Pecan Butter
Pecan butter is easy to make and tastes absolutely incredible! This recipe just requires pecans, salt, cinnamon, and a food processor or blender.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 22, 2024
If you love pecans like I do, you must try pecan butter. It is truly luscious. Pecans are not cheap, but I assure you that pecan butter is worth every penny. It is liquid gold.
Might I suggest that you slather it on a piece of my favorite honey-sweetened banana bread, as I have every morning this week? It makes a healthy breakfast that tastes almost as decadent as a piece of cake.
The idea for pecan butter came to me on a road trip back from Colorado. I munched on a cracker, then a couple of locally grown pecans. Those pecans were extraordinary; one taste convinced me that every pecan I’ve ever tasted has been rancid with old age. My grandmother Mimi’s family owned a pecan farm and she adored pecans. Now I know why.
I munched on a couple more pecans, and another cracker, wishing I could smear the pecans on top like peanut butter. Bingo! Pecan butter. One quick Google search confirmed that it could be done, but no one has given pecan butter the attention it deserves.
I’ve tried to make peanut butter before with disappointing results, but not so here. Pecan butter is the least finicky all-natural nut butter I’ve come across.
Toasted pecans meld together in a food processor, turning into silky smooth, spreadable nutty goodness with maple undertones, without any added oil. A pinch of salt and a dash of cinnamon at the end make it positively divine.
More Homemade Nut Butters
Please let me know how you use your pecan butter in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Homemade Pecan Butter
Pecan butter is easy to make and tastes absolutely incredible! Feel free to to double or maybe even triple the amount of pecans in order to make a bigger batch (you may find it easier to toast the pecans in the oven at that point). Recipe yields 1 cup as written.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (about 2 cups) high quality pecans, either whole or in pieces
- Sea salt, to taste
- Dash of ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the pecans into a large skillet and toast, stirring often, over medium heat until fragrant (don’t let them burn!). This will take about 4 to 8 minutes.
- Pour the toasted pecans into a food processor or high-speed blender and let them cool for several minutes. Then blend the pecans, pausing to scrape down the sides with a spatula often. The mixture will be crumbly at first, but will eventually blend into super-creamy goodness. Be careful not to let the mixture get too hot, which seems to cause oil separation. You might have to stop and let the mixture/machine cool down for a bit just to be safe. The amount of blending time required really depends on your machine—my old food processor took ten to fifteen minutes to turn the pecans into pecan butter, but my fancy Blendtec and Vitamix blenders can turn it into butter in a minute or two.
- Add a pinch of sea salt and a dash of cinnamon (if using). Blend again, taste, and add more salt or cinnamon if needed.
- Pour into a small jar, seal it with a lid, and store it in the refrigerator for good measure. This pecan butter will keep well, refrigerated, for up to 1 month or so—obviously, don’t eat it if you see or smell any signs that it has gone bad.
Notes
This pecan butter is only as good as the pecans you put it in it. Seek out fresh pecans from a store with high turnover. Bonus points if they’re local, organic and/or stored in the refrigerator.
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.
Just made this for the second time. Wonderful. My husband just brought me 220 pounds of pecans from our place in GA (I’m in CT), so I’ve got a lot of shelling to do, but this will be a great way to use them! We didn’t have a great year so our nuts could be a little sweeter, but no problem. I added a touch of wildflower honey and it was perfect. I’m thinking of this with pear jelly from the farm that I made this fall … how good can it get???
Thanks, Karen! I’m so jealous of your pecan supply, they’re my favorite. Pear jelly and pecan butter, yes!
Will try this out, now how about a recipe for butter pecan” flavored” ice-cream, with REAL pecan flavor? Thanks.
Kate, I made this tonight and it is oh so good! Thanks for posting this recipe!
Awesome! Thanks, Laura!
I’m another one who tried this recipe and failed… it turned out grainy and kind of almost a bland chalky taste, while actually somewhat oily as well. The pecans were fresh picked from our tree and are xlarge delicious paper shell pecans that I shelled myself this afternoon just for this recipe. Perhaps I didn’t let them cool long enough before processing or maybe it was my old Ninja blender with the food processing blade I used. Either way, a smooth consistency was never obtained. I am going to try adding other ingredients that I’ve noticed some other recipes used (ie:butter, brown sugar & vanilla, or maple syrup & butter w/cinnamon )to see if I can salvage it.
