Here’s how to make almond butter at home, with step-by-step photos. No added oil required! This process is similar to making your own coconut butter or peanut butter, but when it comes to homemade almond butter you’ll need a little extra patience.
Almond Butter Ingredients
This homemade almond butter is made with just one ingredient— almonds! I use raw almonds, as I prefer their more mild flavor, but you can use roasted ones if you prefer.
There’s no added oil required for this recipe, as the almonds will release their natural oils during the process. Look for organic almonds, if possible, as all “raw” almonds are required to be pasteurized in the United States, and organic almonds are steam pasteurized, rather than using chemicals.
Almond Butter Benefits
Almond butter has been getting a lot of positive attention lately, possibly because it has more vitamins, mineral and fiber when compared to peanut butter. (Because peanuts are a legume, they also aren’t a part of the Paleo or Whole30 diets, which has many people looking to almond butter as an alternative.)
Here are a few other benefits of almond butter:
- It’s a good source of monounsaturated fats, which have been associated with a lower risk of heart disease.
- Almonds are one of the best natural sources of vitamin E, an antioxidant, and may also help lower cholesterol.
- It’s a good source of magnesium, which is thought to promote healthy blood pressure.
- Studies have shown that people who regularly eat nuts & nut butters tend to avoid weight gain, despite the high calorie content in nuts. This may be due to the fact that nuts and nut butters are satiating and help balance blood sugar levels.
Homemade Almond Butter in a Blender
I use a food processor to make my almond butter, but you can use a powerful blender, if you’d prefer. I recommend adding 1/4 cup of oil to the recipe in that case, to help facilitate blending. My old 2-speed Vitamix would produce a burning smell when trying to make almond butter without the oil, but if you have a 10-speed Vitamix, the lower settings will help to avoid that.
How to Make Almond Butter
As I mentioned before, making almond butter really just requires patience, but I’ve included step-by-step photos below to help you gain the confidence you need. I think it helps to have a visual example!
To get started, I recommend warming your almonds in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350ºF. This step is optional, but it can save you and your food processor some time, as the almonds will heat up regardless from this process.
Add the almonds to the bowl of your food processor, fitted with an “S” blade, attach the lid and start processing. I use one pound of almonds at at time, which is roughly 3 cups.
Be prepared, the food processor will be running for a while. You’ll notice that the ground almonds will start to collect around the edges of the bowl, so be sure to stop and scrape down the sides every few minutes, just to keep everything blending evenly.
Depending on the size of your food processor, you’ll notice a change start to happen around the 10 to 15 minute mark. As the oils are released from the almonds, they’ll start to stick together and form a large mass that moves around the bowl. You’ll also notice that the almond butter is getting rather warm
After about 20 minutes of consistent processing– right about the time when you think you’re never going to wind up with almond butter and want to give up– magic will happen. You’ll finally have a grainy-looking almond butter. Don’t worry, you’re almost there!
After a few more minutes of processing, your almond butter will become smooth and creamy.
Let the almond butter cool, then transfer it to a 16-ounce container with a lid. I don’t recommend sealing the almond butter until it’s completely cool, so that it doesn’t create steam inside the jar. (Steam will cause it to spoil faster.)
Homemade almond butter can be stored for at least 2 weeks in the fridge, but mine often lasts longer as long as I am careful not introduce any moisture to the jar.
Is Almond Butter Healthier than Peanut Butter?
I started using almond butter as a replacement for peanut butter in many cases, because peanuts tend to be more susceptible to mold that produces aflatoxin, which has been associated with liver cancer. (source) On the bright side, aflatoxins may be reduced by as much as 89% when you grind peanuts into peanut butter! (source) Hence, why there are still plenty of peanut butter recipes here on my website.
Homemade Almond Butter (1-minute video):
How To Make Almond Butter (No Added Oil!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups almonds (one pound)
Instructions
- To make the process faster, warm the almonds in an oven preheated to 350ºF degrees for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the almonds to a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade, and process them until creamy. You may want to stop and scrape down the sides every now and then, but this process will take up to 25 minutes. The almonds will first look like a flour with clumps, then will form a ball that moves around the food processor, then it will turn to a grainy almond butter before it becomes silky-smooth. Be patient! Just when you'll want to give up is usually when the magic happens.
