Until I bought a food processor, I was without homemade nut butter. I had read many a recipe to try to make almond butter in coffee grinders or blenders, but I knew I needed the real deal. If you are lucky enough to squirrel away the funds for a Cuisinart, I recommend it wholeheartedly! It has helped me whip up edamame hummus, tofu dip, pesto, and much more in the 2 months I’ve owned it. And nut butters in about 10 minutes!
This recipe will fit your empty jar of MaraNatha almond butter.. or any 12 ounce jar. I am so happy to no longer be spending the $7-$9 each jar costs! When I noticed they now make a maple flavor, I decided that my own flavor combinations were within reach. You can find many recipes for roasted almond butter, but I prefer to leave mine raw as roasting does decrease the oil content a bit and makes your food processor work harder. The extra oil I add makes the creamiest texture- but the almond butter is just as good without it!
How To: Maple Almond Butter (12 oz)
- 2 and 1/2 cups raw unsalted almonds
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Begin by blending the raw almonds alone in the food processor as they progress from almonds to almond meal. Once they  begin moving past the ground up stage, you will begin to have to stop the food processor to scrape down the sides every few minutes.
At around 7-10 minutes depending on the strength of your food processor, the almonds should reach the ‘ball stage’ pictured above, where the almonds clump up as the oils are released. You can force this along by breaking up the ball every minute until the ball relaxes and your almond butter is processing into a creamier paste.
After 10-14 minutes, you should have almond butter! At this point, I drizzle the extra bit of oil in a steady stream through the top while the machine is running continuously. I like really creamy spreadable butter, and this helps tremendously.
If you want plain almond butter, you have arrived, but this is the point where I turn off my machine and add the salt, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Any sweetener like maple syrup or honey will return the almond butter to the ‘ball stage’, but with some additional processing, the heat will make the ball of almond butter relax again.
Excuse me while I go spoon more maple almond butter into my mouth.
Marisa
Emma says
I am obsessed with almond butter! I eat it on toast every morning. The Whole Foods near me has grind your own, but I’ll have to give this recipe a try – the maple and cinnamon sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
uprootfromoregon says
The flavor combo is not overwhelming- I am also obsessed and it’s so good for you! I think you’ll find the end product to be cheaper than the grind your own machines too 🙂
Animal Art by Imi says
Amazing. I need my own food processor, I am spending about ÂŁ5 every week on my addiction to all sorts of nut butter!
Leigha says
Ohh myy goodness. I need to make almond butter! Especially since I haven’t tried it yet – I refuse to pay those crazy prices! Do you have to refrigerate it?
uprootfromoregon says
Yes- because there are no preservatives, it stays best refrigerated. You have to try it!
Suzannah (@AdvDressmaking) says
Great idea! I love making my own almond butter but have never added sweetener. My tutorial for almond butter and meal here… http://www.adventuresindressmaking.com/2013/03/homemade-almond-butter-and-meal.html it’s great stuff, and way better to DIY! One healthier substitution for the canola oil would be coconut oil! Canola is nasty processed stuff, but the coconut oil is extremely healthy and adds a tiny bit of extra richness/sweetness if you like! We are Paleo so only eat whole foods, coconut oil included!
uprootfromoregon says
Thanks for your comment- I am looking forward to making almond blends like yours with cashews and other nuts! Since I did want my almond butter to be very smooth and spreadable, I did not use coconut oil- which will solidify in the cool temperature of the fridge. I have found in my research that canola oil is fine, and that it is a great source of monosaturated fats. I also wanted a very neutral flavor added (which is why I didn’t use olive oil). Either way, coconut oil sounds like the only way you can go with your diet, and I’m sure it adds a delicious flavor! I own it for making snack bites with ground nuts, etc.
Lauren @ Me and the Mountains says
Thank you for the play-by-play of how to make almond butter! I’ve made it a few times but always think I’m doing something wrong because it takes SO much longer than making other nut butters. Totally worth the wait though! And adding maple to any kind of nut butter is a great idea. 🙂
uprootfromoregon says
Adding a bit of oil just helps smooth it out and move it along faster- always a matter of preference though! Yes, maple in everything is necessary 🙂