Almonds: An Introduction

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ALMONDS: AN INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Almonds in European Style Baking and Pastry. From the delicate bite of a French macaron to the rich crumb of an Italian frangipane tart, almonds have long played an essential role in traditional European baking and pastry. They are much more than a simple garnish; they are a fundamental building block of texture, flavor, and tradition in countless European pastries.

Almonds in European Style Baking and Pastry explores the bakeshop opportunities with one of the world’s most popular nuts. Video demonstrations with pastry chefs and instructors from the Culinary Institute of America illustrate how to use California almonds with a modern twist in traditional recipes. With the ideas presented here, we hope to provide you with the technical knowledge and creative inspiration you need to make your own almond bakery and pastry items that will keep customers coming back.

What This Course Covers

We have structured this curriculum to take you from raw ingredient theory to high-end execution:

Almond Form Fundamentals: Understand the many forms of almonds—from flours and pastes to slivers and oils—and how to store them to preserve their delicate fats.
Nutrition & Function: Explore the health benefits and functional advantages that make almonds a “powerhouse” ingredient in modern, health-conscious baking.
The Science of Flavor: Dive into flavor dynamics, learning how to enhance and complement almond ingredients.
The Greatest Hits, Reimagined: Learn about traditional European baking and pastry classics that have stood the test of time, and how to view them with a fresh, modern perspective.
Masterclass Demonstrations: Follow along with Baking and Pastry Chef Chloe Hodgman as she provides step-by-step video instruction on her signature almond recipes from Sonoma’s The Girl and the Fig.
Bakery Tourism: Finally, we’ll take a virtual tour of the world’s most beloved bakeries and analyze what makes a bakery truly world-class.

Almonds

Introduction

Versatility, Forms, and Storage

Almonds in Healthy Baking

Almond Flavor Dynamics

Traditional European Baked Items

Almond Videos: Pastry Chef Cloe Hodgman’s Favorite Recipes

Bakery Tourism: Visiting the World’s Most Beloved Bakeries

Recipes

Videos

Program Presented by

Current Trends and Market Outlook

Almond use in European baking has stood the test of time, and innovation with almond forms has rapidly grown in recent years, driven by health, plant-based, and premiumization trends, with almond flour and inclusions (pieces, pastes) seeing especially strong demand. At the same time, the wider European bakery market is shifting toward gluten-free, clean label, and vegan formats, where almonds fit naturally as a multifunctional ingredient. Overall, lifestyle trends and implications are driving consumption and innovation opportunity in the global baked goods space, and almonds are an ideal ingredient to formulate with for consumer preferences[1].

[1] Innova Market Insights, Almonds and baked goods. February 2026.

Global market overview and growth for almonds

Consumption of sweet baked goods globally has increased. Among sweet goods, pastries, cakes and sweet biscuits/cookies, flavor is the top consumer driver when purchasing baked goods.
Global baked foods innovation has grown steadily (+5.2% CAGR from 2021-25), with sweet biscuits and cookies taking the helm. Europe is a leading market for new baked product launches between 2021 to 2025 (36%), followed by Asia-Pacific (28%), Latin America (14%), Middle East and Africa (12%), and North America (10%).
New product launches in the US (7.7%) and France (4.1%) have grown particularly, with Germany (3.6%), Italy (3.3%) and Mexico (1.4%) following. Almonds play a niche role in global baked good innovation, with strong relevance in sweet biscuits and cookies (50%). Whole almonds lead sweet biscuit and cookie innovation, while almond flour drives growth.
Europe is among the largest almond markets globally, with roughly half of total almond volume going into manufactured ingredient applications like bakery and confectionery.

Health and plant‑based positioning

Functional claims linked to weight management and gut health claims are driving growth in baked good launches. Protein is top of mind for consumers, and fiber and digestive claims are accelerating, and consumers seek indulgence without compromising on health.

Three in five global consumers actively include more protein in their diet. Almonds are a naturally functional, plant-based protein to enhance satiety and balance energy in baked goods formats.
59% of global consumers say gut health is important for the whole body. Almonds can enhance high-fiber sweet bakery products and support gut health.
European consumers increasingly associate almonds with healthy fats, protein, fiber, and vitamin E, and they are used to upgrade the nutritional profile of cakes, biscuits, bars, and baked breakfast items.
Almond-based flours, drinks, and fillings support flexitarian, vegan, and lactose‑free diets, helping bakers replace dairy and, in some cases, all or part of the wheat flour.
Manufacturers are also developing higher‑protein and defatted almond flours (around 40% protein) and almond protein isolates for sports and functional bakery products.

Gluten‑free and clean label baking

Gluten‑free is one of the fastest‑growing segments in European bakery; almond flour is becoming a mainstream gluten‑free base for breads, cakes, macarons, and cookies because of its texture and moisture retention.
Global consumers say they are actively increasing their consumption of plant-based ingredients. Plant-based growth has accelerated in cakes, with sweet biscuits and cookies following.
Europe is a leading market for plant-based almond baked good growth, with Italy leading followed by Germany.
Consumers seek taste and texture without compromising health or naturalness – almonds can be a strategic solution for plant-based and vegan baked goods as they address both functional and consumer perception challenges.
Clean‑label positioning is key: almonds are used as a recognizable single‑ingredient flour or inclusion to replace artificial texturizers and fortifiers in premium baked goods. Clean-label leads healthier indulgence, with consumers increasingly demanding lower-sugar formulations (33%), natural ingredients (32%) and lower fat (28%).

Premium, indulgent, and regional styles

Global consumers are redefining indulgence, seeking products that combine sensory satisfaction with better-for-you ingredients. 34% of consumers say an indulgent food or drink experience means healthier enjoyment. Almonds can be used as a natural enabler of healthier indulgence, delivering nutty flavor with creaminess and crunch.
Classic European patisserie remains a strong driver: in France, growth in almond ingredients is linked to macarons, frangipane, financiers, and premium chocolate and confectionery.
Italy, Spain, and other Mediterranean countries are expanding use of almonds in traditional pastries and modern gluten‑free or better‑for‑you reinterpretations, often positioned as premium or artisanal.
Large bakery brands (for example, major German and pan‑European manufacturers) are adding almond toppings, pastes, and inclusions to modernize tradition, reinforce flavor and drive creamy and crunch-led innovation.

Innovation and constraints

Global consumption of baked goods is driven by variety and interest in the category, but the biggest barrier across formats is the availability of healthy options.
Almonds are a powerhouse to unlock in new product development and innovation. Almond forms can evolve from indulgence enhancers to functional-health forward ingredients. The versatility and health halo of almonds makes them an unmatched inclusion to address challenges in the category.
Technical innovation focuses on ultra‑fine milling, roasting, blanching, and fermentation/enzymatic treatments to improve texture, digestibility, and stability of almond-based bakery ingredients.
Looking toward 2030, almond flour and almond‑based dairy alternatives (e.g., almond “milk” for bakery fillings and toppings) are expected to gain further share as plant‑based baking scales up in Europe.

For the professional baker, the almond’s good image spells opportunity. It can “flip the switch” for customers who may be hesitating about ordering dessert or allowing their children a small treat. And the wide range of almond products—from whole almonds to almond milk—makes it possible to incorporate this favorite flavor into almost any bread or sweet.