Homemade almond butter tastes amazing and is easier to make than you might think! Once you try it, you may never go back to the store-bought version again.
Almond butter has gained popularity over the years as an alternative to peanut butter, and for good reason. It’s loaded with minerals and tastes delicious! It’s the perfect addition to healthy snacks, like Apple Nachos and Homemade Granola Bars.
Creamy almond butter can even be used as a flour alternative in gluten-free baking. Try it in Almond Butter Cookies or Almond Butter Blondies.
You can also use it for dairy-free creaminess! My favorite way to use it is in my Vegan Latte or Almond Milk Ice Cream for a mind-blowing treat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Homemade almond butter is made with just one ingredient: almonds! Look for unroasted almonds when shopping, as you’ll be quickly roasting them during the first step of this recipe.
You can also add salt or ground cinnamon for extra flavor, but I don’t recommend adding a wet ingredient, such as maple syrup, vanilla extract, or honey. Wet ingredients can cause the almond butter to seize (the texture will be ruined), and will make the nut butter spoil much faster.
How to Make Almond Butter
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spread one pound (3 cups) of almonds out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the almonds for 10 minutes or until they smell lightly fragrant. This process helps release the natural oil found in almonds and will make the next steps move much faster.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the almonds cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Adding the almonds directly from the oven to a food processor or blender could melt the machine if you don’t let them cool down first, so be patient!
Once the almonds have cooled for at least 10 minutes (it’s okay if they feel warm to the touch) add them to the bowl of a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade.
Secure the lid and start processing.
The almonds will creep up the sides of the machine as you blend them, so you can stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula if you’d like to. However, I’ve noticed around the 4-minute mark that the almonds will naturally fall down on their own without any scraping.
Let the food processor continue to run. After 8 minutes of processing, you may start to hear a “sloshing” sound, as the almond butter has suddenly become runnier. This is a great sign!
Now you can stop and scrape down the sides of the machine, and add any seasoning you like, such as a 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt or ground cinnamon. (Remember, no liquids can be added or it will ruin the texture.)
Process for another minute or two, and you should have a creamy almond butter that drips off the spoon. The whole blending process should take 10 minutes or less when you start with warm almonds.
Note: If you need to skip the roasting process, it may take nearly double the time for raw almonds to break down in a food processor. It can be done, but it’s definitely harder on your machine and requires more patience. This process can take a full 20 minutes!
Transfer the homemade almond butter to a 16-ounce mason jar and let it cool completely before securing the lid. Otherwise, steam will collect in the jar and cause the almond butter to spoil faster.
Almond butter can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and may last even longer as long as you don’t introduce any moisture to the jar. Nut butter will thicken when chilled, so that can make it slightly harder to spread on toast, but it will thin out when you bring it to room temperature again.
Can You Make Almond Butter in a Blender?
If you don’t have a 12-cup food processor, but you do have a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix), that can be used to make homemade almond butter, too.
The difference is you’ll need to use more almonds and a tamper.
To make almond butter in a blender, roast and cool the almonds as directed above, but start with 4 cups of almonds. This is the minimum quantity required to use a blender.
Secure the lid and blend the almonds on a medium-low speed. You’ll need to use a tamper often to keep the almonds moving. (If your blender doesn’t have a tamper, I don’t recommend this method. It’s too frustrating to have to stop and scrape constantly!)
While you might think using a high-speed blender would be faster than using a food processor, it still took my blender 6 to 7 minutes to achieve a creamy result. This is only 1 minute faster than the food processor method, and it’s not nearly as hands-off.
So, if you have a food processor, that is my preferred machine for this recipe.
Note: If for some reason your blender is having a hard time breaking down the roasted almonds, you can add a tablespoon of neutral-flavored oil to the blender to help the process along. You may need to use up to 4 tablespoons total when blending a difficult batch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Almonds have more iron and calcium when compared to peanuts, but both are considered good sources of monounsaturated fats. Research suggests that regularly eating almonds may help to lower LDL cholesterol (a risk factor for heart disease). Almond skins are also a good source of antioxidants.
