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I grew up eating peanut butter sandwiches. And honestly, I still love the stuff. Oh, I don’t eat bread now, so no more sandwiches. However, one of my favorite healthy snacks is a dollop of organic peanut butter and a cut up apple. Paired with a cup of hot herbal tea, this snack is perfect once or twice a week.
I’ve also enjoyed almond butter and cashew butter. Those jars of nut butters can get pricey though. And it’s important to read the labels, to make sure the ingredients are nuts and sea salt and nothing more.
Recently I’ve wanted to try making my own nut butters. It turns out, the process couldn’t be easier. Check out my first attempt…DIY creamy cashew butter.
Advantages of Making DIY Cashew Butter
The primary advantage to making your own nut butter is knowing exactly what’s in it. I purchased raw, organic, non GMO cashews from Natural Grocers. Although I intended to create almond butter first, the cashews appealed to me! I left the store with a 16 ounce package of cashews.
The nut butter is easily customized with healthy additions such as honey, vanilla beans, cocoa or sea salt. Finally, making your own nut butter saves money, especially when nuts are bought in bulk. And you can make a small amount or a larger amount, depending on your needs.
Creating DIY Creamy Cashew Cream
Cashews have a creamy texture, making them perfect for creating nut butter. They are an excellent source of protein, fiber, vitamin E, calcium, iron, phosphorous, potassium and magnesium. Cashews also provide antioxidant properties. Check out the five healthiest nuts in this post.
I felt like the soft texture of the cashews would easily transform into creamy nut butter. And I was right. Using the food processor creates heat, which helps to quickly break the nuts down into a smooth butter.
The process is so simple.
Step 1
Add two cups of cashews, or nuts of choice, to a food processor. That’s it. For DIY creamy cashew butter there is one ingredient…cashews. I chose raw, unsalted cashews, however experiment with salted and roasted and see which suits you best.
Process on high. The nuts immediately become coarsely chopped and then become a fine powder. Stop the food processor occasionally, to scrape down sides.
Step 2
Continuing processing cashews. As they heat up the nuts release oils. The coarse pieces begin to stick together, forming a paste. Pause again to scrape down sides.
Step 3
Let cashew paste continue to process, until a smooth butter forms. The entire process took about seven minutes for me, stopping twice to scrape down sides…and take photos. Almonds might take a little longer to process.
Stop processor and scrape cashew butter into a glass container. Seal and store in the refrigerator. DIY creamy cashew butter, or any other homemade nut butters, will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. I don’t think mine will last that long!
Enjoying My Healthy Snack
The DIY creamy cashew butter was so easy to make. I don’t know why I haven’t tried this before. Warm from the processor, I enjoyed a spoonful of cashew butter with a cut up gala apple. Perfection! I didn’t add honey, yet the taste was slightly sweet and the butter so creamy. Cashew butter is excellent with sliced apples or pears, on gluten free crackers or bread and used in baking.
I’m excited to make almond butter and perhaps something more exotic, like pistachio butter. I’ll let you know how that turns out!
Use these links to purchase raw organic cashews and almonds.
This is the food processor I use. Click on photo for more info or to order.
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