When life gets nuts, make nut butter! Or, when you realize that the homemade ones can be just as good as (correction, better than!) the store-bought ones make your own nut butter.
I’ve been a fan of peanut and almond butter, among others, for years. I’ve never met a nut butter I didn’t like. Honey peanut butter, maple almond butter, even mixed nut butters (with pecans and cashews and even flaxseed).
But it was only last year I started experimenting with making my own. Enter my Homemade Roasted Almond Butter.
The recipe is easy…
I bought organic whole almonds, roasted ‘em up myself, then ground them into a delicious butter with only sea salt and a little pure maple syrup.
Three ingredients + 15 minutes and you have homemade almond butter
What are the benefits of making almond butter at home?
- you can control what does and does not go in it
- it has a supremely fresh-roasted taste
- the cost is a fraction of store-bought almond butter
Many nut butters (almond, peanut, etc) are filled with CRAP. Corn syrup, Refined sugar, Additives, Palm oil or other unhealthy oils. Therefore, making it at home you can avoid these undesirable ingredients.
And then there is the cost savings benefit. Any high-quality jarred almond butter will set you back $12-20, depending on the brand and specs. But for half (or less) of that cost you can have homemade. Most importantly, a sense of accomplishment, and it’s fun to make!
Plus, you can mix up the nuts and other ingredients because there are endless delicious combinations.
Dry roasted almonds ready to blend
To sweeten or not to sweeten…
I love a good roasted nut butter, so roasting the almonds for 10-12 minutes first lends an extra nutty-tasting butter with a fresh roasted taste.
You can also add salt or not, chose to sweeten or to not sweeten.
For the sweetener I like maple syrup, but honey or coconut sugar work equally well here. Feel free to add more than one teaspoon of whichever you use if you prefer a sweeter taste, or you can omit altogether. I like Brad’s Organic maple syrup (available at Whole Foods etc).
And for salt, I used fine pink sea salt and like the brand Redmond Real Salt.
Once I have all of the ingredients ready, it’s time to blend in a small food processor. Or you can use a larger one to double the recipe. For small batches I like this Cuisinart Mini-Prep.
You will think your almonds will never turn into a smooth butter, but they will so just be patient. First they become almond meal, then a clumpy paste, and then finally (alas!) a smooth almond butter. Mine took about 15 minutes of blending, and be sure to periodically scrape down the sides and stir.
Hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts also make great nut butter
You can easily swap the almonds out for another nut if you want to experiment, or just mix it up. Either way, be sure to roast first for max flavor.
You can also vary the sweetener, or other things you add.
If you want to vary the nuts any of these will also be delish:
- pecans
- walnuts
- cashews
- hazelnuts
- peanuts
- or try a combo!
For sweeteners you can use:
- maple syrup
- honey
- coconut sugar
- dates
Other add-ins can be:
- cinnamon
- pumpkin spice
- vanilla
- toasted coconut
- flax seeds
- chia seeds
- hemp seeds
- cacao or melted dark chocolate
And you can easily double the measurements to yield more than the roughly 2/3 cup of almond butter this recipe makes.
Cinna-raisin toast with almond butter, banana & seeds
Now, what are the best ways to use your Homemade Roasted Almond Butter?
The answer is not what can you do with homemade almond butter, it’s what can’t you do!
- on whole grain toast with bananas and seeds
- as a healthy AB&J with homemade blueberry jam
- use in baking quick breads and muffins
- spread on banana for a pre-workout snack
- stir into oatmeal
- add to smoothies
- bake into granola
- use in a salad dressings
- use in desserts (such as my Stuffed Medjool Dates or PB&J Chocolate Truffles)
AB&J for Toast Tuesday
Think you will try making your own homemade nut butter? If so, leave a comment and let me know which one you make. And check my Instagram feed for more healthy and easy recipes like this.
Looking for more breakfast recipes? You might also like…
Coconut Almond Chia Pudding (vegan, GF)
Egg & Avocado Toast (DF, GF)
| Prep Time | 10-15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
1-Tbsp
|
- 1 cup raw almonds preferably with skins
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp fine pink salt
Ingredients
|
|
- heat oven to 350°, line a large sheet pan with parchment paper
- roast almonds until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes (my oven took 12)
- add roasted almonds to a food processor or high-powered blender and blend until it reaches a creamy consistency, scraping down sides and stirring as necessary (mine took about 15 minutes so be patient!)
- once smooth and creamy, add maple syrup and salt and blend again
- store almond butter in an air-tight jar for several weeks, room temp best for best flavor
- recipe makes about 2/3 cup of almond butter
- see blog post above for substitutions and brand recommendations
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com