Homemade almond butter is healthy, delicious and super easy to make. My version only has one ingredient – almonds (with no added oils) – and it only takes one minute to make with a Vitamix blender. Watch the video below to see for yourself!
Homemade almond butter (or any nut butter for that matter) is a staple do-it-yourself recipe. Just like homemade nut milks. But I still remember the first time I made almond butter in a food processor and thinking, “sheesh, this is taking a really long time.”
20-minutes to be exact. Because everything I’d found on the internet said that the best way to make almond butter was in a food processor. So that’s what I did, for several years. Then, I got my first Vitamix and homemade almond butter all of a sudden became so darn easy to make!
How to Make Almond Butter
In order to make the best almond butter possible, it’s important to know a few things about nuts. Namely, some nuts have more natural oils than others, which affects how easy they are to churn into butter. Peanuts, cashews and macadamia nuts have more natural oils (fatty acids) so they turn into nut butter quite easily. Almonds have a bit less oil.
Therefore, the easiest way to make almond butter is to:
- Add a little oil (I like avocado oil) to raw almonds while blending to help them churn easier, or
- Roast the raw almonds first which helps to release their natural oils. I usually opt for the latter – and that’s what I show you in the video above.
If you roast the almonds, there’s just one important step to not forget – let them cool to room temperature. You do NOT want to put hot nuts in your plastic Vitamix container or it may ruin/melt it. Vitamix containers can definitely take hot liquids and make hot soups (I do it all the time), but hot nuts are concentrated oils which then get even hotter when blended. So remember….roast, cool, then blend.
Whether you roast the almonds or not is up to you. I personally like the flavor of roasted almond butter – it’s so darn good!
But if you’re in a hurry, just toss raw almonds with 3-4 tablespoons of neutral-flavored oil into your Vitamix.
Then, turn your blender on high and use the tamper to push down on the almonds. Pushing the almonds into the blades quickly turns it into almond butter. And one minute later you’re done. Voila, homemade almond butter without a food processor.
More Tips for Your Homemade Almond Butter
- Storage: The almond butter will stay good for several weeks in the fridge (if not longer). I always store it in my favorite Le Parfait Jars.
- Temperature: Keep in mind that all ovens cook at slightly different temperatures and you may need to cook your almonds a minute or two longer, especially if you find them harder to blend without using oil.
- Tamper: Really use the tamper to push the nuts into the blades when blending and push towards the corners of the container. Don’t be gentle. It’s the friction that’s needed to turn it into nut butter.
- Nuts: I don’t recommend making this with soaked and dehydrated nuts. But if you do, you definitely need to add oil (and likely more) as you’ve now removed some of the natural oils within the nuts. Roasting soaked nuts alone simply won’t work. Alternatively, you can use almond that are pre-roasted for flavor, but you’ll still need to add additional oil. Only freshly roasted almonds will have their natural oils released and make it easy to blend them on their own.
- Quantity: Do NOT reduce the quantity of almonds if using a Vitamix. You need a minimum amount of almonds (4 cups) in the blender to ensure the blades work properly.
- Tips: If you’re making almond butter without oil (just roasting) and it seems dry and flaky and not turning into butter, there’s likely two reasons: 1) the almonds needed to roast just a little bit longer (see temperature note above), 2) the brand of almonds. I’ve found certain brands of almonds just blend better than others. I really have no idea why, but I’ve never had any problems with the brand linked in the recipe card notes. But if you’re in the predicament of your almonds not turning to butter, just add one tablespoon of oil at a time until it turns creamy. It’s totally salvageable!
More Healthy Basics Tutorials
- How to Make Almond Milk
- How to Make Cashew Milk
- Homemade Mayonnaise
- How to Make Coconut Whipped Cream
- How to Poach Eggs
Description
Video
Instructions
- If roasting your almonds, preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- Place the almonds on a parchment lined baking tray and roast for 10-13 minutes.
- Let the almonds cool completely, to room temperature. Then transfer the almonds to your Vitamix container.
- If not roasting the almonds and using additional oil, add the oil to your Vitamix container, then the nuts.
- Place the lid on your Vitamix and remove the cap. Insert the tamper through the lid. Turn the Vitamix on high and use the tamper to continuously push down on the almonds, particularly in the corners. After one minute, you’ll have almond butter.
- Transfer the almond butter to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Lisa’s Tips
- I use these raw organic almonds and this avocado oil (when not roasting).
- Make sure to read all the tips listed above if you have any issues.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
This post was created in partnership with Vitamix (a brand I’ve loved and used for years). All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post was originally posted Jan 2017, but updated to include new tips and information.
I love the idea and your recipe, but my butter continues to be too dry. What should I do?
Thank you
I soak almonds over night and dehydrate for about 24 hrs at 115 degrees . Never comes out smooth enough so it drips off spoon . Do you think doing it in the oven makes a big difference
Hi Michael – Yes, that would definitely impact the texture. See my note above about why you shouldn’t use soaked nuts.
