Homemade Nut Butter

Whether you want to make peanut butter or cashew nut butter or a yummy combination recipe, this method makes it easy to whip up delicious, creamy nutty blends using whatever nuts you choose.

Before we get into how to make peanut butter and other nut butters, let me preface this post with this statement:

I am not a make-your-own-peanut butter type of gal.

Oh no. I buy my all-natural peanut butter in bulk from Costco and don’t generally mess with making my own.

However, I also do not like to waste food. So, when I found a nearly empty tub of cashews in my pantry without any plans for use, I decided it was time to try homemade nut butter.

HOMEMADE NUT BUTTER

We always have nuts in the pantry. They are a great protein with healthy fats to add to Smoothies, Granola Bars, on top of Oatmeal, and in Trail Mix.

But sometimes, I just don’t have those items on the meal plan. Making nut butter is a perfect solution for using up stray nuts and adding some variety to our meals!

• Use up small pieces. You can save the larger pieces for snacking or recipes that need them, AND use the smaller broken pieces from the bottom of the container to make a fresh batch of nut butter to smear on sandwiches and toast.
• No added sugar. I love the idea of learning how to make nut butter because I can use natural flavors and no added sugar.
• No preservatives or hydrogenated oils. We try to avoid these, so making nut butter means we can skip them. It also means storing the homemade nut butter in the fridge, but if you buy natural peanut butter, you may already be doing that to avoid the oil separating.
• New flavor combinations. I can make any combination I want, from pecan butter to pistachio butter. You might find a new favorite flavor! The options are endless!

CASHEW NUT BUTTER INGREDIENTS

Want to make cashew nut butter? How about almond butter? You can use this same method to make nut butters with whatever nuts you have on hand! Homemade nut butter contains just 3 simple ingredients!

• Nuts
• Coconut oil, melted
• Pinch of salt (optional, to taste)

Psst! If you’re going to add salt, I highly recommend Ava Jane’s Kitchen. You may think all salt is created equal, but unfortunately, 90% of the salt produced around the world contains microplastics (gross, right?). Ava Jane’s Kitchen is an exception. Their salt is 100% microplastic-free, and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!)

TYPES OF NUTS FOR NUT BUTTERS

When it comes to making nut butters, you can pretty much use whatever nut you want, in whatever size you want.

If you have money to burn and have a craving for roasted pine nut butter or macadamia nut butter, then go for it! For those with meager budgets, I encourage you to use the nuts you already have on hand and buy regularly, or the small pieces left behind after the family demolishes a few containers of whole cashews.

HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER

Follow these easy instructions to learn how to make peanut butter or other nut butters.

Step 1. Using a large food processor or a high-speed blender, grind the nuts into a fine powder for approximately 2-10 minutes. The time will depend on the nuts and they strength of your food processor.

Step 2. Add the melted coconut oil and continue processing, scraping down the sides as needed, until the nuts have released their natural oils and the butter is smooth and creamy, for approximately 5-10 minutes.

Step 3. Add optional salt and any other additional flavors once the nut butter is finished, and process for 1 minute to incorporate well for a delicious overall texture.

NUT BUTTER RECIPE NOTES

• I use a Blendtec with the twister jar for homemade nut butter, but most blenders and food processors will also work. Depending on your equipment, it might take less time or more time to get creamy peanut butter.
• There’s no need to roast the nuts first (most nuts that you buy at the store are already roasted). Roasting does make it easier for the nuts to break down and release their oils, so if you only have raw nuts, toast them for a few minutes before blending.
• Work in small batches. Two cups of nuts make approximately 1 ½ cups of nut butter. Store homemade nut butter in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
• To make chunky nut butter, reserve ¼ cup of finely chopped nuts and fold them into the finished nut butter.

ALMOND NUT BUTTER RECIPE AND OTHER COMBINATIONS

Homemade nut butter doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, one of the first popular flavors I tried was honey cinnamon cashew butter and OH.MY.GOODNESS, it was AMAZING! I may or may not have eaten the entire batch with a spoon. Try these variations to make your own delicious nut butter recipes.

• Use multiple nuts. You don’t need a single nut to make nut butter. Combination butter like cashew-almond, almond–pecan, or peanut-macadamia would all be excellent. Just use whatever you have!
• Add sweeteners. Sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, molasses, or brown sugar can curb your sweet tooth and practically eliminate the need (or desire) for jelly.
• Make it coconut. Or consider adding another puree like coconut butter for a rich, coconut-y flavor.
• Add spices and flavorings. Think of spices like vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. When fall rolls around, maybe add a tablespoon of Pumpkin Puree along with traditional fall spices. Maple pumpkin almond nut butter recipe, anyone?
• Or make it chocolate! Cocoa powder, semi-sweet chips, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate would all be divine with any nut, in my opinion. What about almond butter with a bit of milk and dark chocolate and coconut butter mixed in? Or, what about hazelnut butter mixed with chocolate for a chocolate hazelnut spread, aka your own homemade Nutella! This sounds like the ultimate favorite flavor!

Do the math before committing to making your own nut butter indefinitely. However, if you’re just looking for a way to use up those random leftover pieces of nuts and are in the mood for a little something that’s a cross between honey and coconut and chocolate and peanut butter, well then by all means, make some nut butter!

SERVE NUT BUTTERS WITH

Get ready to spread the best nut butter you’ve ever had over any and everything!

• Spread it on bread or toast – peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a classic!
• Add it to oatmeal
• Stir it into Vanilla Ice Cream
• Make unique candies using my Homemade Peanut Butter Cups recipe
• Use it to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola
• Drizzle over sliced banana. YUM!

Or just eat it by the spoonful! Enjoy!

HOW TO MAKE NUT BUTTER WORK WITH MACRO TRACKING

Whether you make an almond nut butter recipe, cashew nut butter, or good old peanut butter, you’ll get most of your calories from fat, with a little bit of protein. Knowing this, you can be intentional with your meals to stay on track with your nutrition and macro goals.

• Carbs. This is probably the easiest one – spread nut butter on a slice of bread, bagel, or biscuit! Peanut butter and bread just go together! Make sure to add a protein source to this meal/snack too!
• Protein. Add your homemade nut butter to a protein shake. Or try my High Protein Oatmeal with 36g of protein!
• Fat. Since we want to enjoy healthy fats in moderation, the nut butter will likely be the bulk of the fat in your meal. If you have more fat available, consider using nut butter as part of a sauce, like this yummy Thai Peanut Sauce, which also has olive oil.

HOMEMADE NUT BUTTER FAQS

MORE DELICIOUS SPREADS AND SAUCES

• Homemade Apple Butter
• Easy No Cook Freezer Strawberry Jam
• Cinnamon Apple Pie Jam
• Cinnamon Cocoa Hemp Heart Butter
• Carrot Top Pesto
• Homemade Mayo
• Our Favorite Homemade Hummus Recipe

WATCH HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE NUT BUTTER