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.
Thanks for the tips! But….it was nice and creamy but immediately after I added salt, a little maple syrup and some cinnamon it got rather thick…???
Keep blending! It will turn creamy again.
Sooo I went on a search for an almond butter with no additives.. just almonds as the only ingredient. I found one and had since been obsessed. I went through 1 jar like every week until one week during check out, I look at my receipt and see an odd price. So I question the cashier because he must have made a mistake.. nothing I bought could have been worth $17. Well turns out after weeks of buying it, I was paying $17 for a jar of almonds!!! I dang near died at that checkout. So I started using it very sparingly and I’m officially out! I’m thinking, there must be a better way! Google (I mean God!) brought me to your site and this stuff is good! Like better than the almond gold $17 good! Your recipe couldn’t have been more easier to follow and was exactly the steps I encountered. The only thing is it took me like an hour! Granted, it’s fairly late here in South FL and the beautiful weather calls for open windows. My poor neighbors deserve some for the inconvenience LOL. I got so giddy when my ninja started slowing down …like hallelujah the blades are getting stuck which means we’re getting close! It’s funny because the consistency didn’t look right so I’m like… you’ve come too far now, just keep processing! Finally, an hour later (possibly took so long because I felt bad and tried to give my neighbors && my ninja a break) I have this AMAZING almond butter and it was perfect all on its own in my opinion. Also, I am incredibly happy because it’s a fairly easy clean up! Like I thought it would get stuck and fly everywhere but not at all! You live and you learn, right? No more $17 jars for me AND for the love of my neighbors, do it during the day!
Thank you very much for sharing your gift. I’m in the process of learning how to cook. I haven’t made almond butter yet, but very likely to in the future. Your instructions were easy to understand and your ideas are motivating. Thanks again.
You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thank you for this great recipe. If I may give you one tip, it’s more healthy to soak the almonds overnight with water and something acidic, such as a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar, to minimize the antinutrients in almonds.
Thanks for sharing, Diana!
Thank you so much for this, I can’t wait to try it! I’ve been trying to cut out olive oil spread for ages now, as it’s so processed and full of artificial coloring.
You’re welcome, Raymine!
Not for the faint of heart but quite liberating as well! Patience patience patience! But rewarding:)
I’m glad the almond butter proved worth the effort, Maggie! Thank you for reporting back!
The almond butter is delicious and I love the addition of a touch of cinnamon and vanilla but I would absolutely recommend using a food processor. I think I ruined my relatively new Breville blender.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that.
Just made this at home with a tablespoon of stevia instead of regular sweetener to make it more keto friendly. That said, it’s incredible. I never thought to try and make my own and I just have a basic run of the mill food processor. With some time, it came out really creamy. Thank you!!!
Thanks for sharing, D.J.!
my husband has Diabetes, to keep his off insulin, we had to change his diet. So we have been doing this Palo / Keto . A lot of these recipes call for Almond Butter, so I came looking for how to make it. I will let you know how it went.
How did it work for you, Norma?
Just made this today and it’s delicuous. You’re right though patience is key, but it’s worth the wait!
I’m currently on an eating-better health kick and trying to eliminate added preservatives. This gives me hope that making homemade is not only so much better for your body, but tastes better! Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to trying some more of your recipes.
I’m glad you agree! Thanks for your feedback, Katy.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! This almond butter is the best! This was my first attempt at making my own and I am hooked…your instructions were easy and spot on. The only ingredient I used was slivered almonds and my food processor. Thanks again for this great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that, Angie! Thanks for the review.
I have made penute butter before by this method, with an original cuisine art machine. After making this I will purchase the fresh ground at the grocery, then I won’t have to wash the darn thing…
Price is not much different than raw almonds and I can throw away the container. Tast good though.
Thanks for trying it, Ed!
Hi Kate, when you’re making your almond butter are you finding that you go to your vitamin or food processor more than the other? Thanks! Bre
Great question! I depends on what is clean. :) I’ve been using my blender more recently.
Thank You So Much for these Wonderful Delicious Recipes… I’m changing my eating habits for my health. Your recipes/ideas for me has made it so much easier for me.
Blessings!!
You’re welcome! I’m excited they are helping and you are enjoying them, Jane.
Omg!!! This recipe is totally the best!!! My first time doing almond butter!!! What a success!! I added a little sea salt a some honey!! Perfection at its finest!!!
Happy to hear that, Meraris!
I just made this too. I added some salt and honey. I couldn’t get it back to the same creamy consistency no matter how long I tried so I added a little bit of coconut oil at a time in the food processor until it came back to the proper creamy texture. Man-oh-man does that make the healthy banana bread that much better when spread on it!
Thanks for sharing, Dan!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have already made it 3 times and it works like a charm. Creamy and delicious. The extra ingredients are the perfect final touch!
