How to Make Almond Butter
Homemade almond butter is healthy, affordable and even more delicious than store-bought! Learn how to make almond butter with this easy recipe.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
What took me so long to make almond butter? I just enjoyed homemade almond butter on toast for breakfast, and I must say—it’s far superior to store-bought almond butter. Homemade almond butter is ultra thick and creamy, and it tastes like warm, freshly roasted almonds.
Now that I know the difference, I can’t go back to buying jars at the store. I blend a tiny bit of cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup into mine to make it taste extra special. Why not?
Homemade almond butter is more affordable, too. The math is simple. One pound of almonds yields one pound of almond butter (or 16 ounces), which is the size of the standard almond butter jar at the store. Just compare the price of one pound of raw almonds to the price of your favorite almond butter.
The cost savings depend largely on the almond butter. I’ve bought jars of almond butter at Trader Joe’s for seven dollars, so there’s not much savings opportunity there.
However, I’ve seen almond butter on shelves demanding seventeen dollars per jar. Seventeen dollars! For blended-up almonds! This is highway robbery, and I will not be robbed.
Homemade Almond Butter Tips
When it comes to making almond butter, patience is key. It might seem like the whole almonds will never turn into creamy nut butter, but they always do. Don’t give up!
Buy raw almonds and roast them in the oven yourself. Warm almonds blend more easily and offer maximum fresh almond flavor. Roasting the almonds only takes 10 minutes, and it’s absolutely worth it.
Roasted almonds offer the same nutritional benefits as raw almonds (protein, fiber, healthy fat, and vitamins), although their vitamin content is a tiny bit lower. The flavor difference is absolutely worth it, in my opinion. The “raw” almonds you buy at the store have probably been heat-treated to kill bacteria already and will inevitably warm up from the heat of the machine, anyway.
Watch How to Make Almond Butter
Suggested Equipment
Making almond butter is easy, as long as you have a sturdy food processor or blender and some patience. I’ve successfully made almond butter in my Cuisinart food processor and my Vitamix blender (affiliate links).
The blender may have been a few minutes faster (the tamper is handy to press almonds down into the blades), but I couldn’t tell a difference in the texture or flavor of the final product.
My favorite way to enjoy almond butter? I love it on whole-grain toast with berries on top (fresh berries, defrosted frozen, or chia berry jam). You can also spread almond butter on quick breads, like banana bread or muffins. Or, blend it into smoothies or swirl it into yogurt for extra protein.
This freshly roasted almond butter would make a lovely handmade gift. Just tie a ribbon around the jar and it’s ready to go. If this recipe spurs a nut butter kick, try making homemade pecan butter. Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments!
Homemade Almond Butter
Homemade almond butter is healthy, affordable and even more delicious than store-bought! It’s easy to make, too. You’ll just need a good food processor or blender. Recipe yields about 1 ⅔ cup almond butter (that’s 16 ounces, the equivalent of a jar of almond butter from the store).
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (3 cups) raw almonds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional: ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Optional: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the almonds across a large, rimmed baking sheet and toast the almonds for 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Let the almonds cool until they’re just warm (not hot), about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the almonds to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until creamy, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary. You’re going to think it’ll never blend, but be patient! The almonds will go from flour-like clumps, to a ball against the side of the food processor (keep scraping down the sides and breaking up the ball), and finally, it will turn lusciously creamy. If the mixture gets crazy hot along the way, stop and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Once the almond butter is very smooth and creamy (no sooner!), you can blend in any add-ins you would like. I always add salt, for more flavor overall. You can also add cinnamon for a hint of spice, and vanilla and/or maple syrup for almond butter that tastes more special than store-bought.
- Blend until the add-ins are evenly dispersed. When I added maple syrup, I had to let the mixture cool, and then blend a few additional minutes, to make it creamy again.
- Let the almond butter cool to room temperature, then transfer the mixture to a mason jar and screw on the lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or until you see or smell any signs of spoilage.
Notes
Change it up: You can create a mixed nut butter by substituting raw cashews, walnuts or pecans for some of the almonds. Just roast them all on the pan together.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
How do I store it? And how long will it stay good?
Hi Tonia, see the final step. I hope you love it!
Amazing recipe, thank you!! I am surrounded by Almond Trees… so I unshelled enough… roasted them, and follow your recipe through.
So delicious!! I am off to go pick some more Almonds for a new batch!! ;)
Great to hear, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
Ok so just made it. Tastes amazing but the color is very dark. Is that because I over roasted the almonds.
