Amlou: Morocco’s Argan & Almond Spread

Amlou tastes like a deeper, earthier version of almond butter — the roasted argan oil gives it a distinctly nutty, slightly smoky base note that peanut butter does not have. The honey adds sweetness without making it cloying, and if the almonds were well-roasted you get a faint bitterness on the finish, like good dark chocolate. The texture ranges from slightly grainy to fairly smooth depending on how long the almonds were ground. It is rich enough that a couple of tablespoons is genuinely filling.

The most obvious difference is the fat source. Amlou uses culinary argan oil — made from roasted argan kernels — which has a far more complex, toasty flavour than the neutral oil in commercial peanut butter. The base nut is almond rather than peanut, adding its own character. Amlou also contains honey as its sweetener rather than sugar, and it is never stabilised with emulsifiers, so the oil can separate slightly in the jar (stir before using). The result is more intense and less sweet than most peanut butters, with a shorter shelf life once opened.

At a traditional Moroccan breakfast, amlou sits alongside argan oil for dipping, honey in a small bowl, and fresh-baked bread — usually msemen (layered flatbread) or baghrir (semolina crepes with a honeycomb surface). The protocol is informal: tear bread, dip, eat. In the Souss region it sometimes appears on the same tray as olive oil and an array of jams, so breakfast becomes a slow, generous spread rather than a single thing. You can also use it exactly like peanut butter on toast, or swirled into porridge.

Amlou is a Berber (Amazigh) speciality from the Souss region in south-western Morocco — the area between Agadir, Taroudant, and Tiznit, where argan trees grow wild across the landscape. This is the heartland of both argan oil production and almond cultivation, so the three core ingredients are all local. The best amlou in Morocco comes from the women's cooperatives in this region, where the oil is cold-pressed and the almonds are roasted and ground on stone mills rather than industrial machines. Outside the Souss you will still find it across the country, but the provenance is less certain.

Yes, and it travels well as long as the jar is sealed tightly. Glass jars (250 g or 500 g) are the standard format at cooperatives and good spice shops. Pack the jar upright in your checked luggage inside a zip-lock bag in case of any oil seepage. Amlou counts as a food paste under most customs rules — it is not a liquid, so you can technically carry a small jar in hand luggage, though airport security sometimes flags thick pastes; checked luggage is safer. Once home, store it in a cool dark place and use within 4–6 weeks of opening.

Traditional amlou contains honey, which makes it non-vegan in the strict sense. The other two ingredients — argan oil and almonds — are entirely plant-based. Some artisan producers make a honey-free version sweetened with date syrup (rob el-tmar), which is fully vegan, though it is less common in shops. Amlou is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and free of refined sugar. People with tree-nut allergies should obviously avoid it due to the almonds. If you have a severe nut allergy, be cautious even in spice shops where amlou may be displayed near other ground nuts.

The three-ingredient formula is simple: roast raw almonds in a dry pan or oven (160°C, 12–15 minutes) until golden and fragrant, leave to cool, then blend to a paste in a food processor. Add culinary argan oil gradually while blending — roughly one part oil to three parts almond paste by weight — until you reach the consistency you want. Stir in runny honey to taste. The challenge outside Morocco is sourcing genuine culinary argan oil; look for roasted-kernel argan oil from a reputable Moroccan supplier, not the light-coloured cosmetic grade. The whole process takes under 20 minutes.