Powering Plant-Based Innovation with California Almonds

As the plant-based market continues to grow, it has evolved from just meat and dairy substitutes to creating innovation in its own right. With a strong nutritional profile and extensive portfolio of formats, almonds can be a formulator’s secret weapon in plant-based innovation.

With personal and planetary health the leading consumer concerns when it comes to global issues, according to Innova Market Insights, it’s no surprise that plant-based has further cemented itself into the mainstream this year.

Plant-based is no longer just about mimicking meat and dairy, but its driving innovation in its own right. As a versatile, plant-based ingredient with 14 different forms to aid innovation, and a strong nutritional profile, almonds are an ideal ingredient for manufacturers innovating in line with increasing demand for plant-based.

Added Nutritional Value

With 6 grams of protein per 30g serving, almonds are a great foundation for plant-based innovation. What’s more, with health being the top reason consumers turn to plant-based alternatives, almonds continue to be a value-add ingredient that resonate with consumer health trends. Per 30g serving almonds provide 4 grams of fibre, 6 grams of plant protein, seven essential vitamins and nutrients, 14 grams of “good” unsaturated fats and 1 gram of saturated fat, giving plant-based products a healthy-halo without sacrificing on taste.

Forms for Every Function

Not only are almonds valuable from a nutritional perspective, but their versatility enables developers the flexibility to incorporate them in different forms. With these multiple forms - including whole, sliced, slivered, milk, butter, flour, ground, and oil - there are endless ways for developers to incorporate almonds into products, which makes exploring plant-based opportunities an exciting and innovative proposition.

For example, defatted almond flour is lower in calories and fat but higher in protein than regular almond flour or meal, which makes it useful when developing protein-based products. Its extra-fine texture and clean taste also allows other ingredients to shine through when it’s used to bind or bring density to bars.

Almonds’ extensive portfolio of formats means that they are also useful in addressing taste and texture concerns often associated with plant-based products. According to Innova Market Insights, one in three consumers would not consider buying 100% plant-based alternatives because of poor taste and texture, highlighting that these trickier aspects of product development are a key deciding factor for consumers.  

For more information on how almonds can support plant-based innovation