I made it! I’ve tried many times to make nut butters in the past and thought I failed again with the pecans, but your comment that it took up to 15 minutes kept me going. It worked and I now have some delicious pecan butter with no other ingredients. Thank you!
Excellent! Happy to hear it, Lora. Thank you for commenting to let me know!
I have just made and sampled a batch of pecan butter. I have been hoarding the pecans in my freezer that my family bring from the U.S. when they visit me here in the U.K.
I only thought of pecan nut butter the other day and absolutely love it. Sadly I think my pecans are a little tired so it means that I’m not getting the full wow flavour you talk about with the fresh nuts. I’ve never had the opportunity to try really fresh pecans, but I do have a lovely hazel tree that yields well, so long as I beat the squirels to the nuts, so I shall definitely be putting hazelnut butter a try. I already make Almond butter but Pecan is my number 1 so far! And I love the little bit of cinnamon you suggested.
Thank you for the tips! It also really helped reading the comments and learning by everyone else’s mistakes. Just a pity the others didn’t get the hoped for results.
Thank you, Esther! I’m glad you enjoyed your pecan butter! I tried making hazelnut butter once and I over-processed it. The oil separated from the “meat” and it wasn’t so good. Be careful with that one!
PS Not sure what just happened but I added 5 stars and managed to change without realising. Oops! But this is definitely a 5 star recipe.
So I made pecan butter, just randomly with espresso powder too :) and maple syrup. But I think I am reactive to pecans! It didn’t sit well with me. Do you have any recipes using it, like cookies where I can replace the butter with it? :)
Yum! I’m sorry it didn’t sit well. Are you sure it wasn’t the coffee? I think you could use it in place of the peanut butter in these cookies.
I was thinking about making some almond butter cause I found some on sale recently and really liked it but when I went to buy more it was so expensive. Anyway, I have about half a bag of almonds and was thinking about making my own. Then I was thinking about all the pecans we just picked up from our pecan tree in the back yard and thought, “I wonder if there’s such a thing as pecan butter?” I never heard of it before. So I did a Google search and sure enough, I found pecan butter. The first recipe I found had vegetable oil as an ingredient and I didn’t like that so I went back and found your site. I love it and can’t wait to try pecan butter. I love nut butters. Thanks for the recipe. For some reason it won’t let me give more than 3 stars, I don’t know if it’s my phone or what, but I wanted to give 5 stars but can’t get more than 3.
Hi Michele! I’m glad you found my recipe and hoped it worked great for you. I LOVE pecan butter!
loved it!!! Making it again tonight. I don’t tolerate almonds so this is fabulous!
Thanks, Pam!
I really do not think my blender would run 10 minutes without burning up? Are you sure you aren’t talking seconds?
Hi Bob! I’m sorry for my delayed response. I just revised the instructions so they’re more clear. You really only need to run the blender until your pecan butter is sufficiently creamy, and the length of time required will depend entirely on your machine.
exactly
Ok, so I just made this and realized I should have been doing this a long time ago. This pecan butter is 100 times better than anything I’ve ever bought in a store! And it was so easy to make I couldn’t believe it. So I used the smaller bowl on my food processor and it took less than five minutes. Definitely needed to scrape down the sides but this was no biggie. When it’s done, it’s the most gooey, warm goodness you’ve ever tasted.
Yay, thanks Mindy!
Thanks so much. My brother-in-law was given 70 lbs of in shell pecans from a friend who has a Georgia pecan orchard. After giving away about 20 lbs we still had 50lbs to shell. After many long hours on the patio we now have about 25 lbs of shelled pecans and not enough room in the freezer. Now instead of peanut butter I’ll be making pecan butter. Can’t. Wait to try it.
How much of a serving constitutes for a meal? Would toast, pecan butter, and fruit be a complete meal. The pecan butter is filling. I made a batch……..oh it is So GUD!!!
I think that’s entirely up to your appetite. Whole grain toast, pecan butter and fruit would be a fine breakfast or lunch, in my book!
