A creamy, homemade almond butter with just two ingredients.
Nut butters are great nutritional alternatives to dairy butter because they contain heart-healthy fats instead of artery-smothering cholesterol. Besides, the possibilities are endless because you can have as many nut butters as there are nuts. There's of course the universal favorite, peanut butter, and these days almost any grocery store stocks almond butter, cashew butter and even macadamia nut butter.
Most of these butters are really nothing but nuts ground into a smooth, spreadable paste, sometimes with a smidgen of oil helping them along. But supermarket brands can contain preservatives and added sugars. So if you're lucky enough to have a powerful blender, do what I do and just make your own nut butters. For one, it'll be easier on your wallet. For another, you'll be in control of exactly what goes in.
The almond butter takes literally five minutes to make-- slightly longer than the time needed to toast the bread to spread it on. And it needs just two ingredients. But play around with new flavors if you want to. A little maple syrup added to this butter would be amazing, and you wouldn't even need any jelly on your toast. Some cocoa powder would give you an almondy, vegan version of Nutella. And you might even try adding a dash of red pepper flakes or cinnamon for a spicy bite. It's you and your imagination, really.
Use this technique to make other nut butters too. Peanuts do not usually require any added oil, because they already contain so much, but I've found that both cashew and almond do need some help or they just turn to powder.
It's going to be a short post today. Enjoy the weekend, all!
Recipes with almond butter
Almond Butter
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place almonds in a single layer on a microwave-safe dish and zap for two minutes. Stir the almonds and place again in microwave for another 2 minutes.
- Place the almonds and oil in the blender and blend at the highest speed until you have a smooth paste. Add more oil if the spread is too powdery (if I plan to use it all rightaway, I add some almond milk instead of oil).
- Scrape into a jar and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
D P
Hi all
I made peanut butter in my food processor and used a little coconut oil. Turned out great, can't wait to make almond butter!
I also wanted to share that I read somewhere that you should soak then dehydrate your almonds to remove some enzyme the skin contains that make digestion difficult. I started doing this with my almond milk (soak then discard liq and rinse) and noticed a huge difference. I have a dehydrator so I'm going to soak, dehydrate then roast before making 🙂
D 🙂
Katie Henry
I find that blenders (even as powerful as my Vitamix) just don't do a good job for things like making nut butters because of their shape. A food processor (like a Cuisinart) is more bowl shaped and so you only have to scrape down the sides every once in awhile when making the nut butter. Try a food processor! 🙂 Hope that helps! I had the same issue, so I got a food processor, and problem solved!
Vaishali
Thanks, Katie, that's good advice.
Christina R
Okay, everywhere I look on the internet there are recipes for almond butter. Almost all of them say a small amount of oil is required. What am I doing wrong?
I have made it twice now. The first time, it was very dry and fell apart in chunks when I tried to eat it. This time, I put in 2 tablespoons at a time (with 2 cups of roasted almonds blended into powder first)...and I ended up using almost EIGHT tablespoons of oil for 2 cups of almonds just to get it smooth and creamy! I did about 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 4 tablespoons of canola oil.
Please advise...as I am trying to be healthy and watch my calories and do not want all of this excess oil in my diet! (And I love almond butter...I could eat the whole jar so really need to figure this out!)
Oh, one last thing...I am using the Montel HealthMaster blender (1100 watts) which is about as powerful as it gets. Maybe it is too powerful that it is not blending well because I have to keep stopping it and push everything back down to the blades just to get it to mix???
Thank you!
Christina
Anonymous
Christina, maybe you didn't process it long enough. It takes a bit of time blending for the almonds to release their oils and turn into the butter.
Kamini
Richa's blender is "meh"..mine is "meh meh"...it almost died this evening when I was making frozen banana ice cream, so I am not sure it can handle almond butter...but I am going to try tomorrow anyway! I've had folks coming from the US bring me bottles from T Joes, but if this works, they will all be so happy!!!
critkins
I found this:
But, given the need for, and comments about soy lecithin and xantham gum, seems it might be best to just do natural substitutes for butter, like apple sauce!
🙂
Vaishali
Richa, thanks!
Jaguarkitchen, you can absolutely make nut butters with raw nuts-- it'd be delicious. Use the same technique, minus the roasting.
PJ, Thanks.
Critkins, This is not something I've ever tried at home, but perhaps a reader might like to weigh in if they have an idea on this?
critkins
Hi V,
Any recipes for making regular vegan butter? Like Earth Balance? That stuff is expensive, and I'd sure like to know how to make it myself!
Laurita
The homemade vegan pantry the art of making your own staples written by Miyoko Shinner
I used her recipe for making butter. I have some very picky people in my family. When I made the butter and it was ready...I made toast and spread it on there sliced the toast in half and gave half to y picky husband and gave half to my really picky daughter. They both couldn't believe I just made it in ten minutes in my blender. Ten minutes in the freezer. It was done.
Now they won't eat store bought. I used the recipe for whipped butter. But there is a variation for two other kinds as well....check out the book...I don't believe you will regret it. We switched to plant based diet in may. My husband was diagnosed with lung cancer. He lost one hundred and fifty pounds and his home care team can't believe the positive changes in his health in such short amount of time....we are never going back.
PJ
I usually prepare peanut butter at home but never thought of making almond butter!Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
jaguarkitchen
Aw, I sooo loved it!
Seems so yummy!
Thank you so much for sharing it with someone whos' country doesn't have nut butter options 😉
I'll try it ASAP!
Oh, do you think that, with some other sorta oil I can make it raw, even? (I'm getting into this Raw challenge...)
xoxo
♥♥♥
jaguarkitchen
Aw, I sooo loved it!
Seems so yummy!
Thank you so much for sharing it with someone whos' country doesn't have nut butter options 😉
I'll try it ASAP!
Oh, do you think that, with some other sorta oil I can make it raw, even? (I'm getting into this Raw challenge...)
xoxo
♥♥♥
Richa
love your creamy and smooth almond butter.. my blender is meh. it can barely make a decent cashew butter..we'll see if i can make some space for a new food processor. too many gadgets already!
pinning this to my how-to pinboard
Richa @ Hobby And More Food Blog
Vaishali
Sarah, that's great advice.
Get Skinny, I think roasting the nuts really improves the flavor.
Get Skinny, Go Vegan.
I adore my nut butters! But I have to say the ones at the store, without sugar or anything, seem better!! But I make in the food processor, so they aren't really the same!!! Plus I use raw nuts!
Sarah
Amy, you can try something like Gena's 'conservation burgers': . This at least gives you an idea of ratios, so even if you don't have juice pulp, you could still use something like shredded carrot or another vegetable in their place, and bake them instead of dehydrate if you don't have a dehydrator.
I love making almond butter. A 250 gm jar in Australia costs $11 or more, yet I can buy a full kilo of almonds for less than that and make TONS of almond butter!
Vaishali
Amy, You can't make almond butter with the pulp after you've taken all the milk out because the oils have been stripped out of it as well. You could try mixing in some oil to give it moisture and flavor, but I am not sure how that'd work out. I don't strain my almond milk-- I like the thickness of the pulp mixed in with the milk.
TS, that's just regular whole-wheat sandwich bread.
TS =)
What's your almond butter sandwiched between? That looks good.
amymylove
I have a boatload of almond pulp from making almond milk, so it is already ground and I baked and processed it in my food processor into sorta gritty flour.
Here is my question: Can I use this pulp/ meal to make almond butter? If so, how? If this is possible PLEASE let me know, I am scrambling for ideas on how to use this pulp up... I am not concerned with it being raw or anything.