Have you tried adding the extra ingredients before the butter is creamy?, maybe at the beginning of processing the almonds? I followed your recommendation of doing it after, but then the mixture goes back a couple of step and takes me a while to get to my desire consistency.
Anyways! I just loooove this recipe! Thanks again!
You’re welcome!
All I have are
sliced almonds can I use those instead?
I haven’t tried it, but it should I would assume. Make sure to measure quantity by volume vs cups. Let me know how it tuns out for you!
Just made it with my sprouted skinned almonds, perfect! Thank you
You’re welcome! Thanks for the review.
I used my food processor to make this almond butter. I was worried it would take a long time like you warned but it took less than 2 minutes to turn to almond butter! I was shocked it was so quick. I purchased raw organic almonds from the bulk section at my grocery store, roasted them for 10 minutes at 250 degrees turn off the oven, forgot to take the almonds out and walked my dogs for an hour. When I got back I saw my almonds sitting in the oven and immediately was scared that I might have roasted them for too long. I took them out to cool on the counter until they just slightly warm and then put them in my food processor. No problems at all! It tasted perfect and was very creamy! I do think your tip about blending them when they are still warm probably makes a difference. Thanks! So glad I saw that comment before they cooled all the way.
Hooray!! I’m glad it was so quick for you. Thanks for sharing, Anne!
This was so great! Thank you for the tips about patience! I was thinking it would never turn to butter but alas… it did! So yummy!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you are enjoying it, Taylor.
This is the perfect recipe for almond butter. I made it for the first time and it was absolutely delicious. I always appreciate your recipes as they’re so easy to follow and use basic ingredients. Thanks for sharing this one with us!
I’m glad you love it, Kay!
When you say a long time, you might want to specify minutes. I stopped after 20 minutes on and off, scraping it down the cuisinart and threw it away. Spent at least 10 minutes on the “clumpy- ball” stage. Never got to creamy.
I’m sorry this didn’t work well for you, Ksk. Thank you for your feedback.
Katherine, I’ve made this a few times and love it, BUT… I get it to a lovely creamy consistency and as soon as I add salt & other add-ins, it goes back to being crumbly. Am I doing something wrong or not being patient enough? I keep mixing for another 10 minutes or so, but it stays crumbly. Advice appreciated!
Hi Kate, I’ve made your almond butter three times, twice without toasting, once with. Yup, toasting is a lot faster — but it turns out great eventually anyway, and I’m SO glad to have found your method! Now, I have a cookie recipe that calls for 1 c almond butter, and it says “must be drippy and 100% almond based”. Drippy? Really? If I process the butter further, will it ever be drippy? I’m tempted to forget about drippy and just try the recipe anyway. Any thoughts?
Maybe if you warm it? I’m not sure how to get it drippy like I’m interpreting unless you add oil. See what happens when you warm it. Glad you have been loving it!
I am blown away!!! I borrowed the in laws’ magimix, and from start to finish was about 20 minutes. I have a perfect nut butter (i added 4 softened dates for sweetness instead of honey) that works out almost half the price of its store bought counterparts. I will be adding this to my homemade banana ice cream tonight instead of peanut butter!
Wonderful to hear! I’m really liking the sound of your combination, too.
My doctor has me on a strict diet so I substituted SweetLeaf Vanilla Creme Drops for the maple syrup (making it a little more Keto) and it is delicious! I set my timer for 15 minutes so I didn’t get impatient. The ground nuts ball up, the ball rolls around the food processor THEN breaks up and gets creamy.
It takes time, but worth it! Thanks for sharing, Holly.
I am anxiously awaiting to see the results of my labor. I keep reading that it takes a while. I’m on my 2nd hour of using the blender! Looking forward to tasting the finished product.
Hi Sabina! You have been blending it for 2 hours? It shouldn’t take it that long! What is the consistency?
Hi Kate!
I blended it for nearly 4 HOURS! It was the consistency of fluffy ground up almonds. I decided to put it in my processor. Magic! It turned creamy in under 5 minutes. Delicious! Next time I will just use the processor.
My husb is on th SCD diet and wants me to make paleo sandwich bread which calls for alm butter so I’m gonna use your recipe. Thanks for the offering.
Let me know what you think, Susan!
It tastes great. I have a question though. How do you make it smoother and less dry? Do you just mix it more? Is there such a thing as over mixing in the food processor? Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Mary! Since this doesn’t have added oil as a lot of store-bought, it won’t be as wet or runny. You can keep mixing until desired texture. I hope this was helpful!
Hi Kate
I made this a couple of months ago with huge success. It’s so easy and I can’t believe I’ve left it this long to make my own. I just love my apples with almond butter, mind you, it never lasts long enough to spoil.
