How to Make Cashew Nut Butter

Nut butter on a fruit like banana or apple is such a delicious and relatively nutritious snack. This was my first go at nut butter and I decided to make a cashew nut butter … now I wonder why I have not made this before. There is so much depth of flavour in this home made cashew nut butter. It is like a grown up version of the classic peanut butter.  In February I started on a zero waste/reduced waste journey and that includes making my own staples like broth, bread and now nut butters.

Making my own nut butter was a simple easy process that also costs less than a store bought nut butter. A rough calculation tells me that homemade costs about a fourth of what a store bought one would cost. Not bad, right? Of course another benefit of making your own cashew nut butter also means that you can control the ingredients and quantity that you make. It really is rather brilliant.

Cashew Nut Butter Recipe

250 g raw cashews

1 pinch salt

Roast the cashews in the middle of a 180c oven for 8-10 minutes. The cashews should become a light brown colour. Let them cool slightly and then add, together with the salt,  into a blender or food processor. *remember to be patient when you start* When you start blending the cashew nuts it will first become a fine grain. Then it will clump and often at this point you will think it is going wrong but it is not. I recommend letting the blender rest every two minutes and during this time scrapping down the blender to make sure it is blending correctly.

This process will take about 10-15 minutes depending on your blender or food processor. Towards the end the mixture will get quite hot but this is also when the oils start to get released and everything comes together in beautiful cashew nut butter harmony. I recommend not dipping your finger in for a taste no matter how amazing it smells … personal experience.

Once you have your cashew nut butter transfer it to a sealed container and keep in a cool dry place. I keep mine in the kitchen and have not noticed any separation. Of course if your kitchen is on the warmer side you may want to keep it in the fridge.

It is important to note that it is not necessary to add any sort of oil to this. You may want to while the mixture is looking crumbly but this is not needed. As the Brits would say, “keep calm and carry on”.

Enjoy your homemade cashew nut butter! Any personal recipes you like? Share them below.