Skip the store-bought stuff and make this delicious Homemade Almond Butter with just one simple ingredient. It's so much easier than you'd expect. You just need some freshly toasted whole almonds and a high-power food processor to blend them smooth. This creamy homemade almond butter is endlessly customizable, too!
Making your own homemade Almond Butter from scratch can seem a little intimidating, but I promise you, it's worth it. Once you have freshly roasted almond butter, you'll quickly realize how much better it is than the cold, oily stuff at the store. The toasted flavor of the nuts comes out so much more, making it perfect for a healthy snack with apple slices and celery or using as a peanut butter alternative. Plus, it's a great way to use up some older almonds hanging out in your pantry, and it's often cheaper than buying creamy almond butter at the store!
Why You'll Love This Homemade Almond Butter
- Seriously easy to make. There are two phases to making this homemade almond butter recipe. First, toast the unsalted almonds in the oven. Then, blend them into a paste. That's it. It's so simple!
- So much flavor. After toasting the almonds, their nutty flavor really comes out. You'll be surprised at just how much fresher and more flavorful this creamy nut butter is.
- Endlessly customizable. This is a great classic creamy almond butter, but you don't have to stop there. Adjust the texture and make crunchy almond butter. Add honey or maple syrup for sweetness. Stir in some cinnamon, apple pie spice, or an assortment of other spices for extra flavor. Have fun with it!
Ingredient Notes
To make this delicious Homemade Almond Butter, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- raw almonds - this is the key ingredient. It's best to use raw almonds since they haven't already been toasted.
- avocado oil - this is entirely optional as the nuts have their own natural oils, but adding a neutral oil like avocado oil or coconut oil will speed up the blending process if you are in a hurry.
You will also need a baking sheet, parchment paper, a high-speed blender or a good food processor, a rubber spatula, and an airtight container.
How to Make the Best Homemade Almond Butter
- Toast almonds. Preheat the oven to 350F. Add and spread almonds in a single layer on a large parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Blend. Add almonds to a food blender. Pulse mix for 1 minute and stop, allowing the blender to cool down. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender to mix evenly. Blend in 1-minute increments until creamy and smooth, about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes of mixing, the almonds will turn from lumpy into a desired consistency.
- Add oil. Optionally, add avocado oil and pulse mix for 1 minute to help dilute a bit.
- Store. Transfer the almond butter into an airtight container. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Variations
- Maple cinnamon almond butter. Add ground cinnamon and a glug of pure maple syrup for a sweet, spicy flavor.
- Organic almond butter. Making your own nut butter is a great way to control the quality of your ingredients. You can use certified organic nuts and oil for organic almond butter on a budget.
- Keep it crunchy. If you prefer homemade nut butters with a little crunch, stop blending before the almonds are perfectly smooth or reserve some of the warm almonds to add right at the end. You can also add a little flax seed or chia seeds, too.
- Try a mix of nuts. You use the exact same method to make homemade peanut butter. Substitute all or some of the almonds with peanuts or another favorite nut. Homemade cashew butter or pecan butter is amazing, too!
How to Serve
This homemade almond butter is delicious served on its own over a bowl of yogurt with granola, or over toast. It's also delicious drizzled over some of my favorite snacks including:
- Almond Cranberry Granola Bars
- Peanut Butter Banana Toast
- Berry Smoothie Bowl
- Healthy Banana Bread
- Baked Apples
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Toast the nuts first. To make the best almond butter, you really need to toast the nuts. This draws out their natural oils and will give your nut butter tons of flavor. You can use pre-roasted almonds, but even those should be warmed up to get the best flavor.
- Add a pinch of salt. Salt draws out the flavor and makes this almond butter so much tastier.
- Use blanched almonds. This is entirely optional, but if you want a really beautiful, smooth almond butter with no clumps, try using blanched almonds instead. These have been quickly boiled to remove the peels, so the final product will have a lighter color, too.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
How to Store
Store the leftover almond butter in an airtight container, like a glass jar, at room temperature for about a week or in the fridge for 2 weeks.
How to Freeze
For best results, don't freeze your homemade almond butter. This can affect the texture and cause the oil to separate out too much.
FAQ
That depends on a lot of different factors, like the quality of ingredients and where you live. In many situations, making this homemade version of almond butter will be cheaper than buying store-bought almond butters, but not always.
It's really important to grind warm almonds to get the best texture. The heat helps the almonds break down faster, giving you a much smoother texture. It's also very important to use a high-speed blender or food processor. A weak appliance can burn up from the effort. If you really can't get your almond butter to blend down, try drizzling in a little extra oil to speed up the process.
Although almond butter from the grocery store can last in the pantry for a long time, fresh almond butter made from raw almonds only lasts about two weeks in the fridge.
More Almond Recipes
- Almond Horns
- Cinnamon Raisin Challah Bread with Almonds
- Green Beans Almondine
- Easy Small Batch Almond Biscotti
- Almond-Crusted Halibut with Lemon Garlic Butter
- Almond Cranberry Granola Bars
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