Homemade Nut Butter

This creamy nut butter is made with just 1 ingredient – nuts! That's right! No hydrogenated vegetable oil, no water, and zero sugar. You can customize the nut profile to your liking. Just add 3 cups of roasted nuts to your food processor and blend until it's the perfect "butter" consistency.

You won't believe how surprisingly simple this healthy and dreamy "butter" is to make. Just make it one time and you may never go back to store-bought again!

Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker

This week I had to press the "reset" button. My diet and exercise routine has gotten railroaded by our new normal of staying at home more. I haven't been feeling great. I felt sluggish with joint pain and headaches. I felt crabby. I was in desperate need of a cleanup.

Recently, I watched a documentary on the four elements of cooking: fire, water, air, and earth. In one particular episode, they were talking about how people are far more focused around convenience than ever before. The majority of people in the US are not preparing home-cooked meals anymore. The less time we have to spend in the kitchen, the better. They gave this scenario – if you wanted to eat a whole apple pie, ice cream, and cookies tonight, go ahead, you can; however, there was just one stipulation – you had to make it all yourself. The apple pie from scratch, the ice cream churned with fresh cream and eggs, and the cookies baked with real ingredients. The likelihood of this happening was slim to none. This really got me thinking.

While I maintain a gluten and mostly dairy-free diet (occasionally I eat goat or sheep's milk cheese), lately I have been eating far more "processed" things – in particular, concerning snacking. I feel I am pretty disciplined when it comes to meal prep and meal planning, but there have been far more store-bought convenient prepackaged snacks at our house than normal: chips, crackers, dips, etc. Enough is enough.

I've made this homemade nut butter recipe many of times. It's perfect for when I feel I need to eat "cleaner." It's a great reminder that food doesn't need all the "crap" that is added to make it taste better. Simple, minimal, natural ingredients taste better.

To get started, you need to select your nuts. I love a combination of raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, and pecans. Hazelnuts are amazing too. Just be sure to shed their skins after roasting by rubbing them in between a clean kitchen towel.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the raw nuts onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about 8 to 12 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned.

Add the hot, roasted nuts to the food processor. The nuts will go through three changes: from whole nuts to meal, to clumps, and then to creamy butter. The entire process will take about 10 to 12 minutes. Cover and process for 2 minutes. Turn off and uncover and scrape down the sides. Cover and blend for 3 to 5 more minutes. It should be getting creamy now. Turn off and scrape sides again. Cover and process until super creamy. Stir, and then add 1/2 teaspoon of salt (optional), and process for 1 minute. Transfer to a glass jar or container. Allow to cool and then store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

I love this homemade version on pancakes for breakfast, on sliced green apple as a great afternoon snack, or mixed into a protein-packed smoothie. You can also mix it up by making different variations. Try adding vanilla extract, hemp, flax or chia seed, cacao powder or honey. Add them in during the last minute of processing. Super simple but oh so yummy!

For another healthy and homemade snack option, see my post from last week for Quick-and-Easy Energy Bars.

This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Let’s get cooking!

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Ingredients

Nut butter:

• 3 cups raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts)

Add-ins (optional):

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• Vanilla extract

• Hemp seeds

• Flax seeds

• Chia seeds

• Cacao powder

• Honey

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How to make

Please be sure to visit Minimalist Baker for the source recipe and instructions.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place 3 cups of raw nuts onto a rimmed baking sheet.

3. Roast for about 8-12 minutes or until fragrant and lightly browned.

4. Add the hot, roasted nuts to the food processor.

5. Cover and process for 2 minutes.

6. Turn off and uncover and scrape down the sides.

7. Cover and blend for 3-5 more minutes. It should be getting creamy now.

8. Turn off and scrape sides again.

9. Cover and process until super creamy.

10. Stir, then add 1/2 teaspoon of salt (optional) and process for 1 minute.

11. Transfer to a glass jar or container.

12. Allow to cool.

13. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

14. Enjoy!

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