- Once totally smooth and creamy, transfer the almond butter to a glass jar and store it in the fridge. I've found that almond butter with no additives usually lasts at least a month in the fridge, but be sure to check for signs of spoiling (such as mold or a bad smell) each time you use it.
Video
Nutrition
Almond Butter Nutrition per tablespoon: Calories: 102, Fat: 8g, Carbohydrates: 3g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 3g
Almond Butter Recipes
You can use your new almond butter in the following recipes. They are some of my favorites!
- Almond Butter Blondies
- Almond Butter Buckeyes
- Almond Butter & Spinach Smoothie
- Almond Butter Brownies
- Almond Butter Pancakes
- Almond Butter Freezer Fudge
Homemade Almond Butter Tips:
- You may add salt to this recipe to your tastes. I’d recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon, but keep in mind that many recipes call for unsalted almond butter, so you’ll need to adjust accordingly if using it in recipes.
- Don’t be tempted to add liquids to this recipe, such as vanilla extract or maple syrup. They can reduce the shelf life of the almond butter and may cause the texture to seize. I’ve heard lots of feedback regarding this in the comment section below, so be cautious! If you desire a sweeter almond butter, you might try something granulated like coconut sugar instead.
- I’ve made this recipe using a KitchenAid, Cuisinart, and Breville brand food processors, all with great results. My very favorite food processor is this Breville model.
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Reader Feedback: Have you tried making your own almond butter, or other nut butters? Let me know if you have any other tips in the comments below!
Its my first time making my own nut butter andThis recipe is perfect. I followed the recipe exactly and workEd out so weLl. I love that ypu included photos of the process Because otherwise i would havE been worried i Did someth wrong. Thankyou so much
How Is it possible,that a store bought almond buTter lasts for 2 years and doesnt have to be stored in fridge? The ingredients are roasted almonds and salt. Nothing else,so?
Store-bought almond butter does need to be stored in the fridge after you open it. (Unless there is a preservative added.) If you used a canning process, the way you might can homemade jam, you could probably store it at room temperature until you open it again, similar to the way they sell it at the store.
I do not need to remove the almond skin ?
In the upper section you say to roast at 250 degrees
Under tips it says
350 degrees
Which is correct?
250 is correct! Just updated the post. 🙂
simple recipe: just roast then process for 15-20 minutes. This was my first time using a processor and will definitely be making more nut butter. hanks megan!
It is such a simple recipe with a fantastic result. Thanks for the guidance, after 15 minutes I would have thrown in the towel, although thanks to your images the magic happened at the 19 minute mark! So yum!
LOVE!!! This turned out so well in my food processor! It didn’t even take 20 minutes!
will this separate like natural peanut butter does?
Not when you store it in the fridge. I think it would separate like peanut butter if it went through a canning process to be shelf stable.
That’s good!
Also worried about burning out my food processor – any troubles? recommended unit power?
any idea what the nutrition is? (per tablespoon?)
What is the shelf life?
Thanks for posting this!!! I am SO going to make my own almond butter. I jusst bought a big bag of raw almonds and I will roast them first.
Can’t wait to try this!
I roasted my almonds and planned to make the butter while they were still warm, but got distracted and processed them in my Cuisinart after they had cooled….I processed for about 10-15 minutes, (I was following the Cooks Illustrated recipe but omitted the salt) ….anyway, my almond butter seems a little dry – not creamy – and am wondering if I should have processed longer or is this because the almonds had cooled after roasting?
You probably just need to keep processing them longer. The warmer they are, the faster they turn to butter, but I’ve made it with non-roasted almonds before, too!
Can I use Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Almonds with sea salt? These are a snack almond, only has almonds, sea salt and corn maltodextrin for ingredients.
I make my own cashew butter every now and then and I once made almond butter. I like cashew butter best! I started making my own because my son has got a peanut allergy and there doesn’t seem to be any ‘safe’ nut butter for sale around here (in the Netherlands) – but some brands do offer ‘safe’ nuts. I didn’t mind living without nut butter, it’s something one can do without, but since my daughter doesn’t eat meat and I want the major part of our meals & snacks to be nutritious, I thought introducing nut butters to my girl wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
So after an 15 years (or so) of nut-butter-free living the first time I tasted my own batch I was pleasantly surprised. The only thing that concerns me time and time again is the smell of my food processor during the first part of the process.It really is a tough job for this machine and I always make sure to give it a lot of rest between pulses. Didn”t burn the motor so far, but I dread the day that’ll happen…
I just made this recipe and love it. Looking forward to many more such recipes.
