The warming, sweet + spicy flavors of a chai latte infused into a creamy, spreadable snack? Yes, please! This homemade chai-spiced nut butter jazzes up any boring breakfast and makes a sweet holiday gift for friends and family.
Just 20 minutes and 9 ingredients are required for you to check homemade holiday gift giving off your to-do list. Let’s make nut butter!
How to Make Homemade Chai-Spiced Nut Butter
This creamy, warming spread begins with lightly roasting cashews and almonds to bring out their natural richness. The types of nuts aren’t super important, so feel free to switch them up or even try seeds for those with nut allergies!
After roasting, it’s time for homemade nut butter! You can use a food processor or high-speed blender for this step. It can take up to ~10-12 minutes depending on the power of your machine, but it’s worth the wait!
Once it’s smooth, it’s time to infuse sweet + spicy chai flavor with coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves. A pinch of sea salt seals the deal, enhancing all the flavors. And just like that, you’ve got homemade chai-spiced nut butter!
We hope you LOVE this nut butter! It’s:
Warming
Perfectly spiced
Lightly sweetened
Great for gifting
Easy to make
& SO delicious!
It’s delicious with apple slices, on toast or roasted sweet potatoes, and more. Try it with our Easiest Whole Grain Seeded Bread, Easy Whole Grain Vegan Pancakes, Best Gluten-Free No Knead Bread, Ultimate Gluten-Free Bagels, or Gluten-Free English Muffins.
And our FAVORITE way to use it? To make Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Cookies (Flourless!).
More Homemade Nut Butter Recipes
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Chai-Spiced Nut Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1 cup raw almonds (or sub pecans or more cashews)
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or sub brown sugar)*
- 1 ½ Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Place the cashews and almonds on a bare baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove them when they’re a light golden color (i.e., before they become a deeper brown color).
- Carefully transfer the roasted nuts to a food processor or high-speed blender and process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. This can take up to 10-12 minutes. You want to give it enough time for the oils to release and for the nut butter to get slightly runny. The stages of processing will be a fine meal, which turns into a thick ball, and finally a smooth nut butter. Be patient (giving your machine breaks if it's getting too hot)—it’s worth it!
- Once smooth, add the coconut sugar, spices, and sea salt. Process again for about 1 minute.
- Taste and adjust as needed, adding more coconut sugar, spices, or sea salt to suit your preference. We added a bit more ginger, but this will depend on the freshness of your spices and personal preference. Process once more to combine.
- It's delicious with apple slices, on toast or roasted sweet potatoes, or added to baked goods.
- Transfer to a jar and store at room temperature for a spreadable texture or in the refrigerator to preserve freshness. It will keep for ~3-4 weeks at room temperature, or 2 months or more in the refrigerator.
Notes
*Recipe as written makes ~1 ½ cups.
*Inspired by Ground Up PDX’s Masala Chai Almond + Cashew Butter.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Claire says
I’d like to make a double batch – is it possible to do, or is that too much for the blender (I have a high speed Breville which is pretty powerful, but don’t want to burn it out!)?
Hi Claire, that’s a great question! We don’t think it would be an issue as long you’re staying within the recommended maximum volume of the blender, but we haven’t tested this nut butter as a larger batch.
Irene says
Yes, I put the nuts warm into the food processor. I just wanted to warn people who may have older or less powerful food processors that this may not work for them.
Thank you for following up and for sharing your experience! We apologize that it didn’t work out for you.
irene says
I almost ruined my food processor with this. After the ball stage, it got so unbalanced, I had to stop it every three seconds. I could never push through to the butter stage, because it was making a terrible noise. In desperation, I added a little oil. It would not incorporate. Finally, I added a bit of boiling water, and it smoothed out. Was frustrating, and very hard on my food processor. If you have an old or run of the mill food processor, don’t try this. I came close to ruining a bunch of expensive nuts. Tasted pretty good at the end.
Oh no! We’re so sorry you had a negative experience with it, Irene. Making homemade nut butter does require a somewhat powerful blender/food processor – we’ve had success with the blender and food processor linked in the instructions. Were the roasted nuts still warm when adding them to the food processor? That should help with blending! We ask because you mentioned that adding boiling water helped.
Grace says
Pardon me, I thought ‘chai’ or ‘cha’ was the Indian or Asian name for Tea (cup of tea) then I thought you were speaking of Chia seeds that is full of protein and indigenous to South America.
I can’t find what the ‘Chia’ is in this recipe, fabulous though it looks.
Hi Grace, the flavors of this nut butter are similar to a masala chai latte (tea with warming spices & sweetener). Hope that helps!
Andie says
Insanely delicious!!! I only have a mini food processor, so I halved the recipe which worked just fine. I also was short on time, so I didn’t toast the nuts and I’m still blown away by how tasty this nut butter is. It does take awhile in the processor to get to that smooth consistency, but just keep going and you’ll get there. I’m not kidding when I say this recipe has changed my life!!
That’s great that it worked well with those shortcuts! Thank you for sharing your experience, Andie!
Leah Schmaman says
Would it be possible to add everything to ready made peanut butter for a similar idea? I dont have a food processor.
Hi Leah, peanut butter might have an overpowering flavor, but possibly! It would work well to mix it into cashew or almond butter.
Charlene says
DIVINE!!! I did switch the amounts of cashews and almonds due to what I had on hand, worked perfectly! Have been making home made almond butter for years but had no idea something THIS GOOD is just as easy! Right now have a batch of cookies in the oven that are a mash up recipe I made up using your chai spiced oatmeal cookies and another site’s similar recipe that uses leftover sweet potato and banana (was looking for a recipe to use both so they dont go to waste). Kitchen smells amazing! SO MANY possibilities with this magical nut butter, thank you MB!
