Making homemade almond butter with a food processor or Vitamix is super easy and you can be sure you’ll always have some on hand when you need it.
And, you can take an optional step to make it even more nutritious by soaking the almonds in filtered/purified water ahead of time.
Soaking the almonds neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors and increases beneficial enzymes.
You don’t really know if this step has been taken when you buy store bought almond butter, so when you make it yourself, you know it’s as nutritious as possible.
Also, you can make sure you are using organic almonds because non-organic almonds can contain up to 9 different pesticide residue toxins.
Delicious, creamy homemade almond butter can be made in either a high quality food processor or a Vitamix and both do a great job, and I have instructions for both below.
Looking for more healthy homemade staple recipes? Check out How To Make Almond Milk, How To Make Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs, How To Make Tahini or my Clean Eating Cookbook with an entire chapter of 20 healthy, clean eating Staple Recipes that you will love!
5 Fast Facts About Almonds:*
- helps to regulate cholesterol and blood pressure
- energy booster
- loaded with calcium and fiber
- 1/4 cup contains 8 grams of vegan protein
- high in anti-oxidants
5 Fast Facts About Coconut Oil:*
- super high in lauric acid
- rich in antioxidants
- contains natural microbial and anti-bacterial agents
- helps to improve metabolism
- improves cholesterol levels
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Tip #1: If you will be making homemade almond butter, and even homemade almond milk, you will find that buying raw organic almonds in bulk will save you money and the ones I buy from Terrasoul Superfoods are fresh, organic, raw and unpasteurized.
Tip #2: You don’t have to take this extra step, but soaking and drying your almonds before making homemade almond butter of homemade almond milk make them more nutritious. They need to be completely dried before using them and I use my dehydrator to dry my almonds after soaking them.
Tip #3: The recipe instructions show below are for a food processor, but if you want to make it in your Vitamix, just use these instructions:
How To Make Homemade Almond Butter in a Vitamix*:
3 cups organic roasted almonds + 1/4 cup coconut oil. Add the almonds first then the coconut oil. Start at Variable 1 then slowly increase to Variable 10, then to High, using the tamper to push the nuts onto the blade. After approximately 1 minute, you should hear a high-pitch chugging sound at which time you would stop the machine. Store in an air-tight glass container.
*Please note: using the Vitamix method, you will be using roasted almonds and not raw, unpasteurized almonds and will not have a true 100% raw nut butter.
Tip #4: I like to store my homemade almond butter in these cute air-tight glass containers.
How To Make Homemade Almond Butter (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo-Friendly)
Print recipe | www.thehealthyfamilyandhome.com | The Healthy Family and Home |
Ingredients
- 3 cups organic raw unpasteurized almonds (soaked overnight and dehydrated)
- 1 tablespoon organic coconut oil
Directions
| Soaking the almonds | |
| Step 1 | Soak almonds overnight in purified/distilled water with a generous sprinkle of pink himalayan salt. In the morning, rinse the almonds and dehydrate for 24 hours or until completely dry. |
| Prepare the almond butter | |
| Step 2 | Put the almonds and coconut oil into a food processor and process until completely smooth and creamy. It will go through different stages (flour, ball-shaped, smooth) but stop periodically and scrape the sides each time until it becomes creamy. Store in an air-tight glass container. Enjoy! |
Note
This recipe will make approximately (1) cup of almond butter.
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Can you add some apple cider vinegar to the water to soak the raw almonds for the almond butter? I’ve read it helps to digest them better. Will it affect the taste?
Hi there Debra! Hmmm…I’ve never soaked my almonds in apple cider vinegar before so I can’t say if that would work or affect the taste.
However, I ~do~ soak my raw, unpasteurized organic almonds in purified/filtered water with a a couple of pinches of Himalayan salt to aid in digestion and other issues with phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors so I know you could definitely do that with no problems.
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy making homemade almond butter 😉
Thank You. I just added 2 tbs of apple cider vinegar to the soak water. I used spring water. I think the vinegar is supposed to break down some of the hard to digest components. It did not affect the taste! They aren’t completely dry (I put them in the oven for an hour and left them out over night) and will let you know how the butter comes out. I have a vitamix.
Debra
Hi Debra! I’m so glad to hear the apple cider vinegar worked and that it didn’t affect the taste…that’s good news!
I can’t wait to hear how it comes out 😉
Hi, does the coconut oil needed to be melted before putting it in the food processor with the almonds? My almonds are soaking as I type this, I’m excited to try your recipe out! 🙂
Hi there Lauren! Yes, it will blend easier if the coconut oil is melted first. I love that you are soaking your almonds first..very good!
Thanks for trying out the recipe and I hope you enjoy it 😉
Hi,
How long will it last in the fridge for? It would probably have a long life?
