Nut butters are one of the easiest, quickest and healthiest pantry or fridge staple. It makes a wonderful breakfast, snack and everything in between. You can spread, slather, add it to curries, make salad dressing and so much more. They’re packed with proteins, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins minerals and so delicious.
A good classic snack is to dip some apple slices or banana in peanut butter. Want a fast breakfast on the go, slather nut butter on a wholegrain toast and top with berries or fruit of your choice. Want more delicious ideas! replace butter with almond butter in your next cookie recipe. Or fill a fresh pitted date with nut or seed butter for a quick healthy snack or dessert. Try it as a base for your next salad dressing or add a spoonful into your curry for a rich base without cream. The combinations are endless and the result is always satisfying. Nut butters are versatile and can be used in sweet to savory and everything in- between. So besure to always keep a jar stocked up in your fridge or pantry.
I have tried making my own nut butter a few times now. So after a few trials and error of homemade nut butter, we have learned some simple tricks of do’s and don’ts that I wanted to share. Along with our family favorite combination for the holiday season.
Tips & Tricks
- First you technically need only need ONE ingredient to make nut butter. NUTS. You can make nut butter with any nut, they’ll all work, just one or mixed. Though a little salt will help balance the flavor but it’s a one ingredient recipe.
- Many recipes call for oil to make things move along in the food processor, but resist the urge to add, nuts have a lot of oil and when they’re blended for a few minutes they will release their own to make a wonderfully creamy butter.
The most important thing to do is stop frequently, scrape the crushed nuts that stick to the side of the bowl and help mix evenly. - Nuts can be expensive, so mixing some common nuts like almonds to say macadamia or Brazil nuts or pistachios will result in a beautifully flavorsome nut butter on a budget.
- Roasting the nuts for a few minutes before will result in creamy and more flavorful butter. Roast in a 300°F oven for 8-10 minutes is perfect.
A word about the Food Processor
The one tool you’ll need for making nut butter is a decent food processor. The process will take about 10 minutes at least, some machines get hot so you’ll have to stop for a few minutes to cool and start again. This is where roasting helps. I used my trusted Breville which has a wide bowl that helps process the nuts evenly all at once not just the nuts sitting in the bottom. Regardless of the brand these are the tips you’re looking for.
The processing time will vary depending on the power of the machine, the kind of nut and the amount of nuts. It may take anywhere from 10-20 minutes for a smooth, runny and creamy nut butter.
Homemade Nut or Seed Butter
Equipment
- High speed food processor
- spatula
- 2 airtight containers
Ingredients
- 4 cups cups mixed nuts and/or seeds** see notes almonds, walnuts, Brazil, cashews, sunflower seeds
- ½ tsp sea salt
OPTIONAL Maple Ginger Cinnamon Butter
- 1 cup prepared nut butter
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Roast the nuts together with the salt at 300°F for about 8-10 minutes. Save a few nuts if you like crunchy nut butter to add later. Transfer the roasted nuts/seeds to a food processor. Run it on high speed for 10-15 minutes (depending on the POWER of the food processor).
- Stop and scrape down the sides every couple of minutes. At first you'll have a fine powder texture(don't worry). As the processor does its thing you will have a smooth creamy butter in a few minutes, remember to stop periodically and scrape everything down.
- The nut butter is ready when it is smooth, creamy and runny. If you prefer it a bit crunchy, you can add some chopped roasted nuts at this point that you have saved after roasting. Transfer to clean glass jars for a few weeks refrigerated.
Maple Ginger Cinnamon Butter
- Add the ground turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and maple syrup towards the end of the mixing process, after the nut butter is completely smooth. You can also stir the ground spices together by hand or give it a quick pulse in the food processor. The spices and maple syrup will seize the nut butter making it slightly thick, so don’t stir or blend it too much. Store in a clean glass jar refrigerated.
The maple ginger nut butter was amazing.