Almond flour vs oat flour: calories compared

An ounce (28 g) of almond flour gives about 162 calories and 4.5 g of carbohydrate in these USDA records, and an ounce of oat flour about 113 calories and 18 g.

Grinding counts. A review of 21 studies found the body takes more energy from nuts as flour than chopped or whole. For oat flour the grind changes blood sugar. In 20 young adults, porridge from coarse oat flour raised blood glucose less than the same 1.4 oz (40 g) of fine flour. That trial was small and measured one meal.

Almond flour is ground almonds, so an almond allergy covers it in full. Oat sensitivity is real enough that one peanut allergy trial excluded people with it. If you avoid gluten, check the oat flour label. EU law says most people with gluten intolerance can eat oats, but oats are often contaminated with wheat, rye or barley, and across 40 testing studies of gluten-free foods oats were the most contaminated. EU gluten-free oats must be specially produced and hold no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. One case report linked heavy daily almond and chia intake to oxalate kidney damage, so if your kidneys are a concern, ask whoever treats you before baking with it daily.

Pick by what you are cutting: carbs point to almond flour, calories to oat flour.

Grinding changes how many calories you get from almonds. A review of 21 studies ranked the energy the body takes from nuts as flour first, then chopped, then whole, and found raw almonds give less energy than label factors predict. In 20 men, intact almond cell walls held fat back after a meal. Grinding breaks those walls, so the flour is likely to give more of its calories.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level B A systematic review of 21 studies found that nuts yield less energy than label factors predict, 18.5 kJ/g for raw almonds, and that flour releases more energy than chopped or whole nuts. Adv Nutr, 2023
2. Level B In a randomized crossover trial in 20 healthy adults, porridge from coarse oat flour of about 676 micrometres gave a lower glucose area under the curve than the same 1.4 oz (40 g) portion of fine flour of about 96 micrometres. Nutr Res, 2024
3. Level C Across 36 prevalence studies, mostly in children, challenge-confirmed tree nut allergy affected under 2% of the people studied, and almond was among the most reported tree nut allergies in the UK. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep, 2015
4. Level C Oat allergy is real enough that the Lancet peanut immunotherapy trial, which used oat flour as its placebo for 120 participants, excluded anyone with a history of sensitivity to oats. Lancet, 2019
5. Level D A case report links oxalate kidney damage in a 59-year-old woman to five handfuls of almonds plus six tablespoons of chia seeds daily, improving on a low-oxalate diet. BMJ Case Rep, 2020
6. Level B In 20 men, a meal of whole almond pieces raised blood triglycerides 74% less than the same fat eaten as almond oil plus defatted almond flour, because cell walls trap the fat. Am J Clin Nutr, 2008
7. Level E EU law says most people with gluten intolerance can eat oats without harm, but oats are often contaminated with wheat, rye or barley during harvest, transport, storage and processing. Oats in a food labeled gluten-free must be specially produced and contain no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 of 30 July 2014 on the requirements for the provision of information to consumers on the absence or reduced presence of gluten in food, OJ L 228/5
8. Level C A meta-analysis of 40 food testing studies found gluten above 20 mg/kg in 15.12% of gluten-free foods, and oats were the most contaminated food. Br J Nutr, 2022

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Almond flour: what grinding changes
• Oat flour: the grind and the roast decide more than the oat does

Rankings and guides

• Calories: what it does and what the evidence shows
• Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?
• Dietary fat: what it does and how much you need
• Oat flour: full nutrition facts

• Almond flour: USDA FoodData Central, Flour, almond, FDC ID 2261420 · all forms of almond flour
• Oat flour: USDA FoodData Central, Oat flour, partially debranned, FDC ID 169741 · full profile · all forms of oat flour

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.