Warm Regards
Corine
Hi there Corine! It should last 2 – 3 weeks in an air-tight glass container kept in the refrigerator, maybe even longer but mine never lasts for more than a week at a time 😉
Hi. Does this amount mentioned yield a finished 16oz jar of almond butter? Just trying to figure out how much to make at one time so I have extra on hand. And do you store your air tight jars in the cupboard or in the fridge? Lastly, do you ever do any nut blends (almonds and cashews, etc.)? Just curious if there are any additional tips/tricks to that and if you’ve discovered some great combos.
Sorry for all the questions. Thanks for any input you have. 🙂
Hi there Jeff! Actually, when I use 3 cups of raw almonds I end up with right at 1 cup of almond butter (now we know why almond butter is so expensive in the stores)!
I store mine in an air-tight glass container in the refrigerator.
I also like to add 1 – 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to make it a little creamier and to add extra healthy fats.
One time I did try to make a copy-cat version of the Nuttzo Nut Spread (7 nut/seed chocolate nut-butter blend) and it was “ok” but not exactly like the original version and I never went back and worked on it again.
I just started using 100% vanilla bean powder and was getting ready to make a vanilla bean almond butter, but other than the typical chocolate almond/hazelnut butter, I haven’t tried anything else…just yet 😉
And please don’t worry about asking questions…I love them and thanks for the ones you had 😉
I have a Vitamix….and wondering if you used a DRY container for this recipe…or just the standard wet container? Thanks~
Hi there Debra! You can use the standard wet container…and may have to use the tamper. I like to add 1 – 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to mine which will help it process better too.
Thanks for your question and I hope you enjoy it 😉
what food processor did you use? can a 250 watt food processor do this?
Hi there Kristel! This is a really good food processor for this recipe: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AXM4WV2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thfh-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01AXM4WV2&linkId=5a4a26ae07830b9d7bf0d5188b43c47b.
I don’t know for sure but I’m thinking a 250 watt processor might not work because although mine works, it takes my processor a good 5 – 7 minutes for it to get really creamy and smooth, stopping every couple of minutes or so to scrape the sides.
You could always try a small batch to see if it works with your processor instead of making a full batch.
Thank you for your question 😉
Thank you for the recipe. I support organic farming too.
A question though,what would happen if all the world population (7 billion atm)started using pink himalayan salt? ..and more importantly what would happen to Himalaya?
Hi there Jerry! Oh my…that’s a pretty deep question lol! I would think the people who use and rely on pink himalayan salt as a clean, unrefined source of sodium would have a big problem 😉
how long should the soaked almonds be in the oven (at 115 degrees) to effectively “dehydrate” them? thanks much. sue
Hi there Sue! I’ve never dried mine in an oven, but if I did, I would use the lowest temperature possible and start with 12 – 24 hours.
If you soak them overnight and put them in the oven first thing in the morning, they should be done by the end of the day.
I would check on them periodically, tossing every so often to make sure they are dried on all sides and just take them out when they are completely dried.
After they have cooled off, you can store them in an air-tight container (I use a glass container for mine).
I hope this helps and that you enjoy your homemade almond butter…it is so worth the extra effort and there isn’t anything else like it 😉
After rinsing the skin from almon is to be peeled of or not??
thanks
pradeep
Hi there Pradeep! When making homemade almond butter, I’m not sure if you can process the almonds in the food processor (or Vitamix) while the nuts are still wet…I have never tried that.
When I soak my almonds before making my almond butter (which is the best and most nutritious way to do it), I always dehydrate them first so they are dry when I put them in the food processor.
Once they are dried, you do not have to remove the skins from them or peel the skins off prior to making the almond butter.
Just put the dried almonds in either a food processor or Vitamix and proceed with the directions from there.
Of course, if you were to skip the soaking step, just put the whole, unsoaked almonds in the food processor or Vitamix and go from there.
Thanks for your question…I hope that helps and is the information you were looking for 😉
What do you think would happen if I soaked them but didn’t dehyrate them? I like the idea of soaking, but I don’t have a dehydrator. Any suggestions?
Hi April! I’m not sure if it would work if the soaked almonds were not dried first, but don’t worry if you don’t have a dehydrator.
You can dry them in the oven, but I would use the lowest setting possible. You just want to dry them, not cook or roast them. The lower the setting the more nutrients/live enzymes you will retain. If possible, under 115 degrees would be ideal because they would still be considered “raw” and have all the living enzymes.
I’ve also read that if you make your almond butter immediately after taking the almonds out of the oven/dehydrator while they are still warm, it will take less time in the food processor and would be much easier.
I haven’t tried that tip yet but will the next time I make some.
I’m so excited you are making homemade almond butter! You are going to love it 😉