Homemade Walnut Butter

Intro: Homemade Walnut Butter

Rich and creamy homemade walnut butter is a great addition to any healthy kitchen. Walnuts are packed with good fats that reduce inflammation and oxidation; they contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA - which is an omega-3 fatty acid) and phenols (which may decrease your risk of developing cancer); they have essential vitamins...and they taste amazing! I could certainly add to the list of benefits that walnuts possess, however, it might take all day! Let's get to making walnut butter!

STEP 1: Grind Walnuts

How to Make Homemade Walnut Butter

In order to make walnut butter you will need walnuts and a food processor! It's that simple!

This is so easy that there isn't really a recipe, just instructions!

• Place walnuts (English halves and pieces) in the food processor and start to grind. Two cups of walnuts will yield approximately 1 cup of walnut butter (maybe a little less).

• Scrape down the sides as necessary with a rubber spatula.

• Walnuts will look crumbly at first but will eventually start to release their oils which will turn the walnuts into a thick and creamy spreadable butter. It will take 5ish minutes.

• Store in an air tight container or a mason jar. Refrigeration isn't necessary.

• Serve on toast, apple slices or pancakes!!

***If you find the texture not to be creamy enough you can add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil. If you like your nut butters sweeter you could add 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup in with the walnuts. Try it without anything first to see how you like it!

Comments

[taricp35]

This is definitly something I am going to try.

[cbflicker]

I really prefer walnuts toasted and am wondering if toasting them first would still make good walnut butter. Have you tried it?

[skillcult]

I have, yes it's very good. I like it both ways.

[cbflicker]

You inspired me to make roasted walnut almond butter. Its really delicious!!!

[ata1anta]

We have black walnut trees here. Been wanting to do something with them but dreading the shelling.

[QazW2]

don't you have to cook the nuts first? or are they cooked during the shelling process?

[wold630]

You do not have to cook or roast the nuts first. I prefer to eat 100% raw walnut butter. You could toast them first if desired, however roasting any nut may alter (in a bad way) the polyunsaturated fats found in nuts. This makes them more vulnerable to oxidation or rancidity.

[TripleThree]

This looks like something I can chew on in days to come.

[JerryY1]

I haven't tried this yet but I think peanut oil would be a better choice than olive oil, this way you won't add any odd flavor, would it be a good thing to try to lightly toast the nut meats first to bring out the oils quicker?

[Mickleblade]

well this is worth a try, I've still got 40Kg in my garage, our tree gifted us with about 100kg this last autumn. If a friend rashly says yes to a bag (thinking, oh you know, a big handful) we give them 8kg!

[lovethebackwoods]

Mickleblade, do you happen to live anywhere near Anchorage, AK (although I have not heard of walnut trees growing anywhere around here) or upstate NY, and may I be your new friend? This looks irresistible! I'm going to have to buy some tomorrow and try this!

[Mickleblade]

Lol, Loire valley in France!

[mrasmussen8]

I live in the only country in the world with a tax in nuts :( (literally 4 bucks for a small bag of walnutty goodness

[WaynneW]

what country is that. I have access to 4 walnut trees this summer.what is the best way get them open

[wold630]

Walnuts are a pain to open. I would Google the best way. I've only done it once and my hands were black because I didn't wear gloves......wear gloves!!!

[Intensescroot]

I make it all the time. I add coconut oil for smoothness, it's tasteless, so the flavor of the walnuts comes through unchanged. Lots better than olive oil. Try it mixed with buckwheat honey...YUM!

[lclaiborne]

This sounds Yummy! But with pecans. They're native the USA, grown here in the south by American farmers (Me!) and have every health benefit of other nuts. Support an American small business and the people we hire, Or just be like Washington and Jefferson, try pecans.

Nothing wrong with walnuts, just obnoxiously pushing the pecans I grow here at home. And this Instructable is brilliant, no more eating nuts whole while lying on the sofa... We gonna make sandwiches.

[wold630]

I will definitely try pecan butter. They are so sweet it would be amazing! :)

[MichiganDave]

I have done this before and I do like your 'ible. May I add one more idea? I bake my walnuts for about 7 to 10 minutes to change the flavor, at 300 F. Pay attention, as I have lost some as they baked too much and too quickly . I view it as an upgrade, myself. Though both ways are fine. That saying a BIG thanks for sharing this with us.

[blomeclown]

A few comments and suggestions, if I may, having made nut butter like this for years.

1. The stuff is AWESOME. Forget about the gourmet, organic, $30.00 per pound stuff that you can get on the 'net. This method and recipe have them all beat.

2. Get the right size food processor. The one I've had for years was too big. It did a great job but it took me almost as long to scrape the walls as it did to make the butter. You don't need to spend a bundle--check your local Salvation Army or Goodwill store. They usually have a few, cheap.

3. If you want to make the butter creamier, try some different oils. My personal favorite is toasted sesame oil. It adds a faint, smoky flavor.

4. Your taste buds can sense much more than sweetness. That maple syrup is something I've never considered since I'm not a fan of sweet butters but I have to try it anyway. Try a pinch of salt as it helps to bring out the flavor in most things. Don't add anything until you've sampled it plain. My personal favorite? Paprika.

5. Get some small mason jars for storage. Nut oils can go rancid at room temperature, although it will take a while. Leave one jar out to keep it spreadable and the rest in the refrigerator to keep them fresh longer.

6. Don't limit yourself to walnuts. Cashew butter is excellent (get the broken cashews, they're less expensive than whole). Hazelnuts are interesting. I've bought mixed nuts from Sam's Club and tossed them in (Brazil nuts make a lot of noise in the processor. Go easy on them, just a few at a time).

7. Enjoy the fruits (or, in this case the nuts) of your labor.