A creamy homemade almond butter with a hint of sweet maple flavour. So easy and delicious that you’ll never want to buy store-bought again!
This past weekend, I tackled something that’s been on my kitchen to-make list for longer than I care to admit — I finally made a batch of homemade almond butter.
It’s no secret that I’m kind of obsessed with the stuff. Not only is it a major staple in my diet, but it’s also one of the most common ingredients that I use in my recipes. Would you believe, then, that despite the fact that I’ve been maintaining this love affair for years, I’ve never actually made my own? Nope. Not once.
I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I’ve been perfectly happy with the oh-so-tasty-and-convenient jars that I’ve been able to find in stores… but with Justin not showing much love to us Canadians, and Maisie Jane’s continuing to go up and up in price, I would have had to start looking into selling my kidneys on the black market soon if I wanted to continue supporting my addiction… and even that would only be a temporary fix since I only have 2 and they’re not exactly renewable resources 😯
A smarter solution would be to buy a bunch of almonds and make my own butter — so that’s what I did…
Why did I not do this sooner?!? Oh yeah… because I was terrified. I’m not going to beat around the bush here — making almond butter is a loud and violent affair, with the first few seconds making you feel like you’re trying to process rocks. But after that? It’s pretty much smooth sailing.
And as an added bonus, you can calm your nerves by munching on a handful of delicious maple roasted almonds that you deliberately left out of the food processor because you couldn’t stop eating them and seriously considered pulling the plug on the entire operation and just calling it a day right there. Ahem.
One of the best parts about making things in your own kitchen (besides being able to lick the spoon) is being able to control what goes into them. No questionable ingredients. No added preservatives. Nothing but the good stuff… with the good stuff in this case being almonds, maple syrup, cinnamon, and a touch of sea salt. That’s it! And while it may not be as quick or convenient of a process as picking up a jar from your local grocery store, there’s something inherently satisfying about looking at a finished product and knowing that you made it yourself…
And if you’ve never made your own nut butter because you’ve been too intimidated to try (like I was), I can promise you that you have nothing to worry about — it really couldn’t be simpler!
You start by roasting your almonds…
Not only does doing so bring out a more complex and robust flavour, but adding warm almonds to your food processor makes them that much easier to process. Trust me. I skipped the roasting step in the first batch I made, and it probably took twice as long. It also didn’t taste nearly as good… so no cutting corners to try and save time!
Next comes the processing…
This part takes a little bit of time and patience, but there’s nothing complicated about it. You simply let your processor run for about 10 minutes (turning it off to scrape the sides as necessary), and watch as the almonds go from a grainy paste to a creamy butter. Easy peasy! And you don’t need a fancy processor either. The one I used was around 25 years old and it had no problem getting the job done.
After that, all that’s left is to grab a spoon and enjoy!
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 6 Tbsp. maple syrup
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- optional: 1-2 tsp. coconut oil
- Preheat oven to 325F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Pour almonds onto baking sheet and drizzle them with maple syrup, using your fingers to ensure that they are evenly coated. Roast for 15 minutes, stirring at least once to prevent burning.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the almonds cool for about 10 minutes. You want them to still be warm so that they're easier to process, but not hot so that they don't put an added strain on your processor.
- Pour the almonds into your food processor and pulse to begin breaking them down. Add 1 tsp. of oil if needed and let your processor run until the almonds begin to break down into a grainy paste, and eventually a smooth butter. Stop processing every couple of minutes to scrape down the sides of the bowl and give your processor a brief rest.
- When almonds become creamy, add salt and cinnamon, and continue processing until desired consistency is reached.
- Transfer the almond butter to an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Looking for some great ways to use almond butter? Try one of these recipes!
Flourless Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Muffins
Almond Butter and Pretzel Truffles
Have you ever made your own homemade nut butter?
What’s your favourite store-bought almond butter?
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I'm Amanda - health coach, cookbook author, recipe developer, makeup junkie, oatmeal addict, and the author of Running with Spoons - a blog dedicated to healthy eating.
Stop. just stop! This is took much! Amanda….I can’t keep my hand….okay, spoon….I am a bit more civilized than that ahhahaha….out of the almond butter as it is…..now you are adding ROASTED MAPLE!!! That jar will be gone in less than a day! I am 1000000% with you, I will never buy homemade again, sooooooooooooooo good when you can make it yourself, and I love watching the stages,…..my favorite is what I call “the hamster”, do you know what I mean? Okay, I need to stop this random ramble right now. I should have just commented “yum”….
