Everyone’s tasted peanut butter and it’s a favorite, but did you know that you can make nut butter from other nuts as well? Well, you can! Nut butters are high in protein and contain “good fats.” You need to eat them in moderation because they are relatively high in calories, just like peanut butter (which can be hard to do, because they are so good), but they make a tasty topping for toast and a satisfying sandwich spread.
You can buy a variety of nut butters at most health food stores, but you can also make your own. Nut butters are easy to make, and fresh homemade nut butter is a tasty treat. An alternative to nut butter is sunflower or pumpkin seed butter. Try out the following recipes, and serve the butters on toast, on a sandwich with jelly or jam, or with crackers or rice cakes.
To make nut butters, process nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Then add vegetable oil, a little at a time, processing until smooth. Blend in other ingredients.
Store nut and seed butters in a covered container in the refrigerator. Note that when you make the butters, they should appear a bit runny; they will thicken in the refrigerator.
2 cups raw or roasted almonds (raw almonds are more nutritious; roasting them rids them of some of their nutrients)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
one tablespoon honey (optional)
Cashew Butter
2 cups cashews
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
one tablespoon honey (optional)
2 cups pecans
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
one tablespoon honey (optional)
Sweet Pecan Butter
2 cups pecans
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
one tablespoon honey (optional)
dash nutmeg
dash cinnamon
Chocolate Pecan Butter
2 cups pecans
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
2 cups hazelnuts
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
Chocolate Soy Nut Butter
2 cups soy nuts
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
Walnut Pecan Butter
1 cup walnuts
1 cup pecans
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
one tablespoon honey
Pistachio Butter
2 cups pistachios
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
one tablespoon honey (optional)
Almond-Pistachio Butter
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup pistachios
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
one tablespoon honey
Nut Butter Medley
½ cup almonds
½ cup cashews
1 cup pecans
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
one tablespoon honey (optional)
Sunflower Butter
2 cups sunflower seeds (unsalted)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Seed Butter
2 cups roasted pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ tablespoon salt
Sesame Butter
2 cups sesame seeds, hulled or unhulled (unhulled are higher in calcium but may taste a bit more bitter)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ tablespoon salt
Sesame-Almond Butter
1 ¼ cups raw or roasted almonds
¾ cup sesame seeds (hulled or unhulled)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
one tablespoon honey (optional)
Sesame-Sunflower Butter
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sesame seeds (hulled or unhulled)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ tablespoon salt
Sources:
RecipeNet. http://www.recipenet.org/health/recipes/recipkit/raw_nut_butter.htm. Raw Nut and Seed Butter.
