Before You Bake With Almond Flour, Consider This Ratio Rule

Discovering the potential of baking with almond flour can be a real game-changer. It's gluten-free, so it makes baked goods more accessible to all different diets. It's rich in protein, vitamins, and antioxidants and is lower in carbs. It's also delicious, adding both subtle nuttiness and rich texture. But before you venture into the wonderful world of tasty recipes made with almond flour, there are basics you need to know — chief among them, how much you should use compared to traditional wheat flours. To find out, we consulted an expert, Danielle Sepsy, chef and founder of The Hungry Gnome and author of "The Scone Queen Bakes."

"Typically when using almond flour instead of regular wheat flours, you want to reduce the amount by about 25%," Sepsy advises. "Use ¾ cup of almond flour instead of 1 cup of wheat flour." Remember: that exact measurements will fluctuate slightly depending on what you're making, thanks to other ingredients and processes involved in each bake. Always start with less almond flour than you would use wheat flour, and fine-tune from there based on how your bake turns out. 

Almond flour is denser than wheat flour, too, so you don't need to pack it into your measuring cup the way you do with wheat flour. That density translates as richness in your baked goods and also contributes moisture. You'll want just enough of those factors, as too much or too little will indicate whether you need to scale your almond flour amounts up or down.

"Almond flour has high fat content, which can make things more tender and richer, like rich chocolate brownies or even some cookie doughs," Sepsy adds. "The nutty flavor and buttery texture really complements chocolate-based recipes like flourless chocolate cakes or even upside-down cakes with summer stone fruits." This ingredient will up the deliciousness ante on many of your favorite baked goods, as long as you keep that ratio reasoning in mind — as well as a few other crucial pointers for successfully baking with almond flour.

For all almond flour's rich texture and nutty flavor, "it doesn't have any gluten, so it doesn't have enough structure to keep certain baked goods bound and standing tall," Sepsy notes. This means that you may need to employ different leavening agents. You can use baking soda if your recipe also calls for an acid like vinegar or lemon juice, or egg whites if you're making something fluffy like angel food cake. However, baking powder is more versatile.

Sepsy advises you may also need a binding agent like eggs or xanthan gum, again, due to almond flour's lack of gluten and its general moisture content. If your recipe doesn't already include eggs, start with a ratio of about 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of almond flour; this will keep your bakes from crumbling apart. With the right ratio (and a little help in the leavening and binding departments), almond flour will make your recipes sing.