The hamster? 😆 Is that when it all clumps together and starts going around in one big ball? I’m almost afraid to ask 😛
I’ve also put off making nut butter but this just looks too good. The maple roasted almonds by themselves look like a great recipe so I would probably keep some of those as-is too. I’m going to get over being intimidated and make your recipe! Looks more than worth it!
Definitely give it a shot! I promise you it’s no where near as bad as you think, and you’ll be kicking yourself for not trying it sooner!
Making almond butter has been on my kitchen to do list forever as well. Problem is I leave my bag of almonds at work. I know… I could buy a second bag but that would make too much sense.
What food processor did you use? Mine is barely able to cut through butter! This looks awesome…. I love maple-nut combos!
Oh goodness… it’s so old that I’m not even really sure. I think it’s a Cuisinart though!
Yesssss, homemade almond buttah is the BEST. Glad you finally got to try some!!
As soon as I saw the title of this post I thought, “she finally did it!” You ARE almond butter, to me, so this is only fitting. Looks delicious!
Not sure how you do it. The last time I did this I got some ground almonds instead of almond butter.
Did you let them process for long enough? Because it does take a while and you just need to keep at it. Sometimes it helps if you add a small spoonful of oil to help things move along.
Yayyyyy!!!! You did it!! Soooo jealous of your Food Processor.
It looks SO perfect and I love the thought of roasting the almond beforehand!
I will have to try roasting the minds first the next time I make almond butter. I’ve made almond butter with honey roasted almonds and it was divine. Maple syrup is sure to put this in a category of it’s own. Yum!
Hmmm.. I had no idea that roasting almonds beforehand would make the processing go smoother. Who knew!?! (well besides you :)). What would we do w/o you?
So impressed. Your almond butter looks divine! I think I am equally obsessed with almond butter. My food processor would definitely not be able to handle masticating nuts so, for now, I’ll stick with my fav, Trader Joe’s raw creamy unsalted variety.
Also, I read yesterday’s link love but didn’t get a chance to respond. High five for the multitude of your smoothie recipes featured in one of the links (sorry, currently cannot recall the name of the site.) Not that I am the least bit surprised, you are a culinary maven.
Gorgeous photos, Amanda! Not having access to jarred almond butter in Mumbai means I’m constantly whipping up a fresh batch..and I love it! I’ve found that roasting the almonds beforehand makes a world of difference to the end flavor. I don’t tend to add any oil as it the almonds’ natural oils seem to do the trick for creating a creamy consistency. I love the idea of adding maple syrup to the almonds while roasting- will be trying this out in my next batch!
Definitely give it a shot! It takes things to a whooooole new level of deliciousness! That is… if you can stop yourself from snacking on the almonds and putting them in the food processor 😛
oh baby.. i love nut butters of all kinds!!! mmm this sounds amazingly good : )
Making nut butters would be a reason I would want a food processor! This looks fabulous and thank you for sharing!
I have made my own nut butter before but I have to admit I’ve fallen off the wagon for some time now in favor of convenience and less-dish-washing 😉 But I might just have to get back on to make this recipe in lieu of shelling out $13 for Justin’s version 😛
I’ve made almond butter a few times and I’m always reminded how easy it actually is. But then I forget and convince myself that it’s hard and buy it instead…It’s time to give it a shot again, i think! 😉
Maple Almond butter is like one of the greatest flavor combos for nut butters ever, haha! XOXO
Yummy yummy! I love making my own nut butters, BUT I have never ever roasted them first! What! Fantastic idea lady and I will be sure to try that for my next batch!
Yay – you did it! I have been looking forward to you making AB, Amanda – I really thought you might use your Ninja – but now am curious – what type of 25 year old food processor is this one?
I have made my own nutbutter before – in my $20 blender – and I really like the fresh taste more than my fav Justin’s maple AB!
Happy Monday lady – hope your week is off to a great start
I think it’s a Cuisinart, Shashi! I was tempted to use a blender, but cleaning out processors is just so much easier 😆
Is it cheaper to make yourself? I can’t say that I’ve tried. I did think of you recently though. I finally bought a jar of Justin’s. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s smiling at me from my pantry.
I admire your self-control! There’s no way I’d be able to let a jar of Justin’s sit untouched, especially if we’re talking vanilla or maple. And it’s definitely cheaper to make your own. I had to buy a bag of peanut-free almonds so I could pick them up in bulk, but if you don’t have to be careful of allergies then that would make it -even- cheaper.
