Almond Flour For Macarons (Best Brands + Tips)

Almond flour is an important ingredient used in macarons. Since macarons are defined as an almond flour dessert, this is really the only type of flour you can use in order to bake a true, authentic macaron.

Almond flour is made from grinding almonds into a very fine powder. This ingredient is not only a flavor enhancer but also acts as a structure builder for the macarons.

I'll help guide you through everything you need to know about using almond flour when baking macarons, including the best almond flour brands, answering the question "is sifting really necessary", and other helpful tips.

Best Almond Flour For Macarons

In the pursuit of finding the best almond flour for baking macarons, I made a batch of macarons with each of the major brands of almond flour available in my local grocery store, including Blue Diamond, Costco (Kirkland), King Arthur, Walmart (Great Value), Bob’s Red Mill, Aldi (Bakers Corner), and Target (Good & Gather) almond flour.

I tested a batch of sifted vs. unsifted almond flour to see how each of the macarons turned out.

Blue Diamond

This is a very commonly recommended brand of almond flour for macaron bakers. After performing this test, I can see why.

The almond flour is very finely ground and has a nice texture. Whether sifted or unsifted, this almond flour resulted in very smooth macaron shell tops. I didn’t notice anything unusual or different with the unsifted macarons.

Costco (Kirkland)

This almond flour also has a nice, finely ground texture. Both the sifted and unsifted versions of the macaron shell had slight bumps. However, the unsifted version had larger, more significant bumps that were fairly noticeable, in my opinion.

Walmart (Great Value)

This almond flour feels like it has a slightly thicker grind, although it is labeled as a superfine consistency. The unsifted version of this test had noticeable bumps as well as discoloration from the pockets of unsifted almond flour.

However, the sifted version of this shell looked really good. 

King Arthur

This was the most noticeable difference between the sifted and unsifted macaron shells. This almond flour was very lumpy, which means that the final unsifted shells baked up with a lot of bumps.

Plus, because it was hard to pipe the macarons with so many lumps of almond flour, many of them are misshapen. However, as you can see, the sifted versions turned out looking quite smooth.

Bob's Red Mill

This super finely ground almond flour, at first glance, had many small clumps of almond flour that were molded together. While these unsifted shells had slight bumps on them, there was not too much of a noticeable difference from the sifted version.

Aldi (Baker's Corner)

This is a fairly average looking almond flour with a similar texture to many of the others. Although at first glance the unsifted macaron shells only have a few small bumps, many of the macarons baked up with large cracks.

This is because the macarons with unsifted almond flour required a longer resting time compared to the sifted version. Because I placed them in the oven at the same time, many of the unsifted macarons were not fully dry and cracked in the oven.

Target (Good & Gather)

This brand doesn’t note on the bag that it’s finely ground, and it does seem to have a few larger pieces of almond flour compared to other brands.

Both the sifted and unsifted versions of the shells look relatively normal and bump-free. However, I had to allow this batch to dry for 3 hours until the unsifted version finally formed a thick enough skin to place in the oven.

After looking at all of the various brand comparisons of almond flour, you can see how your macarons can vary simply by the almond flour you are using.

My biggest takeaway from this test was that it’s important to sift your almond flour and confectioners’ sugar. Here's why:

1. First of all, you may not always have access to one singular type of almond flour. Sifting the almond flour helps level the playing field if you run across a brand of almond flour that is very clumped together. Out of all of these brands that I tried, every single one of the sifted almond flour macarons turned out visually appealing and delicious. Even if you purchase a bag of almond flour that is lumpy, sifting will still result in smooth shells.
2. Second, it can take double or even triple the time for the macarons to dry if you don’t sift your almond flour. While the drying times varied depending on the brand of almond flour I used (some took longer, while others didn’t make too much of a difference), sifting the almond flour will overall help the macarons dry faster. This is especially important if you live in a humid or rainy climate.
3. And finally, the macarons are easier to mix and pipe when the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar have been sifted. Sifting the ingredients means everything is smooth and ensures your macarons will be piped into perfect circles.

How To Sift Almond Flour

To sift almond flour, first grab a fine mesh strainer and a silicone spatula or a spoon. Place both the almond flour and the confectioners’ sugar in the mesh strainer, then use the silicone spatula to push the dry ingredients through the strainer.

Pushing the ingredients through the mesh strainer breaks apart any large clumps of almond flour or confectioners’ sugar that may have formed as the ingredients sat on the shelf.

If you’re left with any larger bits of almond flour in the mesh strainer, gently push on them to see if they can break apart. If not, don’t force them through.

Generally, you’ll be left with just a few larger pieces of almond flour that you can discard from the mesh strainer. 

Do I Have To Sift Almond Flour?

In the majority of macaron recipes, you’ll notice that the instructions tell you to sift the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar.

If you’re a new macaron baker or you sell macarons and are looking for shortcuts, you’ve probably wondered, “Is this a necessary step?” or “If I decide to skip sifting the almond flour, will it actually make a difference?"

In order to show you the importance of sifting almond flour, let’s compare a macaron that has been baked with sifted vs unsifted almond flour:

While this is an extreme example (the almond flour was very lumpy), sifting the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar helps to achieve the smooth and bump-free tops you see on the left.

Unsifted almond flour (on the right) results in macaron tops that are filled with lots of bumps that don’t look aesthetically pleasing. Plus, when you bite into the macaron, you’ll notice large pockets of almond flour in the middle of the shell.