How To Make Nut Butter

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Freshly blended homemade nut butter in a food processor

Consider this your one-stop resource for how to make nut butter at home! It’s so easy, often requires just 1 (or 2) ingredients, and comes together in less than 30 minutes!

Walnuts, pecans, almonds, and hazelnuts on a marble background

First, choose your base.

I love starting with raw, organic almonds. Then I mix in a few walnuts for omega-3s. However, hazelnuts make a delicious butter on their own, as do pecans. So many nuts to choose from!

Or, go for seeds! Sunflower seeds make amazing butter, too. I include links to several recipes below.

Baking sheet filled with nuts for making homemade nut butter

Hazelnuts have skins, which often shed during roasting. So it’s best to remove those before blending (see photo below).

Using a dish towel to remove the skins of roasted hazelnuts


Then, it’s nut butter time!

Either use a food processor or high-speed blender to creamy a creamy, delicious nut butter.

Just 1 ingredient – that’s right! No oil, water, or sweetener. In fact, adding in ingredients like oil, water, or even maple syrup tend to disrupt the creamy texture and shouldn’t be added.

The blending process generally takes 10-12 minutes, so be patient! It’s worth the wait.

Roasted nuts in a food processor for making homemade nut butter

While your nut butter is blending, you can choose a few add-ins (if desired).

My go-tos are sea salt and flax seed. But you could also add hemp seed, chia seed, coconut butter, a dash of vanilla, or even dark chocolate! Dark chocolate + hazelnuts = NUTELLA. I know! It’s amazing.

Maple syrup, seeds, and other optional add-ins for homemade nut butter

That’s it! You nut butter made at home. It’s that easy.

Plus, making your own nut butter allows you to create your own blends, add fun mix-ins, control salt content, AND save money! So awesome. See my favorite nut butter recipes below in the recipe.

If you try making nut butter, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram!

Food processor filled with homemade nut butter

How To Make Nut Butter

A step-by-step guide for how to make your own nut butter. An easy and delicious way to save money, create your own blends, and enjoy nut butter at home!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Food processor filled with ingredients for making our homemade nut butter recipe
4.75 from 54 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 24 (1-Tbsp servings)
Course Sauce
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 3 Weeks

Ingredients

BASIC BUTTER

  • 3 cups raw (or sprouted) nuts (my favorites = almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts // organic unpasteurized when possible)

ADD-INS optional

  • Sea salt to taste (~1/2 tsp as original recipe is written)
  • Vanilla extract (to taste)
  • Hemp seeds
  • Flax seeds
  • Chia seeds
  • Coconut butter
  • Chocolate

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and add raw nuts to the baking sheet. If sprouted, nuts won't need as long to roast and benefit from a 5-8 minute roast at a lower temperature (325 F or 162 C). Roast raw nuts for 8-12 minutes, or until fragrant and slightly golden brown.
    NOTE: You can also leave nuts raw, but the only ones that taste good raw in my opinion are cashews and almonds.
  • If roasting hazelnuts, remove from oven once toasted and transfer to a clean dish towel. Rub the hazelnuts against one another using the towel to remove the skins (see photo). Removing most of the skins is preferred (not all will come off).
  • Add roasted nuts to a food processor or blender and blend / mix until a creamy butter forms. The nuts should go from whole, to meal, to clumps, to creamy nut butter. This can take up to 10-12 or more minutes so be patient. Scrape down sides as needed.
  • Once creamy, add salt (or other add-ins) to taste. Then transfer to a clean jar or container and store in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks (sometimes longer).

Video

Notes

*Recipe makes ~ 1.5 cups nut butter
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Nutrition (1 of 24 servings)

Serving: 1 one-Tbsp servings Calories: 104 Carbohydrates: 3.8 g Protein: 3.8 g Fat: 9 g Saturated Fat: 0.7 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 0 mg Fiber: 2.2 g Sugar: 0.8 g

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  1. Debra says

    Minimalist Baker, what blender do you recommend for making nut butter? I’ve been looking at the Vitamix brand, but there are different ones out there. Is 1800 Watts better, or would 1380 be fine? I’m looking for a blender, because of room in my kitchen and I do blender drinks as well.
    Thanks,
    Debra

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Debra, in this blender review, you can read/see our experience making nut butter in three different blenders. The Vitamix 5200 was the blender that made it with the most ease and it had a 2 peak HP motor speed. Hope that helps!

  2. Don says

    How will I know if my nut butter is no longer safe to use (I have transferred the nut butter to a clean jar or container and stored it in the refrigerator)?

    If it tastes good and there is no mold go for it?

    All the best,
    Dod

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Don, it would take quite a long time to grow mold. What you’re more so looking for is if it tastes or smells rancid/unpleasant.

  3. Claire says

    My new Hugh speed blender says that you shouldn’t use the blender for more than a minute at a time. Therefore this recipe for nut butter would take 30 mins if I need to stop after every minute? Surely not everyone has amazing professional blenders?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Claire, It does sound like that blender might not be a good fit for this recipe. Making nut butter works best with a food processor or blender that can blend for longer. We’re wondering if the one you have might be a Nutribullet-style one? If so, those don’t have a way for excess pressure to be released through the top, which will limit the amount of time it can be run without pausing.

  4. Joel says

    Does it need to be refrigerated? It’s just ground up nuts, which aren’t refrigerated before processing.

  5. Melissa says

    Who knew it was so easy, and tasty? Probably everyone but me. I will never buy a jar of nut butter again. Thank you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed the homemade version so much, Melissa. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo