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    Home » Pantry

    How To Make Homemade Almond Paste From Almond Flour

    Published on April 9, 2013 by theseasidebaker Last Modified on November 11, 2022 / 44 Comments

    24.9K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    This creamy and easy to make almond paste made from almond flour is the perfect addition to your favorite danishes, cookies, and tarts! Typically used in Italian pastries, almond paste will bring a rich almond flavor to your treats without adding too much sweetness. Make this recipe to elevate your holiday collection!

    Homemade Almond Paste log on a piece of brown parchment paper with whole almonds around it.

    Homemade Almond Paste with Almond Flour-ready in under 5 minutes and perfect for your cookie and danish recipes!

    Newly updated photos, this post has proven to be my #1 post during the holidays, and for good reason, this almond paste tastes amazing! Making homemade Almond Paste is more cost-efficient and easier than searching for and buying your paste at the store, and quite honestly, it tastes better. Plus, who doesn’t want the bragging rights of saying they made the most amazingly sweet almond paste at home! It is the easiest most cost-efficient way! This post includes affiliate links to my favorite products used to make the almond paste. 

    Almond paste is a sweet filling that is used in many Italian pastry and Italian Almond Cookies recipes. It adds a deliciously rich, and creamy almond flavor to your baked goods that makes them stand out among the rest! The only problem with store-bought almond paste is that it’s usually considered more of a specialty item. It can be hard to find in the grocery store, especially around the holidays, and when you do find it, it’s a costly ingredient that many end up passing by. 

    Luckily with this recipe, you don’t have to forgo the almond paste in the other recipe you’re working on. With a few simple ingredients, you’ll be ready to go! Best of all, it uses almond flour which is more affordable and lends itself beautifully to this recipe!

    Have you been avoiding a cookie recipe like this Italian Rainbow Cookies recipe because of the exorbitant cost for of a can of almond paste? Well, look no further. For about the same cost of one can, you can make about 3-4 batches of homemade almond paste, in about ⅛ of the time it would take you to get into the car and buy some at your local grocery store (if they even have it that is). 

    Overhead shot of the almond paste log on piece of brown parchment paper on dark background.

    WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS ALMOND PASTE RECIPE WITH ALMOND FLOUR

    • This is a much cheaper option than buying a can of almond paste, and you don’t have to worry about your grocery store not selling it when you need it. There is nothing worse than the last-minute run to the grocery store for all of the holiday treats, just to find that they are all out of what you need.
    • The recipe makes about 12 ounces of almond paste, and most recipes call for much smaller amounts. You’ll be able to make many delicious pastries with this one batch! The paste stays fresh for about three weeks, so you don’t have to use the whole thing all at once.
    • It’s incredibly easy to make! It only takes about five minutes and is not complicated at all. A lot of recipes that are cheaper to make yourself seem to take up a lot of your time, or they have complicated steps and look daunting. This is a quick and easy one! 
    • Sweet flavor! This homemade delicious paste adds such a delicate flavor to baked goods!

    EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO MAKE SWEET ALMOND PASTE

    • Food processor
    • Saran Wrap for storage
    bowl of almond flour and powdered sugar with eggs in the background

    INGREDIENTS FOR YOUR HOMEMADE ALMOND PASTE RECIPE

    • 1 ½ cups Almond Flour- any almond flour will work, but I love the texture of Blue Diamond or Bob's Red Mill fine Almond flour.
    • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, aka confectioner's sugar
    • 1-2 teaspoons almond extract
    • 1 raw egg whites, slightly beaten
    • Pinch of salt

    HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE ALMOND PASTE EASY RECIPE

    Note- While you are welcome to use real almonds, almond flour is the easiest way to go in my opinion. It literally took me about 5 minutes to make almost 12 ounces of almond paste. The can that you buy at the grocery store is typically around 10 ounces. Wrapped tightly in saran wrap, or in a jar or Tupperware, the paste will stay fresh for about 3 weeks. With just a few simple steps, you'll never buy canned almond paste again!

    almond flour and powdered sugar in food processor bowl ready to pulse.
    • First, place the almond flour (or meal), powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a large food processor and pulse for a couple of seconds to break up the clumps.
    • Then, add the almond extract and large egg white. As I add a teaspoon almond extract, I taste it to see if it has the flavor I want. You may want to use more if you prefer a stronger almond flavor (I typically use 2 teaspoons).
    • Pulse again in the food processor until a dough ball forms and the dough no longer sticks to the sides of your bowl.
    • And that’s it my friends! Your own homemade almond paste ready for all of your incredible different recipes! Shape the dough, wrap tightly in saran wrap, and store in the fridge. Enjoy!

    WHAT YOU CAN MAKE WITH YOUR SWEET ALMOND PASTE

    I’ll link some of my favorite recipes using almond paste below! There are so many things that you can do with almond paste.

