My parents adopted a golden retriever puppy two summers ago, and although he’s now the size of a full adult dog, he still hasn’t outgrown his puppy personality. He often jumps up in excitement whenever someone new enters the room, and he drops his muddy tennis ball at our feet before we even shut the door behind us every time we walk into the backyard, desperately begging to play fetch for hours at a time.
While we try to talk or watch our favorite TV shows (after I recently introduced them to it, my parents became obsessed with White Collar… have you seen it?), Mom frequently hands their dog a brand new toy as a distraction, typically an oversized stuffed animal or one with a squeaker, so we can sit in peace. Otherwise, their dog wanders from person to person, placing his head in each lap to search for food, and he continues going in circles around the room until we nearly feel dizzy from watching him!
However, the one not-quite-puppy part of his personality kicks in when Mom tosses him the new toy… The destruction side! He tears those stuffed animals into pieces in just a few seconds (yes, we’ve timed him!), leaving their fuzzy insides strewn about the carpet while he returns to circling the room and sniffing each person.
Mom quickly wised up and tried a few other tactics. She first hid Nylabones inside of the now stuffing-less toys and watched their dog try to maneuver them out through the hole he initially created. When he became a little too adept at that, she switched to smearing almond butter inside of a large hollow bone and letting him try to lick it all out. That last trick kept him occupied for much longer, and we laughed as he went straight to his water bowl to wash down the salt as soon as he finished!
And now, whenever he smells the faintest whiff of almond butter, their dog immediately thinks it’s for him… Including when I tried to sneak a spoonful of this Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter as a snack! But with its cozy and irresistible flavor, I didn’t want to share a single lick, even though it’s so easy and just takes 10 minutes to make!
(Don’t worry; I gave him a little regular almond butter instead! ?)
Because this recipe is super simple, let’s just talk about two quick things. First up, the nuts! You’ll use roasted unsalted almonds. I much prefer roasted over raw almonds because they have a richer, fuller, and slightly sweeter flavor. However, most grocery stores sell either raw unsalted or roasted and salted almonds—not roasted and unsalted!
But not to worry… It’s really easy to roast your own! Simply scatter the raw unsalted almonds on a baking sheet (I line mine with foil for easier clean-up!), and bake them at 300°F for about 10 minutes or until fragrant. Let the nuts cool completely to room temperature before turning them into almond butter, and you can pop them in the fridge or freezer to speed up that process!
Secondly, the food processor or blender! It’s important to use a food processor or blender with very sharp blades and a strong motor. This ensures that the almond butter turns out smooth and creamy without overworking your machine. I own this Ninja Kitchen Mega System (perhaps you remember it from my blog post about my 5 favorite kitchen appliances?), and I highly recommend it! Compared to Blendtec and Vitamix machines, it’s much more affordable, and it comes with a blender, two sizes of food processors, and three individual smoothie mugs. (I use one of those mugs every single day to make my favorite protein smoothie!)
Now that we have those two details sorted out, all you have to do is add in your almonds… Blend until smooth and creamy… Add the spices and salt… And…
Eat a spoonful straight from the jar! ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your almond butter and feature it in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter | | Print |
- 2 cups (286g) roasted unsalted almonds*
- 1 ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ tsp salt
- Add the almonds to a high-powered food processor or blender, and blend the almonds until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add the pumpkin pie spice and salt. Blend until everything is fully incorporated and smooth. Transfer to a glass jar or airtight container, and refrigerate.
I made my own pumpkin pie spice using the following: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg, and ⅛ tsp ground ginger.
Feel free to adjust the amount of spices and salt to suit your tastes!
You’ll want to use a food processor or blender with very sharp blades and a strong motor. This ensures that the almond butter turns out smooth and creamy without overworking your machine. This is the food processor that I own, and I absolutely love it! It’s worth every single penny, and I use it every day. (And if you check out this blog post of mine, you’ll see 13 other recipes of mine you can make with it!)
For the thickest texture, wait at least 12 hours after refrigerating before dipping in your spoon!
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low carb, sugar-free}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Cinnamon Roll Almond Butter
♥ Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter
♥ Almond Joy Almond Butter
♥ Easy Blender Cashew Butter
♥ Easy Blender Peanut Butter
♥ Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
♥ The Ultimate Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte
♥ Skinny Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer
That’s a smart puppy! I would be the exact same way. 😉 I’m in love with this recipe Amy!! So much cheaper instead of buying a $10 jar of almond butter!
See, but… I’d actually want to share with you Marina! 😉
Re: Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter Recipe
I believe you meant to type “spread across toast or apple” SLICES NOT spices.
Thanks for catching that Ruth! I’ve updated it accordingly. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try the almond butter!