Almond Flour Vs Almond Meal: Which To Use For Gluten-Free Cookies

Almond flour and almond meal are both popular choices for gluten-free baking, but there is a difference between the two. Both are made from ground almonds, but almond flour is finer than almond meal and made with peeled and blanched almonds. Each one has an effect on the texture and taste of your baked goods, so which is best to use in your gluten-free cookies? 

We asked pastry chef Alysha Dinatale at the Goddess and Grocer in Chicago, and her answer was that it depends. "Almond meal is the scrappy, rustic sibling — great for hearty cookies with some texture," Dinatale said. "Almond flour is the smooth, polished one — perfect for those buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies. Think rustic oatmeal cookies vs. classic shortbread." So, whether you use almond flour or almond meal will depend on the type of cookie you're making and the texture and flavor you're setting out to achieve.

Almond meal cookies vs. almond flour cookies

Because almond meal is coarser than almond flour, use it in place of all-purpose flour for treats that celebrate some variation in texture, like oatmeal cookies, as Dinatale said. Almond meal works especially well with cookies that have lots of fillings, like chocolate chips, coconut, pecans, or raisins. Texture, crunch, and nuttiness are focuses of these treats, making almond meal a perfect foundation on which to enhance your recipe.

Almond meal would also work well for cookie bars, thriving in recipes that result in thick, chewy, substantial bites, or cookies with a sweet, fruity topping that pair well with a texture-rich base and a slightly bitter, nutty flavor. If you are making a recipe that would benefit from using almond meal but you only have almond flour, you can absolutely substitute it. But for those hearty, heavier cookies, opt for almond meal if possible. And don't worry about leftovers — we have a list of 12 creative ways to use up almond meal, including making almond butter or using it as an alternative to breadcrumbs.

Almond flour, on the other hand, is perfect for gluten-free shortbread cookies like these Sicilian almond cookies, meltaways, and perfect French macarons. The extra fine flour will allow the cookies to crumble pleasingly and melt in your mouth, as Dinatale said. Now, if you were really in a pinch, you could probably use almond meal in a gluten-free shortbread recipe. They might turn out a little more rustic, and the almond flavor could be slightly more pronounced, but chances are they'll still be delicious.

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