Around my freshman year of high school, my mom’s allergies really started to flare up. She could barely make it through the day without Kleenex, despite taking medicine round the clock. The blossoming flowers and pollen caused even more issues, creeping their way into her sinuses, so she decided to have allergy testing done.
After pricking her with needles corresponding to 144 different common allergens, the doctor presented Mom with her results: not chocolate (thank goodness!!) but lots of other foods and just about every single plant out there.
Mom started receiving allergy shots a couple of times each week to help decrease her reactivity towards her biggest triggers and modified her diet as well. She eliminated peas (she literally jumped for joy about those—she’s hated them since she was a tiny girl!), raw tomatoes and bell peppers, cantaloupe, walnuts, peanuts, and countless other foods.
But because our family loves peanut butter, especially on toast in the mornings, Mom started to search for alternatives. Although she bought quite a few jars of nutella for her English muffins, she also picked up almond butter from Trader Joe’s, way back before it became popular.
I tagged along on one of her trips to TJ’s, and as we walked around the aisles tossing produce and snacks into the cart, we stopped at the nut butter shelf to refill Mom’s almond butter stash at home. While she grabbed a jar, I scanned the other options and noticed something I’d never heard of before: cashew butter.
Since cashews are her favorite nut, I nearly mentioned it to Mom… And then saw the price sticker. That much for a tiny jar of nut butter?? Oh my! So I kept my mouth shut and walked to the register with her to check out instead.
Because I’ve been nut-butter-obsessed lately, eating both my almond butter and peanut butter out of the jars with a spoon (does anyone else do that?), I wanted to add a new variety to my stash: this Easy Blender Cashew Butter! That might have been a bad idea though… After sampling it again and again and maybe even again, this new jar won’t last long at all!
Since this recipe only includes two ingredients—cashews and salt—let’s talk about the equipment you’ll need.
In other words… The blender. I highly recommend a high-speed blender that can handle staying on and crushing nuts for at least 10 minutes. (My parents’ 30-year-old blender would probably fizzle out after just a few minutes!) Ninja, Vitamix, and Blendtec are the best options. I currently own and love this blender. If you don’t have one of these high-speed blenders, then use a food processor instead. (I have this one.)
Now add the cashews, turn on the blender, and wait. And wait. And wait. It’ll take about 10 minutes for the blades to turn those nuts into thick, creamy butter, and you may need to occasionally scrape down the sides with a spatula. But all of that patience will pay off!
As soon as the blades stop, the cashew butter will be very warm and slightly liquidly from the heat of the blender’s motor. Transfer it to a jar, and place that in the refrigerator to help it thicken to a peanut-butter-like consistency. It takes a few hours, if not overnight, but when you dip in your knife spoon…
Cashew perfection!
| Easy Blender Cashew Butter | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) roasted lightly salted cashews
- ½ tsp salt, or to taste
- Add the cashews to a high-speed blender, and blend on low for 8-10 minutes or until creamy, scraping down the sides with a spatula as necessary. Add the salt, and blend for 20-30 seconds. Transfer to a jar or airtight container, and store in the refrigerator.
Hi Amy! I’m really excited to try this recipe 🙂 I have the Kitchen Aid Immersion blender linked here (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MMNBBQ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_nTkwCbQ36K55X). Would it be possible to use the food processor container & have it come out properly? Thanks in advance!!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Julia! I’ve never tried using an immersion blender for making homemade nut butter, so I have no idea how that will work. I don’t want to lead you astray! My main concern is that it’s sharp enough to chop/dice the cashews, but it might not be sharp or high-powered enough to turn them into a smooth and creamy cashew butter. I’d love to hear what you think of this homemade cashew butter if you decide to try it!
Hi Amy! I’m going to try this today to use in a muffin recipe that calls for cashew butter. ? Can you please explain why not to use raw cashews? Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Kari! I’ve actually covered this in multiple previous comments above yours. I know those previous comment responses can be easy to scroll right past! 😉 In a nutshell (no pun intended!)… When other readers have tried raw cashews, the nut butter doesn’t turn creamy. I’d love to hear what you think if you try making this! 🙂
Thank you, looks yummy and will definitely try this and will let you know how did it go. 🙂
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this homemade cashew butter Edna! 🙂
In regards to using raw cashews. I just added about 2 TBS of avocado oil and it turned out creamy. It takes a lot longer to break down raw nuts as opposed to roasted. The oils take longer to release when you’re using raw nuts.
Thanks so much for sharing! That’s really good to know! 🙂
Would this be a suitable “fat” to add to vegan ice cream? I found a recipe that calls for a flavor neutral nut butter and stumbled on your cashew butter. Input? Thanks 🙂
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe DeAnna! I’ve actually never tried making vegan ice cream before, but I think this nut butter would probably work in the recipe that you found — especially if you like the flavor of cashews and don’t find their flavor to be too strong! For what it’s worth, I absolutely love cashew milk, but I don’t find that it has a prominent “cashewy” flavor. I often can’t detect the cashew flavor at all, even when there aren’t many other ingredients in the recipe (for example, in smoothie recipes). So I suppose all of that is to say… Yes, I definitely think this is worth a shot in your ice cream recipe! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this homemade cashew butter if you try making it!
I was wondering if anyone has tried using raw cashews and raw honey instead of any oils…
Yes, other readers have tried using raw cashews! If you scroll through the previous comments (there are so many comments, so they’re split up into multiple pages!), then you can read about their experiences. From my personal experience, raw cashews haven’t had nearly as good of a flavor and texture. I much prefer roasted! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making this cashew butter Stephanie!
Hello,
Excited to see you recommend a Ninja! I didn’t think my Ninja could do it as everyone seems to only recommend Blend-tech and Vitamix. Are there any tricks that you recommend with the Ninja other than time and scraping it down? I haven’t even tried it since I just expected I’d get pulverized nuts and not butter 🙂
Michelle
Yes, your Ninja blender should work just fine Michelle! I don’t currently own a Blendtec or Vitamix, but my Ninja blender makes super smooth and creamy cashew butter. As long as your blender’s blades are sharp, you shouldn’t need to do anything other than occasionally scrape it down and give it enough time. That’s all I do — no other tricks! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cashew butter!