    The paste is often found in cookies and tarts. They are also delicious in croissants, danishes, and other pastries. Feel free to add the almond paste to your favorite baked goods where you feel it would boost the flavors of your recipe!

    adding the almond extract to the food processor with the almond flour and powdered sugar

    POPULAR SUBSTITUTIONS & ADDITIONS 

    • There are some recipes for almond paste that use different sweeteners, such as honey or simple syrups, but I find that this method is easiest. 
    • If you’d like to experiment with flavors, you could add some extra spices or flavors that would go along with what you will be using your almond paste for, such as cinnamon or vanilla extract.
    •  You may use almond meal instead of almond flour. The only difference with almond meal vs almond flour is that the meal still has the skin on. This will not change the flavor of the almond paste, but will change the color slightly.

    HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE ALMOND PASTE

    You’ll want to wrap your almond paste tightly in saran wrap for the best outcome. If you’re out of plastic wrap, you can store it in a jar or an airtight container. If wrapped tightly in saran wrap, or in a jar or Tupperware, the paste will stay fresh for about 3 weeks in the refrigerator! Because this homemade version does not have preservatives (corn syrup) like the canned version and contains egg whites. it must be refrigerated. Simply bring it to room temperature before using.

    adding the egg whites to the food processor bowl with the other almond paste ingredients

    HOMEMADE ALMOND PASTE FAQS

    IS ALMOND PASTE THE SAME THING AS MARZIPAN?

    No, it’s not. Almond paste is more coarse and easier to spread. It’s used for baking. Marzipan is meant to be a confection eaten on its own. Because of this, it is much sweeter, and has a larger amount of sugar, and not as soft and spreadable. It is not recommended to use these interchangeably. I will be developing a recipe for homemade marzipan soon, so stay tuned!

    log of homemade almond paste on parchment paper with roasted almonds

    HOW TO MAKE ALMOND FLOUR AT HOME?

    Making homemade almond flour is almost as easy as making this easy almond paste recipe! Simply place a cup or two of whole almonds or blanched almonds in a food processor and pulse for 5-10 second increments until you have a fine meal. If it becomes like a butter, you've pulsed too much.

    WHAT IS ALMOND PASTE USED FOR?

    Almond paste is often used in pastries, desserts, and cookies. It gives your food that delicious rich flavor of almonds without adding too much sugar. I love using it to make this Raspberry Danish, these cookies, or Sunday morning almond croissants with puff pastry! It is a key ingredient in many recipes from the middle east, and rightfully so because it's so delicious!

    CAN I MAKE THIS HOMEMADE PASTE BY HAND IF I DON’T HAVE A FOOD PROCESSOR?

    Yes, you can! The texture won’t be as smooth, and it will take you longer to get the dough formed. Just work with your dough and try to get it as even as possible (spend a few extra minutes in that kneading stage), and understand that your paste may not be as picturesque as a paste made in the food processor. I would suggest working in your ingredients with a fork, then kneading with clean hands.

    shaping the almond paste into a ball after you are done making it in the food processor

    HOW DO I USE REAL ALMONDS IF I DON’T HAVE ANY ALMOND FLOUR?

    If you don’t have almond flour, you’ll want to put your almonds in the food processor until they are a fine powder. It will take around five minutes. Watch carefully while the almonds are in the food processor because if they are mixed too much, they will start getting oily and turning into almond butter.

    Recipes Using Almond Paste That You’ll Love

    • Triple Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies 
    • Cherry Pie Bars
    • Raspberry Almond French Toast
    • Cherry Almond Tart
    • Psychedelic 7 Layer Italian Cookies

    DON’T FORGET TO COME BACK AND LET ME KNOW HOW YOUR HOMEMADE ALMOND PASTE FROM ALMOND FLOUR TURNED OUT!

     

    Recipes Using Almond Paste That You’ll Love

    • Triple Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies 
    • Cherry Pie Bars
    • Raspberry Almond French Toast
    • Cherry Almond Tart
    • Psychedelic 7 Layer Italian Cookies
    pinterest image collage of homemade almond paste
    homemade almond paste long square feature image.
    Print
    Homemade Almond Paste
    Prep Time
    5 mins
    Total Time
    5 mins
     

    Homemade almond paste with almond flour, ready in under 5 minutes and perfect for your cookie and danish recipes!

    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: homemade almond paste recipe, how to make almond paste
    Servings: 12 ounces
    Author: Jackie
    Ingredients
    Homemade Almond Paste
    • 1 ½ cups Almond Flour
    • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 1-2 teaspoon almond extract
    • 1 egg white slightly beaten
    Instructions
    1. Using a food processor, pulse the almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt a few times to break up any clumps.

