How to Make Almond Paste

Homemade Almond Paste is so easy and inexpensive to make! You'll need just a few simple ingredients and a couple of minutes using a food processor. Learn how to make almond paste to use in all of your favorite almond recipes.

I cannot believe that for all these years, I've been buying almond paste. 🤦

It's REALLY expensive per ounce and while I love recipes that use it, I also always felt like it had an overpowering flavor.

Discovering homemade almond paste has been a life saver. 

During the holidays, I always make a bunch of almond recipes, like my Italian Rainbow Cookies. I traditionally take a 50 minute drive to one of my favorite Italian supermarkets where they sell this delightful confection in bulk, because it's way cheaper (and it's a good excuse to grab some pannetone & other treats while I'm there).

But, during Christmas 2020, I was hesitant to go (thanks COVID). So, I started exploring how to make it at home. 

Wow, Almond Paste Is Really Easy To Make at Home

Here are the ingredients you need to make homemade almond paste:

• Almond flour
• Powdered sugar
• Egg white
• Almond extract

Using almond flour is the BEST choice vs. starting with whole almonds for a couple of reasons. 

First, the almonds used in almond flour are already blanched. Blanched almonds can be hard to find in the grocery store and blanching them yourself can be a huge pain. 

Second, almond flour is already ground up so it's one less step you have to do!

Powdered sugar is used since it easily dissolves in the mixture. I would not substitute this for granulated sugar as this would likely get a gritty paste. 

The egg white makes a great binder to bring all of the ingredients together. I have seen substitutes where just water is used, so if you're looking for a vegan option, you could give that a shot (although I have not tried this myself). 

You might be thinking, why add almond extract if the paste is already made with so many almonds?

That was my first thought at least! I didn't really want to add the almond extract because I definitely didn't want my fresh, beautiful, homemade almond paste to taste fake!

The amount of extract in this recipe is small, so I promise you, the addition of extract does more good than bad here. It really brings out the flavor of the almonds. You can always bump up the amount of extract if you want more flavor too!

How to make almond paste

This almond paste recipe couldn't be easier!

Simply add the almond flour & powdered sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Give it a quick blitz to mix up. 

Then, add the egg white and almond extract.

Mix for up to a couple of minutes until you see a paste begin to form. Once the mixture forms large crumbles, it's ready! It should feel soft and pliable but not too sticky. 

Dump the paste onto a sheet of plastic wrap, roll it up and chill. 

Even if you plan on using it right away, I would still let the mixture to chill for at least 30min. It will allow the flavors to come together and settle in.

Making almond flour

If you don't have almond flour on hand, but you have almonds, you can still make this recipe. 

You'll need to blanch the almonds. Here's a good article on how to do that (unless you don't mind the look of the brown skin in the paste). 

Then, pulse the almonds in the food processor until they resemble flour. 

Almond extract substitute

If you don't have almond extract or you want to get a little fancy, you can always swap it out for an almond liqueur like amaretto. Amaretto has beautiful depth which would most certainly enhance the aroma and flavor of your homemade almond paste. 

Storing almond paste

Once made, you can store it a few ways. 

As mentioned, if using immediately, it's important to chill for at least 30 minutes to set the flavors. 

You can make the paste a few days in advance and store it in the fridge tightly sealed and wrapped in plastic wrap. It will last 2-3 months. 

It can also be frozen for up to 6 months. 

It's important to bring it back up to room temp (or nearly room temp) before using it in your recipe.

Make a Sugar Free or Keto Version

Almond paste is a great ingredient for keto and sugar free recipes too! Simply swap out the powdered sugar for a sugar free version (such as Swerve powdered sugar replacement)

Almond paste cookies

Now that I don't have to travel 40 miles to purchase almond paste in bulk, I'm excited about all of the cookies and other recipes I can make!

Here are some great ideas (more coming to the blog soon!) -

• Italian Rainbow cookies
• Almond horns
• Chocolate Almond Puff Pastry Twists
• Pignoli cookies
• Sweet rolls
• Cakes
• Croissants

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