Hi Kate I tried it in our high speed blender, and it worked! It looks exactly like the one in your photos! It tastes great! Thank you and God bless you!
I don’t know why pecan butter didn’t cross my mind earlier. I make my own peanut and almond butter all the time and I love pecans. I just made this and it’s already my favorite. Mine is definitely more subtle than other nut butters I have made. Thanks for the toasting and cinnamon tips. Divine!
Awesome! I have to try this. Dare I ask for a glutan free pecan butter cookie recipe?!!
Make this recipe regularly!!! Absolutely in love with it. It is very adddictive..watch out!
Thanks, Jess! You just reminded me that it’s been a while since I made it. :)
Can’t wait to try this. I’ve searched for years for a Pecan Butter that works with no success. The liquid to dry was never right and I lost a lot of money in Pecans.
So I will try this one and report back. Thanks so much for the recipe.
We served this on Minimalisr Baker’s Pumpkin Spice Latte waffles. Sooo delicious!! Thank you for your recipe!!
Made this pecan butter today in my food processor! It was so easy. I was amazed at how few ingredients were needed.
Sandman
Medina, Ohio
So happy you enjoyed it, Jim! Simple & delicious is always good to hear :)
Have made your pecan recipe now for the 3rd time! Love it and so easy. Have saved a lot of money by DIY! Thank you. Dawn
Yes! So simple and a real money-saver. Thanks, Dawn.
Hey Kate,
this recipe sounds great….it was the first that popped up on the google search!
just wondering…how long does this last for in the fridge?
thanks :)
Hi! This sounds amazing! Like many others here I absolutely love Pecans! I was just wondering how you store it, and how long it lasts? Does the finished product need to be refrigerated?
Hi Garnet! I just added recipe notes on that subject; I’m sorry for the confusion. It’s best stored in the refrigerator, and I think it will last for about 1 month.
Which Vitamix did you use?
Hi Donna, I used a food processor when I first made pecan butter. Any full-size Vitamix or Blendtec would work great. I currently use a Vitamix 750.
Delicious. I usually make cashew butter, but this is a nice change. Great on apple slices or sweet potato slices instead of bread.
Just made some pecan milk, and I’m going to try roasting and making butter from the leftover pecans. <3 <3 Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds delicious, Adie! You are very welcome!
Fresh cracked pecans are my hand-full “go to” snack as I surf the web, so to find this yummy-sounding simple goodness made my day!! Will definitely be trying today:)
What did you think?!
Oh my goodness, I’m eating my pecan butter on toast right now and can’t believe how delicious it is! And SO easy to make! My food processor isn’t the best so mine isn’t completely smooth, but it doesn’t even matter. The taste is amazing. Thanks for another great recipe!
Right?! It’s so good. Thank you, Jo for your review.
I’m allergic to all nuts other than pecans and found out that sun butter is a food sensitivity. It was great to find this recipe, the pecan butter on the web is so expensive. I made it this morning in my old food processor and it only took a couple of minutes. It tastes great and was much less expensive to make. Thank you!
I’m glad you found one that works with your allergies! Thank you, Deedee for sharing!
I just made this yesterday. At first bite I wasn’t sure how I felt about it because I’ve never had it before but I could eat this by the spoonfuls. It’s so good. If you have any tips on a hazelnut butter or combo I’d be interested.
Yes, spoonfuls! Thanks so much for the review.
Love this recipe! Thank you! I often add coconut (sometimes toasted, sometimes not) to the mix and a little stevia to sweeten. So good!! I also added some toasted macadamia nuts and coconut to the mix one time- it was so good as well (just cant afford to always have macadamia nuts around)! I love how versatile this recipe is!
Thank you, Angela for sharing. I appreciate the star review!
First time making a nut butter. I have organic pecans on hand. Thank goodness you explined pecan “crumbs” would turn creamy with a bit more blending! It was no more than a couple of minutes to that transformation. So good! Thanks! I subscribed to your email updates. Looking forward to the next adventure.
You’re welcome! I love that you called it an adventure. :)
Wonderful! Pecans are my favorite nut. Have never made a nut butter before. So simple and no extra oil. I’ll make this again and again, I’m sure.
