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When we bought a Vitamix last year, I was really excited to try making my own nut butters at home. Fast forward several months later, and we STILL had not tried it out, so we decided to make a batch of almond butter in the video above!
We usually buy raw, unsalted almonds, so I was hoping to just dump the entire 16oz bag into my Vitamix and blend! However… I started looking up recipes online, and I realized it wasn’t quite THAT simple if you are wanting to use raw almonds.
From what I read, if you try to blend together JUST the raw almonds, it will form more of a paste than a butter. In order to get a smooth, creamy butter, you either have to add a bit of oil OR roast the almonds to help release some of the natural oil in the nuts. That oil helps everything blend together nicely. Since we avoid any added oils, we decided to give them a quick roast!
Roasting Your Almonds
We roasted our almonds at 350°F for 10 minutes. You can roast them a bit longer if you like – just keep an eye out to make sure they do not burn.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT put the almonds into your blender while they are hot. Apparently, the roasted almonds will hold on to their heat for quite a while, and blending while hot can cause the temperature of your blender to get so high that the blending cup will actually start to melt. Crazy!
We let ours cool overnight for extra safety 🙂
Blending Your Almonds
Once your almonds have cooled, you are ready to blend! We put in the entire 16oz package and originally expected to blend for around one minute at the highest speed setting.
Make sure you use the tamper and keep pushing down on the corners to keep everything moving. I think 16oz is the minimum amount you should blend at a time. This will ensure there is enough to blend and reach the tamper.
For more information about the Vitamix we use and links to other products featured in this video, check out the Featured Products section below!
After one minute of blending, ours did not seem ready, so we kept going. We ended up blending for a total of about three minutes. I think if we had let them roast a bit longer (like 15 minutes instead of 10), more of the natural oil would have released and it would have blended together a bit faster.
If you don’t have a high speed blender like a Vitamix, I would recommend trying out a food processor instead. A regular blender probably won’t cut it.
The Taste Test!
We normally buy Trader Joe’s Raw Almond Butter, so we wanted to use that as a comparison for our homemade version.
Compared to the Trader Joe’s Almond Butter, ours was definitely a lot less runny, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I personally prefer a thicker nut butter, though I do think ours would get creamier if we roasted the almonds just a bit more.
Brian and I both agreed that the taste test winner was our homemade version! This could also be because it was roasted a bit, which added some depth to the flavor.
Price Comparison: Store Bought vs. Homemade
Since I purchased both the raw almonds and raw almond butter at Trader Joe’s, I decided to compare the price. Both were 16oz and the raw almonds cost $4.99, while the pre-made raw almond butter cost $5.99. For a $1.00 difference, I am not sure if making your own at home is really worth it based on price alone.
Final Thoughts
I had been putting off trying this out for a while, and I am glad we finally did it! I will definitely be experimenting more with homemade nut butters. Since it was so easy and quick to make (plus really tasty), I think homemade might be the way to go!
We are curious if anyone else has made their own
almond butter and can give us any tips or tricks!
Have you been able to successfully make raw almond butter without adding any extra oil?
How do you store your almond butter to keep it fresh? Can you freeze it?
Do you add anything else to your almond butter?
Please watch the video and comment below to
let us know what we should try next time!
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Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series Smart Blender (Refurbished)Vitamix Under Blade Scraper
365 Everyday Value, Almonds, 16 oz *This is the Whole Foods brand, but we buy the Trader Joe’s brand for $5.99 in store, so shop around for the best prices!
Ball Wide Mouth Canning Jars 8/Pkg-Pint (16 oz)
Ball Wide-Mouth Plastic Storage Caps, 8-Count
Hi, Jessica and Brian,
For a more creamy consistency, I have learned to blend it till the nuts start to get creamy, about one minute, and then I take the lid off and let it sit in the Vitamix for 30 mins. Then I blend it again and all the oils release and it is creamy deliciousness! I have used raw and roasted, and find the roasted tend to taste better and become more creamy than the raw.
That is a GREAT idea! Thanks for the tips!
Good day ma’am and sir! Thank you for sharing your story and virgin foodie experiences with us random folk in the digital netherworld. I stumbled upon your Youtube show a few months ago…
Regarding almond butter this is actually more of a cousin to the topic…
Taking that same raw ingredient you can make Almond Ricotta if you soak the almonds overnight and blend them with a little of the unsoaked water, lemon juice and nutritional yeast (for more cheese flavor and healthy B vitamin goodness).
Super yummy roasted on top of thin sliced zuccini…add a lil tomato sauce or diced sundried tomatoes on top.
Peace out! 🙂
Thank you for the suggestion! That sounds great – I’ll have to get Brian on it! 😀
Can I just say you guys are my favorite?? I love your videos and your blog. I’ve just started with this nutritarian diet and my husband is ALMOST on board because of your videos. I’m wondering if you guys track calories? And if so, how many calories you each ate in the beginning? I’m 5’8″ 266lbs (down from 320) but I’m only losing 1 pound/week on this diet!!! I’m wondering if I’m eating too much or not enough? Any guidance you could offer regarding serving size/caloric intake would really help. Thanks for the videos. Please keep them coming!!
Hello! Thank you for the kind words 🙂 We have not tracked calories at all throughout this process – just tried to stick pretty close to the “6 week plan” guidelines in Eat To Live. We have noticed that small things like too many nuts or grains will impact our weight loss for that week. Hope this helps!
We figured out the big difference between homemade and store-bought (often creamier). Both are 100% almonds. But only one is 100% *of* the almonds.
Oooh never thought of it that way! Totally makes sense though… I have been enjoying our homemade version quite a bit!
I LOVE that you wear your headphones! I thought I was the only one! My husband gave me an older pair that he used with his power tools, and it made such a huge difference that I found myself buying a new one when the old one finally broke.
I’ve always made almond butter in my food processor, but you’ve inspired me to try it in my Vitamix! I always thought it would be too thick, but obviously not.
Yay for headphones 🙂 It might be easier in the food processor, but it worked pretty well in the Vitamix! I’ve been making my own peanut butter in the Vitamix too and it turns out really well!
I made this earlier today. I roasted the almonds about 18 minutes. I did as Alice suggested and mixed it, took the lid off and let it sit for 30 minutes, then finished Vitamix-ing it. It is so creamy and delicious! Thank you for this deliciousness!
P.S. I’m trying to get the “Krockettes” fan club started😂
I make almond butter in my food processor without roasting with a generous 2 cups full. It does take a while, with stopping & starting to scrape the sides down, but I love the results.
We will have to try that! Thanks Gail!