Surprisingly, homemade almond butter is not always cheaper than the store-bought version. If you compare them on a cost-per-ounce basis, 1 ounce of whole almonds costs more than 1 ounce of almond butter. In this case, homemade is better because of the flavor, not necessarily because of the cost.
Almond butter can be spread on toast, pancakes, waffles, sandwiches, and muffins. You can also add it to smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, and more!
Looking for more easy ways to use almond butter? Try it in my Banana Snack Cake, Freezer Fudge, Vegan Banana Bread, or Almond Butter Brownies.
How To Make Almond Butter (No Added Oil!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole almonds (3 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spread the almonds out in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Place them in the oven to roast for 10 minutes, then remove the pan and let them cool for at least 10 minutes before moving on. (Placing very hot almonds in your machine could melt it, so be patient!)
- Transfer the cooled almonds (it's okay if they are slightly warm) to a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade. Secure the lid and start processing. The almonds will start to look like flour and stick to the sides of your machine, but after 4 to 5 minutes of processing, it will change into a thicker consistency and release from the sides of the machine.
- You can stop and scrape the sides of your food processor at this point if you'd like to, but the whole process can be relatively hands-off with almost no scraping required. In fact, you can let the machine run for 8 to 10 minutes without scraping, and the nut butter will form on its own! This is the advantage of using a food processor, rather than a blender. (See tips in this post if you prefer to use a blender, though.)
- Once the almonds have been processed for 8 to 10 minutes, they should reach a runny, drippy consistency. At this point, you can add in a 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt or ground cinnamon, if you'd like added flavor. Do NOT add any wet ingredients, or it could affect the final texture.
- Store homemade almond butter in a 16-ounce mason jar. It will need to cool completely before you add the lid, so it won't collect steam inside the jar. Adding moisture to the jar could affect the shelf life. Almond butter can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 1 month when no moisture is introduced, so always be sure to use a clean spoon or knife when using it.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this homemade almond butter recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
Megan,
Do you warm up the almonds at 250 degrees or 350? The recipe shows 350 but the video I think said 250? I just want to make sure I do it correctly… thank you!
Sorry for the confusion! I used to do it at 250, but now I set the oven to 350.
Great recipe. I panicked (despite your assurance) and added coconut oil thinking it wasn’t going to get creamy. It didn’t hurt the flavour – just wasn’t necessary.
True to your word, it did turn into lovely, creamy butter. I also added honey at the beginning which didn’t seem to have an adverse effect. This jar won’t be around in 2 weeks so no concern about it spoiling 🙂
Hi,
This recipe is about as simple as any recipe can possibly be. And it produces very flavorable and buttery results.
My only remark is that it doesn’t take nearly 25 minutes of blending to come to completion, at least not with my blender (a Vitamix 6300). After about ten minutes of blending at about 2/3 speed, the butter was done (at least to my satisfaction). This is very important if you’re a guy without too much patience (like me!).
Hi. I make the almond butter with your (easy)directions. It comes out perfect and we’re all enjoying it immensely.
Thanks for all your delicious recipes.
How much oz of almond butter does this 3 cups/1 pound of almonds yield?
It makes a 16 oz jar of almond butter.
Hi what oil would you suggest if using oil
I would use almond oil if you can find it, otherwise whatever oil you have that it most neutral in flavor.
Hi i just made this and it turned out fantastic.store bought has so much sugar in it.i just want to say thankyou for posting it.no more store bought for me
Excellent recipe! Thank you for helping me turn my unused almonds into almond butter. I loved the idea to warm them in the oven before processing them. It only took me 10 minutes in my Cuisinart. So easy, yet so rewarding! Thanks for being awesome! 🙂
I never ended up with almond butter and my food processor started to overheat at about the 20 minute mark
I would give your food processor a rest so it can cool down and then process again. It can take a while depending on the machine and the almonds, so the timing is only a rough estimate. In a pinch, you can always add a drizzle of neutral-flavored oil to help the process go faster!
Wish I had read this all the way thru before starting. I soak my almonds as a general rule, it’s something I started doing when I did an elimination diet last year, and I just always do it, but seems that it’s not the ideal thing to downer making almond butter!