Lovely, Pat! Thank you so much for your review.
YUMMMMMM!!!! Thank you so much for this! I even loved your vacation blurb, I want to replicate that trip ASAP. But this pecan butter is bomb.com!! Super easy too, I used a ninja food processor. The nuts needed some serious chill time though, those buggers we’re HOT. I’d recommend pouring them in a glass dish to cool down rather than the plastic processor, just a thought. I especially loved the cinnamon addition, I’m a cinnamon fiend (I add it to my coffee grounds, so lovely). Thanks again! I’ve already recommended the recipe.
You’re welcome, Kathy! Thanks for sharing and for your review.
I made it and it was delicious!
Great to hear!
Hello!
Just made some pecan butter and it’s amazing! Thank you for the insight! I soaked and dehydrated raw pecans, and threw them straight into the blender so they were still a bit warm from the dehydrator, and it worked great! My blender is not the best, but it still only took a few minutes. Question: if I were to put 4 cups of nuts rather than just 2, would it still work you think? I tried making nut butter last year with more than 2 cups and it just wasn’t happening. But I was trying to mix cashews and almonds for a 2-nut butter, so not sure if it was quantity or type of nut. Let me know your thoughts, and thanks again!
You’re welcome! I would think that would work as long as you increase everything by the same. Let me know!
THIS! OMGoodness, so good!Was looking for a Keto friendy recipe and this was it! I had a bag of left over, whole pecans in the fridge from another recipe so decided to use them up this way. Very rich and flavorful. YUM!
Great, Wendy! Thanks for your review.
So super delish!! So happy it’s also super Keto!!
Thank you for your review, Ruth!
Wonderful!!! I added monk fruit extract (8 drops), cinnamon and salt. I think I’m going to use it as a dip for bacon! The pecan butter does cream MUCH MUCH faster than the almonds! Blink and it’s creamy.
Thanks for sharing, Holly!
So glad I found this. Just learned I am allergic to almomds and cashews.
I’m hopeful you will love this one!
oh my god i just made this and it’s so incredible!!! only considered the idea of pecan butter because of an overload of pecans in the pantry and I’m so so so glad :D
I love this recipe and have made large batches twice! So deeeelish! And, my family and neighbors love it, too! Sometimes I spread it on an English Muffin and top it off with the “Everything But the Bagel” seasoning (TJ’s sells it, but I made my own). Great combo.
A local restaurant uses pecan butter to saute carrots and it is the bomb.
Thank you… and on to the almond butter!
Patti
You’re welcome, Patti! Let me know what you think of the almond butter.
Hi,
How many grams of nut butter are there in two table spoon?
Hi Grace, I’m sorry I don’t have the metric conversions.
Just made pecan butter tonight. Had to stop and clear the sides down about 8 or 9 times, but man is this stuff good! I’m never buying premade butters ever again.
OMG. We went Paleo, so i had to find sweet treat mixes to comply. We got a paleo brownie mix that requires nut butter which we were out of. This. Was. Amazing!!!!! Def add the cinnamon! It was so delicious, it almost didn’t make it to the brownie mix!
Iv got a pecan nut tree that is ready sonim gonna give this a try
awesome recipe 100% recommend the pecans are naturally so sweet and delicious! the butter cake together quite well you just have to be patient!!!
I’m absolutely in LOVE! I just made some with a high speed blender and it took a little while to get all of the pieces to reach the blades, but so delicious. Thank you so much I will definitely be doing this again!
Pecans are lower carb than peanuts, and I wonder, could this pecan butter be used as a sub for peanut butter in a cookie recipe?
You could try it! Let me know what you think if you do, Heather.
I tried it! The pecan butter turned out fabulous and I used it to make my favourite peanut butter cookies.
Strangely, the cookies needed less erythritol than when using peanut butter, so I tweaked the recipe, but after a couple tries, it worked.
Pecan butter makes a satisfying, chewy cookie with only 1 gram of carbs. They spread more than peanut butter did, so it makes a very flat cookie. I used a muffin try for a few of them for variety and the fat ones are great, too.
Thank you for the pecan butter recipe that made these carb affordable cookies possible!