Aw, we’re SO glad you love this one, Charlene! And those cookies sound so creative. We hope they are a success! xoxo
Jessica says
Hi! I loved this idea and made it with a few tweaks (mostly that I can’t have almonds right now, so did entirely cashews…just did 2 cups and then adjusted the spices accordingly). I was curious, do the almonds make a massive difference in the runnier texture? My first batch is delicious but is a lot more solid of a paste vs. the lovely creamy, runny texture you show in the pics. Is there anything you recommend for getting a runnier texture? I did it in my fancy giant Cuisinart food processor but will try again in my cheaper smaller food processors and Vitamix as well to see if it makes a difference. Thanks!
Hi Jessica! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Yes the almonds do help with the texture. You could try adding a bit of oil to get it smoother or another nut that has a higher oil content!
Claudia says
Hi! Do you think using 100% sunflower seeds would work? Or what ratio sunflower seeds x nut and do you recommend what nut may work best? Thank you! This sounds amazing!
Hi Claudia, we don’t think all sunflower seeds would be quite as tasty, but it would still work. We think 2 cups of cashews + 1 cup of sunflower seeds would be very delicious! We’d love to hear if you try it!
Lindsay says
This nut butter is super tasty–the spices take it up a level! I added a bit of oil at the end to get the paste to a better consistency. I will definitely be making again!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Lindsay. Thank you for sharing! xo
Barbara E Qualls says
Hubby cannot eat cashews. Is there another nut I could substitute? Would adding the spices to a sugar free peanut butter work? Thank you.
Hi Barbara, this is a flexible recipe that would work with other nuts/seeds! We think pecans or more almonds would be the best options. Peanuts have a strong flavor that might overpower the chai flavor. Hope that helps!
Kimberly says
This is super tasty and so easy to whip up! I think next time I’ll experiment with extra spices and/or more ginger powder. I think a little extra kick would be even better!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Kimberly!
Kinara says
I made two batches: one replacing all of the listed spices with a homemade chai spice blend, and one making the recipe as listed but multiplying each ingredient by 1.5. Both batches were delicious, but for my Kitchenaid food processor the 1.5 batch was too much to handle and it stopped several times to cool down. Thank you for an easy and delicious recipe that’s perfect for Christmas gifts in some cute little jars!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Kinara! Sorry the bigger batch gave your machine trouble. If you made the batches consecutively it could have also needed a longer break in between. We hope your gift recipients love them! xo
Brianne says
Made as written, unreal, I’m already making another batch
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Brianne. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
The Vegan Goddess says
OMG, what an amazingly scrumptious flavor bomb! I loved this in the cookies and will post my rave review there as well.
I didn’t have enough almonds so I added more cashews. Still wonderful! Another flexible recipe.
This would make great gifts.
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed both recipes. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Shannon says
Would subbing out peanuts for tree nuts still work? (Unfortunate tree nut allergy) Thanks!
Possibly, but the stronger flavor of peanuts may overpower the spices! You might need to add more spices. Let us know if you try it!
Ingrid M Cerone says
Hi! I just made this as written but added a bit more of all the spices at the end. So delicious! I love making nut butters. I plan on giving these away as Christmas gifts in small glass jars. Thank you!! Can’t wait to try all the other combos. Your recipes are always so good and easy.
Aw, thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review, Ingrid. We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe! xo
Sonia Hvozdulycz says
What do we do if we want to make these but we don’t have the necessary equipment? I do wish that the countless internet cooking & recipe sites would not require high speed blender or food processor.
Hi Sonia, are you wanting to make the cookies or the nut butter? If making the cookies, check the notes section on that recipe!
Alexandra Muquet says
Hi
Can I use cashews & pécans ? Ratio ??
I don’t have almonds
Thanks
Yes! 2 cups cashews + 1 cup pecans.
Patricia Villella says
Another easy and yummy recipe from Minimalist Baker. Just made these as written and had one with a cup of tea. Perfect mid morning snack. Thank you
Hi Patricia, we’re thinking you may have meant to comment on the cookies? We’re so glad you enjoyed them! xoxo
Ronke says
Hi, can you make this with dates instead of the sugar? Thanks
Hi Ronke, we haven’t tested that, but we think it could work! The sweetness may be less distributed throughout. If using dates, we’d recommend storing in the refrigerator. Let us know if you try it!
Jennifer says
Eager to try this recipe. Can you recommend an alternative to the cashew though for allergy reasons.
Thank you!!!!
Yay! We’d recommend 2 cups almonds + 1 cup pecans for the nuts.
Karen says
I LOVE this!! Simple to make and tastes amazing.
Yay! We’re so glad to hear it, Karen. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
SNL says
For those who don’t want to use dry sugar, I have seen other nut butters that roast the nuts in maple syrup or honey so you get the flavour without the water (it’s the high water content that reacts with the oil in the nuts). I would use a low temperature say 160-170C (no I don’t use Fahrenheit) because sugar caramelises and then burns at a high temperature. Oh and line the tin, cold syrup is a *** to clean up (soaking the tin overnight helps). Second option, that I haven’t tried, is making the nut butter with the spices, and then adding maple syrup slowly while mixing, basically tahini sauce method. In theory it should work :)
Krishna Shah says
Is maple syrup considered liquid sweetener?
Yes, it is. It will cause the mixture to seize up.
Katie says
Can this recipe be done with a different ratio of nuts? For instance, 2 cups of almonds and 1 cup of cashews?
Yes!