Yum yum yum! Didn’t do the add-ins, but made this exactly per your instructions otherwise and it was perfect and delicious. Will definitely be making this frequently!
That’s great to hear, Mary! Thank you for your review.
Hi,
I made the recipe and it was very good! I also added a tad of coconut oil and some apple. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Terri56
Wowwwwww, this is the best almond butter I’ve ever had! It’s literally half the price of the almond butter I buy at the store. I used a food processor and it worked great with a bit of patience and some breaks to let the machine cool down every now and again.
I’m happy you loved it, Manon! Thank you for your review.
I’m going to make almond butter and you’re the first place I’ve come for the perfect recipe.
I do have one question about the almonds, though. I buy raw, organic almonds in bulk. I keep them in the freezer until ready to use.
I was thinking that if I soak them in pure water to begin the sprouting process, they’d plump and and be delicious as butter.
Is the roasting necessary in this case? What is the advantage of roasting them first?
Thanks for your wonderful recipes!
Resha Sabre
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe tomorrow, but wanted to ask beforehand if there’s any difference in adding the “optional mix ins” in the beginning when I add my almonds as supposed to adding them in later.
Hi Danielle! What did you end up doing? You want to add them once you grind the almonds into butter as written. I hope you enjoy it!
This was pretty easy, but I think I ruined it when I added sugar-free maple syrup (Walden Farms pancake syrup). The mixture went from being creamy, to chunky, almost crumbly. I kept mixing (in my food processor) but I couldn’t get that smooth consistency back :( It might have been something in the artificial syrup that messed it up. It’s still good! I spread it on some rice cakes. Next time I will omit anything artificial. Thanks!
I’m sorry to hear that! I’m glad you were still able to enjoy it, Linda.
I must try this however the skins of the almonds should be removed as they are an enzyme inhibiter.
I soak my almonds overnight and in the morning peel the skins while they are still wet as that is easier.
This could be painful as you would need to peel a lot of almonds to make this butter.
Thanks for yet another fantastic recipe, Kate! I buy large bags of almonds from Costco that often sit in my fridge for months…now I won’t have that problem! :D I recently purchased a Cuisinart food processor and this was the perfect recipe. Turned out great with the 1/4 tsp salt as you suggested. I’ve never bought almond butter in the store before because it’s so expensive but now I’ll be making it at home!
You’re welcome, Lavanya!
Oh my goodness this almond butter recipe is the bomb!! I absolutely love almond butter but don’t absolutely “love” the price! This is an amazing + quick way to get rid of some almond and make an amazing source of protein! I did everything on the recipe and mine took less than 5 minutes!!! I was reading through the reviews and was preparing for it to be a super long process but it easily just blended and make the creamy butter that was in the picture! I roasted the almond and used them slightly warm so that definitely helped!! Hope all of your guys almond butter turns out amazing + thank you so much cookie and Kate for the recipe!
Wonderful, Mya! Thank you for your review.
Amazing! Perfect recipe for nut butters. Are the almonds warm from the oven while grinding in the processor or do you let them sit out before putting it in the processor? Also, do you immediately transfer the butter in the jar once done? How to avoid moisture getting into the jar while packing?
Hi Lakme, see step 2 on letting the almonds cool. Yes, transfer to a jar. I’m not sure on the moisture question as this needs to be stored in the refrigerator.
I do not like the idea of skins on as this raises the Lectin in the product. Roasted is not for me either unless it reduces the Lectin. Is the recipe the same as for blanched Almonds?
Hi Rodger, this recipe is for what is written. I’m not sure about blanched. Sorry!
Can this be done with almonds that you let soak over night to help remove lectins from them.
I haven’t tried with soaked almonds so I can’t say for sure if it will work. Sorry!
I have a question. Why would it only last a couple weeks? I would think nuts have a longer life than that, especially in the fridge? It doesn’t say that on almond when purchased .
Thank you
Karen
Hi Karen, I would suggest using your best judgement.
The best tasting almond butter ever! I usually buy non-sweetend, but the maple syrup was not too sweet and gave it an interesting flavor. Your recipe was very easy to make and did exactly what you said it would do. I will definitely make it again. But why does it not last as long as the unsweetend one I buy at Trader Joe’s?
I’m glad you loved it, Melissa! Use your best judgement with shelf life. That is how long it lasted for me.
Hi Catherine,
Thank you so much for sharing this yummy recipe. My daughter likes the store bought almond butter but I wanted to try at home.