Today I’m going to add the add ins, salt and vanilla. I’m sure it will be as delicious as my first batch.
Thank you.
Thanks for sharing, Coralie! I hope you loved it just as much with the add-ins.
Hi, thank you for the recipe! I absolutely love the almond butter! I just feel a lot healthier knowing what i put into the spread. Love it!
Thank you!
My almond butter is not turning creamy
What should I do??
What are you using to mix it? How long have you been mixing it? It can take some time!
This recipe is wonderful. I have made almond butter in my Vitamix and it’s a workout having to tamper it so much. I had to add a bit of oil in the Vitamix. Making it in my 30+ year old cuisinart was so much easier! I didn’t add anything and it was so good.
Thank you for sharing, Lisa!
I just made this with just honey and a touch of vanilla at the end. You are absolutely right, it didn’t look like it was ever gonna “go”, but when it did, it was awesome! I did have to start and stop a few times to let the machine and the almond butter paste cool down. I also made a quick batch of refrigerator cherry preserves to go with this for some yummy AB&J sandwiches. Kid approved and I snuck in quite a few “tastes”…quality control, ya know!!
I’m glad you love it just as much as I do!
I made this in my Ninja Bullet since I don’t have a blender or food processor and it turned out pretty nice! It did take a long while for the consistency to turn creamy but the taste was great! Thank you!
I’m happy to hear it worked so well for you, Daniella! Thank you for your review.
Delicious – a keeper!
Thank you, Janet!
please tell me what I did wrong! I blended the roasted almonds until creamy, the I put above ingredients in and blended just a little more (maybe 30 seconds) to get things mixed up and the consistency went back to the hard ball against the side of the processor. It tastes great but I was hoping it would stay that creamier consistency. What can I do?
Hi Jennifer! Sometimes you need to keep blending for awhile after you add the ingredients. It will turn back creamy! :)
After I added the additional ingredients, the almond butter got real thick and dry, not creamy. What went wrong. This happed both times I made it.
Hi Susan! Did you continue to blend after that?
I put it in a glass bowl and let it cool down. I was using a vita mix and thought maybe I got a little over zealous with it. When it was cool, I put it back in the blender with a little avocado oil and blended it at a low speed. It finally came to a smoother consistency.
Thanks!
Almond butter recipe worked perfectly with only almonds and salt.
Great, Jimmy! For your review.
Absolutely loved this recipe!! I usually buy almond butter form the grocery store but saw that we had some plain almonds in our pantry!! I wanted to have fun and make a home-made almond butter. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I’ll make this every time instead of buying haha!!
Oh, and I give it five stars haha!!
Thank you for sharing, Meg!
Thanks for all the tips.
I did not have your patience and still had success with 1/3 C dry roasted salted almonds in my Magic Bullet for several 10 second bursts with scraping and hand mixing in between bursts.
Then, I added 1 T cocoa powder, then 1 C shredded unsweetened coconut.
Finally, divide into 8 balls and freeze. Now, I have low carb treats.
You’re welcome! I’m happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your method!
Thought my poor food processor was going to explode as it got so hot, but final product was tasty
Oh no! I’m glad everything worked out.
I followed this exactly. After an hour and finally adding 6T coconut oil, still no butter. I’m very bummed. :'( I wish I knew what went wrong.
when does it expire?
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.
Question- how long does this keep for?
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.
Hi! Just to clarify the recipe calls for 3 cups OR 16 oz of almonds?
3 Cups would be 24 oz.
Thanks
3 ups or 16 oz is right. It’s weight measure measure here since almonds don’t equally fill a cup. Does that make senes?
Good morning,
I will definately try this out!
What is the best way to store it? In the fridge or cupboard please? I usually strore the ones I buy from supermarkets in the cupboard as they tend to become to hard to spread…and especially when in a hurry it will be difficult to spread …
Thanks
See step 6, Elisa. :) 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. You can always gently warm a portion of it when you want it if you find it difficult to spread.
Looking forward to making our own Almond Butter, Pecan Butter too. Thank you for the recipe and steps. We will be experimenting with Sunflower Seed Butter as well.
The Almond Butter recipe, you call to refrigerate up to approximately 2 weeks. Is this necessary considering store bought Almond Butter, with no preservatives, do not require refrigeration?
Thanks again!
Bruce
Hi Bruce, I can only speak to what my experience was with spoilage based on the making process.
Thank you, ma’am.
Bruce
It seized up as soon as I added the maple syrup and vanilla. Did some research and it seems to not be recommended to add these for this reason. What do I do with all of this seized almond butter now? Wonder if I could hide the weird texture in a cookie… Any other ideas? I don’t want it to go to waste.
Hi Jackie! I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe. Once you add the add-ins, you will want to keep stirring. It will go back to the creamy consistency.