Homemade Almond Butter

Homemade almond butter is easy to make in a food processor. It's much creamier and far less expensive than the store-bought version. Absolutely delicious for dipping apple slices or slathering on your morning toast.

*Disclosure: Some of the links included in this post are affiliate links. That means that I could earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase.

When I first moved to Germany, I was shocked by how expensive almond butter was. Six to ten euro for a teeny-tiny little jar that wouldn't even last a week! I decided to do a little price comparison, and I found that I could make my own almond butter for about a third of that price. So I bought a midrange food processor for 50 euro, which paid for itself in roughly twelve batches of almond butter. Now I'm saving money and using my food processer for all sorts of recipes!

Making Almond butter is easy if you have a food processor and a little patience. But if you've never done it before, the process can be a little intimidating. I'd say it's a no-fail recipe, but there is, in fact, one thing you can do to fail spectacularly. Guess how I know that. . .

Thankfully, you don't have to make the same mistake I did because I'm going to walk you through the steps so that you can avoid doing the one sure-fire thing that will ruin your almond butter.

Pro tip: Almonds can be expensive depending on where you buy them. Most gorcery stores group nuts together, but did you know you can also find nuts in the baking section? The nuts in the baking section are almost always cheaper even if they are the EXACT SAME PRODUCT. Buy nuts in halves or pieces and you'll get an even better deal. If you're lucky enough to have a bulk section in your shop, you might even be able to save money and packaging. Just bring your own container. Win-win!

How to Make Homemade Almond Butter

Start by roasting raw almonds on a baking sheet for 10 minutes at 325° F or 165°C. You can skip this step, but it will take longer to break down the almonds in the *Food Processor. (The first time I made this recipe I didn't roast the almonds first, which led to the fatal mistake. . . ).

Once the almonds are done, take them out and pop them right into your *Food Processor. Turn to the highest setting and let it run until the almonds start sticking to the sides. At this point, you'll have a mixture that's quite coarse and resembles almond meal or almond flour.

Pro tip: You need a full-sized *Food Processor for this recipe. Unfortunately, a mini food processor just doesn't have the power or stamina to break the almonds down properly.

When you notice that the meal is sticking to the sides, stop the food processor, open the lid, and scrape down the sides with a spatula or scraper. (Be sure the food processor isn't running while you do this--unless you fancy a silicon-flavored almond butter!)

Close the lid and let the food processor run on high again. You'll have to repeat this process of stopping to scrape down the sides several times. It might start to seem like this mess will never turn into almond butter. JUST BE PATIENT! No matter what you do, don't make the same mistake I made the first time I tried this recipe. And without further ado, here's the most important bit:

DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ADD WATER or OTHER LIQUID.

Yes, that's right. The first time I made almond butter, it took so long to start breaking down, that I thought I'd just help it along by adding a little water. Wrong move! Water and oil do not mix. (I ended up saving the mixture by adding dried dates and cocoa powder, thus turning my mistake into brownie bites. Still yummy, just not what I was going for.)

So back to making your almond butter. It might take a while, but trust me, it's worth the wait. Over the course of the next few minutes, you're going to start to see some magic happen. First, the meal will start to form tiny, pearl-like balls.

Then those pearl-like balls will start to congeal into a dough. If you're super lucky, you might even get to see this dough turn into a ball and roll around the food processor a few times before finally thinning into a magical substance we call almond butter.

Now you might be tempted to stop here, and if you like dry, mealy almond butter, you can do just that. But if you're looking for the silky smooth butter you can buy at the store, you need to let the food processor run for another 2 to 5 minutes, at which point you'll have this gorgeous, shiny, creamy, scrumptious almond butter of your dreams.

Now and only now, you can feel free to add in any other flavorings--pink Himalayan salt, maple syrup--pick your poison. But this almond butter is so good, I don't add anything at all. Sometimes I just dip in a spoon and eat it right out of the jar!

Now you've got your almond butter. It pairs amazingly with a tart-sweet apple like Pink Lady or Honey Crisp. Smear it onto toast and top it with banana slices and cinnamon for delicious breakfast. Or slather it between two slices of bread with some yummy apricot or chia jam for simple, take-you-back to childhood sandwich.

If this recipe for Homemade Almond Butter speaks your language, you might also love:

• Tempeh Bacon Sandwich
• No-Bake Carrot Cake Bites
• Super Simple Tofu Nuggets
• Vegan Quesadilla Cheese
• Vegan “Fish” Tacos

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*Disclosure: Some of the links included in this post are affiliate links. That means that I could earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase.