Nuts, Seeds & Pastes
Almond Paste (Pure) in gelato
Pure almond paste is 100 percent ground almonds with no added sugar, a rich, high-fat nut paste used to flavor and give body to gelato. It contributes fat, protein and solids while adding almost no sweetness or anti-freezing power.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 97% |
| Water | 3% |
| Sugars | 4.4% |
| Fat | 51% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 21% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 4.4 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 4.4 |
Typical use: 6-12% of the mix
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Pure almond paste is a flavor and body ingredient, not a sweetener. Contributing around 51 g fat and 21 g protein per 100 g, it enriches texture and creaminess while barely touching your sugar or PAC totals, since it holds only about 4 g of naturally occurring sucrose. Add it at roughly 6 to 12 percent of the mix, remembering its fat counts toward total fat and its solids toward total solids, so trim cream or other fats to stay balanced. Because it brings almost no anti-freezing power, keep your normal sugar blend intact to hold scoopability. Toasted pastes deepen the roasted, praline note; blanched pastes stay pale and delicate.
Origin & background
Almonds (Prunus dulcis) are among the oldest cultivated nuts, domesticated across the Middle East and Central Asia thousands of years ago. Sicily built a celebrated tradition of pasta di mandorla around its prized Avola almonds, and pure almond paste remains a classic base for Italian gelato and pastry. Today California grows roughly 80 percent of the world's almond supply, according to the Almond Board of California.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central - Nuts, almonds, raw (SR Legacy 170567), per 100g: water 4.41g, protein 21.15g, fat 49.93g, carb 21.55g, total sugars 4.35g, fiber 12.51g - via https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Nuts%2C_almonds_nutritional_value.html
- USDA FoodData Central - Nuts, almond butter, plain (FDC 168588 / 42200500), per 100g: water ~1.75g, protein 20.69g, fat 52.72g, carb 21.13g, total sugars 4.38g, fiber 9.63g - https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Almond_butter_42200500_nutritional_value.html
- myfooddata / USDA Almond Butter reference: https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrition-facts/168588/wt1
- Almond Board of California technical takeaways (almond butter composition & production): https://www.almonds.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/Technical_Takeaways_Almond_Butter.pdf