Almond extract is one of those sneaky ingredients that can make a huge difference in the quality and flavor of your baking. Getting great quality is paramount.
So I wrote this explainer to give you all the details you’ll need to get the best almond extract possible. (In addition to tips, tricks, and recipes so you get the most out of your high-quality almond extract!)
First, what is almond extract?
Almond extract is a mixture made from alcohol, water, and bitter almond oil which is used for flavoring. You’ll notice I specified bitter almond oil – while sweet almond oil can also be used in cooking, bitter almond oil has a much stronger taste and is therefore usually the base for almond extract. (That’s how you get a teaspoon of almond extract infusing a whole cake with that delicious almond flavor!) Sweet almond oil is usually used for lighter fare like salad dressings.
When to use almond extract vs almond emulsion
To summarize: Use extracts for home baking; use emulsions for beverages or commercial baking.
At a high level, the difference between an extract and an emulsion is in the ingredients. Extracts use an alcohol base to dilute the oil, while emulsions use water. Because alcohol introduces some flavor (no matter how flavorless, it’s still not water) and generally has a much lower boiling point (around 165 degrees Fahrenheit, vs 212 for water), this causes some differences in the baking.
More specifically, because of that lower boiling point, more of the almond extract will evaporate during the baking process than an emulsion, which means the almond flavor will be a little weaker. This sounds like a bad thing!
But it’s not, and here’s why: Because the almond flavor is so concentrated already that it can threaten all the other ingredients in your bake. So that slight dilution the extract goes through means you’ll have better control over the balance of your flavors in the final bake.
Now, the script gets flipped for beverages – because extracts have an amber color, and emulsions are clear, you definitely want to use emulsions for flavoring drinks so there’s room for other colors!
Emulsions also tend to be cheaper than extracts, so if you’re baking A LOT (like, restaurant level amounts of stuff), going for an emulsion is probably worth the dollar savings. At the level of homebaking, though, we’re really talking about the difference of a few pennies per fluid ounce – just not enough to make a difference.
How to use almond extract in your baking and cooking
In short, a little goes a long way. You’ll find most recipes (including those I’ve linked to in the next section) requiring only tiny amounts of almond extract – 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, that sort of thing. Because almond extract is so strong and flavorful, just this tiny amount is enough to bring a delicious, nutty (but not overwhelming) almond flavor to the whole recipe!
My advice? Always follow the recipe when it comes to almond extract. This isn’t like pepper or salt where you can eyeball it. Because the extract has such a powerful flavor – and the amounts you’re putting in are so small – even 1/8 of a teaspoon extra can have a profound impact on your bake.
5 great recipes using almond extract
- Almond flour cake: Soft, fluffy, moist, delicious. While this almond flour cake is great on its own as a snacking cake, you can add toppings and fillings (chocolate chips, dried fruit, maybe a swirl of peach jam) to elevate the taste even further.
- Gluten-free almond flour cookies: These are great cookies. They’re also super easy to make; just a couple minutes of prep time and 12-15 minutes to bake them. And just like the cake above, you can use the cookies as a base and then add in some different flavors (maybe dried cherries?) for a different profile.
- Almond pancakes: Listen, I love a ‘traditional’ pancake as much as the next person…but the almond extract really makes a difference here. That almond flavor is subtle but not overpowering…and it’s fantastic with a great maple syrup.
- Coconut almond jelly: It’s surprisingly good. The almond and coconut flavors are excellent and not at all overwhelming…another good example of how almond extract can deliver a dessert with really perfectly-balanced flavors.
- Coconut chocolate chip cookies: There’s just a tiny amount of almond extract in this (1/4 teaspoon, to be exact) – just enough to give you a hint of darkness mixed with the brown sugar. Anyway, these cookies are delicious, and a good example of the fact that the bake doesn’t have to be almond-forward for almond extract to still add something!
How to choose the best almond extract
Here are the exact criteria I used to rank the top almond extract brands, ensuring you get nothing but the best:
- Ingredients: When it comes to ingredients, we want the good stuff – alcohol, water, bitter almond oil. Strong preference for organic. No additives or artificial flavors here.