Now I found your recipe, which seems not too difficult. Thank you once again
Subhasri
Kate, I got to tell you I just made my first batch. Absolutely loved it. I used to handful of walnuts along with the almonds when roasting. And then added some stevia cinnamon and almond extract to it. Out of this world fabulous! I’m a type 2 diabetic always searching for something to eat. This is great thank you so much for sharing. Also your enchilada sauce I have been making that for about a year now. I love it. Thank you!!
Hooray! Thank you for sharing.
I tried making almond butter in my ninja (BL780 kitchen system). I didnt meet with as much success. After 2 days of pause and go,I have a very tasty but a bit dry ‘butter’, the texture is like ice cream/cookie dough. Can I save it? If not, how can I make it creamy and luscious? Please help me understand what went wrong :(
Possible mistakes-
I used the ice crushing pitcher and then switched over to the blender- which helped. I added maple syrup and 2 tbsp of oil to make it smooth. My machine over heated twice. How can I get the right texture without burning out the blender’s machine.
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t have issues in my food processor or blender. I wish I had more suggestions!
The first time I tried this recipe, it completely didn’t work for me, and I could not figure out for the life of me why…until I looked at the almonds I was using and saw that they’re dry roasted already. *Facepalm* So, when I roasted them again, I think I basically dried them out to the point where there was no oil left to make a creamy butter.
After I realized that, this recipe went absolutely perfectly for me. Thank you! :D
Oh no! I’m glad you figured it out and tried again. Thank you for sharing!
Made this today. Didn’t take nearly as long as I thought. My 40 yr old Cuisinart hand-me-down food processor never even heated up. I usually buy it freshly ground in the store but this is better and less expensive.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Tom!
This recipe is amazing and so easy. My kids love the almond butter. I’ve been adding a little cinnamon and vanilla.
Love this recipe, thanks!!
Wonderful, Natalie! I’m glad you loved it.
I have 3 questions.
1. Does this separate?
2. Is it hard to spread once refrigerated?
3. If I want to give as gifts for Christmas, does it need to be refrigerated right away? How do I make it more shelf stable?
Thank you
Hi, I don’t find that it separates and acts like most nut butters when refrigerated. This isn’t made to be shelf stable.
Hey kate,
Have you ever tried making the butter with soaked and pilled almonds, I feel it might be easier for digestion. What are your thoughts?
Hi, I haven’t. I’m not sure how it would turnout without trying it.
Hi! The first time I tried to make this was with my ninja food processor which was not successfully creamy. But it tasted so good. My second attempt, I used Ninja blender, voila it ended up creamy!!!! But as soon as I added “add-ins”, the creamy became stiff. Not sure what I did wrong
Hooray! I’m glad you tried it again, Brenda. I appreciate your review.
My family LOVES,LOVES,LOVES this recipe ! Thank you so much for showing us the way to a healthier, more delicious way of eating and living. It was very simple to follow the instructions and was DELICIOUS! Can’t wait to try some more of your handmade dishes in the future!
That’s great to hear! I’m glad this butter is a hit for everyone in your family, Myeesa.
Great recipe. I used nutribullet 5 minutes and the butter was ready!
Hooray! I’m glad it turned out so well for you, Anita.
Yum! Took a little time. Your right about the patience. I added a tablespoon of coconut oil for extra creamy.
Hi! I made this recipe and the almonds turned to almond butter in under a 5 minutes. Which was very satisfying to watch. After this I had added a pinch of salt and about a tablespoon of maple syrup, but when I blended it the butter got very thick and lumpy. I tried mixing it a couple of times more and even added a bit of coconut oil but it didn’t help.
Any suggestions where I could have gone wrong?
Hi Anvi! Did you let it cool prior to blending again? That can impact your results.
Is there a reason this only lasts in the fridge for two weeks? I buy almond butter from the store that is only almonds and salt and it will keep for months in the fridge.
Great recipe. What version of the vitamin do you have ?
Hi Lora! I have the Ascent series. Check out my shop page.
30 minutes later, still like powder
Hi Heather, I’m sorry to hear that. Were your almonds pre roasted?
They were.
If they were pre roasted via grocery store – that may have impacted your results due to how roasted they were/fresh/etc.
I made this nut butter today. It is by far the best recipe I have tried. You won’t be disappointed. I did find my nuts made a bit too thick so I drissled in a couple of teaspoons of Macadamia nut oil and that resolved the problem.
I ended up with almond flour, what am I doing wrong?
HI Kris, How long did you blend it for? What type of almonds did you use?
