How to Make Cashew Nut Butter At Home

How do you make your own delicious cashew butter at home?

If you have ever wondered how to do it, you’ve come to the right place. Cashew butter is smooth and delicate, it can be a great addition to your breakfast cereals, be a perfect spread on top of a freshly baked slice of bread, or even serve as a creamy base for your next raw cake.

The problem is: buying cashew butter from the store can be quite expensive in the long run. Compared to peanut butter, for instance, it usually costs two to three times as much. The most affordable way, therefore, is to make it yourself at home.

The ingredients you need

What’s quite astounding: If you have a look at the ingredients, you might be surprised to see there’s only one ingredient (sometimes two). Can you guess which one?

Correct! It’s cashews (and sometimes a pinch of salt, as well).

Nut butter - no matter if cashew, almond, or peanut - consists essentially of nothing more than ground nuts. That’s it. Yes, sometimes there is oil, sugar, or other additives as well, but they are not necessary. All you need is your choice of nuts or seeds, and that’s it.

How to make cashew nut butter

And here comes the main challenge, already:

Nuts are usually quite firm and solid. So how do you turn something that is firm into a smooth, runny cream?

The answer is: you have to blend it - and it’s best to use a high-speed blender for this. Not every blender will be equally suited for making nut butter.

The weaker your blender is, the longer you will have to blend the nuts. Once you start blending, some nut pieces will tend to stick to the sides of the blender at some point. Make sure to pause the blender and scrape down the sides with a spatula before you continue.

Don’t be discouraged if the cashews still stay solid after the first few minutes of blending. It will take a while until the nuts start to release their natural oils and transform their consistency. This could take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes (depending on the type of blender you have).

Also, make sure that the quantity you prepare is not too little. It makes sense to use at least 2 cups of nuts (around 250 g, or 8.8 oz) for making nut butter. This will make it easier for the blender to turn the cashews into a smooth paste.

A little tip: toasting the nuts before blending them will make them more flavorful. You will have nut butter that is richer in flavor.

Toasting cashew nuts is quite straightforward. Simply add them to a baking tray, then roast them in the oven at 180° C (350 °F) for around 12 to 15 minutes. The right time depends on the strength of your oven, and how strong you want the roasted flavor. Obviously, the longer you leave them in the oven, the stronger the flavor becomes. 

>>> How to toast nuts and seeds to boost their flavor! <<<

So, are you ready to make your own cashew butter? Let’s get started.

How to make cashew butter at home

Ingredients

3 cups of cashew nuts*

¼ tsp salt

 *If you make cashew nut butter, we advise you to use at least 2 cups of cashews (possibly even more). 

Instructions

1. This step is optional: Bring an oven to 180 °C (350 °F), place the cashews on a baking tray, and toast them in the oven for around 12 minutes (depending on your oven). 
2. Let them cool down slightly, then add them to a high-speed blender. Add a pinch of salt.
3. Blend them until they reach a creamy, smooth consistency. Depending on your blender, this might take up to 10 minutes. You might need to pause every minute and scrape down the sides of your blender.
4. Transform your cashew nut butter with a spatula into a glass jar. Let it cool down before adding the lid on top.
5. You can keep your cashew nut butter in the fridge for several weeks or even months.