Nut flours and meals are incredibly nutritious – containing protein, fibre and the same array of nutrients found in a handful of nuts. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that they are essentially ground-up whole nuts!

They’ve become a popular alternative to traditional grain-based flours, particularly among people seeking a gluten-free or low-carb option in baking. And let’s face it, home baking is on the rise, thanks to COVID-19 restrictions.

Some of the most common nuts used to make nut flour and meal are almonds, cashews, walnuts and hazelnuts. Enjoy them as a delicious way to contribute towards your daily nut intake!

Nut flour and nut meal: How do they stack up?

Nut meal and nut flour can typically be used interchangeably in baking. A product labelled nut ‘flour’ will often be more finely ground than a product labelled nut ‘meal’ – but nutritionally, they are very similar.

Nuts flours/meals:

• Are lower in carbohydrate, but higher in energy and fat than flours such as wheat flour, chickpea flour and cauliflower flour
• Offer healthy unsaturated fats, and significant amounts of vitamin E
• Contain more protein and dietary fibre than many commonly-used flours
• Are naturally gluten free.

Did you know? Almond meal has roughly double the protein of regular white flour, and around three times the fibre.

Cooking with nut flour/meal

For recipes where a lighter or fluffy consistency is needed, nut flours (which are typically more finely milled than nut meal) may be best. Baked products made with nut flours/meals will be denser because they lack gluten, which makes baked goods rise.

Tip: Experiment with the type of nut flour or meal you use. Some nuts, like almonds and hazelnuts, don’t impart a huge amount of flavour to baked foods. Other, such as pistachios and walnuts, result in a very distinctive flavour.

How to make your own nut-based flour/meal  

The process is simple. All you need is some nuts and a food processor.

Blend the nuts for around 10-20 seconds, until finely ground or resembling rough sand. If they need a little longer, pulse a few extra times. Avoid overly-processing the nuts, as (eventually) they will become creamy and turn into nut butter!

Fast fact: Store nut flour or meal in an airtight container in the fridge (where they’ll stay fresh for up to four months) or the freezer (for up to six months).

Try these delicious recipes…