DIY Nut & Seed Butters

Peanut butter gets a lot of the attention in the nut butter world, but you can use essentially any nut or seed to make delicious and healthy nut butter at home! Nuts and seeds have a variety of health benefits [link to Snacking on Nuts article], from protein and calcium to omega-3s and vitamins, all of which make them a great addition to any meal.

Making nut and seed butter is very simple, essentially you just blend your desired nut or see in the food processor until it turns into a paste. You can add spices or sweeteners to make custom blends. You can also do a variety of different nuts or seeds to make a mixed flavor butter!

Recipes:

Classic Nut Butter

2 cups raw almonds

½ teaspoon sea salt

Pour nuts into the bowl of your food processor fitted with the S-blade. Process for 2-3 minutes. Once the nuts look like coarse sand, add the salt then begin to process again. Process for 5-10 minutes longer, scraping down the edges, until a thick paste forms.

Taste your nut butter and adjust salt accordingly. Transfer to an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator.

Variations:

Make it crunchy! Once your butter is done, transfer it to a mixing bowl and add ¼ cup of chopped nuts.

Sweeten it up! You can use any sweetener you like, but we prefer honey and maple syrup because they add delicious flavors that complement the nuts. Add about 2 tablespoons for every 2 cups of nuts, add the sweetener during the last minute of processing.

Roasted nut butter! For a deeper flavor, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and spread the nuts out on a baking sheet. Roast for 8-15 minutes (depending on the nut) and allow to cool before transferring to the food processor.

Add some spice! Cinnamon or cardamom would make a great addition to almond butter, or add vanilla to your cashew or sesame seed butter for a sweeter take.

Mix it up! You can blend a few different kinds of nuts or seeds together to make a super nut butter. Try almonds, sunflower seeds, and some unsweetened, dried coconut flakes to make a delicious treat you’ll want to eat by the spoonful.

Make it thinner! The above recipe for nut butter turns out fairly think (like a natural nut butter) but if you want it a bit on the thinner side you can simply add some neutral oil. Start with one tablespoon, add it when you add the salt, then if it does not seem thin enough add another tablespoon.

You can make a nut butter out of practically any nut, and with so many options it is easy to make a blend that is perfect for your tastes and needs. Give DIY Nut and Seed Butters a try and let us know what kind is your favorite, or if you come up with an amazing combination.