Cooking with Almonds
Recipes with Almonds — Morocco's Favourite Nut, from Tagine to Tea Tray
Almonds (louz) are Morocco's most beloved nut, as at home in a savoury lamb tagine as in the almond-paste crescents of the pastry table. Grown across the country and blossoming pink across the Anti-Atlas each spring, they are toasted and scattered over festive dishes, ground into rich pastry fillings, and pounded into amlou, the addictive almond-and-argan spread of the south. Almonds signal generosity — a dish crowned with them is a dish made with care. This guide covers the recipes almonds define, how to blanch and toast them, and how to buy them well.
How Moroccans use almonds
Almonds appear in three main guises. Whole or halved and fried until golden, they crown sweet-savoury tagines and couscous, adding crunch against soft meat and fruit. Ground, they form the marzipan-like paste at the heart of the pastry repertoire and thicken luxurious sauces. Pounded with roasted almonds, honey and argan oil, they become amlou, eaten with bread at breakfast. Cooks almost always blanch and often toast them first — raw almonds taste flat, while a few minutes of gentle frying or roasting brings out their buttery sweetness.
The best Moroccan recipes with almonds
Lamb tagine with prunes and almonds — the toasted nuts scattered on top are essential. Kaab el ghazal (gazelle horns) — delicate crescents filled with orange-blossom almond paste. Sellou — toasted flour, almonds and sesame bound with honey and butter. Amlou — the almond-argan-honey spread. Bastilla — layers include a sweet almond crumb. Almond-stuffed dates for the tea tray. Begin with the prune-and-almond lamb tagine, then try amlou, which needs no baking. Explore more at our recipes hub.
Blanching and toasting almonds
To blanch, drop almonds into boiling water for sixty seconds, drain, and slip off the skins between finger and thumb. Toast them either dry in a pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant, or shallow-fry in a little oil — the frying method, common in Moroccan kitchens, gives an even gold and a richer flavour for tagine garnishes. For pastry paste, grind blanched almonds with sugar until they release their oils and clump. Watch toasting closely: almonds turn from pale to burnt in seconds, and scorched nuts taste bitter throughout a dish.
Buying and storing almonds
Souk stalls sell almonds raw and roasted, whole, blanched and slivered — buy whole raw ones for the best value and freshness, and blanch them yourself as needed. Good almonds smell sweet and nutty; a sharp, oily or musty smell means they have gone rancid. Prices vary with harvest but expect roughly 60-120 MAD a kilo for good whole almonds. Because their oils spoil, store them airtight in a cool, dark place, or freeze for long keeping. Buy in quantities you will use within a few months.
Cook's tips
- Blanch in boiling water for a minute, then slip off the skins for pastry and pale garnishes.
- Fry rather than dry-toast tagine almonds for a richer, more even gold.
- Watch toasting closely — almonds scorch in seconds and turn bitter.
- Grind blanched almonds with sugar until they clump for kaab el ghazal paste.
- Store airtight in a cool place or freeze; rancid almonds smell sharp and taste bitter.
Questions about cooking with Almonds
Do I need to blanch almonds for Moroccan recipes?
For pale pastry pastes and elegant garnishes, yes — blanching removes the brown skin for a smooth colour and texture. For rustic toasted garnishes the skin can stay on. Blanching takes a minute in boiling water, after which the skins slip off easily between your fingers.
What is amlou?
Amlou is a thick, sweet spread from southern Morocco made from roasted almonds ground with argan oil and honey until it flows like a loose nut butter. It is eaten at breakfast with fresh bread, and its rich, toasty flavour is unmistakable. Some call it Moroccan almond butter.
Can I use ground almonds from a packet?
Yes, ready-ground almonds work for pastes and fillings and save effort, though freshly ground blanched almonds have a fuller flavour and release more oil, which helps a paste bind. If using packet ground almonds for kaab el ghazal, you may need a touch more syrup to bring the paste together.
Why are almonds fried instead of toasted in tagines?
Shallow-frying in a little oil gives Moroccan cooks an even golden colour and a richer, rounder flavour that suits the sweet-savoury sauces almonds crown. Dry-toasting works too and uses no oil, but it browns less evenly. Either way, drain fried almonds on paper before scattering them over the dish.
How do I stop almonds going rancid?
Store them airtight, away from light, heat and strong smells; their oils turn quickly in warmth. In a hot kitchen the fridge or freezer is safest, and frozen almonds keep for a year. Buy only what you will use within a few months, and always smell them before cooking.
Cook these dishes with a local in Marrakech
Learn to handle almonds the Moroccan way in a hands-on cooking class, or taste it across the medina on a guided food tour.