Abstract: An almond nut paste for use in a beverage or dessert comprises an intimate mixture consisting essentially of a paste of unskinned, dry-roasted or oil-roasted almond nuts with or without a minor amount of other starch-poor nuts such as hazel nuts, pistachio nuts or macadamia nuts, substantially all of said nuts having a maximum particle size of not more than 105 microns, having more than 80% by weight of particles of a size not more than 25 microns and having more than 95% by weight of particles of a size not more than 46 microns, and two kinds of nonionic surfactants including a hydrophilic surfactant and a lipophilic surfactant, a thickener and a sugar. Methods of manufacturing beverages, sours, desserts, and syrups from the nut paste are also disclosed.