Well, I wish I’d read your tips before messing up my perfect, creamy batch of almond butter (made from EXTREMELY expensive raw unpasteurized organic almonds :(. I did warm the almonds for a few minutes and put them in my food processor. After about 20 minutes I had a beautiful batch of almond butter. Then I put a little homemade date butter in there to sweeten it a tad. BIG MISTAKE!!! Now I have a batch of stiff stuff. I tried to salvage it by adding a little oil, which defeats the whole purpose of making it myself. Oh well, live and learn to read the instructions down to the last letter.
This was great! Thanks for the recipe!
My food processor is only 600w is that okayor I need more? anyway I will try
What type of food processor to you use for making your almond butter?
I used an OLD KitchenAid 14-cup processor, which they don’t make anymore, but I just recently replaced it with an 11-cup Cuisinart which has been working great so far: http://amzn.to/2FDKxQj
IS ALMOND BUTTER IS CONSIDERED AS SHORTENING?
WE HAVE AN ASSIGNMENT TO MAKE PRODUCT WITHOUT USING FAT AND THAT PRODUCT MUST
gives FAT PROPERTIES.
I’ve used almond butter as a flour and butter substitute in recipes (you can search for the flourless recipes here on my site), so you’ll have to experiment to see if it could work as shortening, too. I’d love to hear what you come up with!
Hi, I roasted the almonds for 10-15 minutes at the given temperature, but they came out burnt 🙁 No! Maybe 5 minutes in the oven would suffice.
I just made this, and it worked EXACTLY like you said it would, thanks for making this article!
Cheers from Tokyo Japan!
Could you grind your almonds down a bit using a mortar and pestle and then add to your food processor to finish off?
Sure, I don’t see why not!
Delicious. Better than store bought!
Everything happened exactly you explained. Thanks!
Hi, how long does this butter last and what do you recommend is the best way to store it?
Thank you
I use a Cuisinart 14 cup 2.0 Elite food processor. It’s powerful enough for Nutter Butters. However, I seem to have to add a bit of melted coconut oil to get desired consistency . Then, after a day it seems to thick. I also add 2 tbs agave at end . What am I doing wrong ? So frustrated. And I do wait til it turns to butter- it’s just still a bit too thick.
Adding anything to almond butter can make it thicken up, but coconut oil in particular will make it hard if you put it in the fridge. Coconut oil solidifies when chilled. I prefer to add nothing because almond butter already gets slightly thicker when you chill it.
I tried making almond butter once a couple of years ago. It so did not turn out. Your post though has encouraged me to try again! Will be making this within a week
How many almonds.
Megan, these how-to’s are so helpful for a newbie/recovering sugar addict like me. I found your website recently and ordered BOTH of your cookbooks, as well as a couple of your Amazon recommendations this morning. I’m so excited to get started! The way you write and explain why things are good for the body is so helpful and encouraging! It actually makes me excited to eat healthy. I was wondering if you have any how-to’s written on preserving fresh produce? It seems my veggies always end up going bad before my husband and I get to eat them all. Do you blanch and freeze your veggies or do you have any tips on how to wash and store them properly?
I’ll try to work on a post like that! 🙂
I made this 3 times already. The first I didn’t follow the recipe and add honey. Big mistake because it change the texture immediately, from smooth to hard. I used it anyways but the following times I made exactly as Megan says and it’s PERFECT. I never loved almond butter until now. Thanks!!!
Great recipe! Thanks a lot! Although I’m wondering what would happen if I added a little vanilla sugar? Or honey?
Don’t add it until you’re done making the almond butter– additions can make the texture “freeze” or thicken up, and some people don’t love the final results. I think a granulated sugar would work better than a liquid sweetener.
Just tried it and it took about an hour all together! It taste great and worked perfectly!
