While grocery shopping last spring, I stopped on the peanut butter aisle to replenish my almost empty jar. As I stared at all of the brands and flavors—honey roasted, white chocolate, dark chocolate, jelly mixed in (what happened to the days where it was simply creamy or crunchy??)—I glanced up at the shelf above and noticed the small selection of almond butter jars. On a whim, I grabbed one, along with my favorite creamy peanut butter, and continued my shopping.
Back at home, I cracked open the jar and slid in a spoon. (I always open a jar like this!) After my first lick, I scrunched my nose a little bit. I expected it to taste a little sweeter, like peanut butter, and not be quite so… Liquidy.
So I scratched the spoon idea and spread the rest on a piece of bread. That tickled my taste buds a little more, and I didn’t notice the thinner texture as much that way. But I only opened the jar about once a week to make a slice of toast, instead of multiple times a day like with peanut butter.
Over time, the flavor began to grow on me. One piece of bread each week grew into two, then three, then… Before I knew it, I had polished off the entire jar of almond butter because I stuck my knife in multiple times a day!
I started sampling different brands of almond butter from the various grocery stores nearby, but after a few shopping trips, I quickly picked a favorite: Trader Joe’s creamy almond butter. With just two ingredients, its simplicity let the almond flavor shine, and I adored the bright bite from the big flakes of sea salt they used. I hoarded that jar and barely shared with anyone!
Since an almond butter addiction can become a costly habit (over $5 for a tiny jar??), I decided to make my own instead based on my favorite from TJ’s. That resulted in this Easy Blender Almond Butter! Two ingredients, 10 minutes, and it’s the best almond butter I’ve ever tasted.
Since the ingredients are fairly straightforward—roasted almonds and coarse sea salt—let’s focus on the process. To start, you’ll need a high-speed blender with really sharp blades. I recommend a Ninja, Blendtec, or Vitamix. The blender must be able to handle staying on for at least 10 minutes while chopping nuts without overheating.
Note: A food processor will also work too!
Every so often, you’ll need to scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula. Some of the almond pieces will cling to the walls, so this ensures that the almond butter is smooth and creamy. I generally scrape down the sides every 2-3 minutes, or whenever the almonds stop moving and things need a gentle push to continue swirling around.
Once the almond butter is smooth and you’ve added enough salt to suit your tastes, it’s time to chill. The almond butter will be really warm and runny from the heat generated by the blender, so chilling helps it thicken, as well as prolongs its shelf life. I like to seal mine inside of little jars, but any airtight containers will work.
Now all that’s left is to grab a spoon and dig in!
Note: To see what the various stages during blending look like, watch the video below!
| Easy Blender Almond Butter | | Print |
- 2 c (286g) roasted unsalted almonds
- 1-2 tsp (6-11g) coarse sea salt
- Add the almonds to a high-speed blender, and blend on low for 7-9 minutes or until creamy, scraping down the sides with a spatula as necessary. Add the salt ½ teaspoon at a time, blending for a few seconds after each addition, until the almond butter flavor reaches your desired taste. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator.
Not all roasted almonds are the same. Some brands are roasted longer than others and may taste slightly burnt, so make sure you like the flavor of the almonds you buy before turning them into almond butter. (The flavor only becomes more concentrated afterwards!)
Regular table salt will work as well. I prefer the bright burst of larger salt crystals, but use whatever you like best.
I recommend a Ninja, Blendtec, or Vitamix blender.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, paleo, low carb, sugar-free}
More almond butter recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Salted Caramel Almond Butter by Honey & Figs
♥ White Chocolate Cinnamon Almond Butter by The Messy Baker
♥ Almond Joy Butter by The Healthy Maven
♥ Vanilla Bean Almond Butter by Fit Foodie Finds
I just wanted you and your readers to know I used my tiny Black & Decker Handy Chopper Plus to make almond butter from my organic almonds, and, although it took a long time, it came out perfectly! So, you don’t always need an expensive, fancy food processor or blender! THANK YOU!
I’m so glad you loved this almond butter Donna! And thank you for taking the time to let me know about your handy chopped — that’s great to know! 🙂
I’ve been blending mine for a long time but it’s just made almond powder instead of having butter. Any suggestions?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Natalia! What blender brand and exact model are you using? 🙂
Hello from Kingwood,Texas..
My family and I are really excited to finally find an almond butter recipe with very little ingredients..
I just made my second batch which looks so much better then the first try which was a week ago..( disaster on my part).. we’ve got the super famous ninja kitchen blender with auto iq .. I saw in the recipe booklet that came with it which container and blade to use.. it was not completely smooth at the end which didn’t help that I added the wooden spoon to scrap the sides while blending ( ??)
Today , our special needs daughter ( autistic and epileptic) watched me with a smile like ” oh mommy is making something yummy ? ”
Even though today’s batch did take longer , it wasn’t 100% smooth but I’m sure tomorrow morning it will be once I take it out of the refrigerator..
We are so looking forward to more healthy and delicious deserts soon..
Take care
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe Lydia! Your little daughter is so lucky to have you to make her homemade food. What a great mama you are!! 🙂 If your almond butter isn’t smooth and liquidy (it should be very runny and not hold its shape whatsoever when you finish blending!), then let your Ninja run longer until it is. Not all blenders finish in the same amount of time, so it’s okay to continue past the given timeframe. 🙂
Just made it again about an hour ago .. IT WORKED!!! Thank you thank you thank you❤️❤️
Looking forward to eating toast with it on it in the morning .. hopefully Cassie will like to try it .. her daddy too ❤️
God bless
I’m so glad it turned out Lydia!! 🙂
Wanting to try Sesame and pumpkin seed butter. Which ninja model do you recommend from kohl’s? Looks like they have many. THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting this!
It’s my pleasure Karen! I actually link to the exact Ninja blender that I own in the Notes section of the recipe underneath the Instructions. (My links are the pink text!) 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how your homemade nut butters turn out!
I tried making almond butter once a couple of years ago. It so did not turn out. Your post though has encouraged me to try again! Will be making this within a week
I’m honored that you’d consider trying again after reading through my recipe! I can’t wait to hear how your homemade almond butter turns out Jack! 🙂
I have grinded mine first and got the powder.Can I add water into the powder to get the paste?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Radhia! You shouldn’t need to add water to achieve the correct consistency. Once you see the “powdery” stage, you just need to continue blending to get to the smooth and creamy “almond butter” stage! It can take another 5-10 minutes of blending, depending on your blender. What brand and model of blender are you using?
West point and Ken Wood .tried pumpkin seeds but all invain
Just to clarify — you tried in two separate blenders, a Westpoint blender and a Kenwood blender? Do you have a link to each of those blenders that you used so I can see which models they are? Also, did you use pumpkin seeds in the original batch where you described it turning into powder, or did you use almonds for that? 🙂
Almonds are lower in fat than pecans, peanuts, cashews.
I have found that a mixture of high fat and lower fat nuts will guarantee success while making but butter.
Vitamix cookbook, Cinnamon Nut Butter recipe:
2 cups unsalted dry roasted peanuts
1 cup dry roasted almonds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsalted pecan halves or pieces