I shall persevere a little longer, then give up and use my ‘almond flour’ for baking!!
Can I use salted almonds? Or would it not taste sweet enough?
Yes, I think salted almonds would work just fine.
Looks yummy recipe.. i must try
I made this today, it’s definitely a waiting game! Is it 102 cals per serving or per mixture?
Since you’re in KC you gotta do the group buy of almonds with us! Every year around November we buy from the greensmoothiegirl.com annual buy where we can get almonds that aren’t heat pasteurized coming out of CA like all the ones in the store are. We freeze them and make almond milk and almond butter all year long. We do a group buy because it saves on shipping. Let us know if you’re interested! Still loving your instant pot cookbook!
i ABSOLUTELY NEED TO COMMENT ON THIS. I HAVE TRIED SEVERAL ALMOND BUTTER RECIPES WITH L ESS THAN SATISFACTORY RESULTS. FOLLOWED THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY AND IN APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES I WAS AMAZED TO FIND CREAMY, SMOOTH, DELICIOUS ALMOND BUTTER AS ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM A FINE COMMERCIAL ORGANIC BRAND. THANK YOU … I WILL BE USING IT REULARLY.
Would you know if the Ninja QB1000 food processor set is good at making nut butter? I’m just wondering if the top motor design of that Ninja model is difficult for such a task? Like is the trigger heavy to hold down? Thanks for useful post btw.
I own a small Ninja food processor and I don’t think it would be able to run for 20 minutes to make almond butter. It could probably handle other types of softer nuts, though, like cashews!
Thanks to this recipe, I kept the food processor going, going and going– until the sides of the bowl were almost hot. The end product is incredibly creamy, fresh, and so much less expensive than the store version which often includes sugar and other undesirable ingredients. Thank you for this recipe!
Good easy recipe. I made this in Cuisinart processor, it was done nice and creamy in 20 mins. Happy about that! I added pinch of salt and some maple syrup but it got all clumpy, just added a few drops of coconut oil, and it was its wonderful self again. Another commenter said to just keep processing without oil and it will return to glory.but I didn’t have the patience to wait lol.
Thank you! I was ready to give up on my almond butter until I read your recipe – specifically the part about how LONG it would take to blend the almonds before it turned into butter. 😁
Hi, Megan. Just subscribed to your website, but has been a follower since. I got one of your books as well. Thank you so much for all the delicious recipes!
Forgot to mention I made this, and came out nice and creamy and yummy!
Heating the almonds gently roasts them and vastly improves the flavor of the almond butter!
Oops! Forgot to rate before.
Wow! I made it for the first time today out of necessity — thought I had some for the Black Bean Brownies (also a first time attempt) but didn’t. I threw out what was left of the jar I had — it tasted chalky and would separate (I’ve since heard that running it through the food processor to blend and then back into the jar, it won’t separate again.) I followed your directions and video, using my Cuisinart, with perfect results. I am amazed there is no chalky taste and it actually tastes slightly sweet. If I hadn’t made it myself I would swear there was some type of sweetener in it. Thank you for the excellent instructions and video. Without them I would have thought something was wrong due to how long it takes to transition from one stage to the next!
Hi! I was wondering if it’s okay to soak the almonds first before making them into almond butter?does that change anything? Thanks!
You would have to make sure they are 100% dry before making them into almond butter. Any moisture will ruin the texture and will make the almond butter spoil much faster.
Thank you! I appreciate it:)
Hello my name is Sherry and I was wanting to know can you make almond butter after being soaked for 12 hr. And dehydrated ?
As long as they are fully dry, I think that should work. Let me know how it turns out!
Someone gave me a peanut butter maker machine. Has anybody ever used this before to make their own nut butter?
Is a serving 1TBS or 2TBS? Thank you!!!
Wah!I tried making it added 2 TBS olive oil and 2 tbsp honey after an hour of blending and no butter. Ended up blending for 45 more mins and it melted the inside bottom piece of my ninja blender:( $7 turned into $50 loss and still no butter. The mixture is tastey but it never quite creamed up. Even after it was pretty warm almost hot. I thought about throwing the fluffed blended almond mixture into the microwave to heat it up a lot and see what happens.
