Almond butter

While almond butter can cost a small fortune to buy, the good news is it is very easy, and affordable, to make yourself.

What you’ll need

Two cups raw almonds
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Step 1

Place the almonds and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the almonds to break them up into small pieces. Continue pulsing until the almonds resemble course crumbs.

Step 2

Turn the food processor on and allow it to run for five minutes. Turn off the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Process the almonds for a further five minutes.

Step 3

By this stage your almonds butter should be thick, creamy and spreadable. If it’s not yet there, continue to process the mix for up to five more minutes, or until it reaches your desired consistency.

Toasted hazelnut butter

Add a little more crunch to your nut butter by toasting the nuts before whizzing them up. While you can do this with any nuts, hazelnuts work particularly well, bringing out their natural sweetness that pairs perfectly with dark chocolate and a range of desserts.

What you’ll need

Two cups raw hazelnuts
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Step 1

Start by toasting the hazelnuts in a preheated 180°C oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, tip them into the food processor and let them cool for 10 minutes with the lid off. Sprinkle the salt oven the nuts then pulse the hazelnuts to break them up into small pieces. Continue pulsing until they resemble course crumbs.

Step 2

Turn the food processor on and allow it to run for 6 minutes. Turn off the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Process for a further 5 minutes.

Step 3

By this stage your hazelnut butter should be thick, creamy and spreadable. If it’s not yet there, continue to process the mix for up to five more minutes, or until it reaches your desired consistency.

Pecan and almond butter

Almonds can be teamed up with other nuts for a whole range of other flavours. Here pecans have been used but walnuts, cashews or Brazil nuts can all be used in their place.

What you’ll need

One cup raw almonds
One cup raw pecans
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Step 1

Place the almonds, pecans and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the nuts to break them up into small pieces. Continue pulsing until they resemble course crumbs.

Step 2

Turn the food processor on and allow it to run for five minutes. Turn off the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Process the nuts for a further five minutes.

Step 3

By this stage your butter should be thick, creamy and spreadable. If it’s not yet there, continue to process the mix for up to five more minutes, or until it reaches your desired consistency.

Use nut butters with

There are endless ways to use these nut butters; however, we think these are some of the best ways to incorporate them into your dishes:

Swirl them through hearty soups for a little crunch
Add to your favourite smoothie for a little nutty goodness
Drizzle over porridge and top with banana and a little honey
Use in place of peanut butter is biscuits, cakes and muffins
Try making nut butter cups using the best dark chocolate you can find and finishing with a sprinkle of finishing salt.