Homemade Almond Butter

Never buying store bought nut butter again! Those were my first thoughts after tasting this fresh, smooth-but-gooey, slightly crunchy, delectable, homemade almond butter. This is food heaven for me. Raw. Delicious. Nourishing. What’s even more exciting is how quick and easy it is to make! All you need is a powerful food processor (I use a Magimix 3200xl, 640 watts), almonds (of course) and a little himalayan crystal salt…just be sure not to use table salt!

But almonds are quite fatty, you say? Well, admittedly I used to think that too. I knew eating nuts was supposed to be an ‘on occasion’ type of snack, but when I started learning more about eating clean and healthy, I learnt about the nourishing qualities within these little goodies which made it easy to see why they are actually so much better for you than most snack foods out there!

Here are 6 reasons you should start eating more almonds:

1. Just 1/4 cup of almonds provides the body up to 8g of easily digestible protein! Balance that with a variety of other plant-based proteins throughout the day (think broccoli, spinach, kale, other nuts/seeds) and you increase the chance of getting all the essential amino acids required to make a complete protein.

2. They have cholesterol lowering properties, containing the heart healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

3. Eating almonds every day can actually help to maintain weight because they are so nutrient dense, and keep you feeling fuller for longer. Thanks to the high fibre content, almonds also contribute to a healthy gut with their prebiotic properties.

4. Great for the skin, almonds are a rich source of vitamin E which can help fight the signs of ageing.

5. Another fantastic plant-based source of calcium! Boost the absorption by consuming almonds with plant-based foods containing vitamin C, such as an almond milk/acai/berry smoothie, yum! (Recipe to come)

6. When ground down to a flour, almonds can be used as a gluten free alternative to wheat flour in baking.

So without further adieu, here is the recipe. Enjoy this smeared on some chopped banana slices, between soft dates, added to smoothies or when baking healthy treats like my raw caramel slice (also coming soon)!

Here’s to some healthy snacking!

Ingredients

2 cups plain raw almonds
1 tsp Himalayan salt (or to taste)

Instructions

Start by slightly roasting the almonds on a baking tray in a 180C over for 5-10mins. This will help to draw out the natural oils from the nut which will make blending a lot easier.
Keep an eye on them, you don't want them to burn or start to cook, otherwise it will affect the overall taste and consistency of the almond butter. Once removed, leave them to cool down for another 10mins or so.
Once cooled, depending on how strong your food processor is (you might want to do 1 cup at a time), start to process the almonds.
Keep processing for a good 10mins. You will need to scrape down the sides from time to time.
Be patient. The almonds will start to form a clump as the processor continues, and at this point is very close to reaching a smooth consistency.
Press on, scraping where necessary, until the almonds form a paste. Don't stop here! Keep the processor going until you reach a creamy, smooth texture. You can throw in a handful of almonds to add some crunch if you like.
Once smooth, spoon into a glass jar or airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week.