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.
Suzi Gumina
Omg! sooo good. sooo easy. I used my Ninja blender and it took almost 15 min to get to a creamy texture with all the scraping. I added 1/4 t kosher salt, 1/2 t cinnamon and 1/2 t Mexican Vanilla. I am soo excited! it is so good and did not cost me $13.95 like my last jar of almond butter from Apple Hill, CA!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for taking the time to comment, Suzi.
ines
how much almond butter does this make
Susie
Amazing! You are right, you think it’s never going to happen then … voila! Your almonds turn to almond butter! I didn’t add any ingredients to my mixture as this was my first attempt and I just wanted the plain and simple taste of the nuts. My gramma used to make me almond and cashew butter as a child as I’m allergic to peanuts… I inherited her Cuisinart when she passed and I’ve finally put it to proper use.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Susie! I’m excited you enjoyed it. I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother! My thoughts to you and your family.
Kate Matney
Got a Braun food processor for my bday and yours was my first endeavor! Followed your recipe exactly and it was delicious….smooth and creamy. Cannot wait to spread on apples, pretzels, crackers. Thank you.
★★★★★
Dee
Can you use roasted almonds (pre roasted)
Kate
Hi Dee! You can try it. Sometimes store bought roasted are too dry so doesn’t provide the same result. Let me know!
Charles Van Heyden
Well, unless your almonds are more amenable than the ones my local grocery store provides I will have to add some peanut oil since the blender (and it is a healthy one*) has done nothing in five minutes to give hope or even a sign that a butter will ensue.
*14 Speed Oster
★★
Kate
Hi Charles, I’m sorry you didn’t love this one. It does take some time, but this may not be the recipe for you.
Siobhan Dunne
Wow! This recipe was absolutely amazing. Tasted much better than any store bought almond butter – went down a treat!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Siobhan! I appreciate your review.
Laura
You are my first recipe for my first almond butter. You are right. It takes awhile to get there. I am using a Ninja blender and used only 1 cup of almonds. It still took me over a half hour of blending. That could be because I was a bit afraid to just let it go, I was afraid it would burn up without more liquid. But, with scraping and replacing and perseverance, we got there. I only used the sea salt for now as I am learning to stay away from sweetners. Thank you for being one of my top results for DIY Almond Butter!
★★★★
Silvia Chavez
I made the recipe to half the size, added a touch of coconut oil for extra creaminess. This recipe only cost me about $1.80 to make since I had most of the ingredients on hand and bought about 1.60 lb. of Almonds at my local Sprouts at 3.99 for the pound. It definitely beats having to dish out $10-13 and I have so much more fun making it!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you had fun making it.
Far
Omg I had it to the perfect creamy consistency and then added the maple syrup. Ive been processing it for a good 10 minutes now but it just won’t come together. Its like flaky sand now. :( What do I do? Im thinking of adding some oil at this stage but worried it may ruin the flavour.
Kate
Hi Far! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you keep processing it and did it work? Did you roast your almonds?