Easy Almond Paste

By
Elizabeth LaBau
Sweet Book of Candy Making Elizabeth LaBau
Elizabeth LaBau
A professional pastry chef, cookbook author, and writer, Elizabeth LaBau has published more than 600 articles on baking and candy making.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 06/29/22
Tested by
Tracy Wilk
Photo of Tracy Wilk
Tested by Tracy Wilk
Tracy Wilk is a professional pastry chef, recipe developer and chef instructor, and, most importantly, a firm believer in sprinkles.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Easy almond paste cut into slices

The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
122 Calories
7g Fat
13g Carbs
3g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 122
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 12mg 4%
Sodium 69mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 37mg 3%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 97mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Almond paste is a key ingredient in marzipan and many other European-style candies and pastries. It can be expensive to buy in stores but luckily it's easy to make at home. This almond paste recipe requires just four ingredients (one optional) and a food processor. You will need blanched almonds (which you can blanch yourself if you prefer), powdered sugar, an egg white, and almond extract if you like. After trying this fresh, nutty almond paste, you'll never buy it from a store again.

This recipe yields about a pound of almond paste.

1:13

Click Play to See This Easy Almond Paste Come Together

"I was surprised how easy this almond paste was to make—I wouldn’t buy it from the store again now that I have made it. You can even freeze this if you don’t need it right away and have it on hand for some delicious rainbow cookies!" —Tracy Wilk

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups whole blanched almonds

  • 1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, divided

  • 1 large egg white, lightly beaten, at room temperature

  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy almond paste ingredients gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  2. Place the whole blanched almonds and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar in a large, 7-cup food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process the nuts and sugar until the nuts are very finely ground, stopping periodically to scrape the sides of the processor bowl. The sugar will help prevent the nuts from turning into almond butter, but still be careful about overprocessing.

    Almonds and confectioners' sugar processed together in a food processor bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack 

  3. Once the almonds are very finely ground, add the rest of the confectioners' sugar and pulse until it is completely mixed into the ground almonds.

    Almonds and all the confectioners' sugar ground in a food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  4. Stop the processor and add the egg white and the almond extract, if using.

    Egg whites and almond extract added to food processor bowl

    The Spruce Eats/ Cara Cormack

  5. Turn the processor back on and process the almond paste until it comes together to form a clump.

    Processing the almond paste into a clump

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  6. If it seems very sticky, add a little more confectioners' sugar, a spoonful at a time, until it is smooth.

    Confectioners' sugar added to almond paste in a food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  7. You can use the almond paste at once or wrap it to use at a later date. If keeping for future use, form into a log and wrap well in plastic wrap.

    Almond paste shaped into a log and wrapped in plastic

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  8. Store in a zip-top bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

    Almond paste in plastic wrap and zip-top bag

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  9. Enjoy.

    Almond paste log cut into slices

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Raw Egg Warning

Consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs poses a risk of foodborne illness. If the raw egg white is a concern, you can use pasteurized egg whites sold in cartons at the grocery stores.

How to Use Almond Paste

Almond paste is used throughout the world and is popular in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Germany, and France. It is found as a filling in pastries such as croissants and as an ingredient in muffins, biscuits, and cookies. Almond paste is used in the filling for a pear frangipane tart and in almond truffles where it is either crumbled or grated into the mixture.

How to Store Almond Paste

Wrapped well in plastic wrap and stored in a zip-top bag, the almond paste can be kept for up to three months in the refrigerator or six months in the freezer. Make sure to bring the almond paste to room temperature before using it in recipes.

Are almond paste and marzipan the same?

Although both are made with the same ingredients, almond paste and marzipan are different from each other. Almond paste contains more almonds than sugar and therefore isn't as sweet as marzipan. Marzipan has a much smoother consistency, which is why it is used to cover cakes and make decorations for candies and other sweets. Almond paste can be an ingredient in marzipan and is also used in desserts such as cookies and cakes.