Making your own nut butter is so much easier than you’d think. You only need nuts, salt, and a food processor or blender and you’re good to go! Packed with protein, healthy fats, fibre and nutrients, nut butter is a great condiment to have on hand for breakfasts and snacks. Spread on toast and breakfast muffins, or drizzle over porridge and overnight oats.
My Top Tips for Homemade Nut Butter:
- The volume of nuts matters – you need to use enough nuts so that your blender or food processor is filled up enough to blend properly.
- Roast the nuts for 8-10 minutes – This brings out the flavours and also releases the oils from the nuts, making them easier to blend.
- Blend the nuts while warm (not hot!), this makes the blending process easier.
- If you prefer a runnier, smoother nut butter, do not add water-based sweeteners as these will cause the nut butter to ‘seize up’ and thicken.
- If making peanut or hazelnut butter, you will need to peel the skin off the nuts after roasting. It helps to do this by rubbing the nuts between a paper towel or tea towel.
Homemade Nut Butter
Making your own nut butter is so much easier than you'd think. You only need nuts, salt, and a food processor or blender and you're good to go! Packed with protein, healthy fats, fibre and nutrients, nut butter is a great condiment to have on hand for breakfasts and snacks. Spread on toast and breakfast muffins, or drizzle over porridge and overnight oats.
Ingredients
- 300 g nuts of choice pecans, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts
- 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt or more, to taste
- 1/2-1 tsp cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Spread the nuts over the tray in a single layer and place in the oven to roast for 8-10 minutes (keep an eye on them and don't let them burn!). This brings out the flavours and also releases the oils from the nuts, making them easier to blend.
- If using peanuts or hazelnuts, you will need to remove their skins at this point. You can do this by rubbing between tea towels.
- Remove from the oven and let the nuts cool for a while before adding to a high speed blender or food processor and pulse. At first the nuts will grind down, then, a thick paste will form. You can stop and scrape the sides down if needed. Keep pulsing until a runny nut butter forms (the time this takes depends on the blender or food processor you're using).
- Once the nut butter has formed, you can add the salt and cinnamon. If you want to add any sweeteners, it's important to note that any water-based substances will cause the nut butter to 'seize up' and thicken.
