Nut butters are a delicious option when it comes to eating healthy.
However, buying nut butter from the store can be frustrating. At first, I'm always happy when I come across nut butters in the store, but, when I pull the jar off the shelf to read the back label, I always wind up being disappointed.
I'll ask, "Why is it necessary to add all of that sugar, and is palm oil healthy for you? Is it OK to eat?" After I give up vacillating back and forth on this, the glass jar will go back on the shelf, and I'll walk away feeling a little defeated.
Today, there are so many added items lurking in our foods that make eating a specific diet difficult, especially if it's a raw diet. Even the products that claim to be all-natural and organic sometimes have added ingredients. And when it comes to nut butters, it's better to have as few ingredients as possible.
The good news is that nut butter is pretty simple to make at home. You can roast just about any nut to make a nut butter: almonds, pecans, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, etc. However, you will need two main appliances like an oven (or toaster/convection oven) and a food processor in order to make nut butters at home.
The process for most nut butters is very similar. They may differ slightly depending on the specific nut you choose. Below is a recipe and instructions specifically for making homemade almond butter and pecan butter:
Almond Butter:
Ingredients:
1. 4 cups of raw almonds
2. A few tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil (optional)
What you'll need:
1. A metal sheet pan
2. Aluminum foil
3. Oven or toaster/convection oven
4. Food processor
5. Plastic spatula
Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven or toaster/convection oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place a piece of aluminum foil over your sheet pan.
3. Measure out 4 cups of almonds and pour in pan. Make sure you spread out the almonds, so that they roast evenly.
4. Once the oven is preheated, place the sheet pan in the oven. Let the almonds roast for about ten minutes. Make sure you check the almonds periodically; they should be slightly brown.
5. While you're waiting for your almonds to roast, assemble your food processor.
6. Once the almonds are slightly brown, turn off the oven and take the pan out. You want to immediately pour your roasted almonds into the food processor. The point of roasting the almonds is that the heat causes the natural oils to be released. These oils are what gives the nut butter its creamy consistency, so it's important to get the food processor going as soon as possible.
7. You will have to stop the food processor periodically to scrape down the sides.
8. Almonds tend to be a bit mealy because they have more meat. And depending on your food processor, the natural oils may not give you the creamy consistency you want. What I do is add a few tbsps of coconut oil after I scrape down the sides.
9. Let the food processor blend the almonds until you have a creamy consistency.
10. Pour in a glass container. Let cool.
11. Once the almond butter is cool, serve or place in the refrigerator.
Pecan Butter:
The wonderful thing about pecan butter is that it has a naturally rich and sweet taste to it. If you're craving something sweet, but you're avoiding sugar, pecan butter may be a nut butter that you want to try.
Ingredients:
1. 4 cups of raw pecans
What you'll need:
1. A metal sheet pan
2. Aluminum foil
3. Oven or toaster/convection oven
4. Food processor
5. Plastic spatula
Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven or toaster/convection oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place a piece of aluminum foil over your sheet pan.
3. Measure out 4 cups of pecans and pour in pan. Make sure you spread out the pecans, so that they roast evenly.
4. Once the oven is preheated, place the sheet pan in the oven. Let the pecans roast for about ten minutes. Pecans are a softer nut than almonds, so they tend cook faster. Make sure you keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly. Like the almonds, you want your pecans to be slightly browned.
5. While you're waiting for your pecans to roast, assemble your food processor.
6. Once the pecans are slightly brown, turn off the oven and take the pan out. Pour you pecans into the food processor and start blending.
7. You will have to stop the food processor periodically to scrape down the sides.
9. Pecans aren't as mealy as almonds, so you don't need to add any extra oil. Just let the food processor blend the pecans until you have a creamy consistency. It should look a little soupy.
Note: If the consistency never changes, you may have under cooked your pecans. This is easily fixed by adding a little bit of oil. However, the oils in the pecans should release naturally on their own after they are roasted.
10. Pour in a glass container. Let cool.
11. Once the pecan butter is cool, serve or place in the refrigerator. It's important that your nut butter be refrigerated because it doesn't have many preservatives.
These are just a few of the selections you have for nut butters. Once you get used to making these simple nut butters, the door is open to explore various different kinds of nut butter.