I just put the almonds in oven on tin foils switched it on and left it for 30 minutes
Use Vitamix dry container to get coarse Almond flower
Then transfer to Vitamix blender setting 2 and 3. and left it at it’s own device attending to push the contents from the sides
Very creamy butter Never had to push whole almonds down as I had to when not used dry container. I like lain butter without any other add ons. It was great. Michi Sasha and Kuma my Shiba had finger licking too ….
I tried it using my Cuisinart food processor. I thought I had got to creamy stage then added seasonings and it went back to crumbled. I let cool and go more and did this about three more times. I never got a creamy texture again. Couldn’t add a picture.
Hi Kimberly, I’m sorry to hear that. How long did you try to let it blend again?
I made this recipe today and used new food processor. It worked perfectly. Took about 6 or 7 mins to get it creamy. I didn’t add anything to it as that’s the way I like it.
Thank you for sharing, Micki!
So easy and good! Your were not joking when you said the mixture will get hot! I had to let it cool down 2x so thank you for putting that in the instructions! I used some almond butter to make homemade almond butter cups :) can’t wait to use it in many other ways!
I’m glad you loved it, Jess!
I’ve been making this in my Blendtec blender. I found toasting the almonds for 15 min works better for me. Anything less than that and they don’t seem to release enough oil to blend. When I toast them for 15 min my Blendtec can turn them into almond butter in less than 2min on it’s highest speed.
It worked great! I made 4 cups of almonds, and blended it in my Breville food processor. It took about 30 minutes. During the sandy phase I needed to stop every 15 seconds or so to scrape the sides. The machine began to whir differently and it was easy to tell, and did that about 20 times. Then when it began to get creamy the whole batch turned together. I continued for another 5 minutes or so. I added a pinch of salt and nothing else as I will use it for different purposes. For example: a spoonful of almond butter, some banana and some plain yogurt, then blend, makes a delicious and healthy smoothie to start the day.
Why does the consistency of the almond butter go from smooth and creamy to stiff and not so creamy once you add the maple syrup, etc.?
Hi Lois, did you let it cool prior to adding in the optional ingredients? It should go smooth again after additional blending.
Thanks, I’ll give that a try!
Made today!
Thanks to Kate and reviewers for hints.
Not normally a patient person. Found it helpful to know steps in process and that it would take a bit of time (a little over 15 minutes).
Because I hardly ever make a recipe as stated, added a bit each of sea salt. royal cinnamon, sugar, coconut oil, and vegetable oil while processing. Not as healthy as original recipe but oh, so yummy!
OMG! My nut butter turned out just awesome! I put half walnuts and half almonds. Instead of vanilla, I added cardamom together with cinnamon.
Wow, I am scraping the spoon of this nut butter. Thank you ever so much for the recipe.
I’m glad you enjoy it, Fatma!
Delicious. Better than store bought! Super easy to make :)
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Rosa! Thank you for your review.
Are your recipes vegan or they have animal products in it?
Hi Alice! I do have some vegan recipes, but this is a vegetarian blog. I hope that helps!
Has anyone tried not refrigerating this? That’s my big hangup with the natural butters. With 5 kids, we are some serious nut butter consumers, but I can’t wait for the butter to thaw in order to make lunches. Anyone not refrigerate?
I toss the raw almonds with the maple syrup and cinnamon before roasting in the oven. Delicious!
I’ve also made this with 1/3 pecans, 1/3 cashews, and 1/3 almonds. So so good!
Thank you for sharing how you adapted this, Marianne!
Yummy! Made today! I attempted one other time with another recipe/method and it was a fail, so I was super stoked when I saw this getting creamy! Probably took about 10 min roughly of blending. I did have to blend a few additional minutes after the honey add in! But super tasty and I love knowing I made it myself !
Wonderful, Bridget!
This recipe was really good!
I already used the almonds that said ‘roasted and salted’ on the bag but I roasted them for 10 minutes anyway. I used just my regular blender first on low and then high and just kept alternating. It only took me about 20 minutes for the consistency to be smooth. I just blended for a few seconds, scraped, blended, scraped, blended, scraped. I didn’t add any salt since I already had salted almonds. I added the cinnamon, a splash of vanilla extract and a splash of almond extract because why not? And I just eyeballed only about one tablespoon of honey. The consistency was thick, which sometimes the jar one can be too once the oil settles to the bottom. But I did what other comments recommended and added 2 teaspoons of coconut oil and it made the consistency a nice, smooth, easily spreadable almond butter! It’s delicious and worth a try! I will be using this recipe for my future homemade almond peanut butters!