What took me so long to make almond butter? I just enjoyed homemade almond butter on toast for breakfast, and I must say—it’s far superior to store-bought almond butter. Homemade almond butter is ultra thick and creamy, and it tastes like warm, freshly roasted almonds.
Now that I know the difference, I can’t go back to buying jars at the store. I blend a tiny bit of cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup into mine to make it taste extra special. Why not?
Homemade almond butter is more affordable, too. The math is simple. One pound of almonds yields one pound of almond butter (or 16 ounces), which is the size of the standard almond butter jar at the store. Just compare the price of one pound of raw almonds to the price of your favorite almond butter.
The cost savings depend largely on the almond butter. I’ve bought jars of almond butter at Trader Joe’s for seven dollars, so there’s not much savings opportunity there.
However, I’ve seen almond butter on shelves demanding seventeen dollars per jar. Seventeen dollars! For blended-up almonds! This is highway robbery, and I will not be robbed.
Homemade Almond Butter Tips
When it comes to making almond butter, patience is key. It might seem like the whole almonds will never turn into creamy nut butter, but they always do. Don’t give up!
Buy raw almonds and roast them in the oven yourself. Warm almonds blend more easily and offer maximum fresh almond flavor. Roasting the almonds only takes 10 minutes, and it’s absolutely worth it.
Roasted almonds offer the same nutritional benefits as raw almonds (protein, fiber, healthy fat, and vitamins), although their vitamin content is a tiny bit lower. The flavor difference is absolutely worth it, in my opinion. The “raw” almonds you buy at the store have probably been heat-treated to kill bacteria already and will inevitably warm up from the heat of the machine, anyway.
Watch How to Make Almond Butter
Suggested Equipment
Making almond butter is easy, as long as you have a sturdy food processor or blender and some patience. I’ve successfully made almond butter in my Cuisinart food processor and my Vitamix blender (affiliate links).
The blender may have been a few minutes faster (the tamper is handy to press almonds down into the blades), but I couldn’t tell a difference in the texture or flavor of the final product.
My favorite way to enjoy almond butter? I love it on whole-grain toast with berries on top (fresh berries, defrosted frozen, or chia berry jam). You can also spread almond butter on quick breads, like banana bread or muffins. Or, blend it into smoothies or swirl it into yogurt for extra protein.
This freshly roasted almond butter would make a lovely handmade gift. Just tie a ribbon around the jar and it’s ready to go. If this recipe spurs a nut butter kick, try making homemade pecan butter. Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments!
Homemade Almond Butter
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 16 ounces 1x
- Category: Nut Butter
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: American
Homemade almond butter is healthy, affordable and even more delicious than store-bought! It’s easy to make, too. You’ll just need a good food processor or blender. Recipe yields about 1 ⅔ cup almond butter (that’s 16 ounces, the equivalent of a jar of almond butter from the store).
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (3 cups) raw almonds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional: ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Optional: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the almonds across a large, rimmed baking sheet and toast the almonds for 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Let the almonds cool until they’re just warm (not hot), about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the almonds to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until creamy, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary. You’re going to think it’ll never blend, but be patient! The almonds will go from flour-like clumps, to a ball against the side of the food processor (keep scraping down the sides and breaking up the ball), and finally, it will turn lusciously creamy. If the mixture gets crazy hot along the way, stop and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Once the almond butter is very smooth and creamy (no sooner!), you can blend in any add-ins you would like. I always add salt, for more flavor overall. You can also add cinnamon for a hint of spice, and vanilla and/or maple syrup for almond butter that tastes more special than store-bought.
- Blend until the add-ins are evenly dispersed. When I added maple syrup, I had to let the mixture cool, and then blend a few additional minutes, to make it creamy again.
- Let the almond butter cool to room temperature, then transfer the mixture to a mason jar and screw on the lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or until you see or smell any signs of spoilage.
Notes
Change it up: You can create a mixed nut butter by substituting raw cashews, walnuts or pecans for some of the almonds. Just roast them all on the pan together.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Jessie
When does it end?!? I’ve been blending this and stirring and blending and stirring for over an HOUR AND A FREAKING HALF, and it’s still like flour. What am I missing? I added maple syrup thinking that would help, but the help was marginal at best. The only thing I’ve done differently is I didn’t roast the almonds first. But I like the taste of raw, and I looked at other recipes before this one that used raw, and I don’t see that being the issue. Raw should have more liquid in them, and should have blended easier than roasted. I have a black and decker food processor, which isn’t the best, but I’ve made other butters with it before just fine. WHAT GIVES?!?!
Yaminah
I think adding the maple may have ruined it- as mines has the same issue, otherwise, this recipe was great!
Andi
I had to add some oil to mine to bring it together. I halved the recipe, so I used a cup and a half of almonds (I did roast mine). I added 3 Tbsp of canola oil before adding the other ingredients. I also added honey.
★★★★
Dylan
I roasted my nuts, got the almond flour you described, and then let it sit for about an hour to cool and see if the flour wouldn’t express some more oil. Then when I came back it formed into butter! Hope that helps, curious if you were ever able to get it to form butter.
Paul
Thanks so much for this recipe! It’s good you said to be patient because at first I thought it would never go from clumpy to smooth and creamy but it was so satisfying to see it transform. I just tried it on some home-made sourdough and it’s delicious. I’m so glad I found your site!!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you tried it and worked, Paul! Thank you for your review.
Brandy
I read in a different recipe that roasting is what makes almonds release their oil. Try adding a little avocado oil next time.
Andi
Just made this. Love the addition of vanilla extract and cinnamon! I agree with others comments in regards to having difficulty getting it really creamy even using a nutri bullet. I added some canola oil and it worked really well to get that good, smooth consistency.
★★★★
Ania
Great recipe, thank you I see it’s a matter of a good blender. I have Bosh 800 W and it took me 5-10 min to make it :)
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Ania!
Laura
Great recipe!! I roasted the almonds for 10 minutes and cooled them for another 10 minutes. Popped them into my mother’s old Hamilton Beach food processor, scraping the sides when needed. Mixture transformed from almond flour to sticky almond flour to balls sticking on the sides to finally creamy almond butter!! The process took about 15-20 minutes in total. Once creamy, I added salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Perfect!!!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy it turned out! Thank you for sharing how you made it and your experience.
Anna
Thanks so much, thinking about add a spread of some kind to my 9 month old’s diet for crackers and bread. This came out perfectly, only used the almond and salt (the salt does make a world of difference). I must say seeing how crumbly it was initially I was kind of worried but I kept scraping, and boi was I surprised. Thank you.
★★★★★
Debbie
Followed your recipe and it’s amazing almond butter, the salt really makes a difference! Thank you!!
Colleen
I use this recipe to make pecan butter, and it comes together in just a few minutes in my Cuisinart food processor.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Colleen!
Roman R
Great recipe, worked excellently for my on my first try with a food processor. Thanks for the reminder to be patient, it seemed like it’s final state was flour, even my mom said she thought it was done, I trusted in the recipe and it worked out excellently. Really happy with the consistency and taste, 5 stars.
★★★★★