Making almond butter is dirt simple—raw almonds go into the oven and then into the food processor. There’s nothing to it. Nevertheless, recipes for it proliferate, and most of these are wrong in one way or another.
For one thing, a surprising number of them call for vegetable oil. The thinking seems to be that the almonds need help turning into a soft paste, and that adding oil will get the almond particles moving in the right direction. But the processor alone can do this. All you have to do is wait: With each minute that its metal blade whirs, cutting the almonds into smaller and smaller pieces, the processor coaxes oil from inside the almonds, and that is all the oil your almond butter needs.
Aside from using almonds and a touch of salt, could you add flaxseed for supposed health benefits, or honey or brown sugar to make it more appealing to sugar hounds or kids? Probably. Shards of dark chocolate tempt me, definitely. But I think almonds are naturally sweet and healthy enough on their own.
Please excuse me if I take making almond butter a tad too seriously. In my defense, one taste of homemade, still-warm almond butter, fresh from roasting and broken down to release its smooth, rich creaminess, is its own argument.
Step #1 ROAST IT
Step #2 ▼
Almond butter starts with heating the oven to 375 degrees and arranging the almonds in a single layer on a sheet pan. I’ve fiddled around with roasting temperatures and times, and this is what works. In they go, for 10 to 12 minutes.
Step #2 DON'T OVER-ROAST
Step #3 ▼
If they roast for much longer, the oven will churn out a popcorn-like aroma, and guess what? Time to start over. (Once, thinking I could salvage most of a singed batch, I picked through the burnt almonds and processed the remainder. The dark brown, over-thick goo building up in the food processor looked plenty unappetizing, and tasting it confirmed that this attempt belonged in the trash.) So the roasting can be a dangerous game: You want that roasted taste, because that adds depth. If anything, err on the side of under-roasting them, just to be safe.
Step #3 COOL IT
Step #4 ▼
Let the almonds cool awhile, just so you can touch them without wincing, and then they can go into the processor
Step #4 PROCESS IT
Step #5 ▼
This is the fun part: After the first minute, when you stop to scrape down the workbowl, you’ll have a dusty almond meal.
Step #5 PROCESS IT MORE
Step #6 ▼
One or two more minutes more, and the meal starts to clump together.
Step #6 PROCESS IT EVEN MORE
Step #7 ▼
In another minute, it’s sticky from the bit of oil that the almonds have released, and when you drag a spatula through it, you’ll see a slight trail.
Step #7 PROCESS IT TO A PASTE
Step #8 ▼
Let it whir around for one more minute to a creamy paste that’s almost a puree.
Step #8 SALT IT
Now, taste it and decide if you want salt, and how much. I find the barest minimum—1 teaspoon kosher salt per 4-cup batch of almonds—is usually best. Add it, give it a few pulses in the machine, and this is almond butter.
About the Author: Amy Graves
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How much almond butter do you end up with starting with 4 cups? Just thinking cost analysis if its comparable to already jarred almond butter. And any issues with it burning out the motor in the food processor? Wonder if a vitamix would work?
Hi Renee
The yield is a little over half the starting amount of 4 cups, so, probably not much of a cost savings given that a jar from the store can be as little as $4.
I prefer homemade solely for the taste. And I wouldn’t worry about your food processor. Almonds are so small. It’s not like making a heavy dough. It makes for a smooth, if initially loud, spin. I’ve never tried it in a Vitamix! Probably need more surface area than even the Cadillac of blenders could give you.
I use almond butter in my oatmeal most mornings and have been frustrated as my favorite brand has not been in stock. Made this with my son today, and it is as good, if not better than store bought. Thank you!
Looks great! Can you make other nut butters in the food processor too? Wondering if pistachios would work…
Pistachios would definitely work ! I’ve also done cashews. The cashews are extra fatty, like pistachios, so they should work about the same.
You need to do smaller batches in the Vitamix. I much prefer a food processor for this because it is much easier to get it out of a food processor than the Vitamix.
After buying a huge bag of almonds for healthy snacking I found out I can’t eat nuts. But I can eat nut butters. So I just made this and it tastes wonderful! Do I refrigerate it?
Hi pclark50, glad your batch came out deliciously! According to Amy, the best way to store almond butter is a cool spot in the pantry, not in the refrigerator (the texture stays spreadable if it’s not fridge-chilled). It keeps for a while — at least 3 weeks, if you don’t munch through all of it before then! We recently reviewed “Grandpa Witmer’s Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Mixer,” a gadget that might be helpful: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment/product.asp?docid=36090&parentdocid=36030
I have yet to find a good BPA free food processor, so am reluctant. But can I use a blender for this recipe?
I make my own peanut butter similar way (don’t roast before hand so I use peanut oil to aid it along. I’ve tried it sans oil but found I needed that little push, but I haven’t roasted the nuts first, that’s my next try). I always store it in the fridge and though it hardens I simply set it on the counter for a few minutes to warm up, then dig out a small amount (for sandwiches) and then nuke it for a few seconds to warm it back up. It’s an extra couple steps but I don’t eat peanut butter as much as I did when I was a teen even. We used to buy Real brand peanut butter all the time and it needed to be stored in the fridge. Which is why I put mine there first time I made my own.
Can you do this with almond meal (minus the toasting)? I have some almond meal in my pantry from another recipe that I don’t know what to do with.
Yes, I think you can do this with almond meal. It might not have the roasted flavor, but I bet it’ll taste good. You may need a few drops of vegetable oil to help them amass and come together. Let me know how it goes !
I’m thinking that this has got to be WAY better than store-bought because the nuts are roasted first. I’m going to try this!
BTW, do you blanch and skin the almonds first? I can’t tell from the picture, and I’m not really sure what ‘raw’ almonds are.
I don;t know where you are buying Almond Butter for $4 per jar, but not in Michigan!!! At Trader Joe’s it is $4.99 or $5.99 for a 16 oz jar, same holds true for Whole Foods 365 brand. Other than that, almond butter is $8.99, 10.99 and even 12.99 a jar at stores around here, it is ridiculous. At Kroger you can get an 8 oz jar for $6.00. So buying bulk almonds and making one’s own is the way to go. More importantly, the flavor is what you make it: start out with good quality, fresh almonds and do not over roast and there you go, perfection!
Thank you for this great recipe, I have been buying almond butter since the 80′s (an early devotee when I was living in CA) and have made a wonderful batch at home for the first time! Terrific!
just made my first batch of almond butter. My question is how do you keep it from climbing up the sides of the cuisinart? (I did scrape it off several times, but it just goes right on up the sides again.)