- Consumer feedback: On top of my own taste tests, I paid close attention to what other amateur bakers had to say. Their honest opinions helped me curate this list of top almond extracts.
- Track record: I looked into the brands’ track records to ensure they consistently delivered high-quality products over the years.
- Price: Great, organic almond extract doesn’t have to break the bank. So, I made sure to include options that won’t burn a hole in your wallet.
(You can, of course, reverse-engineer all this work yourself, if you’d like!)
#1 Best Overall: Watkins Pure Almond Extract
Watkins is well-known for its superb extracts and its long-time attention to quality. The company has been around since 1868, so they’ve had a while to perfect their recipes! Great flavor, well-liked by bakers and cooks alike, no extra additives, all organic. Plus, one of the cheapest options I reviewed. Great quality and low price? Yes please!
Ingredients: Water, alcohol, oil of bitter almond
#2 Runner-up: Frontier Co-Op
Frontier Co-op’s almond extract gets you good-quality organic almond extract with a silky-smooth taste… for a great price. The only reason it didn’t take the top spot? It has four ingredients instead of three and is just a smidge more expensive than Watkins. But with that bit of extra cost definitely comes great taste and value.
Ingredients: Water, organic alcohol, organic glycerin, bitter almond oil
#3 Honorable Mention: 365 by Whole Foods
I’ve gotta say, Whole Foods has done a good job of starting to get away from its old “whole paycheck” reputation. Their almond extract is good-quality, reasonably priced, and well-regarded. A solid addition to anyone’s spice shelf, and really it only suffers by comparison with the two above.
Ingredients: Purified water, organic alcohol, glycerin, natural bitter almond oil
#4: Premium price, premium quality: Simply Organic
Simply Organic is well-known for delivering excellent, high-quality organic ingredients with no fuss. Their almond extract has just four ingredients, all organic, and is well-liked by amateur cooks and bakers. I will say that their flavor is superb, so if you have a couple extra bucks to shell out, this may be the one that’s really worth it.
Ingredients: Water, organic alcohol, organic glycerin, bitter almond oil
#5: Cheap, Good Value: Happy Belly
Amazon’s Happy Belly has built a solid reputation for good offerings with no frills. They compete on price, and you can see it here – they’re one of the cheapest offerings I’ve seen in the market (beaten only by Chef-O-Van, which you have to buy in bulk to lock in the savings). Happy Belly’s almond extract is well-liked in the marketplace as good value for the price. If organic matters to you, important to know that Happy Belly is NOT organic.
Ingredients: Water, alcohol, oil of bitter almond
#6 Best Gift: Nielsen-Massey
Just like Watkins, Nielsen-Massey has been in business for a long time – in Nielsen-Massey’s case, since 1907. (So over 110 years!) Their specialty is vanilla and vanilla extracts, but over time they’ve diversified into other flavors and areas. I’m confident in the quality of their almond extract, and the packaging is beautiful. (Particularly the gift box.) It’s a great gift for the baker in your life, and the four-ounce bottle guarantees that they’ll have all the almond extract they’ll need for a long time…
Ingredients: Alcohol, natural oil of bitter almond, water
#7 Best in Bulk: Chef-O-Van
Chef-O-Van’s almond extract is big – it’s a 16-fluid ounce bottle (everything else here is two or four), and because you’re buying in bulk you get the almond extract a LOT cheaper. ($0.82 per fluid ounce, which is more than half off what you’ll pay for any of the other almond extracts on this list.) FYI that Chef-O-Van’s almond extract is not organic, but you’re still getting a quality product for a fantastic price.
Ingredients: Water, alcohol, bitter almond oil
#8 Trusted Brand: McCormick
If you’ve ever hunted for spices at the grocery store, you’ve bought McCormick at some point. (Chances are good you’ve got McCormick on your spice shelf right now. They’ve got all of them!)
Well, McCormick also makes extracts, and their almond offering in particular is well-liked by amateur cooks and bakers. You pay up a little for the brand recognition, but there’s also safety that comes with that – you know they stand by their product and will deliver a consistent experience. Worth noting that it’s not organic.
Ingredients: Water, alcohol, oil of bitter almond
Links on this page may be affiliate links, for which the site earns a small commission, but the price for you is the same
Leave a Comment