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Amaretti substitute

Best substitute

Almond macaroons or any crisp almond cookie

Use the same amount by weight, plus ⅛ teaspoon almond extract per 100 g as the amaretti you are replacing

Best for stuffed peaches

Close match

The nearest thing on a supermarket shelf. Almond biscuits, almond thins and French-style almond macaroons all bring the right nutty sweetness and dry crumb. They are usually sweeter and rounder than amaretti and lack the sharp bitter note, so a little almond extract sharpens them up.

Other amaretti substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Amaretti with ratios

  1. 2Ladyfingers, biscotti or plain dry cookies plus almond extract and ground almonds

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by weight of crumbs, plus ¼ teaspoon almond extract and 1 tablespoon ground almonds per 100 g

    The best all-round pantry fix, because dryness is the property that matters most in a filling and these are all bone dry.

    What changes

    On their own they taste of vanilla and not much else, so the extract supplies the aroma and the ground almonds supply the fat and slight grit that make the crumb taste like a real almond cookie.

    Best for
    stuffed peaches and baked fruit, ravioli and pasta fillings, crumb crusts, bound stuffings

    Savoiardi, digestives, graham crackers, shortbread and even plain rusks all work. Avoid anything with a cream filling or a strong spice, which will show up in the finished dish.

  2. 3Ground almonds, sugar and almond extract

    Different texture

    For every 100 g amaretti, use 60 g almond flour, 40 g sugar and ¼ teaspoon almond extract

    This nails the flavour, which is the hardest part, and misses the texture.

    What changes

    There is no crunch and much less absorbency, so a filling made with it will be softer and wetter than one made with crushed cookies, and a topping will not go crisp. Toasting the almond flour in a dry pan until fragrant helps a lot.

    Best for
    ravioli fillings, cake batters, frangipane-style mixtures, when you only have baking ingredients

    If the mixture needs to firm up, add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs per 100 g to soak up moisture the way the cookies would have.

  3. 4Almond paste, crumbled and dried

    Different texture

    Use the same amount by weight, and cut the recipe's sugar by about a third

    Almond paste is already almonds and sugar, so the flavour is right and it is easy to find.

    What changes

    It is dense and chewy rather than crisp, and it is much sweeter than a cookie by weight, so it makes fillings richer and stickier. Crumbling it and drying it in a low oven for 20 minutes improves the texture considerably.

    Best for
    pumpkin ravioli filling, cake fillings, stuffed fruit, torte

    Marzipan works the same way but is sweeter still, so cut the recipe's sugar by half. Neither will give you a crunchy topping.

  4. 6Toasted breadcrumbs plus almond extract and sugar

    Different taste

    For every 100 g amaretti, use 70 g dry breadcrumbs, 30 g sugar and ¼ teaspoon almond extract

    The honest last resort, and better than it sounds for savoury-leaning fillings such as pumpkin ravioli.

    What changes

    It does the absorbing and binding job perfectly. What it cannot do is taste like a cookie: even with extract and sugar it reads as seasoned bread, so the filling comes out less sweet and less interesting.

    Best for
    pumpkin and squash ravioli filling, bound vegetable stuffings, gratin toppings

    Toast the crumbs in a dry pan first for colour and nuttiness. Add a tablespoon of melted butter per 100 g to make them taste richer.

What is Amaretti?

Amaretti is Amaretti are Italian almond macaroon cookies made from ground almonds or almond paste, sugar and egg white, sold either crisp and hard as amaretti di Saronno or soft and chewy as amaretti morbidi, with a pronounced bitter-almond flavour.

Cooking tips

  • Crush amaretti in a bag with a rolling pin rather than in a food processor. The almonds are oily, and a processor takes them past crumbs and into a paste in a couple of seconds, which changes how the filling behaves.
  • Hard amaretti soak up a surprising amount of liquid, so if you substitute a softer cookie, reduce the wet ingredients slightly or dry your crumbs in a low oven for 15 minutes first. This is the difference between a stuffed peach that holds together and one that floods the dish.
  • In pumpkin or squash ravioli filling, the crushed cookies are there partly to stiffen a wet puree. Squeeze or cook down the squash first, and add the crumbs a spoonful at a time until the mixture holds a shape on the spoon.
  • Save the paper wrappers if you buy amaretti di Saronno in the traditional twists; they are traditionally lit and float as they burn, which is a party trick rather than a cooking tip, but do not use them as parchment.
  • Amaretti keep for months in an airtight tin, and stale ones are actually better for crushing than fresh, so a forgotten packet at the back of the cupboard is worth using rather than throwing out.

Frequently asked questions

Are amaretti the same as amaretto?

No, though they share a name and a flavour. Amaretti are cookies; amaretto is an almond-flavoured liqueur. Both take their name from amaro, meaning bitter, because of the bitter-almond note. If a recipe calls for crushed amaretti and you only have amaretto, you can borrow the aroma by adding a teaspoon of the liqueur to some dry cookie crumbs, but the liqueur cannot replace the crumb itself.

Can I use almond flour instead of amaretti?

For flavour, yes, and it is the closest substitute in taste. Use 60 g almond flour with 40 g sugar and a quarter teaspoon of almond extract for every 100 g of amaretti, and toast the almond flour first. What you will not get is the crunch or the drying, binding effect of a crisp cookie, so a filling made this way is softer and a topping will not be crunchy.

Can I just leave amaretti out of the recipe?

It depends on their job. In a crumb topping or a garnish, yes, and nothing much is lost. In stuffed peaches or pumpkin ravioli filling, no, because they are both the dominant flavour and the ingredient that stops the filling being sloppy; without them a squash filling will be wet and taste flatly of squash. Substitute a dry cookie plus a drop of almond extract instead of omitting them.

Do amaretti contain nuts?

Yes. Traditional amaretti are built on almonds, and many recipes also use bitter almonds or apricot kernels for the characteristic sharp note, so they are unsuitable for anyone with a nut allergy. If you are cooking for a nut allergy, use dry cookie crumbs with no nuts and skip almond extract, which is often derived from bitter almonds; a good vanilla and a little lemon zest gives the filling somewhere else to go.

Are amaretti gluten-free?

The traditional hard amaretti of Saronno and Sassello are made from almonds, sugar and egg white with no flour, so many brands are naturally gluten-free. Plenty of commercial versions do include wheat flour, and soft amaretti morbidi often do, so read the label rather than assuming.

What is the difference between hard and soft amaretti?

Hard amaretti, the Saronno style, are crisp all the way through and shatter when crushed, which makes them ideal for fillings and crumb toppings. Amaretti morbidi are soft, cracked-topped and chewy in the middle. If a recipe says to crush amaretti, it means the hard kind; using soft ones adds moisture, so dry them out in a low oven for 20 minutes first.

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