How to blanch almonds with the microwave or stove

Have a recipe that calls for blanched almonds?

If you can’t find them in stores or find that they’re too expensive, you can blanch the almonds that are already in your pantry instead.

It’s easy to do and doesn’t take much time.

In this post:

If you’re making vegan feta cheese, fried almond cheese balls, almond cream cheese, or another spread that you want to be entirely smooth and bright white in color, blanched almonds are best.

Also, some people find the peel to be a little bitter.

By removing the peel, you get to focus entirely on the mild almond flavor instead.

For the sake of convenience, I like to use the microwave.

(It’s not just for melting chocolate!)

Here’s how to do it:

1. Put almonds into a microwave safe bowl.
2. Cover them in water.
3. Microwave for 2 ½ minutes.
4. Allow them to soak for a few minutes until the skin has softened.

(See that wrinkle on the almond skin below? That’s one way to know it’s ready!)

If you’re using them for a nut cheese recipe or other blended recipe, I recommend letting them continue to soak in the water for about 15 minutes, until the water is cool enough to touch.

Then you can just remove the almonds one by one as you’re skinning them.

While the almonds are soaking in the water, they will continue to soften, which lends itself to easier blending.

If you’re not using them for a blender recipe & you want them to maintain their firmness, drain them as quickly as possible once the skin is loose.

Then rinse with cool water.

Not a fan of the microwave?

Here’s how to do it on the stovetop instead:

1. Bring water to a boil on the stove.
2. Pour almonds into the pot.
3. Boil for about a minute.
4. Drain & rinse with cool water.

Now that the skin has softened, simply squeeze the almond with your thumb and forefinger.

The skin will pop right off.

Keep doing that until all of your almonds are peeled.