How to make nut butter and a cashew butter recipe

The two world truths about nut butter are these. There’s really not that much to nut butter, and it tastes absolutely delicious. So now comes the fun bit, making the nut butter. We whipped up a bowl of creamy cashew butter. These steps work for any nuts, so have fun with it.

How to make nut butter:

With these steps you can basically make any nut butter you like without a recipe.

1. Pop those nuts and seeds into the blender and whizz it.
2. Keep going. It’ll start off looking like chopped nuts, then powdered nuts.
3. Keep blending. Only stop if the motor starts sounding strained or you smell burning – a good, strong blender is crucial. A little while after the powder stage, the powder will start to clump together and then, quite miraculously, your nuts will process into a smooth, creamy consistency.
4. Now you can stop blending. Taste it and add any salt, honey, cinnamon (or any other flavourings that your heart desires), and give it a final whizz to process those into the butter.
5. Pour and scrape it out into a clean glass jar and keep it in the fridge. It should keep happily for a couple of weeks in the fridge (if the oil separates, just stir it in before using it). We like to make small batches so they get used up quickly.

A spiced cashew butter recipe

If you are short on time and want a sure fire success, then give this cashew butter recipe a whirl.

Ingredients

Prep time: overnight | Blending time: 20 minutes | Makes: about 350ml

1 kg cashew nuts
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch nutmeg
1 Tbsp maple syrup

Method:

1. Place the nuts in a bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak for 1.5 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 65°C.
3. Drain and place the nuts on a roasting tray.
4. Pop them in the oven and allow to dry out overnight. (If you want to make it quicker, up the temp to 100°C but you’ll have to keep an eye on the cashews so they don’t burn).
5. Place the nuts in a blender with the rest of the ingredients. Start to blend, and blend for about 15–20 minutes until the nut butter has formed.

Store in a glass jar and keep in the fridge for 1–2 weeks.

But my nuts never get to a creamy consistency?

We have occasionally noticed that older nuts don’t process as well. If they won’t move past the powder stage, try pouring in a little oil while the motor is running (nut or seed oils are best, like almond or sesame oils, depending on what you are making, or any neutral flavoured oil). This should help encourage the nuts to move to butter stage a bit more easily.