Store-bought butter can be convenient, sure, but we’re reaching for our homemade versions for a few reasons:
- You get to stay home!
- Cost-effective
- No added sugar, salt, or chemicals
- Use what you already have
- Create your own fun blends
- Choose how much/how little you want to make
So fire up your food processor (or blender) and try out some of our favorite nut butter recipes!
The stages of the blending process:
1. Blended for 1 minute. Seeds are still grainy and course, similar to crumb texture.
2. Blended for 5 minutes. Mixture has formed into a stickyball that will roll around food processor.
3. Blended for 8 minutes. Mixture is creamy but still thick and slightly grainy.
4. Blended for 12 minutes. Butter is creamy with a bit of crunch & is ready to eat!
Simple Nut Butter Recipe
This can be your base recipe for an easy nut butter. We are using raw almonds and toasting them ourselves- this will help make the almonds blend easier when they are warm. You can get creative with this recipe! SubstituteCashews,Walnuts, orPecansand surprise yourself with your ingenuity!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (3 cups)Raw Almonds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional: ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Optional: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Spread the almonds across a large, rimmed baking sheet and toast the almonds for 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Remove almonds from oven and let cool till warm.
- Transfer the almonds to a food processor (or high speed blender). Blend until creamy, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary. PATIENCE! You may get frustrated but this will take time.
- Flour-like clumps will form to a ball against the side of the food processor- scrape down those sides! Finally, it will turn creamy! Don't let the mixture get too hot, take breaks if needed!
- After mixture is smooth and creamy, add in option ingredients! Blend until those additional ingredients are well mixed in.
- Let the butter cool and store in an air-tight container. We put ours in the fridge and it will last up to two weeks.
Sunflower Seed Butter
This recipeworks for any roasted nut (peanut, almond, etc.) or seed!If you like the nut or seed you're bound to like the butter, so try and get a little creative! Keep in mind, 1 cup of nuts will yield around 2/3 cup of nut butter.
Ingredients
- 3 cups ofRoasted Salted Sunflower Seeds(you can useUnsalted)
Directions
- Pour 3 cups of sunflower seeds into a food processor with an S-blade attachment
- Process the seeds for 10-12 minutes (or until your desired consistency), occasionally stopping the food processor and scraping the mixture down the sides
- At some point, the mixture will form into a ball. Don't worry, just keep processing until smooth!
- IMPORTANT:Do not add any water to the mixture, it will cause the butter to seize up!If you use a roasted nut or seed, there should be enough oil in the product to create the creamy texture you're looking for, so you don't need anyadditional oil.
- Store in a mason jar at room temp or in the fridge!
Sunflower butter is salty and almost savory, so there are a variety of ways to use it.We like it spread onto rye toast with a slice of tomato and a fried egg!
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Almond Butter
If your mouth is watering from just the title of this recipe... cool, us too. We like to live on the sweeter side of life, so throwing a little chocolate into our homemade nut butter was a no-brainer. You can play around with flavors, use milk chocolate, make it vegan, whatever works for you and your taste buds!We like to spread Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Almond Butter onto some toast, dip some fruit into it, or just take down an entire jar in one sitting (if we're being realistic).
Ingredients
- 1 cupRoasted Almonds
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 TBS dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 TBS cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp honey (agave or maple syrup are easy vegan swaps!)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Directions
- Prepare almond butter using the nut butter base recipe from above
- Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in a bowl in the microwave
- Add chocolate, cocoa powder, honey (or substitute), and salt to food processor with almond butter. Blend until smooth.
- Serve it up immediately or store in a mason jar at room temp
FAQs
Homemade and natural nut butter tastes amazing and is a great healthy snack or breakfast addition PLUS you will feel so good because there are no hidden nasties. You can enjoy nut butter on toast, apple slices, oats...and there are countless nut butter ideas and recipes including some of my favourites....
Which nuts make the best nut butter? ›
"Of all the nut butters, walnut butter has the most omega-3 fatty acids," Andrea says. The healthful fat ratio helps lower LDL cholesterol, increase HDL cholesterol, and reduce inflammation.
Is it cheaper to make nut butter? ›
Although prices for store-bought nut butters can vary based on region, homemade versions will almost always be cheaper. To maximize savings, shop sales, and look out for stores that sell nuts in bulk. At the time of writing, a 5-pound bag of almonds costs $3.60 per pound at Costco.
How long will homemade nut butter last? ›
Storing Homemade Nut Butter
Homemade nut butters will last about a month in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. Since homemade nut butter doesn't have added preservatives like most store-bought nut butters it can go rancid more quickly.
What to avoid in nut butter? ›
Avoid nut butters with added sweeteners such as sugar, corn syrup or molasses. Avoid nut butters with added oils such as hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Why is my homemade nut butter not getting creamy? ›
If it's been about 10 minutes and your nut butter still isn't getting creamy, you can add a tiny bit of oil. I occasionally have to add 1 – 2 teaspoons of oil (I love using coconut oil) to help with the blending process, but when you're using roasted nuts, it really shouldn't be too much of a problem.
What is the most fattening nut butter? ›
Macadamia butter also helps to reduce cholesterol and support heart health, she added. It does contain the highest amount of calories and fat per serving of all nut butter and typically costs more, Childress said.
Can you eat nut butter everyday? ›
It is OK to eat peanut butter every day, but in moderation. Do not eat more than 2 tablespoons, approximately 32 grams, a day. This protein-packed spread is made by blending roasted peanuts into a thick paste and contains various nutrients that promote good health.
Why is once again almond butter so expensive? ›
The No. 1 reason they gave was climate change. Almond trees must grow to full maturity before they flower and bear nuts. They are also a crop which will grow only in certain places in the world (for Once Again, in California or Italy), and crops in these places are producing less flowers, thus less nuts.
What nut butter is closest to peanut butter? ›
Brazil Nut Butter
This rich and creamy peanut butter alternative is similar in look and texture to peanut butter but far less sweet.
Yes! You can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge before eating. Freezing these spreads can sometimes mess up the texture, so you may need to run it through the food processor after thawing.
Should I refrigerate my nut butter? ›
A commercial nut butter, once opened, will keep in your pantry for two to three months, according to the USDA, and most big brands encourage room-temperature storage. Plus, it stays spreadable that way. But it'll last at least twice as long if kept in the fridge, writes Dana Gunders in The Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook.
How can you tell if nut butter is rancid? ›
You'll be able to tell fairly quickly tell if your peanut butter has turned rancid: It will have a metallic, bitter and almost stale smell. It may also be darker and dried out in appearance. If it's natural peanut butter, it may be moldy. Any of these features signal it's time to throw away your jar of peanut butter.
Is nut butter profitable? ›
Yes, starting a nut butter business can be a very profitable endeavor. The profit margins in this sector are around 40%. However, they can be higher if you offer organically-grown and eco-friendly products.
Is it cheaper to buy peanut butter or make your own? ›
Making your own peanut butter is a win/win because you control the amount of salt and sweetener, if any, that goes into it. And it's also a lot cheaper than store brands.
Is it actually cheaper to make your own butter? ›
Butter isn't that expensive — it's about $3 per pound at the wholesale level. Cream costs roughly $3.50 for 16 ounces, or less if you buy a larger carton. That means the price of making your own butter isn't much more than buying it in the store, and often you can get organic cream cheaper than organic butter.
Is homemade butter worth the effort? ›
The texture of homemade butter is softer, creamier, and fluffier than regular stick butter. The flavor of the plain butter differs on the type of heavy cream you use.
