Need an easy way to remove the stubborn skin from raw almonds? Just boil them in water for a minute then rinse in cool water to loosen the skin. After, you can pop the almonds right out and use as needed.
Why Bother Blanching Almonds
- Removing the skin can make almonds easier to digest.
- While the tannins & lectins that are naturally occurring in almond skin is a non-issue for most people, it can be a problem for people with particularly sensitive guts.
- You might prefer a more mild flavor.
- Almond skins contain tannic compounds which are naturally astringent and bitter (like in coffee, wine & chocolate). Removing the skin reduces the bitterness and leaves behind a slightly sweeter, more delicate flavor.
- Some almond flour recipes need blanched almonds.
- Things like almond flour, almond paste and almond milk often call for skinless almonds. Blanched almond flour has a much fluffier, smoother texture than flour made with the skin still on. Almond milk made from skinless almonds is smooth, creamy and less bitter.
- It’s cheaper than buying them pre-blanched.
- Raw, skin on almonds are generally cheaper to buy and easier to find than peeled almonds. If you know how to blanch almonds yourself, you can easily save yourself a bit of cash.
How to Blanche almonds
Boil Water: Bring a small or medium pot of water to a rolling boil.
Add Almonds: Cover with a fitted lid and let boil for 1 minute.
Drain & Rinse: Strain the hot water through a colander then run under cold water to stop the cooking.
Pinch: One at a time, squeeze the almonds near of the ends and they should pop right out of the skin.
Tips & Things to Know
- Direct the almonds down into a bowl when peeling: Once the skin loosens up after boiling, they pop out quite easily. If you don’t aim down into a bowl you’ll end up with almonds flying everywhere.
- Dry fully before storing: Pat the skinned almonds dry, then spread out on a plate of baking sheet to air dry. You don’t want any moisture left on the almonds before storing or they will spoil faster
- Keep in the fridge: After drying, store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 2 months. Outside of the fridge you need to store in a cool dark place and use within a week or two.
- Freeze for a longer shelf life: Frozen almonds can be easily kept at least a year.
More Almond Recipes
Recipe
How to Blanch Almonds
Yield:
1 cup
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
1 minute
Total Time:
21 minutes
Briefly boiling raw almonds loosens up the skin for easy removal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup skin-on, whole almonds - raw & unsalted
Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
- Add the almonds to the boiling water and boil 1 minute.
- Strain the almonds through a colander then rinse with cold water to stop them cooking further.
- One at a time, pinch the ends of the almonds between your thumb and index finger to squeeze the nuts of of the skin. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate or clean kitchen towel. After removing the skins from each almonds, pat to remove excess moisture and leave them out to air dry a bit more.
- Use right away or transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge up to 2 months or freeze up to 1 year.
Notes
- Squeeze the almonds in the direction of your plate/bowl so they pop out in your work station and not all over the kitchen.
- You can blanche any amount of almonds so long as your pot is big enough and you use enough water to cover them while boiling.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 4
Serving Size:
1/4 cup Calories: 121Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3gThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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