Almond paste: almond science, borrowed by a sweeter product

The firm numbers on this page belong to whole almonds. A meta-analysis of 36 randomized trials with 2485 adults without heart disease found that eating 0.88 to 5.9 oz (25 to 168 g) of almonds a day for at least 4 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 5.1 mg/dL (95% CI 2.9 to 7.3; metric: 0.132 mmol/L, 0.075 to 0.190). A second meta-analysis of 37 trials found body weight 0.99 lb (0.45 kg) lower than control (95% CI 0.05 to 0.85). Almond paste was not what those people ate. The paste is almonds ground with sugar, and carrying these results over to it is an assumption nobody has tested. Only one trial used almond paste itself. In 15 healthy Chinese men eating single test meals, white bread with 15 g of almond paste and 4 g of inulin had a glycemic index of 44 against 60 for bread alone, and the design cannot say how much of that drop came from the paste and how much from the inulin. The same meals raised blood triglycerides after eating, by an amount the published abstract does not give.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• USDA lists almond paste at 13.54 mg vitamin E, 0.454 mg copper and 27.74 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), from a single reference record with no sample spread. — US reference food record (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: vitamin E 13.54 mg; copper 0.454 mg; fat 27.74 g

What a real portion looks like

• US dietary surveys code a cup of well-packed almond paste as 227 g and an unspecified amount as 14 g. — US food survey portion weights (n = -) Evidence E source
  1 cup well packed = 227 g; quantity not specified = 14 g

What your body absorbs

• A systematic review of human and lab studies found that more processed tree nuts and peanuts, such as roasted nuts and nut butters, release more fat than whole raw nuts, and that nut butters deliver usable energy close to what label factors predict. — 21 human (adults 18 y or older) and in vitro studies of tree nuts and peanuts (n = 21 studies) Evidence C source
  Higher lipid release from roasted nuts and nut butters than whole raw nuts; nut butter ME not significantly different from Atwater prediction
• Raw almonds yield about 18.5 kJ per gram of usable energy, and finer physical forms such as flour yield more than whole nuts. — Human (adults 18 y or older) and in vitro studies, 21 in total (n = 21 studies) Evidence C source
  ME 18.5 kJ/g raw almonds; flour > chopped > whole; butter > roasted > raw

What cooking and storage change

• Lab studies suggest heating may weaken the pollen-related PR-10 almond allergen, but almond storage proteins and lipid transfer proteins largely survive heat. — 32 studies, mostly in vitro (n = 32 studies) Evidence D source
  PR-10 allergenicity possibly reduced by heat; nsLTPs and seed storage proteins heat stable

What it does to your health

• In a crossover trial in 15 healthy Chinese men, adding 15 g of almond paste and 4 g of inulin to white bread lowered the meal glycemic index to 44, versus 60 for white bread alone. — Fifteen healthy Chinese men, single test meals (n = 15) Evidence B source
  GI 44 (bread + 15 g almond paste + 4 g inulin) vs GI 60 (white bread); lower postprandial glucose and insulin
• In the same 15-man crossover trial, eating almond paste with bread raised blood triglycerides after the meal. — Fifteen healthy Chinese men, single test meals (n = 15) Evidence B source
  Higher postprandial triglycerides with almond paste; size not given in abstract
• Across 36 randomized trials with 2485 adults, eating almonds for at least 4 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 5.1 mg/dL (0.132 mmol/L) on average. — Adults without cardiovascular disease, trials of at least 4 weeks, 25 to 168 g almonds per day (n = 2485) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -5.1 mg/dL (95% CI -7.3 to -2.9; metric: -0.132 mmol/L, -0.190 to -0.075)
• A meta-analysis of 37 randomized trials found almond eating lowered body weight by 0.99 lb (0.45 kg) on average versus control. — Adults in 37 RCTs (43 treatment arms) (n = 37 RCTs) Evidence A source
  Body weight -0.99 lb (95% CI -1.9 to -0.11; metric: -0.45 kg, -0.85 to -0.05)

Safety, limits and interactions

• Challenge-confirmed tree nut allergy affects under 2% of people, and almond is among the most commonly reported tree nut allergies in the UK. — 36 population studies in children and adults, 1996-2014 (n = 36 studies) Evidence C source
  Challenge-confirmed prevalence < 2%; probable 0.05 to 4.9%

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU refused to authorize the claim that a daily handful (28 g) of almonds helps maintain healthy blood cholesterol. No almond health claim is authorized in the EU register. — EU regulatory decision (n = -) Evidence E source
  Claim status: non-authorized

What is still unknown

• Whether the glucose effect of almond paste with bread holds over weeks of eating is unknown: the only trial on almond paste tested single meals in 15 men and called for long-term studies. — Fifteen healthy Chinese men (n = 15) Evidence B source
  No long-term data

