All About Almond Oil

Almond oil, a versatile ingredient. 

Almond oil can lend its nutty, toasty flavor to recipes in the kitchen, as well as offer emollient properties that help soften and smooth skin when used in beauty products. Providing healthy fats and as a rich source of Vitamin E, almond oil deserves a spot in your pantry or medicine cabinet. Find out why by scrolling below to learn more about almond oil nutrition and the skin health benefits of almond oil, as well as to try three DIY beauty “recipes” and three food recipes below using almond oil.

Are you a food professional? Learn more about how to formulate with almond oil by visiting our Tools for the Food Professional page.

Almond oil nutrition.

Almond oil has 11g of the “healthy fats,” monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. It also is an excellent source of Vitamin E.

A 1-tablespoon (14g) serving of almond oil contains: 

• 120 calories
• 9g of monounsaturated fat
• 2g of polyunsaturated fat
• 1g of saturated fat
• 5mg of Vitamin E
• 0g of carbohydrates
• 0g of protein

Please note that nutrition facts for almond oil will vary from brand to brand and if the almond oil is refined or unrefined. Almond oil that is refined has been extracted from almonds using chemicals and high heat during processing. This negatively affects the nutritional value of the almond oil but allows it to withstand higher temperatures if used when roasting or sautéing.  

Cooking with almond oil that is unrefined – or cold-pressed – offers more nutritional value when unheated. Unrefined almond oil comes from pressed raw almonds that have not been processed with chemicals or high heat. We recommend checking the nutrition labels and trying a few brands to find the right almond oil for you.

Almond oil skin benefits.

Almond oil provides 26% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin E, the collective name for a group of fat-soluble compounds with distinctive antioxidant activities. Vitamin E helps protect skin cells from the damaging effects of free radicals caused by pollution, UV rays, cigarette smoke and other factors.

Almond Oil DIY Skincare Recipes.

Check out these super-easy DIY beauty “recipes” for the skin using almond oil. When applied to the skin directly on its own or as an ingredient within beauty products, almond oil has emollient properties that help soften and smooth skin over time.

Additionally, almond oil is a natural, non-toxic, and cost-effective alternative to most commercially made moisturizers.

Almonds and skin health.

Scientists are learning how diet may benefit your skin’s appearance. Recent skin health studies – the first of their kind for any nut – suggest that daily consumption of almonds may play a beneficial role in skin health. Here’s how:

• Wrinkles and Skin Pigmentation: Results from a study¹ from the University of California, Davis suggests that daily consumption of almonds could be an effective dietary contributor to improving facial wrinkles and reducing skin pigmentation among postmenopausal women with Fitzpatrick skin types I and II (the skin types most susceptible to sunburn). Researchers found a statistically significant reduction – 16% – in wrinkle severity over the course of the study. There also was a statistically significant decrease in overall facial pigment intensity (unevenness of skin tone) by 20%.
• UVB Protection: Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles investigated whether daily almond intake could increase resistance to UVB light (the main source of skin damage from sun exposure) and improve skin texture in Asian women aged 18-45 years old². Results showed that regular almond snacking may be one way to help the skin from within and support other sun protection measures - like wearing sunscreen – to protect the skin from UVB rays. Learn more about the study here.

Further study in larger participant groups and expanded population groups is warranted. Nevertheless, almond research is leading the field in investigating the connection between nutrition and improved skin health.

Recipes with almond oil.

Almond oil can add a rich, amaretto-like flavor of almonds to any recipe. We’ve included some of our favorite almond oil recipes below.