(37)
When a recipe calls for “blanched almonds,” do you run to the store to buy a bag? No need! You can easily skin a batch of almonds using the simple method outlined below. Certain dishes require the use of skinless almonds. Removing the skin gives the almonds a smooth texture, which is helpful in making dishes like almond flour, almond butter, or marzipan.
Blanching your own almonds is more cost-effective than buying the skinless kind at the grocery store, and it only takes a minute… literally, just one minute! You’ll never spend the extra money on pre-blanched almonds again.
Recommended Products:
MY OTHER RECIPESAffiliate links help to support my website and the free recipe content I provide. A percentage of any purchase you make via these links will go towards buying ingredients, photography supplies and server space, as well as all the other expenses involved in running a large cooking website. Thank you very much for browsing!
How to Blanch Almonds
You will need
- Pot of water
- Raw unsalted almonds, skin on
- Paper towels
- Colander or strainer
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
Place your raw almonds into the boiling water. Let them boil for exactly one minute. Don't boil for any longer than 60 seconds, or your almonds will start to soften.
Drain the almonds immediately in a colander or strainer and rinse them with cold water to cool them.
Blot the almonds dry with a paper towel. You'll notice that the skins will be slightly shriveled.
Use your fingers to gently squeeze the almonds and loosen the skin from them. Careful, if you squeeze too hard they'll shoot across the room-- which is fun, but not super practical! You can squeeze them from one hand into another to keep them from "launching" too far.
Once you remove the skins, let the almonds dry off completely. Discard the skins.
Now the almonds are blanched and ready to use in your recipe!
Perfect outcome! Thank you so much
I usually toast the blanched almonds to enhance their flavour (for in e.g. a chicken, celery, almond and mayo salad) – about 4 minutes on a tray at the top of an oven at 170-180° C – I say “about”, because as with all nuts, even 30 seconds too long can be the difference between toasted and burnt – they should still be pale but just starting to ‘sweat’.
We have been eating 15 Almonds each morning with a cup of green tea, that is a healthy way to start the day, BUT the Almonds have to be soaked and peeled, so in fact, they are almost sprouted. This increases their nutritious value by a LOT – please spread this in your blogs etc. to get more people to eat SOAKED/almost sprouted Almonds for their health.
I’ve been looking for blanched almonds in the grocery store with no success. So have tried this method & the skin comes off easily. But just how long does it take for the almonds to completely dry so i can put them in a storage container?
I soaked the almonds overnight but now they are too soft and changing into a paste instead of a powdery consistency what should i do?
Omg this worked like magic. Thanks so much
If you soak your almonds for 8 to 12 hours the skins will come off much easier than the blanching method. Soaking is recommended anyway to remove anti-nutrients. I assume that most of the anti-nutrients are in the skin so this point may be moot. In any case, if you can plan ahead, the soaking method will give you a much more harmonious outcome!
I’ve tried both, the tricky part is making sure you let the almonds circulate a little during the boil. I used “William’s” method of soaking overnight and it was easy, too.
This was so great and easy and when I have time, I’ll look into reading all these wise and useful comments. I had heard of your blog SITK and am so glad I found this and you. How wonderful!
Cool! That was easy and now my almonds are ready! :9
Easy as…pie? I boiled them for the 1 minute, drained and cooled them and then sat at my kitchen table for about 15 minutes while watching MSNBC and, violà, they were all peeled and ready to dry and I’ll use them in my recipe tomorrow. Thank you!
After skin the almond, do we need to roast them in the oven to totally dry them?
Hi Julia, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. You don’t need to roast the almonds, they will dry on their own.
I first read about this method back in the 1970s. But had forgotten all about it. I do not have a stove. So just boiled the kettle and soaked the almonds for one minute. Still worked. Although 45 minutes to shell one cup almonds was a tad boring. Nah next time I will buy them peeled 🙂
Of course, it does take longer than a minute, when you add in the time to remove the skins. On the other hand, it works amazingly well, and is very satisfying on a primal level, kind of like popping bubble wrap, but with something useful to show for your efforts at the end. Thanks for a great tip!
Hi
Really easy. Thanks a lot.
Lola
works unbeleivably! can’t thank you enough! how often does a website instruction site do exact what it says it will??!!!