Almond Butter

Here’s how to make Almond Butter that’s so luscious, you might just eat it out of the jar with a spoon. When you’re not doing that, you’ll be dreaming about all the delicious ways to snack on this easy nut butter.

Once you master the technique of making your own nut butter at home, you can buy bulk nuts and save even more money. Buying in bulk from high-volume stores means that your almonds will be fresher, too. Fresh nuts=fresh almond butter.

Swirl homemade almond butter into granola, a smoothie bowl, or spread it on toast with a drizzle of honey. Grilled almond butter banana sandwiches, anyone?

Ingredient notes:

• Almonds: Roasted or raw? It’s completely up to you. Raw almonds work just fine, but if you’re a fan of a deeper, toasty-toasty flavor, then roast them. In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, cook almonds until browned and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. First, in a high-powered blender or food processor, pulse the almonds in short bursts until they are finely chopped.
   
2. Next, turn the machine on to a low speed and process the almonds for about a minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides if necessary. At this point, the almond butter will appear dry and gritty. That’s okay. Once again, run the machine at a low speed for another minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides again. This time, the almond butter should start to form a clumpy paste.
   
3. Then, process the almonds for another minute on low speed, then scrape down the sides again. After a third full minute of processing, the nut butter will have thickened.
   
4. Finally, process the almond butter a fourth time—this time on a slightly higher (medium) speed for 1 to 2 minutes. During this stage, the almond butter should be creamy and smooth, as well as warm to the touch. If you want to add any other ingredients, now’s the time to do it!
   

Recipe tips and variations:

• Slow and steady: The best almond butter is made with gradual processing on low speed, to get everything smooth and creamy. Most folks just throw the nuts in the machine, hit HIGH power, and go! Then they add water, or oil, or some other ingredient to get everything to blend smoothly, because their almond butter is a clumpy mess. Don’t do this. The blending process usually takes around 10-12 minutes, so be patient.
• Take a break: Nut butter can be hard work for machines. If your blender or food processor feels too warm or starts to overheat, stop what you’re doing and let the equipment cool down.  Give it a rest for 15 to 20 minutes and then continue.
• Storage: At room temperature, almond butter should keep for up to 2 weeks. If you plan on eating almond butter slowly, store it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.
• Mix-ins: If you’re going to mix in anything to the almond butter, wait until the very last step, after you’ve made the butter, while it’s still soft and warm.
  • Toasted coconut: Toast 1 to 2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut by spreading it out on a baking sheet and roasting it for about 3 minutes at 400 degrees. Add it to the almond butter, along with a drizzle of honey. It’s ridiculously good! (A pinch of ground cardamom tastes amazing, too.)
  • Sweetened: Add honey, powdered sugar, agave nectar, maple syrup, raw Manuka honey, or monk fruit powder to naturally sweeten almond butter.
  • Salted: A little sea salt goes a long way to make the nutty flavors pop.
  • Chocolate: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder or 1 square melted bittersweet chocolate, then add sweetener to taste.
  • Honey almond: Use cooled roasted almonds and 1 to 2 tablespoons honey plus a pinch of sea salt.
  • Maple vanilla: Sweeten the almond butter with 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
  • Mocha: Sift in 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and 2 teaspoons finely ground instant espresso; sweeten to taste.
  • Cinnamon spice: Spice up the almond butter with a pinch of cinnamon, turmeric, or cardamom. Good luck not finishing the whole batch in one sitting!

More pantry favorites:

• Orange Marmalade
• Homemade Peanut Butter
• Healthy Pancake Mix
• Homemade Granola

Almond Butter

By Meggan Hill

Here’s how to make Almond Butter that’s so luscious, you’ll want to eat it out of the jar with a spoon. When you’re not doing that, you’ll be dreaming about all the delicious ways to snack on this easy nut butter.

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 12 minutes mins

Servings 16 servings

Course Pantry

Cuisine American

Calories 163

5 from 1 vote

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 pound almonds roasted or raw (about 3 cups, see note 1)

Instructions 

• Add almonds to a high-powered blender or food processor. Pulse the almonds until they are finely chopped.
• Process or blend on a low speed for 1 minute continuously, then stop the machine and scrape down the sides. The almond butter will be dry and gritty.
• Process or blend on a low speed a second time for 1 minute continuously, then stop the machine and scrape down sides. The almond butter will start to form a clumpy paste.
• Process or blend on a low speed a third time for 1 minute continuously, then stop the machine and scrape down sides. The almond butter will be thick and grainy at this point. If the blender can't handle the load or if it starts to overheat, add a little oil and/or allow motor to cool for 15-20 minutes, then try again.
• Process or blend on a medium speed fourth time for 1 to 2 minutes longer. The almond butter should be creamy and smooth at this point. It will also be warm and fragrant and delicious. If adding any other ingredients, add them now and blend until well-combined.
• The almond butter will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Notes

1. Almonds: Roasted or raw? It’s completely up to you. Raw almonds work just fine, but if you’re a fan of a deeper, toasty-toasty flavor, then roast them. In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, cook almonds until browned and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Slow and steady: The best almond butter is made with gradual processing on low speed, to get everything smooth and creamy. Most folks just throw the nuts in the machine, hit HIGH power, and go! Then they add water, or oil, or some other ingredient to get everything to blend smoothly, because their almond butter is a clumpy mess. Don’t do this. The blending process usually takes around 10-12 minutes, so be patient.
3. Take a break: Nut butter can be hard work for machines. If your blender or food processor feels too warm or starts to overheat, stop what you’re doing and let the equipment cool down.  Give it a rest for 15 to 20 minutes and then continue.
4. Storage: At room temperature, almond butter should keep for up to 2 weeks. If you plan on eating almond butter slowly, store it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.
5. Mix-ins: If you’re going to mix in anything to the almond butter, wait until the very last step, after you’ve made the butter, while it's still soft and warm.
   • Toasted coconut: Toast 1 to 2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut by spreading it out on a baking sheet and roasting it for about 3 minutes at 400 degrees. Add it to the almond butter, along with a drizzle of honey. It's ridiculously good! (A pinch of ground cardamom tastes amazing, too.)
   • Sweetened: Add honey, powdered sugar, agave nectar, maple syrup, raw Manuka honey, or monk fruit powder to naturally sweeten almond butter.
   • Salted: A little sea salt goes a long way to make the nutty flavors pop.
   • Chocolate: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder or 1 square melted bittersweet chocolate, then add sweetener to taste.
   • Honey almond: Use cooled roasted almonds and 1 to 2 tablespoons honey plus a pinch of sea salt.
   • Maple vanilla: Sweeten the almond butter with 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
   • Mocha: Sift in 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and 2 teaspoons finely ground instant espresso; sweeten to taste.
   • Cinnamon spice: Spice up the almond butter with a pinch of cinnamon, turmeric, or cardamom. Good luck not finishing the whole batch in one sitting!

Nutrition

Serving: 2 tablespoonsCalories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 6gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 200mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gCalcium: 75mgIron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill

Meggan Hill

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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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