Raw Recipe: Almond Butter
Making nut butters can be a little tricky. I used to think that I had to do them in my Vitamix, which would drive me batty with all the scraping down that was required. Other times, I would have a fail, only because I quit too early. I didn’t realize how much time it takes, and the process that the nuts have to go through. But if you have a little patience, you can make nut butters that are fabulous. You will never want to buy them again! Almond butter is a good one to start with.
I used my Kitchen Aid 12 cup food processor. It is a strong processor. The bottom warms up a little bit but if you are using an older processor, or a processor with a much weaker motor, common sense needs to prevail.
After 2 minutes it will look like this.
After 4 minutes it will look like this.
After 6 minutes it will look like this.
Around 8 minutes, the almond mixture will ball up. Just let it keep going.
At 10 minutes it has begun to redistribute, but it is not done yet. You want to wait until the oils get released.
At 12 minutes the almonds have released their oil and the butter is ready! If you want to add honey or salt, stir it in by hand.
*Chef’s Note: If using soaked, dehydrated (dried) almonds, you may need to add a little oil. This recipe requires the use of completely dry almonds.
Almond Butter
MAKES 1 1/4 CUPS ALMOND BUTTER
- 2 cups Almonds
- 1 tablespoon Raw Honey (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt (optional)
- Place almonds in food processor. Process for 8-12 minutes. You will need to scrape down the sides in the beginning. If you choose to use the honey and salt, stir in by hand after the butter is made as it will seize the mixture if you try to add it before.
*Chef’s Note: If using soaked, dehydrated (dried) almonds, you may need to add a little oil. This recipe requires the use of completely dry almonds.
Cryptic wrote on February 13, 2012
thanks so much for the helpful recipe! the image references were quite useful. made it in my hamilton beach 4 speed blender. definitely had some issues with the bottom heating up, although the motor seemed to do ok. turned out it was more an issue of the rotary mechanism attached to the blades getting hot from the friction. it was basically a game of blend blend, stop stir scrape rest, blend some more. the mixture didnt ball up as pictured here, but i assume that is largely due to the size and dynamic of the blender. anyways, definitely fun watching the magic happen as the oils finally release. ‘its not working… its not working… omg its almond butter!’
Susan wrote on February 13, 2012
Wow…a blender? You are brave! I am glad it worked for you!! Cheers!
Monica wrote on February 3, 2012
Yay, thanks for the recipe! I am actually going to try to make gluten free almond butter cookies this weekend. Can’t wait!
Lisa wrote on February 2, 2012
WOW made my first ra hazelnut butter. Way better than the raw bought stuff and cheaper too! Thank you.
Kei Jager wrote on January 29, 2012
I have a daughter who is allergic to nuts and soy… could this same process work with sunflower seeds? I’ve heard others talk about sunflower butter, and thought that might be a good option for us. Thanks.
Susan wrote on January 28, 2012
I use a KitchenAid 12 cup. If it is getting hot (check the temp) you can rest it for a bit when you are making it. Mine “steams” also but the temp of the butter never gets above 115. It isn’t actually like boiling, hot steam.
Lindsey wrote on January 28, 2012
I was more curious as to what food processor you use. I can’t seem to not have the almonds smoking, even with professional tools
Lindsey wrote on January 28, 2012
I just bought a new food processor so I can do this. The top cannot be off while I have it on so I have to stop it if I’m going to scrap the sides down. I need to know though, is it normal for the butter to get so hot that it starts to steam?
Susan wrote on January 28, 2012
If you check the temperature, you will find that the “steam” is probably water that is generating from the process. The temperature of the almond butter isn’t that hot. Cheers.
Rena wrote on January 28, 2012
Hello,
Thanks for this; can’t wait to try! One question – how long will the butter stay good for, and does it need to be stored in a specific manner?
Thanks!
Best…
Susan wrote on January 28, 2012
I would keep it in the frige in a closed container and it should last for weeks. Nuts will go rancid after a while so you want to stay in line with that. Cheers!
RawDad wrote on January 28, 2012
The every two minute pictures are great. Good presentation and directions.