I adore making my own nut buttres!! My favorite one to make is my vanilla roasted almond butter with cranberries. So.Stinking.Good:)
Holy crap this looks good! Almond butter is so freaking expensive! I actually bought some cashews last week to whip up some nutbutter at home. Might have to use some of these steps to make it extra delish!
Mmm! I used to make my own peanut butter and cashew butter all the time! But then my mom just said it’s just as cheap to buy the pre-made stuff than to buy unsalted peanuts. Oh ok. But there IS something so satisfying about your own hot-off-the-processor nut butter!
And I’m always tempted to buy Justin’s, but the price tag turns me off. I’ll dive into Amanda’s almond butter instead 😉
can you say heaven in a jar?!! this looks delicious. making my own nut butter has been on my list for quite some time. one of my wedding gifts was a food processor! my kitchen is currently packed up for next month’s move, but you can bet i will be testing out this recipe once my new kitchen is all set up. 🙂
I’ve been wanting to make my own nut butter for months now too. It’s so expensive to buy and with how much I eat I should probably start my own factory. Sounds like you have a opportunity to sell yours in Canada! I’m sure you could. Then I could buy almond butter from you when I start my muffin truck since it regularly goes into my muffin recipes too. Ha!
Definitely stop putting it off and give it a try! I’m kicking myself for not getting around to it sooner.
Omg I need this in my life. I’m picturing it with my protein pancakes, and it being just like heaven. Ugh pinning this now.
Surprisingly enough in my country there isn’t the love for nut butters….Seriously WHY??!!
You might find a jar of peanut butter lying in a random shelf but that is it. So what do I do? Make my own nut butter. So thank you for the recipe!
Before I have tried my almond butter with vanilla and raspberry flavours and they actually taste pretty good!
Your pictures alone are making me drool. Yummmm!
I love the idea of roasting the almonds beforehand. I was so intimidated the first time I made homemade nutbutter, too. Now I’m hooked – and I love that I can control exactly what goes into it (and what doesn’t!)
I’ve never tried almond butter but I think I’ll give it a try.
I love your little spoon!!! So cute! I made pistachio butter once (Yeah, it was DELICIOUS) but I am SO lazy with cleaning my food processor I always shy away from all recipes which require it. Oof.
My favorite nut butter is like choosing my favorite… Well, anything. I’m kind of indecisive :o)… Right now, though, I am loving “Naturally More Peanut Butter” because it has flax seeds in it and I like the little crunch. Otherwise, Jif has a pumpkin spice whipped thing right now and it’s SO FREAKING GOOD (besides from all the ingredients I just ignore).
Talk about YUM! I just want to reach into my computer screen and grab a big ol’ spoonful of this stuff!
Mmm this sounds delicious! I’ve been making my own nut butters (thus far: peanut, almond, cashew, almond/cashew/pecan) for about a year and a half, and I think in that time I’ve bought maybe three or four jars of peanut butter, and only because I needed to bake (since store bought works better than homemade for baking). I LOVE homemade nut butter — the stuff from the jar just is not the same!
I need this and a SPOON!
I am always having to purchase an extra jar of nut butter for use in recipes..even then, I don’t like to gamble – it has to be a trustworthy source to commit my precious nut butter to! This almond butter falls under that treasured category, I can tell.
Aahh the Chunky Monkey Bites! Just between me and you: I have on several occassions whipped up the “batter” just to eat -warm- without forming into cookies and freezing 🙂 . So.good.
I cannot believe I have never made my own almond butter… And thanks to you I now have no excuses – an easy recipe and I have all the bits I need!
I am craving this so much now! Never tried a flavoured almond butter as we can only get plain in the UK. Oh I bet this butter is good inside a date 😉
I only just had my first taste of flavoured AB last year when I was able to pick up a jar of Justin’s maple, and it seriously rocked my socks off. I definitely recommend giving it a shot 😀
YUM. Sadly, the one time I tried to make almond butter with my food processor, it actually started smoking. So I won’t be trying that just yet 🙁 But I might just have to make the maple roasted almonds for snacking!
http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
I’d probably eat all the roasted almonds before they even made it to a nut butter!
Yummm!!! I’m scraping the bottom of the Barney Butter Jar so I definitely need to whip up some almond butter asap!
Whoa. Just. Whoa. I need to do this. I’ve made my own peanut butter as well as my own cashew nut butter. And I made almond butter once but it didn’t turn out that well. Probably because I was experimenting with the oil / liquid ratio. And probably because I didn’t roast them. D’uh. Will definitely try this recipe!