This almond butter tastes absolutely amazing. I bought raw, roasted and ended up adding a little bit of oil for a creamier texture. After this I can never go back to store bought. Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Hi Karina – Homemade almond butter is always the way to go!
Lisa, Can you buy already roasted nuts?
Deb
Hi Deb – You need to buy raw nuts and roast them yourself, if you’d like to make this without any additional oil. But if you don’t mind adding oil, then you can use already roasted nuts. Enjoy!
Lisa, What wattage Vitamix do you have? I’m looking to buys one.
Thanks,
Debra
Mine was nice and thick and tastes better than store bought. I also used raw almonds instead of roasted and I enjoyed the taste. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. Will be my to go recipe.
You’re more than welcome! Happy it turned out perfectly for you!
why do we have to store in the fridge vs store bought almond butters or should those be in the refrigerator too?
Delicious. It took longer to get creamy, but that’s okay. I added little cinnamon and vanilla.
Will never buy store bought again!
Cinnamon and vanilla are wonderful additions to this homemade almond butter. Enjoy!
Loved making this. So easy.
I was a little nervous to try making almond butter but this recipe made it so clear and simple. It went exactly to plan and came together in a snap (it honestly might have been less than a minute). I used a leftover glass peanut butter jar I had saved and this filled it up – it makes a good amount! I think scrapping out the blender took longer than anything (and it wasn’t that long).
This also definitely gave me the confidence to try other nut combos! Thank you!
Hi Ellie – Glad your almond butter turned out great!
This is a great recipe! It turned out wonderful, just follow Lisa’s instructions! Please read the tips she gives in her post above the recipe—it’s worth it! I was going to just use 2 cups of almonds and had skipped straight to the recipe, but thank God I went back up to read and found the tips! It says to use 4 cups—not 2, otherwise the almonds won’t blend properly. I’m so glad I read that before going ahead! Also, it helps to watch the video! Thanks for those helpful tips and video, Lisa! Much appreciated! 🙏
I used a Vitamix (I wouldn’t really recommend anything else for making almond butter, but that’s me. You really do need something high-powered for this). I set it to 10 on high, started my timer for 1 minute, made sure I stuck the tamper inside through the lid and let ‘er buck! And it’s so cool! It really does take the Vitamix only 1 minute to transform almonds into an amazing homemade almond butter! Just make sure you hold on tight to that tamper and canister! haha The only thing I’d do differently next time is roast my almonds according to the specified time in the recipe (10-13 min). 😇😁 I think I roasted mine for 15 min @ 350F and that was a bit too long. My almond butter is still really tasty but has a darker flavour that is a tad much. But once I added 1/2 tsp salt (could have been a bit more), it was addictive!! SO YUMMY!!! Great recipe! Thanks so much Lisa! 😃🙌🏼 I’ll definitely be making this again and again! ☺️
Hi Naomi – Happy to hear your almond butter turned out perfectly! And yes, I highly recommend using a Vitamix for this recipe as well. It does wonders for the texture.
Thanks so much, Naomi, for that lovely review! I’m so glad you enjoyed this homemade almond butter!
I want to try this. I want to blanch the almonds before roasting. Any other tips?
Thank you!
Hi Maudie – I don’t recommend making this with soaked and dehydrated nuts. But if you do, you definitely need to add oil (and likely more) as you’ve now removed some of the natural oils within the nuts. Roasting soaked nuts alone simply won’t work.
I love the easy way you do the recipes! Thanks so much!
Hi Tonya – Happy to hear that!
Hi Lisa
I’m Iryna from Ukraine
I adore almond butter, but in Ukraine I couldn’t find the good quality nut butter. So I bought the powerfull (1600W) blender Bosch . But unfortunately the container cracked pretty quickly. I’ve changed it twice, but now I have to change it again.
You use the Vitamix blender. Could you please tell me if this container doesn’t crack while using (I mean when you make a nut butter, when the temperature rises in the container)?
Or maybe I do somehow wrong.
In the service center I was told that I overheated my container.
When I watched your video ( you were making the almond butter in your Vitamix), it looked like very easy and quickly!
If you answer me I would be thankful
Hi Iryna – The Vitamix blender is known to blend nut butter (and many other things) extremely well, so I’m not sure if your Bosch blender has the same amount of power.
Should the butter be warm?
Hi Patsy – the almond butter will be warm immediately after blender. But then it will settle to room temperature.
I made this but the almonds would not reduce to butter even after adding avocado oil. Got a result by adding water to the mix (quite a bit) until I got the right consistency and the blades would work the mixture. Maybe almonds were too dry or not oily enough or both.
This was totally just me. And still the consistency is all wrong. They loved the flavor, but could not get it to turn. And I was trying to show my Grandson how easy and yummy it is to make it. FAIL!