Truth: If I had to pick between peanut butter and almond butter, I'd pick peanut butter any day of the week. Frankly, sometimes almond butter just feels boring to me. BUT, there are times when I'll whip it out to make something healthy - like these almond butter protein balls - and by whip it out, I mean whip it up. It takes about 10 minutes and it's really, reaaally easy to do. It's easier than going to the store, I promise!
The first time I made my own almond butter, I kept it as simple as it gets and literally used one ingredient - almonds. That works, but there's a few things you can do to make your almond butter a lot tastier. The first: toast your almonds. I toast nuts all the time for recipes and it never fails to bring out their incredible aroma and a deeper flavor. In this case, it actually makes the almond butter taste a little sweeter, and therefore better. The second: use vanilla - vanilla bean, vanilla extract, even vanilla paste or vanilla powder if you want. There's a reason why vanilla is an ingredient in almost all sweets and baked goods, and it's because it enhances the flavor. Vanilla adds dimension. And the last thing: add a pinch of salt. I like to use sea salt in my nut butters to pull out the flavors and keep things interesting.
I hereby accept tastier almond butter into my life, and hopefully you do too because I have a yummy AND healthy recipe coming at you later this week that involves this almond butter. Make some and be ready. :)
P.S. Make some homemade peanut butter while you're at it!
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DIY Almond Butter
Toasted almonds and vanilla lend extra flavor and natural sweetness to this easy homemade almond butter. A touch of sea salt brings out the delicately sweet, nutty taste.
- Yield: about 1 ½ cups almond butter 1x
Ingredients
- 15 ounces (3 cups) whole almonds, toasted
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (optional)*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon semi-coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Place almonds in a food processor and process until very smooth, stopping as needed to wipe down the sides and bottom of the bowl. This will take some time.
- Add the vanilla bean seeds, vanilla extract, and salt and process until smooth once again, stopping to scrape down the food processor as needed.
- Store almond butter in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
*Feel free to use vanilla paste or vanilla powder instead.
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Alex
Hi Alexandra
It's called almond butter but I didn't notice any butter in the recipe What makes it look shiny an smooth is it the natural nut oils.
Alex
alexandra
The idea behind almond butter is the same as the idea behind peanut butter... you don't actually have butter in the recipe. Like you said, it's the natural oils that give it a smooth and shiny consistency. :)
Alanna
So easy to make your own nut butters, wish we all did it more often! Beautiful pictures by the way!
alexandra
It's so true! I try to do it whenever possible for the recipe I'm making because it's so much healthier and really only takes a few minutes.
Yead
Looking so great and tasty. I love this food. I think this is good for health.
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life
Wow! That is one amazing looking jar of almond butter!
alexandra
Thank you Jocelyn!
Rachel @ Bakerita
I'm more a peanut butter girl at heart as well, but when I have almond butter, homemade is incomparable! Yours looks so smooth and delicious. Pinned!
alexandra
Thanks so much Rachel, and thanks for pinning!
Amy
Your almond butter looks delicious! I bought a jar last week to try for the first time, so if I enjoy it, I'm so relieved to know there's a healthier (and slightly cheaper!) option for me to get my fix. ;) I've never heard of vanilla powder before; what exactly is it and where could I find some??
alexandra
I've only had almond butter from the store once, so I don't even really remember what it tasted like. But anyway, even if you're not huge on it, try using it in a recipe; that's how I normally use my almond butter! V
anilla powder is basically just a powder made from ground vanilla beans, or sometimes it's a combination of vanilla extractives with a cornstarch base. Check Sur La Table or online. Williams Sonoma also sells a jar of ground vanilla bean, which is what I've tried before. Different ones are made of different types of vanilla bean too, so they have different flavors.
Amy
Thanks for the information! The vanilla powder sounds like so much fun to play with. I'm sure I'd never actually leave my kitchen if I got my hands on some... Oh the joys of a baking addiction!
alexandra
No problem! I've read that the lighter powders works well for adding vanilla flavor without adding that brown color that tinges frostings (and other foods) a yellowish color. That intrigues me! (Although there's also clear vanilla extract, which would be nice to have!)
Amy
I always keep a bottle of clear vanilla extract in my pantry for that exact reason! I love bright white frosting, not slightly-off-brown. I found mine in the wedding section at Walmart, and each large 8-oz bottle only costs $4!
alexandra
Really? Nice! Thanks Amy!
Amy
You're welcome! It's a little harder to find since it isn't in the food section. Should be in a tall brown bottle. Good luck! :)