I thought about doing this but then I wondered if it is cheaper to buy it. I know around here its super hard to find almond butter with no added sugar.
If you can buy your almonds in bulk then it would probably be cheaper to make your own, but I guess that also depends on how much a jar of AB will run you in the store. The only brands I can buy (that are peanut-free) tend to be a little on the pricier side, so it’s definitely chapter for me to make my own.
I’ve made my own nut butter a few times but I think my food processor isn’t as strong as it should be! What brand do you use?
I tend to buy Trader Joes or Justins as my brand of choice.
This looks amazing and your pics are to dieeeee for!
Gah! It’s so old that I’m not even 100% sure. I -think- it’s a Cuisinart, though!
I have made my own almond butter a few years ago and actually did something very similar to this recipe, but I am okay with buying the store bought kind, since I don’t have a high power blender for this. My favorite store bought brands are: Costco’s Crunchy Peanut Butter and of course NUTTZO!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! Because omigosh spending $13 on almond butter was getting ridiculous. I’ll be making this ASAP 🙂
I’ve only made my own nut butter once, and I was nervous! I had just got my Ninja and I was afraid of breaking it. It did turn out good though! I’m going to Michigan on Saturday for a few days, so naturally I will be stocking up on Justin’s. Justin’s Vanilla Almond Butter and Chocolate Hazelnut = best things ever.
This looks so good… I never thought about seasoning (is that the right word?) my almonds before roasting and making almond butter… I could never get mine creamy enough *cough I didn’t want to wait to roast almonds/process forever* but I think you’ve inspired me to try again. PS LOVE THOSE PHOTOS! The styling is gorg!
Thank ya, lady! I’m pretty happy with how they turned out. Sometimes it just works, ya know? And then sometimes it’s like pulling teeth 😡
Love your version and I really need to roast my almonds before making almond butter next time. Glad you finally gave it try!
This looks like absolute perfection in a jar. You have added the best flavours! I have made walnut butter, and peanut butter but not almond butter yet. I am also nervous as my food processor is not the strongest!!
When I read the title of this post I telepathically congratulated you on conquering your fear – did you notice ;)? If not: congrats and it looks absolutely delightful. Me, a jar of that and a spoon would be a dangerous combination…
I’ve only ever made coconut butter before because it’s such a ‘smooth’ nut – at least once shredded – that I didn’t fear for the life of my Vitamix. Any other nut butters, though? I’m still scared.
My favourite store-bought variety is white almond butter and I’m not sure I’d be able to make that at home. I haven’t seen blanched almonds in supermarkets around here and if I blanch them myself there would either be water in the almond butter [= it’d turn rancid soon] or I’d have to roast the blanched almonds which would make it, well, roasted and not white almond butter. A dilemma.
Oh man, maple-flavoured anything just sign me up! I gotta say that it must be a Canadian thing, because all of my American friends are pretty apathetic when it comes to anything maple. This miiiight have something to do with the fact that they all think “maple syrup” is the same as Aunt Jemima syrup. Uh, no.
Homemade nut butter is the BEST though, and the batch that you made looks absolutely amazing. Love it!
Clearly we need to send them all some maple candy. That stuff is ah.maze.ing.
I have never had almond butter!!! CRAZY! I might just have to try it. Any time a recipe calls for it I always sub in good ole peanut butter because I ALWAYS have peanut butter.
Yum! I tried making almond butter for the first time this weekend and couldn’t get it to go creamy and I left it for aaaaages. Any suggestions? I was trying to avoid having to add any oils…
Oh noes! Did you roast them? I find that really helps. If not, I’ve heard that soaking them overnight or for at least a few hours can have the same effect. Also, you don’t need to add a lot of oil at all. Even 1/2 tsp does the trick if your almonds are a bit on the dry side.
Hello
I see you used your food processor to make the almond butter. I was wondering if a vitamix would work as my processor is not powerful.
Looks yum
Thanks
A high-speed blender like a Vitamix would definitely work! I just opted for a food processor because I find them easier to clean, but I know a lot of people use a Vitamix with absolutely no problems.
I keep wanting to make my own nut butter too, although I think for my first go around, I’d have to try honey roasted peanut butter…sorry, I still love you lots though.
There’s a market here where I pick it up and it’s by far my favorite flavor.
You KNOW this is totally right up my alley!! 😉 I really need to start making my AB myself more often than buying it. It gets SO pricey!
