Vanilla Almond Butter

Name: Vanilla Almond Butter
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 3 cups almonds (raw or roasted); 1 - 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt (to taste); 1/2 tsp vanilla seeds (or 1/2 a vanilla bean scraped out)

Published: Dec 8, 2020 · Last Updated: Dec 9, 2020 by Katie Trant · 27 Comments

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Learn how easy it is to make homemade Vanilla Almond Butter. With just two ingredients (or three if you like a little salt) and a bit of time, you'll make amazing, smooth, sugar-free almond butter that's a healthy snack and perfect on toast.

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Whenever I find myself in the grocery store holding a $10 jar of almond butter I give my head a shake. If only people knew how easy it was to make their own!

I mean, it's also pretty darn easy to just throw the jar into your grocery basket and cough up the dough, and if that's the name of your game then power to you. I've certainly used store-bought nut butter before in my life, and I certainly will again.

But making your own homemade almond butter is so much fun! It takes only a matter of minutes and you get the joy of watching your food processor put a batch of almonds through their paces. You can choose to go on team chunky or smooth (when it comes to almond butter I am smooth all the way, baby) and add a little bit of salt, or not.

And most fun off all - you can flavour it up! Today we're making homemade Vanilla Almond Butter, and you guys, this stuff is the best.

Elevate your morning toast, swirl it into a smoothie, or just eat it straight from the jar. The world is your almond butter oyster, my friend.

What do I need to make this recipe?

You need just one main ingredient, and the rest is up to you. Here's what you need:

Almonds --> Raw is fine, but Oven Roasted Almonds is how I roll.
Vanilla bean --> Notes on this below.
Sea salt --> I love Maldon for this recipe.

Regarding the vanilla, in this recipe I have used vanilla powder, which is finely ground up vanilla pods and seeds. It's a great way to get good vanilla flavour and those authentic vanilla flecks without having to use an expensive vanilla bean.

Having said that, if you've got spent vanilla beans from making homemade vanilla extract, this is a great recipe to use them in!

Equipment:

You're going to need some machinery to make this recipe. I use my trusty Kitchen Aid Food Processor for making nut butters. I have the professional model, which is a beast, but a basic one will do just fine.

I know some people like to use a high-speed blender (I have a Vitamix) for making nut butters, but I have always used my food processor. Either way, you're going to need some horsepower!

How to make almond butter

Guys, this "recipe" is so easy. Start off by deciding whether or not you want to roast your nuts. I personally prefer the flavour of almond butter made with roasted nuts, but if you prefer raw that is totally fine.

Place the almonds into your food processor and pulse a few times to break them up, then let the motor run. It will first look powdery, kind of like almond flour (see above).

After a few minutes you may find that a ball has formed that is moving around your food processor (see below left). This is totally normal.

You may want to stop and scrape the sides down at this point, but it's not totally necessary.

Run the food processor for two-to-three minutes more, and you'll notice the almond butter ball starting to loosen up (see above right). Keep going for another minute or two.

At this point I stop the machine, give the bottom a good scrape, and then add my sea salt and vanilla powder. Run for another minute or two just to make sure it's mixed well.

Now transfer your homemade almond butter to a clean glass jar, and sit back and marvel that you made such a delightful concoction.

See, wasn't that easy?

How long does it take to make almond butter?

This depends on a few factors. First, did you roast your nuts or are they raw? Roasted nuts will break down much faster than raw.

Second, how powerful is your food processor? Every machine is a bit different, so the total time will vary. This batch took me less than 10 minutes to make in my workhorse of a machine.

Lastly, how old are your almonds? Fresher almonds tend to be oilier, and therefore will break down faster.

Keep in mind that different types of nuts and seeds break down at different rates. For example, my Homemade Pumpkin Seed Butter takes nearly 20 minutes to get to the right texture!

Storing almond butter

I prefer to store my homemade almond butter at room temperature so that it is easy to spread. At room temperature in an air-tight container (a glass jar with a lid is perfect) it will last about a month - although I've never had any trouble going through it in a couple of weeks.

If you keep your almond butter in the fridge it will last longer, generally around three months.

Ways to use almond butter

As I said up top, this stuff is tremendous simply eaten straight from the jar. I also love it on toast as a quick breakfast or snack.

I love making homemade Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups with Vanilla Almond Butter in place of peanut butter. Such a delightful treat.

And one of my favourite green smoothies, the Almond Butter Date Shake is a great way to use almond butter too. My friend Sarah makes Healthy Apple Nachos with almond butter drizzled over the top. So good!

Is almond butter healthy?

Sure is! Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats – this is a healthy fat when consumed in moderation, the same type as is found in olive oil. Almonds are also a good source of manganese, vitamin E (which has antioxidant properties) and magnesium.

They're a good source of plant-based protein and calcium as well. As with all nuts and nut butters, almond butter should be consumed in moderation.

Other recipes you might enjoy:

two slices of french bread spread with vanilla almond butter on a white plate with a gold knife on the side

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