What can Iuse instead of a food processor? I have a blender, kitchen aide mixer,and a mini chopper plus.
Just made my first almond butter according to your recipe, and it worked great! Thanks very much! Yumm.
Just made the almond butter as you specified. Very happy with results. Followed instructions to the T. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. If not for that, I’d have given up midway.
Thanks to you, I now have delicious almond butter.
The almond butter recipe is perfect…worked great!!
Thanks
Thanks for the recipe! I’m going to make this tonight. The recipe says that it makes 24 servings What do you consider a serving? Thanks!
A serving is 1 tablespoon. Hope you love it!
Read the comments but didn’t see that anyone asked about the speed of the processor or blender. I have a small cuisinart processor (mini) with low and high, and a vitamix with variable speed. Basically, high or low speed?
Previously I thought I could just dump store bought almonds into my processor & let it spin. Glad to find your recipe Megan, as I think heating the nuts helps. I am not a very patient cook so 20min processing sounded unreal. But I’m doing my thing as soon as I say thanks to you
Thank you so much for this blog !
Thank you so much for sharing!!! I was ready to give up until I read your blog about giving the almonds time to release the oils! I’m so excited to make almond butter for a fraction of the cost!
I don’t suppose you would want to share the type of food processor you have……Mine is a Cuisinart Prep 9 and it’s struggling. Thanks in Advance.
I had an 11-cup Cuisinart that I didn’t end up loving (it broke in 10 months, under warranty, and their customer service was very disappointing), and now I’m using a Breville Sous Chef that I absolutely love. Here’s an amazon affiliate link for the one I bought: https://amzn.to/2qnyYWZ
Thanks for the wonderful idea of heating up the almonds before making almond butter. I made a beautiful batch of almond butter. Normally, I have to add oil to make it come out right and then it doesn’t come out half as good as this. So, thanks so much for the wonderful idea. And it’s so much cheaper and healthier as most have so many odd additives, which I cannot eat. Thanks so much again.
You want to make me understand how pinning the “How to make homemade almond butter” infringes on your copyright, whilst you allowed it to be shared on Pinterest. Secondly, if it is not attributing the content, don’t clicking on pins automatically lead readers to your website? I don’t know what kind of attribution is necessary in the Pinterest “universe, and neither you or Pinterest have made that explicitly clear. You have only requested to be tagged on Instagram or Facebook. This comes from a researcher, who takes plagiarism and copyright infringement very seriously.
Sounds like maybe you had an almond butter pin removed from Pinterest? So did I! (And I’m the author!) Someone else (NOT ME– the one who actually owns the copyright) claimed a false copyright on my photo and as a result Pinterest removed all pins using my photos. It’s totally not fair, and I’m fighting it right now. It’s scary that a total stranger can claim copyright and Pinterest takes action when it’s not true.
I just made this today using up an opened bag of sliced almonds. I used my mini chopper with an s blade. After 15-20 minutes I had thick it
Can you freeze almond butter? Like if you make double the amount and can’t use all of it?
I would think so! Since there’s no water content in almond butter, I think it would freeze and thaw just fine.
You continue to inspire me!!!
I thank you & my husband thanks you!
Hi, Megan. I have made your almond butter recipe many, many times over the last few years. As I was making it today, I noticed that in both the descriptive post and the written recipe, you have said to warm the almonds in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, but then in the video your directions state to set the oven to 250 degrees. Just wanted to point that out to you. (I have always followed the 350* for 10 minutes, and have had great success.). Thank you for this recipe, Megan.
Is it possible to use the canning process for the almond butter and store until ready to use?
I’ve never canned anything myself, but I don’t see why this couldn’t be canned if you know what you’re doing!
I was looking at your recipe and process for making almond butter. It mentions using raw almonds. I have a little information that might help folks. Raw, unpasteurized almonds CAN be obtained in the USA, either in the store as foreign grown almonds or directly from a California almond grower. The tricky part is keeping the almonds raw while making them into butter. A food processor or blender will heat them up beyond the point where the live enzymes begin to die, thus the almond butter is no longer raw. Plus the heat can also degrade other health benefits of the raw almond. The solution is to use a stone grinder. The butter will stay at room temperature! As a California almond grower and almond butter maker I hope this information helps.