I made almond butter and it became a ball in the food processor and not as creamy as I’d like. Do I need to keep it going longer?
Yes, the ball stage is a good sign! But you need to keep processing to get creamy almond butter.
I love almond butter. What makes it easy and much faster is to make sure you almonds are raw (yes, they can actually be bought raw although they cost more) or at least buy what they consider raw (slightly pasteurized) and let them soak in water for about 8 hours. This causes the enzyme inhibitors to be released so you can digest them better. They will be much softer after soaking them and should take much less time to make. Hope this helps.
Ive made this recipe before but never got my butter as silky smooth as yours thanks for sharing it.
Does the jar need to be steralized before putting the almond butter in it?
I just purchased the Wild Soil Almonds! In the words of Chandler from Friends, “Could I BEEEE anymore excited?!” haha Thanks for the suggestion!
I just made a small batch of almond butter using a 10oz container of almonds using my Instant Ace Plus blender and didn’t realize I was going to need to scrape the sides down lol! So I ended to adding about 3 tbsp’s of avacado oil and ran the “Nut Butter” program again. I’m going to try it again without the oil now that I know scraping the sides is normal
Just made for the first time after trying forever to find a food processor that would work. Looks like the key was to set the processor to low. Added cinnamon and vanilla (and put cardamon on the grocery list). Saw someone else suggest sunflower seeds; shall try that next. KitchenAide food processor. Appreciate everyone sharing their successes so I can learn from you.
Anybody know how much butter 3 cups almonds reduces to? Thanks!
In my experience, it usually reduces by about half. So 3 cups of almonds makes roughly 1 1/2 cups of almond butter.
Loved this recipe. Thank you!
Hi, I tried your recipe but the almonds are naturally dry as compare to peanuts or cashew so it stays crumbly and not smooth or creamy if I don’t add oil. Any recommendation for which oil should I add ? Thanks
If you want to add oil, I would try to use one that is mild-flavored. Almond oil would be the most similar in flavor, but you can use any oil that you enjoy the flavor of.
Hi, would it be ok to call a recipe just 1 ingredient (almond) if we use almond oil to make the butter creamy and keep the shelf life longer (as oil is natural preservant).
I want to make this butter for friend who has peanut allergy and doesn’t want added oils.
Turned out great,BUT took a long time to get creamy!
That’s a good idea All the recipes said roasted…thanks for the tip.
Thank you for your almond butter recipe. I think this is the first time I read what someone wrote on a recipe blog! Just chock full of helpful and useful tips and the end result looks really creamy. Now I need a really good food processor so I can do this myself.
Delicious! So easy and a real cost savings. Thank you!!!
How much did 3 cups almonds make?
3 cups of almonds is roughly 16 ounces by weight, so that makes 16 oz. of almond butter, too. That turns out to be just under 2 cups.
Ten minutes in the oven really made a difference – almond butter came together in less than five minutes, perfectly smooth and creamy.
Perfect! This was just what I needed. The insights about heating almonds first, alert about the ball forming, length of time, etc. were so helpful! The second time I used up a bunch of sliced almonds someone passed on to me and adjusted the warming time down to 5 mins. Worked great again. thanks so much as I feel confident to keep buying bulk almonds and making my own almond butter.
As instructed, warmed in oven at 350for 10 min then put in my Vitamixer. Turned out but it melted the tamper. Did not find any warning of this happening in the Vitamixer manual or in the recipe. Shopping for a new tamper.
Just made my first batch of almond butter! Cant believe how easy it is! Thanks for the instructions, you gave me the courage to persist when I thought it wasnt working. Took under 25 minutes. No more buying expensive but small jars!
Thank you so, so much — I always had something missing when I made almond butter, thought it needed more oil, but no, it needed more patience — I had no idea it takes that much time, so this was wonderfully helpful.
Thank you! I was just about to give up on my almond butter ever turning creamy, but just as you said, there was a magical moment when it started to become butter!
Thank You SO much for this easy Recipe. I made this yesterday, following your instructions, and am happy with the results.