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Bitter Almond Extract substitute

Best substitute

Standard almond extract

Use 2 to 3 tsp for every 1 tsp bitter almond extract

Best for cakes and sponges

Close match

The widely available American and British almond extract, built on the same benzaldehyde aroma at a lower concentration.

Other bitter almond extract substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Bitter Almond Extract with ratios

  1. 2Amaretto liqueur

    Different texture

    Use 1 tbsp for every ¼ tsp bitter almond extract

    The Italian almond liqueur, which is itself flavoured with bitter almond or apricot kernel notes.

    What changes
    Best for
    cake batters, syrups and soaking liquids, buttercream, custards and creams, fruit compotes

    A genuinely good swap in anything wet, because the aroma is the right one and the alcohol carries it through the bake. It brings a lot of liquid and sugar with it, so reduce the other liquid in the recipe by the same volume and cut the sugar by a teaspoon or so per tablespoon used. The flavour lands softer and sweeter than extract, more almond-liqueur than almond-essence, which suits a soaked sponge or a buttercream far better than a crisp biscuit dough where the extra moisture is a problem.

  2. 3Marzipan or almond paste, finely grated

    Different texture

    Use 2 tbsp for every ½ tsp bitter almond extract

    Sweetened almond paste, which in Nordic and German versions is itself flavoured with bitter almond.

    What changes
    Best for
    cakes and loaf cakes, sweet buns and semla, kringle and pastries, frangipane fillings, cookies

    Excellent in exactly the baked goods that call for bitter almond in the first place, since it delivers the aroma along with almond fat and body, and the crumb comes out moister and richer as a result. Because it is roughly half sugar, drop the recipe's sugar by about 2 tablespoons per 2 tablespoons of paste used, and grate it on the coarse side of a box grater or rub it into the flour so it disperses rather than sitting in lumps. The flavour is rounder and much less piercing than extract, so it will not carry through a strongly flavoured recipe the way a few drops of extract would.

  3. 4Apricot kernel or noyaux extract

    Close match

    Use the same amount by volume

    Extract made from apricot or peach kernels, which contain the same benzaldehyde aroma as bitter almonds.

    What changes
    Best for
    cakes, custards and ice cream, cherry desserts, cordials and syrups

    Chemically and sensorily the closest thing on this list, since bitter almond, apricot kernel and cherry stone all share the same aroma compound, which is why they all smell faintly of each other. If you happen to own a bottle, use it 1:1 and expect almost no difference beyond a slightly fruitier, stonier note. It is not sold in most supermarkets, which is the only real limitation. Treat its potency with the same caution as bitter almond extract.

  4. 5Orgeat syrup

    Taste and texture differ

    Use 1 ½ tbsp for every ¼ tsp bitter almond extract

    A sweet almond syrup, usually with a little orange flower water, used in cocktails and Mediterranean baking.

    What changes
    Best for
    syrups and drinks, soaking sponges, custards, sorbets and granitas

    Fine when you can accommodate the sugar and liquid, and it brings a pleasant floral orange-blossom top note along with the almond, which suits a Nordic almond cake surprisingly well. Because it is mostly sugar syrup, reduce the recipe's sugar and liquid accordingly. It is far weaker in almond aroma than any extract, so it is a poor choice where a recipe wanted the aroma to punch through, and a good one in a drink or a soaking syrup.

  5. 6Vanilla extract (the honest downgrade)

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by volume

    The one thing every kitchen has, used simply to keep the bake from tasting bare.

    What changes
    Best for
    cakes and cookies, when no almond flavouring exists, nut-allergy households

    Be clear that this does not taste of almond in any way, so the finished cake is a different cake rather than a version of the one you meant to make. What it does do is give the crumb an aromatic warmth so it does not taste flat and plainly eggy, which is what happens if you leave the flavouring out entirely. In a Nordic almond cake or a semla filling the absence of the almond note is very noticeable, so add a little lemon zest or a pinch of cardamom alongside it to give the bake something of its own to say.

