Should I soak Cashews for making Raw Cashew butter?

[MaineMomof4]

Hi, I'm trying to make cashew butter with my Vitamix blender and I'm not sure if I should soak the raw cashews before blending them. I saw one recipe that said to just add cashews and add oil, but what oil? I tried it without oil and the mixture was too dry, someone said that if I soak them they will be easier to blend and that I shouldn't have to add oil because cashews are oily. I'm confused does anyone have any advice on what I should do? I think part of my problem making it the first time too was that I didn't use enough cashews because I was afraid to waste them if it didn't turn out right so the cashews weren't blending that great in the blender since there was so little. ANY help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. THANKS! :)

[girlsmiley]

The recipe I saw, from another website, said to put the nuts in the food processor (didn't say anything about soaking) and process. Depending on the nut, their oil will start to come out ... if not, add olive oil - or coconut oil.

I did it with cashews, macadamias, and I just did it tonight with almonds ... I like crunchy nut butter so I didn't add too much oil ... just enough to get it to bind together and it will start to form a ball.

It was delish! :D

[RawGoddess13]

I have a question about cashew butter in a vita mix too...I just made some tonight & it seemed really hot when I was finished. Both the vita mix and the butter. Is this normal when you guys make your nut butters or did I do something wrong? It was my first time. Hopefully this warm temp wasn't enough to cause any harm to the nutrients. Any comments or suggestions are welcome...Thanks.

[andypdx]

I have a question about cashew butter in a vita mix too...I just made some tonight & it seemed really hot when I was finished. Both the vita mix and the butter. Is this normal when you guys make your nut butters or did I do something wrong? It was my first time. Hopefully this warm temp wasn't enough to cause any harm to the nutrients. Any comments or suggestions are welcome...Thanks.
Any food placed in a Vitamix will become warm...and even hot after a few minutes due to the friction caused by the whirling blades. In fact, before going raw, I would make COOKED soups in the Vitamix that would get so hot that steam would actually start coming out of the hole in the cover, and the container would be too hot to handle! If I sense that something in the Vitamix is getting too warm, I turn it off for a spell, then continue after a minute or two.

As for nut butters, I've found that using my food processor seems to turn nuts into butter without getting warm as quick.

[Sunshine9]

No I wouldn't soak the cashews. When I make almond butter I just grind them to a flour, then add just enough oil to keep it blending.

I turn mine off and do it in segments to not overheat. Not because it'll cook, it just seems hard on the blender :)

[Ama]

I agree with Andy, use your food processor unless you have a juicer with a blank screen like a Champion. I have made nut butters in both. I never put any really thick recipe in the blender, it's too much of a strain and they just come out better in my food processor. I use the blender for liquid-y stuff like smoothies, dressings and soups. It's great at chopping up flax seeds or sesame too seeds but I do most other stuff with my food processor.

ETA: an option for the nuts. If you have a dehydrator, soak the nuts and then dehydrate them so they are firm/crunchy again. When you soak them they get very soft which is not ideal for the nut butter. I usually soak and dehydrate a good amount of nuts at once so I always have them on hand.

[Naiad]

I have a question about cashew butter in a vita mix too...I just made some tonight & it seemed really hot when I was finished. Both the vita mix and the butter. Is this normal when you guys make your nut butters or did I do something wrong? It was my first time. Hopefully this warm temp wasn't enough to cause any harm to the nutrients. Any comments or suggestions are welcome...Thanks.

This happened to me when I first started making Alissa's mock salmon and nut butters in my food processor. Now, I help it along more by turning it off periodically and pushing the mixture down with a spoon or spatula. Adding a bit more liquid or oil every now and then helps as well :)

I save the vitamix for liquids like soups and smoothies.

[RawGoddess13]

Thanks for all the input. I will try my food processor next time. For some reason I had a feeling that the tamp for my vita mix would help the nuts grind easier but I was wrong it just got real hot. I would never want to do damage to my vita mix as I am a broke college student and my vita mix was a splurge and it's my baby. (I use it at least 3 times a day, usually more). Also since the the vita mix is long and skinny, I lost a lot of the butter underneath the blades and couldn't even scrape it out with a spatula. I will feel much more comfortable making my cashew butter with my $40 food processor next time anyway. THANKS everyone!!!

[Mom2my10]

MaineMom, I tried soaking the nuts first with disastrous results! They need to be processed unsoaked. Good luck!

[RawZenMama]

I think all nuts should be soaked before using and then if need be, dehydrated before use if the recipe needs them to be crunchy. If you don't soak (germinate) nuts, they are not good for you IMO

[walnutty]

You do not have to soak nuts, but if you don't you will be eating the enzyme inhibitors that naturally come with the nuts. Which sort of defeats the purpose of eating raw and living foods.

After soaking, you just need to dry them before making nut butter. Having a dehydrator is nice for this, but you can also just air dry them.

"Living On Live Food" has a section discussing soaking nuts, including how long each type of nut should be soaked.

[anniez]

I have found that the secret to nut butters is patience! It take a long tiime for most nuts to give up their oils. I turn my processor off periodically and scrape and stir well. You may be giving up too soon. I never add any kind of oil.

Annie