An easy homemade walnut butter recipe, where your food processor does all the work. Optional and tasty additions include sea salt, honey, and coconut oil.
I love nut butters. I have a wide selection of store-bought nut butters at home, including peanut butter, almond butter, and sunflower seed butter.
But when it comes to walnuts, it’s not so easy to find the butter version in stores, so I like to make it at home using this simple and easy recipe.
The ingredients you’ll need
This homemade walnut butter is wonderful. It is nutritious, tasty, creamy, and perfect for breakfast or as a nutritious and filling snack. And you’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make it. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
- Raw shelled walnuts.
- Optional ingredients: Sea salt, honey, and coconut oil.
How to make walnut butter
This recipe couldn’t be any easier. All you need are shelled walnuts, a food processor, and a little patience. The process takes 10-15 minutes, and the food processor does all the work, as you can see in the video below.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
Start by toasting the walnuts in a 350°F oven for 8 minutes. Let cool slightly. You can skip this step if you prefer a raw butter.
Process the walnuts in your food processor until very smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. Stop a few times to scrape the sides and bottom.
Add the salt, honey, and coconut oil and process to combine.
Should I toast the walnuts first?
This is purely up to you. You can slightly complicate things by lightly toasting the walnuts prior to processing them. I usually use raw walnuts, because I find they produce the creamiest result.
Toasting the walnuts does enhance their flavor though. The raw butter is very mild. If you prefer a more pronounced flavor, certainly toast the walnuts first. It’s not difficult to do.
What should I add to my homemade walnut butter?
You can add tasty additions such as honey, sea salt, and coconut oil. But you don’t have to.
I actually don’t add anything, because I really like the natural taste of walnuts. All I want is to reproduce the taste of walnuts, with a creamy and spreadable consistency.
But as I said, the plain raw butter is very mild. So if you prefer bolder flavors, do feel free to add more ingredients. See the recipe card below for specific suggestions.
How to eat it?
I confess that I love eating it with a spoon! It’s also excellent on a toasted low carb English muffin, on almond flour bread, or you can spread it on paleo banana bread.
If you don’t mind the carbs, it’s wonderful when you spread it on fresh bananas or apples.
How long does it last?
Several weeks. I recommend keeping it for up to 4 weeks, in a sealed glass jar in the fridge. You can probably keep it longer, but I tend to be on the conservative side when it comes to storing food.
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Walnut Butter Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups raw shelled walnuts (12 oz)
Optional:
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- If you’d like to toast the walnuts, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until fragrant, 8-10 minutes. Allow to slightly cool.
- Transfer the walnuts to your food processor. Process on high, stopping 3-4 times to scrape the sides with a spatula and allow the food processor to rest, until smooth and creamy, 10-15 minutes.
- If using the optional additions, now is the time to add the sea salt, honey and coconut oil to the food processor. Process until smooth and fully incorporated, 1-2 more minutes.
- Keep the walnut butter in an airtight container. I keep it on the kitchen counter, but I use a little every day so it only lasts about a week. If you plan to store the walnut butter for longer, I suggest storing it in the fridge. If stored at room temperature, some oil separation will occur – stir before using.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.