Yes — a cup at a time, in short pulses, stopping before it turns to paste. Nut flour and nut butter are a few seconds apart, and nothing on the machine tells you where the line is: pulse, shake and sift as you go.
The technique
Small quantities, about a cup, so the nuts stay near the blade.
Cold nuts. Fifteen minutes in the freezer slows the oil from coming out.
Short pulses, 1 to 2 seconds, never a continuous run. Shake the jar between pulses so the coarse pieces fall back to the blade.
Stop early, when it looks like coarse sand. Sift, and pulse only what stays in the sieve.
Why pulsing is the whole answer
A pulse throws the contents up; the stop lets them fall back into the blade’s path. A continuous run keeps the same material against the blade, warming it until the oil releases.
What warms it
Friction at speed, and the motor directly under the jar. Over a few seconds that is negligible. Over a minute on a dry load it is the difference between flour and butter.
Which nuts work best
Blanched almonds give the fine, pale almond flour most recipes mean. Almonds with skins give almond meal, coarser and darker. Hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts are oilier and turn to paste faster — use smaller batches and fewer pulses.
The better tool for big batches
A food processor’s wide bowl spreads nuts across the blade instead of stacking them over it. On this site, the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus at $29.29 has a blunt grinding edge for nuts, and the Hamilton Beach 10-cup at $69.95 or the Ninja Professional Plus at $129.99 take a whole bag at once. See the food processors page.
If you want nut butter instead
Keep going — but that is a different job, and hard on a blender. See can a blender make nut butter.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-10-18. The live price is at the top of the page.
What readers want to know
How do I make almond flour in a blender?
Use blanched almonds, about a cup at a time, cold or even frozen for 15 minutes. Pulse in 1- to 2-second bursts, shaking the jar between pulses, for 20 to 30 pulses in all. Sift, and return only the coarse pieces for a few more pulses. Store it in the fridge or freezer — nut flour goes rancid faster than wheat flour.
Why did my nut flour turn into butter?
Because the oil came out. Sustained blending heats the nuts, the oil releases, and powder becomes paste within seconds. Pulse instead of running continuously, keep the batch small, and stop as soon as it looks like coarse sand. If a recipe uses sugar or flour, a spoonful of it in the jar soaks up some oil.
Is a food processor better for nut flour?
For larger batches, often yes — the wide bowl spreads the nuts across the blade, and the lid comes off for a scrape. The Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus at $29.29 has a blunt edge on its blade stated for grinding nuts, for small batches; the Hamilton Beach 10-cup at $69.95 takes more at once.
Last reviewed 18 October 2026