My latest obsession is almond butter. I was always apprehensive to try Almond Butter because it is so expensive and I couldn’t bring myself to shell out $8 or so to test it and see.
I finally spotted a little single serve pouch of Justin’s Almond Butter and tasted it right out of the pouch. It was delicious and I got to thinking this has to be something easy to make at home….
So I have a recipe for you to make your very own almond butter and it is so incredibly easy to do. The nice thing is that you can control exactly what goes into it and you can customize exactly to your own tastes.
I can honestly say I have tried a few brands of almond butter and none of them compare to the flavor and texture of homemade. It is really worth it to make your own! (At least I think so.)
Even better you really only need 2 ingredients:
So I do have an official recipe for you below but really there are just a few steps to take and you can make as much or as little as you like.
Now first off- what the heck is the big deal about almond butter? Well it is pretty good for you. It is loaded with fiber and protein and it has more monounsaturated fat and much less saturated fat then peanut butter. So it is a great way to start off the day (especially if you don’t usually eat breakfast) and I actually eat a spoonful or two before I head to the gym. I have also found on those occasions when I forget to eat and suddenly find myself STARVING I can grab a quick spoonful of almond butter and it fills me up enough to actually make a good choice (and not gobble down a handful of cookies or something). PS: Just saw an article this morning- The healthy foods experts really eat and almond butter was #2.
So here is the process.
The first choice is if you want to roast your almonds or not. I like them roasted because it gives an extra dimension of flavor that I really like.
If you also want to roast them it is simple- just pop your almonds on a baking sheet and roast for about 6 minutes at 375 degrees. You should smell them and get a sense of when they are done- you want a nice deep brown color. (Be very careful you stay near the oven as it is easy to burn almonds.)
Once that is done you want to add the almonds to your food processor. Depending on how big of a batch you make you are going to be blending for awhile- I used about a cup of almonds for a quick little batch and that took maybe 5 minutes in total. I find that roasting them in advance makes the grinding process go by much faster. If you choose not to roast them, it might take a few extra minutes.
One tip is that I have a fancy Ninja blender kitchen system thing and I have found my cheap little food processor did a better job with this particular task. If you have a Vitamix it should be really fast and easy to make this recipe.
So now you start mixing- you should find that the almonds grind down to look sort of like bread crumbs very quickly… keep grinding. It will eventually start to look sort of gloppy like this… keep grinding!
Just make sure to stop every few minutes and use a spatula to smoosh down what comes up on the sides.
After a long while of grinding the almonds you will finally get the right texture to look like peanut butter. Now is a great time to add a pinch of sea salt (if you like) to your almond butter and give it a quick mix to incorporate.
That is it!! Really simple.
Now you can also flavor your almond butter. I like my almond butter plain but these additions would be fantastic-
- Honey
- Maple Syrup (not regular pancake syrup)
- Coconut Oil
And I haven’t tried it but I think agave would be yummy as well.
You simply want to add that into the food processor as you start to see your almond butter looking like the picture above. That means you are getting close to the finish line.
If you do add one of the products above just note the shelf life won’t be as long so you might make a smaller batch or you can also add the extra ingredient in a small bowl just before serving.
You will know it is done because it will look like a yummy creamy peanut butter. I like mine a little on the chunky side so the texture of homemade almond butter just can’t be beat.
Go ahead and pop into a mason jar, tupperware etc… and you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 months. If you add an extra oil or syrup it will last probably about a week or two.
Serve with celery, apples or on toast!
- Almonds
- Sea Salt
- Honey, Agave, Coconut Oil, Maple Syrup (optional)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread 2 cups of almonds out.
- Roast at 375 degrees for about 6-8 minutes until slightly darker brown. (Careful not to burn!)
- After the almonds cool slightly place in a food processor to grind for several minutes (about 12-15).
- You want to stop every few minutes to push down what accumulates on the sides of the bowl.
- Continue to process until you get a nice thick, creamy texture.
- Sprinkle in a pinch of sea salt and blend once again just to incorporate.
- If you want additional flavor- add a teaspoon of coconut oil, maple syrup, agave or honey and mix well.
- Store in a tupperware or mason jar in the fridge for about 6 weeks. (If you add the oils or syrup this will last about 1-2 weeks.)
Now that you have your almond butter, here are two great recipes to use it in:
Try this easy fruit dip recipe using the almond butter! I love this stuff and I actually eat it straight as a high protein treat.
Mocha Energy Smoothie — no added sugar so this is a great way to control your sweet tooth with a healthy choice!
I can’t believe how easy this was and how incredibly delicious. It took me just five minutes in a simple model Cuisinart food processor. I didn’t add salt or sweetener. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to add water or oil. It turned out just as creamy as what I’ve purchased at Trader Joe. I want to experiment with other nuts.
yeah! So glad you liked it! Did you roast your nuts first Janet? I honestly and truly think this homemade is so much tastier then what you buy 🙂
I purchased dry roasted, unsalted almonds so all I did was toss the almonds into the food processor. I agree with you. It was much better than store bought.
Incredible result
Could I roast the almonds on aluminum foil instead of parchment paper?
Judy- I don’t see why not 🙂
Would a Magic Bullet work?
Shannon- I have no experience with a Magic Bullet so I can’t say if it would work. Sorry!
I made the almond butter and it was awesome. But after refrigerating, it was so solid, I had to chop it out of the jar in pieces. Not at all spreadable. What can I do to change this?
Hi Michele- that is odd…. Did you have it in the coldest part of your fridge? Maybe if you try putting it in the door so it doesn’t get as cold. Otherwise you could add a little honey, agave or maple syrup to thin it out a bit. I haven’t had that problem but I keep mine in the door or on the top shelf in the front.
Delicious! Perfect almond butter. I just added a dash of expeller pressed safflower oil and it emulsified nicely. Himalayan pink salt to finish and yeah! I live in Alaska and could not find any almond butter on the island so I made my own. I used my Ninja the small one and it worked fast turning my roasted almonds into creamy bliss! Thanks for the easy quick recipe.
Yeah! So glad you like the recipe Lisa!
Michele Sayers, I think I can answer your question. The first time I made peanut butter, it got hard in the refrigerator, too. My husband hated it, so I added some coconut oil. Now I don’t add anything. I just let the food processor run, until the bowl is pretty hot to the touch and the peanut butter is very runny. It comes out of the refrigerator very spreadable and delicious. I’m going to try that process with almonds tomorrow. I’m pretty sure it will work.
This is good but you don’t have to add oil. It’s just added calories. Almonds produce their own.
Hi JB,
I actually noted in the post 2 ingredients- almonds and sea salt. I mentioned add ins like coconut oil or agave are optional for extra flavor. I usually make mine just as the posts indicates with almonds and a pinch of sea salt. 🙂