Homemade Almond Butter – almonds meet blender. Easy!
Homemade almond butter
So creamy. So versatile. So deceptively simple.
You probably already know that on some level, but until you try it for yourself you don’t know just how easy it actually is. The most difficult part is practicing a bit of patience which, let’s be real, is easier said than done. Just hold tight, scrape down the sides of the blender a few times, and let that motor do its job.
If you own a food processor, making homemade almond butter (or any nut butter for that matter) is just that easy. However, if you’re working with a high powered blender like a Vitamix or a Blendtec there is a little more maneuvering involved, but it can still be done with a little effort. I personally use a Blendtec. Softer nuts like cashews and peanuts are a lot easier to work with, but almonds can be a little tricky.
If you’re struggling to get your almond butter past the sticky, crumbly phase I’ve found two things to be particuarly helpful to see you on through to the smooth and creamy phase that we’re all looking for.
- Add a tablespoon of melted coconut oil (or another neutral flavored oil) to the almond butter.
- Take half of the almond butter out of the jar and mix it in two batches.
Sometimes you just need you need a little more oil and sometimes you just need to break it up to really get things moving. Warming the almonds in the oven first also help to release their oils which speeds up blending tremendously.
One more thing to note just so that we’re all on the same page – the amount of time this is going to take will vary from appliance to appliance. I’ve read some people say that this process takes 5 minutes and others say it’s closer to 30. For me it took about 20 minutes of blending on and off. Every couple of minutes I stopped to give the blender and my ears a break. Just remember to be patient and your efforts will pay off!
Once you’ve got the basics down you can have a little fun coming up with your own variations.
- 3 cups whole almonds unsalted
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil optional
- Preheat your oven to 250°F/120°C. Spread the almonds on a lined baking sheet in an even layer and lightly roast for 10-15 minutes. They will be warm to the the touch.
- Add the almonds to a quality high powered blender or food processor and blend.
- Your almonds are going to go through a few phases before you reach the final product. In the first 1-2 minutes they are going to become coarse and sandy like almond meal. Then they will turn into a thick, sticky paste like substance as the almonds release their oils.
- If your almond butter isn't getting past the thick and sticky phase add 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil (or another neutral flavored oil if you prefer). You can also remove half of the mixture if your jar is too small to help move the mixture about easier.
- Make sure to stop every couple of minutes to scrape down the sides of the blender and give it a break. Keep blending until your almond butter is smooth and creamy. Depending on your blender or food processor this can take anywhere from 5-30 minutes.
Once done store in an airtight concealer and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Makes about 1 1/4 cups or 20 tablespoons
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more almond butter recipes….
Sarah
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I bought a Blendtec recently but didn’t get much use out of it until now. Great recipe.
Thanks Steven!
I have a Vitamix and it is actually heating up the butter while blending/grinding. Is this normal during the process? Maybe I didn’t have enough nuts. I only did 2 cups then added about a TBL of maple syrup and then about 1 TBL of avocado oil. It was very thick. Super good, but thick. What am I doing wrong?
I’ve used both blentech & vitamix and both do start to get hot in the process. When that happens I’ll just turn off the blender for a few minutes to let it rest and then get back to it – just to be on the safe side. As for the consistency, that one’s kind of tough because every time I make nut butter I go through the same issue where I’ll be blending it for awhile and it never feels like it’s going to get any thinner and then all of a sudden it’s perfect. It may just be a case of needing to go for a little bit longer. Hope that helps!
It’s amazing how easy it is! And it’s so nice to be able to have control over what goes in your nut butter. 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing it at Savoring Saturdays!
Yeah, I’d like to play around more and come up with different flavor ideas – and so much cheaper than buying it at the store!
I love homemade butters. This almond butter looks so good! So simple, too!
Thanks Marsha!
I love homemade almond butter. So easy right?! And so so good. It’s addicting for sure!
It took me such a long time before I got around to making it myself because I assumed it was going to take more work but it really is so easy!
I am really excited to find another gluten free blog. Your almond butter looks really yummy and easy to make!
Yay for more gluten free blogs! I just went to check out your blog and I am so making those five spice fired prawns this weekend – they look amazing!
What are some other great blogs you know of?
If you’re interested in finding more gluten free food blogs I’ve got a list here you might like https://www.asaucykitchen.com/gluten-free-bloggers-around-the-web/
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making nut butters. This makes it seem manageable!
Once you get the hang of it you;ll love it!
This almond butter looks great! I have never made nut butter at home before. This looks a lot easier than I expected. Need to try it soon.
Oh gosh Sarah, your nut butter looks wonderful. I’ve made cashew chocolate spread, once with roasted cashews and once with soaked cashews, but I’ve not yet tried a pure nut butter. Looks like its got to be done!
I’ve never made almond butter before. It doesn’t seem as hard as I thought it would be, though! It’s so pretty, too! Love the texture in the pictures!
I make cashew butter all the time.
I’ve never even tried almond butter but I’m very tempted after reading this. great use of coconut oil too.
It took me such a long time to finally get around to doing it and now that I have I just want to make more!