What is Bitter Almond Extract?

Bitter Almond Extract is Bitter almond extract, sold in Scandinavia and Germany as bittermandel or mandelessens, is a highly concentrated flavouring built on benzaldehyde that carries the marzipan and cherry-pit aroma several times more strongly than ordinary almond extract.

Cooking tips

  • Bitter almond extract does exactly one job, which is aroma. It contributes no fat, no bulk, no sweetness and no structure, so you can adjust the amount freely without touching anything else in the recipe. That is why the extract-for-extract swap is so easy, and why the swaps that bring sugar and liquid, like amaretto and marzipan, need the rest of the recipe adjusted.
  • It is volatile, so add it late. Stir it into batters, creams and icings at the end rather than into a long simmer, and if you are flavouring a syrup or a custard take the pan off the heat first. Aroma driven off into the kitchen air is not in the cake.
  • Measure it with a proper spoon, and if in doubt use less. A heavy hand makes food taste like cough syrup or marzipan-flavoured perfume, and there is no way to fix an overdosed batter short of doubling the recipe. Underdosing is trivially correctable; overdosing is not.
  • Nordic recipes sometimes call for drops of bittermandelolja, bitter almond oil, which is stronger again than the extract. Treat one drop of the oil as very roughly 1/4 teaspoon of standard American almond extract, add it to the batter, taste and adjust. Never measure an oil in spoons the way you would an extract.
  • Almond extract has nothing to do with almond flour or ground almonds, which is one of the most common misunderstandings in baking. Ground almonds taste mildly nutty and contribute fat and bulk; the extract's distinctive smell comes from benzaldehyde, which sweet almonds barely contain. You cannot get the flavour by adding more ground almonds, only more moisture and fat.
  • Store it capped tight and out of the light, and check an old bottle before you bake with it. Both natural and synthetic almond flavourings fade over a couple of years, and a tired bottle is a common reason a bake tastes underflavoured when the measurement was correct.

Frequently asked questions

Is almond extract the same as bitter almond extract?

They share the same key aroma compound, benzaldehyde, so they taste of the same thing, but the Scandinavian and German bitter almond products are considerably more concentrated. That is why Nordic recipes call for a quarter teaspoon or a few drops where an American recipe calls for a full teaspoon. Use standard almond extract at roughly 2 to 3 times the stated amount and taste as you go.

How much regular almond extract equals 1 teaspoon of bitter almond extract?

Start with 2 teaspoons and go up to 3 if the batter still tastes shy. Brands vary enough in strength that no fixed conversion is reliable, so tasting the raw batter on a spoon is the only real guide. Add in stages, because you can always put more in and you can never take it out.

Is bitter almond extract dangerous?

Commercial extract used as directed in baking is not, because it is made either from bitter almond oil that has had the prussic acid removed or from synthetic benzaldehyde. Raw bitter almonds themselves are a different matter: they contain amygdalin, which releases hydrogen cyanide when eaten, which is why they are restricted in the United States. Never substitute raw bitter almonds or apricot kernels for the extract, keep to teaspoon-level measurements, and store it well away from children.

Can I use almond flour or ground almonds instead of almond extract?

No. Ground almonds taste faintly nutty and add fat, moisture and bulk, but they contain almost none of the benzaldehyde that gives almond extract its unmistakable marzipan smell. Adding more ground almonds will make your cake denser and richer without moving the flavour toward almond extract at all. Grated marzipan is the option you want, since it is already flavoured.

Can I just leave bitter almond extract out?

In a cake where almond is one note among several, yes, and use vanilla in its place so the crumb still tastes of something. In a recipe built on the flavour, such as a Nordic almond cake, a semla filling or a mandelkubb, leaving it out removes the point of the bake and the result tastes plainly of sweetened egg and flour. In that case use standard almond extract at two to three times the amount, or a couple of tablespoons of grated marzipan.

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