The bottom line

Per 100 g, the single USDA record lists 27.74 g of fat, 13.54 mg of vitamin E and 0.454 mg of copper, with no spread across samples. US surveys code an unspecified amount of almond paste as 14 g, so a typical spoonful carries about a seventh of those figures. Grinding matters for energy. A systematic review of 21 human and lab studies found that whole raw almonds release about 18.5 kJ per gram, while nut butters come out close to what label factors predict. Almond paste is ground like a nut butter, and nobody has measured its usable energy directly. The EU refused a claim that a daily 28 g handful of almonds helps keep blood cholesterol healthy. That ruling says the evidence submitted was not enough at the time, which is a different thing from proof of no effect. The one real caution is almond allergy. In 36 population studies, challenge-confirmed tree nut allergy affected under 2 percent of people, though only seven of those studies used a food challenge, and almond is among the most reported tree nuts in the UK. Almond paste is ground almond, so anyone allergic to almonds should treat it the same way. Lab work suggests heat may weaken one pollen-related almond allergen, while the storage proteins and lipid transfer proteins largely survive it, and for almond this is in vitro only, which gives no reason to treat baked almond paste as safe for an allergic person. We found no study on almond paste in pregnancy, in young children or with medicines. Whether the glucose effect lasts beyond one meal is unknown, and the authors of that trial asked for longer studies.

Sources

1. apst-daily-r6-10 · dataset
   Nuts, almond paste | FDC 170160 | per 100 g: vitamin E 13.54 mg, copper 0.454 mg, total fat 27.74 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 2018, Nuts, almond paste (FDC 170160) · checked 2026-09-29
2. apst-daily-r6-09 · dataset
   Almond paste | FNDDS 42200600 | 1 cup, well packed: 227 g | Quantity not specified: 14 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 42200600 (FDC 2707535) · checked 2026-09-29
3. apst-daily-r6-04 · systematic review, narrative synthesis
   The ME content of tree nuts and peanuts appeared to vary depending on the physical form and heat treatment of the nut, with more highly processed nuts (such as roasted nuts and nut butters) found to have higher lipid release compared to less processed nuts (whole raw nuts). ... It appears that the ME of nut butters is higher than whole and chopped nuts but lower than flours and oils and is not significantly different to what Atwater factors predict for nut butters [35,37,40,49].
   Adv Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
4. apst-daily-r6-05 · systematic review, narrative synthesis
   ME was influenced by nut type (ME = 22.6 kJ/g for pistachios; ME = 18.5 kJ/g for raw almonds), physical form (flour > chopped > whole nuts), heat processing (butter > roasted > raw) and dose of consumption.
   Adv Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
5. apst-daily-r6-12 · systematic review of in vitro studies
   Thermal processing may reduce allergenicity of PR-10 proteins in hazelnut and almond, in contrast to nsLTPs and seed storage proteins.
   Allergy, 2013 · checked 2026-09-29
6. apst-daily-r6-01 · randomized crossover trial
   Fifteen healthy Chinese men consumed four bread-based meals containing different amounts of almond paste and inulin. Our results show that co-ingesting bread with 15 g of almond paste and 4 g of inulin significantly reduced the postprandial glucose and insulin levels. The corresponding GI value was 44 (low GI), which was lower than the GI value of white bread, which was 60 (medium GI).
   Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
7. apst-daily-r6-02 · randomized crossover trial
   However, co-ingestion of almond paste with bread increased the postprandial triglyceride levels.
   Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
8. apst-daily-r6-06 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   RESULTS: 36 publications (48 almond-control datasets) representing 2485 participants were included. Almond consumption significantly reduced LDL-C (-0.132 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.190, -0.075 mmol/L; p < 0.001)
   Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
9. apst-daily-r6-07 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Pooled effect sizes indicated a significant reducing effect of almond consumption on body weight (WMD: -0.45 kg, 95% CI: -0.85, -0.05, p = 0.026)
   Obes Rev, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
10. apst-daily-r6-11 · systematic review
    Challenge-confirmed IgE-mediated tree nut allergy prevalence was less than 2 % (although only seven studies used this gold standard) while probable tree nut allergy prevalence ranged from 0.05 to 4.9 %. ... Brazil nut, almond and walnut most commonly reported in the UK.
    Curr Allergy Asthma Rep, 2015 · checked 2026-09-29
11. apst-daily-r6-08 · regulatory decision
    POL-HC-6583 Almonds Consuming a handful (28 grams) of almonds a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat, helps to maintain healthy blood cholesterol and promotes a healthy heart Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6583, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29
12. apst-daily-r6-03 · randomized crossover trial
    Further studies will be required to demonstrate these effects on a long term basis.
    Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29