How to make Nut Butter – 4 Ways – Learn how to make healthy and delicious homemade peanut butter, almond butter, pecan butter and creamy cashew butter. These recipes are simple and easy to customize using either a Vitamix or a food processor.
PIN HERE for later and follow my boards for more recipe ideas
Homemade nut butter is a pantry staple around here. It’s simple to make either in your food processor or a high-speed blender like a Vitamix.
Today, we’re going to be focusing on how to make:
- Almond Butter
- Cashew Butter
- Pecan Butter
- Peanut Butter
Not only is it better and cheaper than your typical store-bought version, you can make it with as little as ONE ingredient so it’s nice to know exactly what you’re getting.
Plus, it’s easy to switch things up depending on what you like. You can get as creative as you want with your flavors by adding:
- cinnamon
- maple syrup / honey
- cocoa power
- vanilla
- chia seeds
- flax seeds
- turmeric
- cayenne pepper
- cocoa / cocao powder
- unsweetened coconut
- coconut oil
- freeze-dried strawberries
- sunflower seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- pumpkin pie spice
My family is absolutely crazy about making our own nut butter and we have some form of it every day.
It’s great for baking, you can drizzle some over a bowl of oatmeal, add a spoonful to your smoothies, spread on your morning toast, as a snack with some apples, or by the spoonful straight out of the jar.
HOW TO MAKE NUT BUTTER
- CHOOSE YOUR BASE: First, start by choosing your base nut (s). Today’s nut butter recipes use:
- Almonds, Cashews, Peanuts and Pecans.
- Some nuts take longer to process due to the amount of fatty acids they contain.
- Almonds have less fat, so they take a little more time in a food processor. If you make a lot of your own almond butter, investing in a high-speed blender like a Vitamix can save you a lot of time since.
- Cashews, pecans and peanuts have more fat, so they typically only take about 10 to 15 minutes to process in a food processor.
- ROAST THE NUTS: For more flavor, roast the almonds, pecans, cashews and peanuts before blending. This also helps the nuts to blend up quicker. Be sure to allow the nuts to cool down before processing otherwise, the concentrated oils may cause your blender or food processor to overheat.
- Add a little bit of avocado or coconut oil as needed to help the nuts blend easier.
- ADD NUTS TO A HIGH-SPEED BLENDER OR A FOOD PROCESSOR: Add the roasted nuts to a high-speed blender or a food processor or blender. If you make a lot of your own nut butters, investing in a high-speed blender like a Vitamix can save you a lot of time since it works much faster.
- PROCESS: You’ll notice that the nuts will go through various stages before it turns to smooth and creamy nut butter.
- CRUMBY TEXTURE: First, you’ll notice that the nuts will look like crumbs.
- CLUMPING INTO A BALL: then they’ll start clumping up into a ball.
- SANDY / GRITTY PASTE: Keep processing and the clump will break down and start to turn into a gritty paste.
- CREAMY NUT BUTTER: Finally, the nut butter will get smooth and spreadable and you’ll end up with creamy homemade almond butter.
-
ALMOND BUTTER VS. PEANUT BUTTER:
Is Almond butter healthier than peanut butter? Both nut butters have similar nutritional value. They are roughly equal in calories and sugar, but peanut butter has a little bit more protein than almond butter.
However, almond butter is a great alternative since it has more vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It has the same creamy texture and packs about 3 grams (g) more of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat per serving. Plus, homemade almond butter does not contain any added sugars and is free of hydrogenated oil (trans fats)
CAN YOU EAT PEANUT BUTTER ON A PALEO DIET?
Peanut Butter is technically considered a legume and high in phytic acid so it is not included on the list of nut butters that are paleo-friendly.
WHAT IS ANOTHER WAY TO ENJOY ALMOND BUTTER?
There are so many ways to enjoy your fresh batch of almond butter.
You can spread it on some whole-grain or paleo / keto toast with some fresh berry jam, on banana bread, muffins, blend it into smoothies, add it over your oatmeal with some yogurt, use it to bake breakfast cookies, fat bombs, energy bites, granola bars, cupcakes, or a cake – plus so many ways.
How to make Homemade Nut Butter - 4 Ways - Learn how to make healthy and delicious homemade peanut butter, almond butter, pecan butter and creamy cashew butter. These recipes are simple and easy to customize using either a Vitamix (in just ONE minute) or a food processor.
- 8 ounces 2 cups raw almonds, cashews, peanuts or pecans (can also buy preroasted nuts)
- 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt , to taste
- avocado oil or coconut oil , optional & to taste, depending on consistency desired
- ground cinnamon , to taste
- sweetener: maple syrup, honey, monk fruit , to taste
- shredded coconut , to taste
If toasting the almonds, preheat oven to 325 F and spread a single layer of nuts on a large-rimmed baking sheet. Toast for 10-15 minutes, mixing half-way.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes, until no longer hot (warm is okay).
Transfer the nuts to a high-powered blender like a Vitamix (fitted with the four-blade attachment) or a food processor.
Process on high speed until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently. Depending on the type of nut and your machine, this may take anywhere from 5-15 minutes. Be patient and continue to blend and scrape down the sides, the mixture will come together after the dry paste forms. You can add a bit of oil to help the process or depending on the consistency desired. If the mixture gets too hot, you can pause for about 5-10 minutes and resume again.
Once the mixture is creamy, you can add any desired salt, sweetener or add-ins of your choice and blend until creamy and combined.
Allow to cool down slightly before to a glass jar. Seal and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 weeks.
Recipe Video
*Nutritional info is for 1 tablespoon