    2. Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract and pulse to combine.
    3. Test at this point to see if it has enough almond flavoring. I really like almond so I added 2 teaspoons.
    4. Add egg white and to your food processor on for 2 minutes.
    5. At this point, the mixture should be smooth and formed a ball.
    6. If dough is still sticky add 1 tablespoon more of almond flour.
    7. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator.

    Recipe Video

    This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting TheSeasideBaker!  

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    24.9K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. carol

      April 09, 2013 at 9:08 am

      well, this is a wonderfu posting. I have often liked to make german stollen and the really good ones have a moist wonderful filling through the middle consisting of almond paste. The cost of the canned stuff has made me look at other holiday coffee cakes, especially because I make at least six at a time. Thank you very much.

      Reply
      • The Seaside Baker

        April 09, 2013 at 11:07 am

        Thank you Carol! I think everyone should know this!

        Reply
    2. Pamela Joy

      April 10, 2013 at 1:29 pm

      Wow How cool! I never would buy the stuff in the can, because I have this thing about buying things in can's 😉 , so good to know how to make my own ! Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Alice

      June 21, 2013 at 4:52 pm

      Does anyone know if this is the same type of almond paste that they sell in the Dutch delicatessens?

      Reply
      • The Seaside Baker

        June 21, 2013 at 5:20 pm

        I don't...sorry!

        Reply
        • Elisa Layman

          September 12, 2013 at 10:28 am

          Can you use whole almonds finely ground? And how much would you use in place of almond flour?
          Thank you

          Reply
    4. the almond queen

      July 05, 2014 at 7:16 am

      This will make marzipan not almond paste. Reduce your sugar to one half cup to make paste!

      Reply
      • delish dreams

        July 20, 2014 at 8:59 pm

        Actually this is an almond paste recipe as it has almond extract. Marzipan has rose water.

        Reply
      • Paticia

        February 19, 2015 at 2:17 pm

        Can I use this recipe to cover a fruit cake??

        Reply
        • Jackie Bruchez

          February 22, 2015 at 2:16 pm

          It is pretty pliable, so I am assuming yes.

          Reply
      • Helen

        December 20, 2016 at 7:03 am

        The main difference between US/European almond paste and marzipan is the ratio of ground almonds (almond meal) to sugar. Generally, almond paste will have roughtly equal proportions of almonds and sugar (plus other ingredients) and marzipan will have a higer ratio of sugar (up to 75% sugar) plus other ingredients.Apr 25, 2012

        Reply
      • J.C. Gregg

        November 10, 2017 at 7:43 pm

        Actually, this is almond paste. Almond paste ( in the United States) is equal portions of sugar and almond with egg white. Marzipan has whole egg and 75% of the base is sugar instead of 50-50 ratio.

        Reply
    5. Darlene

      July 23, 2014 at 12:20 pm

      Love your recipes Seaside Baker!! I've made & used this recipe in several cakes & bars. DELISH. I could just spread this over a hard crust bread!

      I see you have a recipe for French macaroons. Do you have one for the expresso/coffee flavor macaroons?

      Reply
    6. Jane

      December 23, 2014 at 7:52 am

      Thank you for such a simple recipe!!! I've been wanting for years to try my hand at Banket...a Dutch treat but can never seem to find almond paste. A couple times I was "tricked" into buying marzipan labled as paste and it completely destroyed the end product (no one could chew through it!) The fact you had the recipe in imperial measures and not that silly metric was a huge benefit too....not every cook has a scale in the house! I just made this and will use it in my baking tomorrow!

      Reply
      • Sabine Allen

        March 05, 2018 at 6:55 pm

        Silly metric, hrumph!

        Reply
      • Amanda

        December 15, 2018 at 3:28 am

        Metric is an amazingly accurate way to bake quickly & consistently.

        Invest in a food scale... its like $15.

        Signed,
        An American

        Reply
        • Barbara

          December 26, 2018 at 3:29 pm

          I work in a lab where I use metric, so I go back and forth between the two at home.

          Reply
    7. Syndi Reibman

      April 05, 2016 at 3:13 pm

      Oh my lord -- thank you so, so much for a simple version of this! I have been researching this recipe for a few weeks now and have seen from simple to crazy - boiling honey, water and sugar to make a syrup, and then blanching, peeling, cooling and grinding your own almonds, etc. This ROCKS! I am very excited and grateful.

      Reply
    8. Jen

      June 20, 2016 at 12:23 am

      Hi! I just need confirmation. Is it ”1 and a 1/2 cup” of almond flour and ”1 and a 1/2 cup” of powered sugar or only ”one half cup” of each. Huge difference. It’s a bit confusing to me now, because I saw another comment of you in a reply to someone and there you mentioned something about ”one half cup”. May I use castor sugar? I suppose this is the same as powered sugar. Thanks for your recipe!

