If you’ve ever encountered a recipe that calls for blanched almonds, you might wonder: what does that even mean? It means to skin almonds. So many recipes call for blanched almonds, so I am here to help you. It is super quick and easy!

A decorative blue and white bowl filled with blanched almonds is placed on a lace-patterned fabric background.

My Ami, (mother )would never buy blanched almonds. I remember growing up, standing in the kitchen beside Ami, preparing vermicelli for Eid. Blanched almonds were the main ingredients. She would instruct me, “Gently squeeze the almonds, and they will pop right out.”

Blanched almonds are a versatile ingredient in dessert recipes such as my Risalamande and other baked goods (some people use them to make homemade almond milk!).

With my step-by-step tutorial, you’ll never need to buy blanched almonds again. So let’s get started!

Why Blanching Your Own Almonds Is Better

Cost-effective: Pre-blanched almonds or almond flour from the store can be expensive. Blanching your own is far cheaper.
Fresh and versatile: Skinless almonds you prepare at home are fresher and work perfectly in almond flour recipes, baked goods, or nutty salads.
Control the quantity: Only blanch what you need, reducing waste.

Two bowls on a lace tablecloth display almonds: the left bowl contains whole almonds with brown skins, while the right bowl holds blanched almonds with the skins removed.

What Are Blanched Almonds?

Blanched almonds are whole raw almonds that have had their skins removed through a quick boiling process. This gives them a smooth, polished surface that blends seamlessly into recipes like almond meal, marzipan, or almond milk.

They have a milder flavor without the skins, free from the slight bitterness that skin-on almonds can bring to certain dishes.

While you can buy blanched almonds, why not buy almonds with their skins on and do it at home yourself? Blanching your almonds is a simple, cost-effective alternative. It also allows you to blanch only the amount you need, whether for almond flour, slivered almonds, or whole-blanched almonds.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

Whole almonds
Water

Tools:

Medium saucepan
Strainer or colander
Slotted spoon
Clean kitchen towel or paper towels

Learn how to Blanch Almonds (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Bring water to a boil. Place 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil.

A copper pot with water boiling vigorously on a stovetop. Steam rises from the pot, indicating high heat. The pots rim is highlighted, contrasting with the dark surface of the stove.

Step 2: Add the almonds. Place the almonds in the boiling water. Let them sit there and soak for 60 seconds —just enough to loosen the skin. (This helps soften them up, too.)

A person is pouring almonds from a decorative bowl into a boiling pot of water, possibly blanching them. Steam rises from the pot on a stovetop.

Almonds boiling in a pot of water, with steam rising above the surface.

Step 3: Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain the almonds in a strainer and run them under cold water to cool them quickly. This helps stop the cooking process while keeping the almonds firm and easy to handle.

A pot of brown liquid with hazelnuts is being poured into a metal strainer over a ceramic bowl. The setup is on a dark kitchen counter with white tiled backsplash.

A metal colander filled with almonds sits in a white bowl. Water pours onto the almonds, likely for rinsing. The scene takes place on a kitchen countertop.

Step 4: Remove the skins. Here’s the fun part! Gently squeeze each almond between your thumb and index finger. The almond skin will slip right off—sometimes so easily it may shoot across the room! Repeat until all the almonds are skinless.

Pro Tip

Work quickly: The almond skin is easiest to remove while the almonds are still slightly warm.

Close-up of hands with pink nail polish peeling the skin off wet almonds over a metal strainer. A bowl filled with more almonds is underneath, suggesting a process of preparing the nuts.

Two hands peeling skins off soaked almonds over a metal strainer filled with almonds. A bowl of peeled almonds is nearby. The person has pink nail polish, and the scene is set on a lace-patterned surface.

Step 5: Let them dry. Spread the almonds on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Pat them dry and let them sit until completely dry. Once dried, you can place them in a food processor to grind them into a fine powder if you’re making almond flour or almond meal.

A bowl of blanched almonds sits on a wooden cutting board with a small striped bowl holding a single almond beside it. The board rests on a lace-patterned tablecloth.

Top Tips

Use cold water to cool: This stops cooking, preventing the almonds from becoming mushy.

Rinse thoroughly with cold water: This stops cooking and cools the almonds enough to handle comfortably.

Let them dry thoroughly: Almonds that aren’t completely dry may clump if you grind them into almond meal or almond flour.

Short-Term Storage:

Place the blanched almonds in an airtight container.
Store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Long-Term Storage:

For extended storage, transfer the almonds to a freezer-safe bag or container.
Freeze them for up to three months. Freezing helps maintain their texture and flavor.

How to Use Blanched Almonds

You can use blanched almonds to make almond milk, but it is also used in so many other good recipes, such as my Risalamande and xx xxx

Chopped nuts on a wooden cutting board with a metal knife lying beside them. The board is placed on a textured surface.

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How to Blanch Almonds at Home

Learn how to blanch almonds at home in minutes! Remove the skins easily with boiling water and enjoy without spending money on store-bought!)

Course: Snack

Keyword: blanched almonds

Author: Shayma Saadat

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup whole almonds (140g)
▢ 2 cups water

Instructions

Place 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil.
Place the almonds in the boiling water. Let them sit there and soak for 60 seconds —just enough to loosen the skin. (This helps soften them up, too.)
Drain the almonds in a strainer and run them under cold water to cool them quickly. This helps stop the cooking process while keeping the almonds firm and easy to handle.
Here’s the fun part! Gently squeeze each almond between your thumb and index finger. The almond skin will slip right off—sometimes so easily it may shoot across the room! Repeat until all the almonds are skinless.
Spread the almonds on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Pat them dry and let them sit until completely dry. If you’re making almond flour or almond meal, you can place them in a food processor once dried to grind almonds into a fine powder.