Have you made a batch of homemade almond milk, but aren’t sure what to do with the leftover pulp? Good news! There are so many things you can do with the leftover almond pulp, one of my favourites being making homemade almond meal! It’s perfect for using in bread, baked goods, and more!

I just love almond milk. In fact, I make a fresh batch just about every week.

I use it in smoothies, hot chocolate, pancakes, banana bread, baked goods… Just about everything.

But, if you’ve ever made almond milk before, or any plant milk for that matter, you’ll know you’re left with a heap of almond pulp.

This can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days to make more almond milk with, but if you want to get a little more creative, you can dry it out to make your own homemade almond meal!

What’s great about this type of almond meal is how it’s been activated, which basically means the almonds were soaked before being made into this form of flour, so they contain less antinutrients which can harm the gut during digestion.

What’s more, almond meal can be really expensive, it’s actually one of the most expensive things I buy from my local bulk foods store.

By making my own with the leftover almond pulp, I save a heap of money, plus prevent food waste.

What can Almond Meal be Used For?

Almond meal and almond flour are two separate things. Almond flour is made from blanched almonds that are ground and sifted to make a fine flour, perfect for making pancakes, muffins, or other goods that require a light, fluffy texture. Whereas almond meal is made from grinding almonds with their skins intact, producing a coarser, more dense flour.

Almond meal made from almond pulp has a slightly darker colour, feels a little drier and lighter in weight.

I’ve found that when substituting homemade almond meal made from almond pulp in recipes that call for traditional almond meal, it can help to add a little more water, milk, oil or fat to the recipe, to compensate for the drier texture. This is only because some of the fat from the almond was lost during the process of making almond milk.

Sub in this homemade almond meal in recipes like banana bread, crackers, bread, cookies, brownies, and more!

I do NOT recommend using the raw almond pulp (that has not been dried out to make almond meal) in baked goods as it’s too wet, dense, and clumpy.

It is, however, fantastic for making bliss balls or energy bites with, as the mixture is quite dense and moist already.

Before we get started in learning how to make this homemade activated almond meal – if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page to keep up to date on the latest recipes, DIYs, gardening and health tips I share!!

Homemade Activated Almond Meal

Since eating a more high-fat low-carb diet, I’ve found I’ll go through my jar of almond meal way more quickly than before. Almonds, macadamias, and walnuts are more highly recommended than cashews, peanuts (which I recently learnt are actually legumes, not nuts) and hazelnuts, as they’re much lower in carbs. By making my own almond meal from the almond pulp after making homemade almond milk, I’ve saved so much more money and it’s meant less food gets thrown away or composted.

Makes approximately 2/3 cup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic raw almonds
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3-4 cups filtered water

To make:

Almond Milk

1. Soak the almonds in a bowl of cool water along with the tsp sea salt for 8 hours or overnight. Once soaked, rinse and drain well.
2. Add soaked almonds and filtered water to a high-speed blender and blend on high for 1 minute, or until a creamy milk forms.
3. Strain out the almond milk over a large mixing bowl using a nut milk bag, cheesecloth or thin dish towel. Squeeze until all the liquid has been removed from the pulp, making it as dry as possible.

Almond Meal

1. You should now have wet almond pulp. You can either use this pulp in recipes like bliss balls, or store it in the fridge for up to 1 week to make more almond milk. If making almond meal, proceed onto the next step.
2. Heat the oven to 90°C (200°F), and spread the pulp out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes to prevent the pulp from toasting. Continue drying until all the excess moisture has been removed and the pulp is as dry as possible.
4. Once dry, let the meal cool completely before pouring into a high speed blender or food processor, and blending on high until a fine flour has formed. Do not overblend the almond meal as it will become clumpy, just blend enough for a powder to form.
5. Transfer your almond meal to a large glass jar or container and keep for up to one month at room temperature, or refrigerate for longer.

As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post. 

Have you made almond milk or almond meal before? How did you go? Share in the comments below.

Lots of love,

🖤 Vanessa