Have you noticed that Almond Butter costs a small fortune in the grocery store? Did you know that it is incredibly easy to make your own Homemade Almond Butter? That you can easily customize it to make it your own, or keep it totally simple. You don't even have to add salt if you don't want to. Post may contain affiliate links.
Homemade Almond Butter
For some reason, Mr. Sidewalk Shoes has decided he likes almond butter better than peanut butter. I'm not sure why. Personally I think peanut butter is a smidgen better, but since he is the one taking it in his lunch, he wins the butter war. When I got the new cookbook, Better From Scratch (Williams-Sonoma): Delicious DIY Foods to Start Making at Home, I made the mistake of showing him the almond butter recipe. I had no intentions of making almond butter. Why would I make almond butter, I don't even like it that much.
Almond butter is Fun to Make!
First of all, almond butter is fun to make! It's kind of like bread, where you start out with things looking one way and end up looking entirely different. You fill your food processor with nuts and other assorted things, and after a few minutes (with no work on your part - bonus!), you have almond butter.
But not just any almond butter. The best almond butter you have ever tasted in your life. Almond butter so good that I have become British and have declared a tea time in the early afternoon where I have a cup of tea and a generous spoonful of this on a graham cracker (or two). I am not kidding. You must make this.
Disregard my lackluster first photo. It was almond butter, I didn't think I would like it, so I placed it on a table in front of the window and called it done. If I had tasted it first, the photo would include fireworks and unicorns and everything else special in the world.
Some of you may balk at the use of a vanilla bean in this - they can be expensive. So, if that's the case, just substitute a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Also feel free to use less sugar or omit the coconut oil. It won't taste exactly the same, but it's still good!
Homemade Almond Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole almonds
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 vanilla bean or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake, stirring once, until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the nuts to a food processor. Add the sugar, oil, salt, and pulse until the nuts are coarsely ground, about 20 short pulses. Using a sharp paring knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds out of the pod halves into the nut mixture. Process the mixture continuously until it's creamy and smooth, about 4-5 minutes.
- Store the nut butter in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or refrigerate for up to 2 months, then bring to room temperature before serving.
- Makes 1 heaping cup.
Amy @Very Culinary says
Yuuuum!
grace says
i prefer peanut butter too, but i can appreciate the virtues of almond butter, especially the homemade variety. bravo!
Pam Greer says
This is so far better than peanut butter, I will never go back!
Cynthia says
I would spread this almond butter onto just about every food I eat! This sounds so delicious. Thank you for linking at the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party. Hope to see you again next week.
Pam Greer says
It's so good, we are never going back to store bought almond butter!
Shaina says
Amaretto in almond butter?!?! It can't get much better than that...
Mary says
To say I'm excited about this recipe would be a complete understatement! Like your husband I am ecstatic about almond butter, and definitely prefer it over peanut butter. I have been meaning to make my own for a long time because I've heard how easy it is, but now that I have this recipe I have no excuses. Next time I go to the grocery store I'm definitely picking up these items and trying it out myself. I'll be pinning this for sure!! Thanks for sharing DDT girl!
Marjie says
I like almonds, and I love almond extract, so I'll bet I'd like almond butter, too! Thanks, Mr. Sidewalk Shoes, for the great idea.
Joanne says
I tend to think I'm not so in love with almond butter either...but maybe that's because I've never made it from scratch!