut flour with another flour.
Garbanzo Bean (chickpea) Flour
Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Bean flour has 70 g carbs, 5 g fat, and 16.67 g protein in 100 g of flour. Chickpea flour is very dense and can be substituted 1:1 in recipes that use heavy flours like rye or teff.
Oat Flour
100 g of Bob’s Red Mill oat flour contains 73.33 g of carbs, 5 g of fat, 20 g of protein. If you are looking for a gluten-free flour, purchase certified gluten-free oat flour. You can also grind your own oat flour in a food processor or high-speed blender. One cup of rolled oats will make ¾ cup of oat flour.
Plantain Flour
100 g IYA Foods Plantain Flour has 81.25 g carbs, 0 fat, and 3.125 g protein. Like Coconut flour, plantain flour is dense and will need extra moisture. While plantain flour is high in carbs, it is a nice substitute for nut flours if someone has an allergy.
Cassava Flour
Anthony’s Cassava Flour includes 86.67 g carbs, no fat, and no protein in 100 g of flour. While high in carbs, Cassava flour contains resistant starch which is important for feeding good bacteria in the gut. Since it has no protein, it is a good choice for the AIP (autoimmune protocol) diet.
Tapioca Flour
100 g of Anthony’s Tapioca Flour contains 90 g of carbs, no fat, and no protein. Tapioca flour is made from washing the pulp of the starchy part of the plant. Cassava flour can be substituted evenly for Tapioca flour but is more starchy. It is a good flour to combine with coconut flour.
Every flour can be substituted with another flour. Each flour has its positives and negatives and it just takes some experimentation to find what works for you. If you are replacing almond flour with a gluten-free flour, it won’t always be a cup-for-cup replacement. In addition, eggs and other liquids might need to be increased and other chemical agents like xanthan gum or guar gum may be needed to make the recipes work. Baking times might also need to be adjusted. Gluten-free baked goods might be more dense than traditional wheat-based items, but they can have great flavors.
Don’t be discouraged by the idea of experimentation in baking. Start with a recipe that already uses the flour substitute you are interested in or choose a recipe with a small amount of flour. Let go and enjoy the baking experience.
