Making Nut Butters?

[possumannie]

Can anyone explain how to make raw nut butters? Is it just putting the nuts into a food processor and pulsing until...mushy? lol

[Frugal Raw]

Yes, but it really depends on your food processor. I burned a cheap one out trying. They can also be made in a vitamix...

[possumannie]

Hmm...well I don't have one right now, but I am going to borrow my uncle's and it's pretty good. I am trying to find ways to satisfy my sweet tooth! lol

[Frugal Raw]

Oooooh!!! Sweet tooth? Rawk on over to the food area, and look for Yana's caramel - it's intoxicating!!! I added some maple and some vanilla extracts (both were organic/alcohol free). I was also really desperate, and used what I had in the house - deglets and sunny seeds (I soaked them both). I can only IMAGINE how penominal it would have turned out with the medjools and brazils!!!

[Garlic]

how do you make nut butters in a vitamix?
like would I just put the almonds in, with no other ingredients, and just turn it on and it becomes almond nut butter?

[Rubyred]

how do you make nut butters in a vitamix?
like would I just put the almonds in, with no other ingredients, and just turn it on and it becomes almond nut butter?

I've made almond, walnut, and pecan butters in my Blendtec (like a Vitmix).

I actually took pictures of the entire process and have been meaning to post a thread on it. I may as well post the pics right now.

You don't need anything but a good blender, nuts & a thermometer.


http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond1.jpg

This is about 60 seconds of blending. I started with cold almonds.
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond3.jpghttp://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond1.jpg

[Rubyred]

Just to give you an idea of the process. I blend at 30 second intervals, and then scape down the sides of the blender. Here's what the almonds look like.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond5.jpg http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond6.jpg

Notice how fast the temperature rises! AT this point I will put the mix into the refridge for a bit, or into the freezer for no longer than 15-20 minutes.
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond7.jpg

[Rubyred]

Sorry some of the pictures are not posting directly. :mad:

Here's the same batch after coming out of the refrigerator. I didn't add any oil, but notice how the natural oils from the almonds are beginning to come out.


http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond8.jpg http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond10.jpg

[Rubyred]

This is after a little more processing. You have to keep scraping down the sides of the blender which is kind of a pain, because I'm blending at 30 second intervals.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond11.jpg http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond12.jpg

Notice just how quickly the temperature rises once the nuts become more buttery. I don't want the temperature to rise above 105 degrees. So at this stage it goes back to the refrigerator.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond13.jpg

[Rubyred]

Now it's beginning to look like almond butter. I taste it at this point and if it's too grainy tasting, it's back to more blending.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond14.jpg http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond15.jpg

[Rubyred]

And finally! It's done. There is nothing like your own home made nut butters! :p I keep the nut butter in the refrigerator so it won't go rancid. It keeps for a while. I really don't know how long because I will go through a jar in a months time.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond19.jpg http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r285/RubyReds_pics/Food%20Blog/almond18.jpg

There is really a lot of natural oils in nuts as you can see. It's just a matter of blending enough to release them, and at the same time keeping the temperature down to keep it raw. Enjoy the butter.

[rawstrength]

Thank you rubyred! I didn't know that. I have made nut butter like creations in my vitamix before, but I usually add honey, oil or vinegar (depending on the flavor I want) to make it more liquidy.
About how many ounces of nuts do you use to get a batch that lasts you a month? Do you add any salt or sweetenerse to your nut butters for flavor, or do they taste good as is?

[queenfluff]

Wow, yeah thanks!

rubyred, I have the same blender (how I love my BlendTec!) and I have made nut butters in it before. Were you using the "Grind Nuts" cycle?

I followed the instructions in the Blendtec recipe book for nut butters- which sound like what you might have done? - I notice mine gets pretty warm. I am not able to take temps though.

Just wondering how many times did you "blend and scape"?

I have to admit I get tried of doing it after a while and settle for the slightly grainy butter.

Oh, a tip, I noticed if I grind my nut in a coffee grinder (I have a really nice Cuisinart one that holds alot of nuts) and than move them to the blender I get better results. I also add water to mine.


Edit: Oops, sorry, I meant "Grind GRAINS" cycle!

