4 Best Low Oxalate Alternatives to Almond Flour (2024)

Low oxalate alternatives to almond flour and other types of nut meal for keto or grain-free baking and cooking needs.

My grain-free blueberry pecan cobbler food feature in the weekly newsletter elicited a number of questions for a low oxalate alternative to the nut flour portion of the recipe.

Why Do Some People Avoid High Oxalate Foods?

More people than ever are following a low oxalate diet due to issues with oxalate crystal build-up in bodily tissues.

Chronic problems with kidney stones are a hallmark symptom.

About 10% of the population is genetically predisposed to damage from a diet high in oxalates.

In addition, those with excessive fungus (candida) in the gut are at risk from high oxalate foods as well.

This is because certain beneficial strains of gut flora, specifically species from the genus Oxalobacter, break down oxalates for us!

These anti-oxalate microbial strains are decimated by antibiotics and potentially dozens of other pharmaceuticals.

When these strains are missing in an imbalanced gut, oxalates in food have the potential to cause symptoms.

Keto Diets and Excessive Oxalates

To add insult to injury, many people who are sensitive to oxalates are also eating grain-free with low to no starch in an attempt to lose weight and/or heal the gut.

For example, the GAPS diet, Candida diet, and Specific Carbohydrate Diet all disallow grains and starch as part of the healing protocol.

Many keto dieters find this out the hard way.

They cut out the grain-based and starch carbs and substitute with higher oxalate foods like almond flour only to suffer a kidney stone attack or more serious symptoms like vulvodynia within a few months.

With almond flour perhaps the most popular grain-free option for cooking and baking, I thought I would share a few words on what the best alternatives might be if you are oxalate sensitive and need to reduce exposure.

Low Oxalate Nut Flour?

Unfortunately, the term “low oxalate nuts” is a bit of an oxymoron.

While there are nuts that are lower in oxalates than others, there really aren’t any truly “low oxalate nuts” that I’ve come across.

For example, pecans, walnuts, and macadamia nuts are perhaps the lowest in oxalates coming in at 10 mg, 8 mg, and 12 mg per ounce, respectively.

To be considered “low oxalate”, a food really needs to be less than 10 mg per serving.

Thus, even nuts that contain the least amount of oxalates are right on the borderline of being too high.

Starch Flours

When it comes to avoiding high oxalate nut flours, particularly almond which is highest in oxalates, potato starch or flour is the best alternative.

However, avoid cassava (tapioca) flour and arrowroot, which are both on the higher end for oxalates.

Since potato flour is very starchy, it would not be an acceptable choice for those on a low-carb diet for weight loss purposes or a gut-healing diet like GAPS.

However, for those who are able to tolerate a starch-based alternative to almond flour, potato flour is the best low-oxalate option to consider.

Fruit Flours

Another good alternative to nut flour like almond is coconut, considered a fruit flour because it comes from a drupe.

However, watch out for others like green banana flour and plantain, which are significantly higher in oxalate.

The downside of coconut flour is that it cannot be substituted 1:1 in recipes calling for almond flour.

Only small amounts of coconut flour are suitable in a recipe.

Thus, another flour will typically need to be blended with coconut flour to achieve the right texture. Another option is to use one of the flours below on its own when subbing out the almond flour.

My favorite options to use for this purpose are discussed next.

Seed Flours

By far, my best recommendation for low-oxalate alternatives to almond flour is seed flour.

Specifically, sunflower seed flour is my personal favorite followed by pumpkin seed meal.

Avoid flaxseed meal or flour, however, which is sadly a very popular low-oxalate dietary choice.

This is because flax is very estrogenic, second only to soy. Regular consumption of flax can trigger precancerous breasts among other hormonal issues if eaten frequently.

I personally never include anything flax on the menu. Our world is so polluted with pseudo-estrogens as it is.

Even if you live very clean and eat high-quality food, you are likely getting exposed to their effects. Hence, in my opinion, there is only a downside to adding flax to your diet.

Sunflower seed flour is excellent because you can substitute it 1:1 for almond flour in your recipes.

Be aware that you will need to make it yourself as commercial versions are likely stale and/or rancid.

The good news is that it is quite simple to make.

I recommend buying sprouted sunflower seeds (this is the brand I use) and milling into fresh flour in a coffee grinder.

Alternatively, you can soak hulled sunflower seeds overnight, drain and dry them in a warm oven (or dehydrator), and then mill into flour. This method is a bit more time-consuming, but less expensive.

Baking Tips

Grain mills don’t work that well for milling seed flours due to the oiliness. Thus, it is a good idea to invest in an inexpensive coffee grinder for this task.

If you are cooking for a large household, make large batches and then freeze for quick use later!

Frozen seed flour can be used in recipes straight right out of the freezer with no thawing time necessary.

Conclusion

While higher oxalate foods are not unhealthy and were routinely included in traditional diets from around the world, in our modern era, some people need to avoid them at least temporarily.

This is due to a need for rebalancing the gut to a more diverse and favorable microbial balance.

During this time, grains are best avoided along with high oxalate almond and other nut flours.

The most practical 1:1 substitution in recipes that is also grain and starch free is sunflower seed flour followed by pumpkin seed meal (a bit harder to mill into fine flour).

Potato starch or flour is also an option for those able to tolerate starch and not otherwise on a gut healing protocol.

In addition, coconut flour is an option, but only small amounts work well in baking due to textural issues.

For an optimal digestive and nutritional experience, I recommend milling sunflower or pumpkin seed flour from sprouted or soaked seeds.

References

(1) Low Oxalate Nuts and Seeds

(2) Best Substitutes for Almond Flour

(3) Oxalates on a Gluten-free Diet