Homemade almond butter is healthy and delicious plus much more affordable than store bought. It’s so simple to make at home, all you need to make it is a food processor and some almonds!
This post was originally published in May 2017 and has been updated to include new photos and text but the same delicious recipe remains.
Almond butter is the perfect, healthy treat whether enjoyed on a slice of banana or apple, or added to a smoothie for that little bit of extra protein. Plus it’s so much easier to make at home than you might think. Once you try it, you’ll never want to buy the expensive stuff from the supermarket again.
This recipe for almond butter contains just almonds, maybe a little salt but that’s entirely dependent on your tastes and I find it’s not necessary.
Some recipes will contain oil which is used to help the almonds break down, but I find that by roasting the almonds first you allow them to release enough of their own oils that they are able to break down with adding anything extra.
This is just another benefit of making almond butter at home, you control exactly what goes into it.
And when you consider how little really needs to go into making almond butter at home, then it’s really a wonder why anyone would pay $8+ for a jar at the supermarket.
How to make almond butter
This recipe couldn’t be easier to make, all you need is raw almonds and maybe some salt if you want but it’s totally not necessary.
You’ll start by roasting the almonds. This firstly, gives your house the most divine smell, and secondly gives the almonds a roasted flavour while also allowing the natural oils to release. The almonds also will break down easier when warm.
Transfer the nuts to your food processor while still warm and turn it on low to start chopping up the nuts. You might be able to make this in a high powered blender but I’ve not tried myself as I find the food processor more suitable.
You’ll find the almonds break down to almond meal pretty quickly and will start getting stuck to the sides of your food processor. Stop the machine and use a small spatula to scrape down the sides before turning it on again.
This whole process will need to be repeated several times depending on the quality of your food processor. Mine is an older KitchenAid and I need to run it for approximately 20 minutes, stopping regularly to scrape down the sides until a super smooth almond butter forms.
It’s really just a game of patience.
As you’re going, it will feel like the almonds will NEVER turn into almond butter. It’s just after you get to the point of feeling it’s impossible that suddenly everything breaks down and this silky smooth texture forms. It’s quite impressive.
I’ve made this countless times, and still I question if it will work every single time. And every single time it just needs that bit longer and it’s perfect.
Once your almond butter comes together you can scrape it out into a jar to store in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
Tips for making almond butter
- Keep going! It will feel like the almond butter will never come together but I promise it will!
- Buy raw almonds and roast them yourself. They are cheaper plus roasting them yourself allows the natural oils to release from the warm nuts making them easier to break down.
- Use a good quality, high powered food processor. Making almond butter requires your machine to run consecutively for a long time – mine takes 20 minutes. Take note if your machine is getting warm and pause the process to allow it to cool down before continuing.
How to use almond butter
Almond butter is perfect in a smoothie, or on a smoothie bowl, or served with your favourite fruit for a quick and easy healthy breakfast.
You can also use it to bake with like in these flourless almond butter cookies by It’s Not Complicated Recipes or these sweet potato brownies by The Cooking Collective.
Or if you’re like me, simply just enjoy it with a spoon straight out of the jar.
More dips and sauces:
Spicy Chipotle Hummus
Lemony Garlic Sauce (Whole30, Dairy-free)
Easy Enchilada Sauce
Homemade Vegan Basil Pesto
How to Make Almond Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- pinch salt optional
Instructions
- Place almonds on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 180°C or until they start to darken.
- Place hot almonds in a food processor and process or pulse until almonds begin to break down into crumbs.
- Scrape down sides of the processor and continue to process. Anytime you can see the almonds beginning to get stuck on the sides or at the base, pause to scrape down the sides.
- Continue to process and scrape down the sides until it has all come together as a thick paste. This should take around 20 minutes of processing to get to this point.
- Almond butter will be done when it is smooth and silky and is a spreadable consistency.
- Place in a jar and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Notes
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
sherry
it looks wonderful. i can feel it doing me good just by looking at it 🙂
Sally
Thanks Sherry – it really is super delicious!
Cassie @ Be Forever Healthier
Awesome video! Well Done! I’ve made my own almond butter before and you are right, it is so simple and so much cheaper than buying a jar!! It does take a lot of patience though! I remember thinking will this ever end haha.
Sally
Thanks so much Cassie! So true haha. I remember just when I was thinking it would never work it finally came together!