I LOVE almond butter & this looks like a simple, yet amazing recipe! I’m thinking I’ll have to get my food processor out again to give this a try sometime (I’m often too lazy to do my own & hate cleaning up the mess after). 😉
I never made my own almond butter but I have made peanut butter and it tasted SO good! Almond butter is definitely next on my list but I’ve got to wait until I get a new food processor…I’m not sure my blender would do the trick. This looks delicious–I would probably get halfway through the recipe and stop. Those maple roasted almonds look so good!
can you send me like 500 jars of this stuff? kthanks.
Ok that kinda looks good. Seriously. I could drink that whole jar.
Is it creepy if I say I want to roll around naked in this nutty perfection? 😉
Nope! I’d probably be more concerned if you -didn’t- want to 😉
ABOUT BLOODY TIME.
Legit, Maisies and Justin’s are going to suffer a big dent in their revenue…all thanks to you. Making this. Roasting nuts (all sorts ;)) brings out the flavour x 100000.
Artisiana Almond Butter is the absolute WORST.
uh oh, watch our justin… spoons butter might have you beat!! plus it’s super cute wit the little spoon! hehe like YOU!
I have to admit, I’ve definitely been too intimidated to try making AB, but maybe this will give me the nudge to give it a try!
It’s really not anywhere near as bad as you think it is! And it’s kind of fun to watch it go from one stage to another 🙂
This looks so incredible!
I’m a huge almond butter addict, but I’ve never had maple roasted! Must try!
{Teffy’s Perks} X
Yep, I’ve felt the same way. It is such a violent affair! But wow, your post has me convinced it is worth it. I love almond butter – adding maple just took the relationship to a whole new level! 😉
Oh Yes! Homemade nut butter is simply the best! Just like you say, you can totally customize it the way you want it. Endless possibilities! However, I’ll say that I had never thought to add maple syrup! Brilliant! Pinned ;). can’t wait to make this soon and slather it on anything and everything!
this maple butter looks delicious! i definitely need to make the recipe, perfect to have on-top toast for breakfast!
LOVE almond butter, especially when it’s homemade. The maple must be awesome with this.
WOMAN! these pictures? Drool….. It looks amazing!
…..this is… amazing. I’ve been wanting to make my own nut butter for, like, EVER, but I didn’t have a food processor to do it. But yesterday I bought a Vitamix(!!!!) and homemade nut butter is going to be the first thing I do!! But adding maple… girl, you just stole my HEART.
Eee! Enjoy your new Vita, girl! You’re going to love it! Those things are seriously amazing 😀
Love your site girl! You make some yummy things and it’s enjoyable to read.
Oh my goodness this looks good – and thanks for providing some recipes to use it in! Great link at the Saturday Sharefest!
That looks so good! I am living in Asia, where it’s over $20 for almond butter, and that’s if you can even find it. I have splurged and bought it several times! I actually tried to make my own before a couple of times, and it didn’t turn out like your pictures. I have a super powered food processor, but mine just never gets smooth. I actually think it’s the variety of almonds we get here- they must be lower in fat, because the oils never release to make it creamy like in your photo! I will have to try this the next time I am back in the States and see if I have better luck… beautiful photos! So tempting.
This looks phenomenal. I have wanted to make some on my own one of these days, and you may have just inspired me to try. 🙂
I would love to make this for someone as a gift. Do you think it can be shipped without spoiling?
It should be fine for at least 2 weeks without refrigeration, Faye 🙂
Just made this and enjoyed some on apple slices. So delicious!! Thank you.
I just wanted to say that I *loved* making this! I reduced the maple syrup and cinnamon a bit, but holy geez! I just want to eat it by the spoonful. Dangerous! Haha.
This is most definitely the best almond butter recipe I ever made, my only substitution is flax seed oil instead of coconut oil which tends to solidify the almond butter if I refrigerate
What kind of blender do you use or food processor? My food processor isn’t the greatest and don’t think that it could withstand the almonds!
XO,
Kat
The food processor I used for this recipe was actually around 25+ years old and I’m not even sure what make it was. You do need a pretty durable one to make your own almond butter, but you could always give it a shot with a smaller amount of almonds to see how it does.
I can’t get mine to the same consistency as yours. Is patience the key? Adding extra oil doesn’t seem to help much (or at all).
Patience is definitely the key, and a lot depends on whether or not your food processor is able to handle the job.
I threw mine back into my food processor and OMG it’s 1000% better (and it was already ridiculously delicious).