Substitute for almond flour?
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kristinL16
Posts: 401 Member
At the urging of my cousin, who has done well with paleo and whole30, I have been reading up on the paleo way of eating and am ready to give it a try. I have gotten several cookbooks from the library and am marking the ones to try. It seems that several of them use almond flour--my husband and son are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Can I substitute coconut flour for the almond flour with similar results? Or are there some types of recipes that coconut flour won't work well? Any other substitutions? Thanks!
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Coconut flour is great but DOES NOT substitute 1:1 for almond flour. Unless you're using a recipe that's been tested with coconut flour, it's really hard to substitute one for the other - they have completely different properties. Having said that, if you do decide to give it a try, it's closer to 1/3 cup coconut to sub for 1 cup almond meal. Coconut flour is also VERY absorbant so you usually have to increase liquids significantly. There is a rule of thumb I've seen when trying to sub with coconut flour: double your eggs and increase your liquids by up to 50%. Also - after mixing, allow your mixture to set up for 5-10 minutes and you'll see what I mean about the coconut flour's absorbency - it'll get thicker! Good luck!!0
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this is a great question, thanks and thanks for responding!0
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One more note...for those who do choose to use almond flour - the one thing I constantly have to remind myself with is that almond flour (any variety of ground, meal, course, blanched, etc.) is basically GROUND NUTS. They have no absorbancy quality to them. That's where the eggs & liquids used come into play. You can use almond flour and maybe sub out for up to 25% coconut flour (or even arrowroot) if you're feeling sassy & creative.0
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Well first off, welcome to the Paleo lifestyle
Yes you can use coconut flour but it tends to be more dense than almond flour. As a result, say if you were baking, you'd need more eggs than with almond flour because the coconut flour will soak up the liquid. Most times if you substitute one for one, then the recipe may not turn out right. There are numerous recipes for coconut flour alone. There's also tapioca flour, which is considered a safe starch. 0 -
They are not really good substitute for each other, because almond flout is kind of wet, and coconut flour is super dry and soak up moisture like crazy. There are tons of paleo recipes that are designed for coconut flour though.
Also there are places where you can buy almond flour that are 100% free of contamination of peanuts or treenuts .
I know JK gourmet produce their almond flour in a 100% peanut free facility. They do have treenuts in the facility , but they really careful of the contamination. Maybe write them an email and ask them about the treenut .0 -
If you can do sunflower seeds you can sub that 1:1. Just throw them in the food processor to make "flour" out of them.0
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They are not really good substitute for each other, because almond flout is kind of wet, and coconut flour is super dry and soak up moisture like crazy. There are tons of paleo recipes that are designed for coconut flour though.
Also there are places where you can buy almond flour that are 100% free of contamination of peanuts or treenuts .
I know JK gourmet produce their almond flour in a 100% peanut free facility. They do have treenuts in the facility , but they really careful of the contamination. Maybe write them an email and ask them about the treenut .
Almond flour is ground almonds....almonds are tree nuts....0 -
Just did a Google search on a whim and came up with this - Quinoa flour - http://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/grain-free/best-of-the-best-recipes-for-quinoa-flour/
Anyone here use this before, and what are the differences from almond/coconut flour?0 -
Quinoa is a grain, and that's why I avoid it. I also read recently that almost all grains have gluten even if they are considered gluten free, including quinoa.0
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See this link regarding the quinoa question.
http://ultimatepaleoguide.com/is-quinoa-paleo-a-deep-dive/
It doesn't answer the comparison between almond/coconut/quinoa flours, but it does say why most paleo should avoid quinoa. Personally, I just avoid it because I find the flavor disgusting, but I seem to be in a minority on that.0 -
It's not a grain, and according to Mark's Daily Apple (FWIW), fine as a Primal food. I can't speak to issues related to Celiac or gluten allergies.Quinoa is a grain, and that's why I avoid it. I also read recently that almost all grains have gluten even if they are considered gluten free, including quinoa.
Here's more info - http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreegrains/f/Is-Quinoa-Gluten-Free.htm0 -
My bad, I thought they allergic to pine nuts or thing like that.Almond flour is ground almonds....almonds are tree nuts....0 -
They can't have any type of nut. 0
