Almond Croissant (Croissant Series Part 4)

There is no such thing as too many croissants. But if that does happen – lucky you – add almond cream and turn them into even more amazing Almond Croissant! This easy almond croissant recipe is such a great way to give old croissants a second life and it is an absolute favorite at my house.

My husband loves all things almond, some of his favorites are these almond rugelach, almond scones and this almond apple tart. And I think his love for almond has rubbed off on me, because I can probably devour a whole batch these Almond Croissants and not leave one trace of evidence. Also, we will not leave a French bakery without at least one almond croissant in the bag!

Helpful tools

If you’re planning to grind whole almonds for the almond cream filling, you will need a food processor. Otherwise, you can make the filling with a food processor, a stand mixer or simply by hand.

Ingredients and substitutions

As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:

1. Stale croissants – I use 6 homemade croissants for this recipe but you can always use day old store bought croissants instead. The homemade croissants are on the smaller size so if you’re using larger Costco croissants, just use 4 to ensure you have enough filling.
2. Almonds – you can use whole almonds and grind them yourself in a food processor. But it’s super easy to make the almond cream using either almond flour or almond meal, either works just fine. You can also substitute other nuts if you don’t like almond – I used macadamias and coconut for these amazing macadamia coconut croissants! You’ll also need sliced almond for the topping.
3. Flour – just a tablespoon is use to help add a little bit of structure to the filling.
4. Unsalted butter – I don’t recommend substituting salted butter here since the recipe didn’t call for salt. Salted butter will make your filling too salty. Make sure the butter is really softened to the point of almost melted even.
5. Sugar – I used powdered sugar here to get a smoother texture but you can substitute granulated sugar if that’s all you have. You will want to match the weight of the sugar and not the volume, in this case 75 grams, or roughly ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon. Additional powdered sugar is used at the end to dust these almond croissants, this adds to the presentation as well as sweetness.
6. Egg – just one egg is used to bind the ingredients together and to add richness to the filling.
7. Almond extract – this will add a lot of sweet almond flavor to your filling. If you don’t have almond extract, you can use vanilla extract instead but your croissants won’t have that strong almond flavor.

How to make almond croissant

The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Make the almond croissant filling

The recipe for almond croissant filling is basically an almond frangipane. Beat the very softened butter with the sugar until fluffy, add almond and flour, followed by the egg beaten with almond extract. Refrigerate the filling for about 2 hours before assembling the croissants for baking.

Assemble and bake

Slice the croissants in half. Use a small cookie scoop, about 1 tablespoon in size, to add three scoops of almond croissant filling on the inside of the bottom half. Spread it out with a butter knife. Place the top half back on top of the filling and add one more scoop on the outside. Smear the cream all over the outer top.

Flip it over and press the top into a plate of sliced almonds. Then bake until golden and crispy. Serve with a generous dusting of powdered sugar!

Storage

These almond croissants can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. You can also refrigerate them for up to a week and freeze for 3-6 months.

They are best served slightly warm though, so you’ll want to thaw them out if you kept them in the freezer and toast them up in your oven or toaster oven for a few minutes until warm through and crispy again.

Croissant series

Find all the recipes in my croissant series here:

• Part 1 – Learn How to Make Croissant from scratch!
• Part 2 – Save all the odds and ends and make Cinnamon Twists from Croissant Dough Scraps
• Part 3 – Make the classic Chocolate Croissant

5 from 7 votes

Easy Almond Croissant Recipe

By Trang Doan

This incredibly easy Almond Croissant recipe is a fantastic way to give old croissants a second life that you will love even more than the classic version!

Servings: 6 croissants

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Resting time: 2 hours hrs

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

SaveSaved Pin Comment Print

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Croissant

• ▢ 6 homemade croissants , or 4 large store bought croissants, day old

Almond Cream

• ▢ ¾ cup + 3 tablespoon packed almond flour/meal, 113 g
• ▢ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 8 g
• ▢ 3 oz unsalted butter, 85 g
• ▢ ¾ cup powdered sugar, 75 g
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon almond extract

Topping

• ▢ 1 cup sliced almond, 86 g
• ▢ Powdered sugar

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Allow butter to soften at room temperature.
• Warm the mixing bowl under running hot water for ten seconds.
• Beat softened butter in the warm mixing bowl with the paddle attachment until the consistency is of mayonnaise.
• Add powder sugar and combine on low speed, then increase speed and beat until fluffy.
• Combine the almond meal and all purpose flour thoroughly in a small bowl, break up any lumps.
• Add half the almond meal mixture to the butter, mix on low speed until completely combined, add the rest and mix on low speed again until completely combined. Scrape the side and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
• In a small bowl, add egg and almond extract, whisk to combine slightly.
• Pour egg mixture into the mixing bowl and beat on low until completely combined and smooth.
• Refrigerate mixture for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Add the sliced almond to a plate in an even layer.
• Slice the croissants in half, spread about 3 tablespoons of almond cream on the bottom halves, replace the top halves and spread about 1 tablespoon of almond cream on top.
• Flip the croissant over and dip the outer surface with the almond cream into the plate of slice almond.
• Press it lightly to flatten and to allow almond slices to adhere to the almond cream.
• Flip the croissant on its back and on to a parchment line baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
• Dust generously with powder sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 183g, Calories: 798kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!

This post may contain affiliate links. For more details on how we utilize affiliates, ads, and sponsored content, see our full disclosure policy. Thank you for your continued support, which enables us to keep bringing you delicious recipes, at no extra cost to you.