[Rubyred]

Thank you rubyred! I didn't know that. I have made nut butter like creations in my vitamix before, but I usually add honey, oil or vinegar (depending on the flavor I want) to make it more liquidy.
About how many ounces of nuts do you use to get a batch that lasts you a month? Do you add any salt or sweetenerse to your nut butters for flavor, or do they taste good as is?

It depends on the nut, and how much you want. Of course the more nuts you use the longer it takes. It took me about 13-15 minutes of total blending time to make butter from 2 cups of almonds. That doesn't include scraping time and refrigerator time. I like to make enough butter so it will last for a few weeks at least. The natural oils keep it from going bad - think of store bought butters that have nothing but nuts and salt. For walnuts I might put 4 cups, pecans 2-3 cups, almonds 2 cups. It makes anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup.

I'm still experimenting. I have added salt and that came out fine. I have also made 'alive' butter. I soaked the nuts and then dehydrated for almost 48 hours to make sure they were completely dry. (If you tried to make butter out of wet nuts it would spoil pretty quickly) I made a mix of hazelnuts and almonds. It seemed to come out fine but I'm not 100% sure because I not sure if it was the soaking or the hazelnuts that gave it a different taste. I'll have to try with only almonds. I have never tried adding a sweetner. If I did maybe it would be best to mix it in after the blending was done?

[Rubyred]

Wow, yeah thanks!

rubyred, I have the same blender (how I love my BlendTec!) and I have made nut butters in it before. Were you using the "Grind Nuts" cycle?

I followed the instructions in the Blendtec recipe book for nut butters- which sound like what you might have done? - I notice mine gets pretty warm. I am not able to take temps though.

Just wondering how many times did you "blend and scape"?

I have to admit I get tried of doing it after a while and settle for the slightly grainy butter.

Oh, a tip, I noticed if I grind my nut in a coffee grinder (I have a really nice Cuisinart one that holds alot of nuts) and than move them to the blender I get better results. I also add water to mine.

First I just press the whole foods button a couple of times. Then I go to the Multi-Use mode, and then use Medium Energy. That seems to give the best time (around 25 sec) and best speed.

I think I got help from the book. You pretty much have to scape after every blend which is why it's a pain and can take a long time. I throw it in the refrigerator when I get sick of the blending. I think the biggest problem is the NOISE!

You can use a candy thermometer - easy to find and not very expensive. Or just stick the whole thing in the refrige when it begins to feel warm to the touch. You would be surprised at how high the temperature is when it only feels barely warm (around 101 degrees)

I love my Blendtec too! But dang, that thing can be LOUD!:eek:

[Garlic]

WOW!!
thanks a million for the lesson and the visual.
perfect!!
I'm going to try that.
better than spending $9.00 for a 4 oz. jar of almond nut butter!!!

[Rubyred]

WOW!!
thanks a million for the lesson and the visual.
perfect!!
I'm going to try that.
better than spending $9.00 for a 4 oz. jar of almond nut butter!!!

The cost is the reason why I started to blend my own butters. And frankly, it doesn't get any fresher when you blend it yourself...

[walnutty]

Do you use soaked almonds OR soaked and dehydrated almonds?

[Rubyred]

Do you use soaked almonds OR soaked and dehydrated almonds?

I usually use unsoaked nuts, mainly because of time. But I have soaked them and then dehydrated them before I blended. If they are wet when you blend them the butter will spoil more quickly. So you can make 'alive' butter that will keep for a while if you completely dry the nuts. It takes a bit of time because I dehydrate at a low temperature.

[walnutty]

Great, thanks! I have 5 pounds of soaked and dehydrated almonds ready for recipes...looks like I'm making almond butter!!!

Thanks for the pictures to guide me through the process...:)

[Rubyred]

Great, thanks! I have 5 pounds of soaked and dehydrated almonds ready for recipes...looks like I'm making almond butter!!!

Thanks for the pictures to guide me through the process...:)

Walnutty, would you let us know how your 'alive' butter comes out?

[walnutty]

Yes!, absolutely.

[debilana]

can this be done in my cuisenart food processer???:confused:

[Rubyred]

can this be done in my cuisenart food processer???:confused:

I have read threads where people said they used a Cuisinart. It just takes more time than using a high-speed blender. There are threads somewhere on that.