Enjoy this Homemade Roasted Almond Butter which is naturally gluten free and vegan!
It is kind of obvious that I love almonds. In the last 3 weeks, I have posted a recipe for pumpkin almond butter, maple cinnamon roasted almonds and even these grain-free pumpkin brownies used almond flour. And there is more to come...
I love almond butter as a spread or stirred into oatmeal, but I cringe every time I see a small jar of my kryptonite being sold for over $8 bucks. If you are a fellow almond butter lover, then I have good news for you: with a food processor or heavy-duty blender, you can make your own almond butter for a lot less, and it's a lot tastier in my opinion.
Roast the Almonds First!
The key is to roast the almonds. If you put raw almonds straight up into the food processor, the nuts will take forever to break down into butter, and honestly, the taste is rather mealy.
When I made the pumpkin almond butter, I didn't roast the almonds because the addition of pumpkin puree and spices helps the consistency and flavor, but for simple almond butter, roasting is essential. Not only do roasted almonds break down into butter faster, but the roasting also imparts a wonderful flavor.
For this almond butter, I used cinnamon maple roasted almonds (recipe from last week), so the almond butter looks a little darker here, but the process is the exact same for dry roasted almonds.
Recipe
Homemade Roasted Almond Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Roast the almonds on a dry baking tray for 10 minutes at 350 F stirring once at half-time. After roasting, let the almonds cool for 5-10 minutes (or make them into maple cinnamon almonds).
- Place almonds in the food processor together with a little salt (optional) and start blending. It will be rather loud in the beginning, but the whole almonds break down quickly and it gets less noisy.
- First you'll get a powdery almond meal consistency but as you keep processing the almonds break down further and their oils gets released.
- Suddenly the almonds will form this big sticky ball that gets thrown around the food processor
- and just as quickly that ball breaks down into a creamy mass. It looks almost like butter already but it's not quite done yet. Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides.
- Continue processing until the almond butter looks almost liquid. At this point it will have good spreading consistency and no mealy texture anymore. The whole process took only 5 minutes for me.
- Transfer to a container (I prefer a glass jar) and store in the pantry or fridge. It doesn't last longer than a week in my house but I think it should stay good for about a month.
Pin this Homemade Roasted Almond Butter tutorial for later?
Make Your Own Almond Butter Goodness and Never Go Back
Unlike store-bought almond butter, which usually comes in only all natural, or lightly salted, making it at home opens up a whole world of options for you. Try to experiment with different flavors. You can add some chocolate chips to the almonds for an almond-based Nutella-like spread.
I don't have good experiences with adding honey, as it seems to make the almond butter seize up, making it impossible to spread. Maple syrup works great as a healthy sweetener though.
Use almond butter to spread on toast or bagels, stir into oatmeal or make almond butter granola!
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy
Check out these similar almond-y recipes!
Random Questions
Roasted almond butter can still retain many of the health benefits of raw almonds, such as being a good source of healthy fats, protein, and various vitamins and minerals. However, the roasting process can slightly reduce the nutritional content due to exposure to heat.
The main difference lies in the preparation method. Raw almond butter is made from unroasted almonds, while roasted almond butter is made from almonds that have been roasted before processing. This difference in preparation can lead to variations in taste and texture.
Roasted almond butter can offer similar benefits to raw almond butter, such as being a good source of healthy fats, protein, and essential nutrients like vitamin E and magnesium. Additionally, the roasting process can enhance the flavor and make the almonds easier to blend into a smooth and creamy butter.
Making your own almond butter can often be more cost-effective compared to purchasing it from stores, especially considering the relatively high prices of commercial almond butter. Buying almonds in bulk and roasting and processing them at home can significantly reduce the overall cost.
Achieving a creamy texture in homemade almond butter can depend on various factors, including the duration of blending, the type of food processor used, and the oil content of the almonds. Adding a small amount of oil or allowing the blending process to continue for longer can help achieve a creamier consistency.
Homemade almond butter might turn out dry if the blending process is insufficient or if the almonds used have a lower oil content. Adding a small amount of oil or processing the almonds for a longer duration can help improve the texture and make the almond butter smoother and creamier.
Jacquee
I love almond butter - so much tastier when its home-made, too!
Regina
Couldn't agree more!
Jodee Weiland
So healthy and good...and so easy! Thanks!
Regina
Thank you for your sweet comment and share love Jodee 🙂
PicnicShop
Love the texture!
One question from PicnicShop HQ though, what sort of things do you spread almond butter on? We've never seen it before!
Thanks!
The PicnicShop Team
Regina
You can use just like peanut butter, spread on bread, toast or bagels. I also love to stir it into hot oatmeal (porridge). Tomorrow I have a recipe coming that includes almond butter in making granola.
PicnicShop
Nice!
We'll be giving this one a go in the very near future...
Thanks!
The PicnicShop Team
Natalie
I am obsessed with almond butter and now you have me wanting to make my own, yay!
Regina
Yes! Absolutely try making it at home. So much cheaper than at the store.
Faith @ Pixie Dust Kitchen
I LOVE that this is only two ingredients- you know you're getting pure almond flavor with this! I've fallen in love with almonds since I started food blogging and I love making homemade almond butter since it's so much cheaper and you have more control.
Regina
Absolutely agree Faith. Call me ignorant, but I only learnt through other food bloggers that peanut butter, almond butter and other nut butters are in its purest form just ground nuts. I am so in love with the food processor these days, because it makes healthy nut butters possible 🙂