      Reply
      • Dual Unit Baker

        November 03, 2017 at 8:05 pm

        1.5 cups each
        You want icing sugar for this recipe. If you only have castor sugar, whirl it by itself in your food processor until it’s superfine.

        Reply
      • helen

        December 21, 2017 at 4:07 pm

        how many oz. does the recipe make?

        Reply
    9. Francisco Antonio

      November 27, 2016 at 3:50 pm

      thank you very much.

      Reply
    10. amma52

      March 05, 2017 at 9:10 pm

      how about adding a bit of xanthan gum as with other gluten free flours

      Reply
    11. muriel cuddington

      October 02, 2017 at 4:03 am

      I used this recipe in making Banket and the filling run out and made a mess. I have made this for over 30 years using bought almond paste. Can you tell me what went wrong? thank you

      Reply
    12. VC Pauline Symon

      October 13, 2017 at 5:56 pm

      Hi, can you help!
      My group, DBE Brigadoon Chapter in Houston make 40+ fruit cakes (Christmas Cakes) every year for the British Festival.Previous years The Almond Co in NY kindly donated 48 lbs to us, but since they were taken over by another company we no longer get the items donated. This year I ordered 6 cans of Roland Almond paste and now I find the product is very crumbly, difficult to role out and cover the cakes. Can you suggest what I can add to the Almond paste to make it less crumbly and more pliable - do I add more powdered sugar or What. Any help would be appreciated. I have emailed the company, so they may be able to help.

      Thanks Pauline Symon

      Reply
    13. Bev Krastel

      November 24, 2017 at 7:20 pm

      Hello and thank you very much for the recipe for almond paste. I just love almond paste. Now my question to you is can I use almonds that are already ground which I buy for other things like almond tarts etc. or do I have to start with the hole almonds??

      Reply
    14. Doreena

      December 07, 2017 at 12:54 pm

      Thank you so much for this simple money saving recipe. I had a large bag of almond flour in my cupboard I needed to use up. Every Christmas season I make pignoli cookies. They are everyone's favorite and they rant and rave over them. However they are costly to make between the almond paste and the Pignoli. So I made the paste, used all the flour up and I wrapped them in 8 oz. blocks in wax paper. Put them in a container and froze. Since then I have made the pignoli cookies, twice. Not just for Christmas anymore. I get special requests to make them because I am told mine are better than the Italian bakery's. Wonderful! I just bought another bag of flour to make more!

      Reply
    15. Harinder Dhanoa

      December 13, 2017 at 3:29 pm

      Can I save this in frig for months as store bought almond paste. It does have a raw egg white the one you are showing.

      Reply
    16. Harinder Dhanoa

      December 13, 2017 at 3:35 pm

      Your almond paste have a raw egg white , how long can you keep this almond paste in the fridge.store bought paste keep a while in the fridge.

      Reply
    17. Susan

      December 18, 2017 at 9:31 am

      Thanks for sharing this! I suspected that almond flour could be us d and you confirmed it! On to my Pignoli Nut Cookies!
      A true game changer!

      Reply
    18. Susan

      December 18, 2017 at 9:32 am

      Thanks for sharing this! I suspected that almond flour could be used and you confirmed it! On to my Pignoli Nut Cookies!
      A true game changer!

      Reply
    19. Debbie

      December 18, 2017 at 6:58 pm

      I only have almond meal that has almond that are NOT balanced. Can I use that to make the almond paste?

      Reply
      • Debbie

        December 18, 2017 at 6:59 pm

        Sorry..That was supposed to say...almonds that are NOT blanched. Is that suitable for almond paste?

        Reply
      • Jane Forrester

        December 20, 2018 at 5:35 am

        Almonds are really easy to blanch yourself. It’s a really satisfying job and children love doing it for you.. put the whole almonds in a pan of boiling water for a minute or two, then strain and plunge in cold water.
        Then you just squeeze them and the skins slide/pop off. EASY PEASY !

        Reply
    20. Lori

      December 23, 2017 at 11:50 am

      This is by far the easiest and best recipe for almond paste. I will be making a moroccan cookie, which requires the almond paste to be flavored with orange. Excellent flavor and consistency for shaping. Thank you
      Merry Christmas

      Reply
    21. Piet Pecskovszky

      December 24, 2017 at 9:57 am

      I tried almond flour, I found it over processed and lacking flavor.

      I went to the scoop and save and purchased ground almonds they worked much better.

      Reply
    22. Jo

      January 04, 2019 at 9:24 am

      Hi! Can this be wrapped and frozen?

      Reply
    23. Angela L Nielsen

      January 05, 2019 at 6:38 pm

      Wow, this is great news. Wish the posters would include links to their wonderful sounding recipes.

      Reply
    24. Betty vite

      August 01, 2022 at 11:23 am

      Have made this recipe multiple times it is great. I use for almond bear claws always gone almost immediately. Great recipe thanks for sharing.

      Reply

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