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!
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.
Hazelnuts have skins, which often shed during roasting. So it’s best to remove those before blending (see photo below).
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.
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.
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!
How To Make Nut Butter
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).
- Some other variations include: Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter, Cinnamon Hazelnut Butter, Almond Joy Butter, and Super Seedy Sunflower Butter!
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Rachel says
Would this still process correctly if I used 1 cup of nuts instead of 3?
Hi Rachel, it depends on the size of your food processor! A very small food processor might be able to process it correctly, but 1 cup of nuts wouldn’t be enough in a more standard 7-8 cup food processor.
Catherine says
Was easy and grateful for the video because I would have stopped way to early thinking this is not going to work! But it is easy and free from unnecessary oils.
We’re so glad the video was helpful! Thank you for sharing your experience, Catherine! xo
Reign says
Hello Ma’am, are there any significant benefits of soaking the nuts such as almonds and walnuts before making the butter?
Hi Reign, some say it improves the nutritional value, but we personally don’t find it necessary or very convenient! If you do soak them, you’ll need to dehydrate them before making the nut butter. Hope that helps!
Reign says
Thank you and God bless you
Lena says
Hi there,
Do you recommend cooling the nuts after roasting? Or would it not matter for the blending process?
Hi Lena, We usually let them cool for a bit (~10 minutes) until warm but no longer too hot to touch. When they’re warm, we find they blend a little more easily in the food processor.
India says
Hello! So I found this, and I wanted to ask if I could use dates to sweeten my nut butter. I read that maple syrup would disrupt the texture for the butter, but would dates or date syrup suffice? I personally prefer sweet (or slightly sweetened) nut butters but naturally sweetened!
Hi India, we think dates would work well! If using dates, we would recommend storing the nut butter in the refrigerator. If you don’t want to store your nut butter in the refrigerator, we would suggest using a granulated sweetener such as coconut sugar or cane sugar. Hope that helps!
Lauren says
I used cane sugar and unfortunately the result was pretty gritty :( even with the temperature of the nut butter from blending and the relatively small amount (less than 1 tbsp). I would try icing sugar instead. Wish I had used maple syrup! Otherwise great tutorial.
Oh no! So sorry that happened, Lauren. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Teresa says
I use granulated maple sugar.
Mary says
could you also just use plain old peanuts for this recipe? and could you use roasted salted or do you need to look for raw?
Hi Mary, yes, you can use peanuts! Roasted salted would be very delicious :) Just watch closely in step 1 – you may not need to bake them as long.
Deborah says
I used 2 c of the unsalted mixed nuts from Costco, which I think are already roasted. I didn’t roast them further. I added a pinch of kosher salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 teaspoon each chia and hemp seeds as that was what I had on hand, and a teaspoon of honey. It is so delicious, we will never buy nut butter again!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Deborah. Thank you for sharing! xo
Kay says
I am going to make the almond butter with almonds only. Should I roast them or just blend them raw? Thanks!
Either way works! We’d say it depends on personal preference, but we’d go with roasted :)
Marianne says
I made this today, its absolutly delish.
I made it with almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds, roasted.
With the additional extras of hemp seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds and roasted sunflower seeds for some crunchyness, a liitle bit of honey.
Thank you for sharing
We’re so glad you enjoyed, Marianne! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Robert Melville says
I buy mixed nuts and in order to reduce the changes to the natural oils I roast the ñ but mix at 120C for 15 minutes, slow to cool and then blend in my food processor.
Makes really nice flavour and smooth texture.
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Robert!
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
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!
Debra McCawley says
I’ve found that the Vitamix has problems making nut butters. I’ve finally pulled out my old food processor with the S blade and never a shutdown or trouble chewing up the nuts with it.
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
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.
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?
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.
Mary says
I just bought a jar of Pistachio Butter at $15. So that made me think why not make my own “butter?” For a more economical way. Thank you!
Joel says
Does it need to be refrigerated? It’s just ground up nuts, which aren’t refrigerated before processing.
Hi Joel, you can store it at room temperature, if desired!
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!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the homemade version so much, Melissa. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Liliana says
Hi, I have a blender that only has the pulse function so while you press it works when you release it stops can I do the butter with it? If not what are budget friendly options that can handle a few nuts (I don’t use it that much) and that can be bought on amazon.fr? I will be really grateful for your answers.
Hi Liliana, you could probably use that blender, but it would require taking some breaks so your finger doesn’t get too sore!