Homemade Almond Butter

We enjoy almond butter instead of peanut butter these days. I like using raw nuts and seeds to make nut/seed butter. No roasting required. Good raw food.

I want to note here that it is harder to find true raw almonds. As many of you know, almonds are now routinely pasteurized in the US. This means that raw almonds are heated before they go to market and therefore are not truly raw. You may wish to seek out a health food store (or source online) that carries raw (versus pasteurized) almonds. They will cost more per pound, but they have all the life still in them.    

Making this recipe will generate some heat. If you prefer to make it on the cool side, thereby preserving all the enzymes and keeping it totally raw, then you'll need to be patient. Just process until you feel some warmth, but not too much. Stop the food processor and let it cool. After cooling, continue and repeat until smooth. This may take a few hours. You can do this over the course of the day, while doing other things.

To make 1 cup of almond butter:

Homemade Almond Butter

2 cups raw almonds
salt, to taste (optional)

Using a food processor with the "S" metal blade in, process the almonds for a few minutes until smooth. Every few minutes, you'll need to stop processing and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and continue. (A food processor works best, but a good blender can work in a pinch. A food processor is easier to clean, in my opinion, after making a nut butter.)

As a variation, you could add a (preferably raw) sweetener after the nut butter is smooth as a mix in. This will limit its use to sweet preparations though.

Look for a raw "peanut" sauce recipe coming soon that uses the (unsalted) basic recipe for almond butter.