An easy 20-minute walnut butter recipe, in which your food processor does all the work.
Optional and tasty additions include sea salt, honey, and coconut oil. I love this butter plain, but my family members prefer it with added flavors.
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 result is wonderful! It's tasty, creamy, and perfect for breakfast or as a filling snack.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. 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. The optional ingredients are indeed optional, but the butter is a bit on the bland side without them.
Instructions
Making this homemade walnut butter is so easy. 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 detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
You start by toasting the walnuts in a 350°F oven for 8 minutes. Let them cool slightly. You can skip this step if you prefer raw butter. Personally, I find that the toasted version is more flavorful.
Your next step is to 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 with a rubber spatula.
Now add the salt, honey, and coconut oil and process to combine. That's it!
Frequently asked questions
This is purely up to you. You can slightly complicate things by lightly toasting the walnuts prior to processing them. Raw walnuts 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.
It's very tasty if you like walnuts. It's not as flavorful as peanut butter, though, and the plain version (unroasted with no additions) has a very mild flavor. My family members prefer the roasted and flavored version.
Yes. Nut butters in general can be frozen in an airtight container for 3-4 months. They don't actually freeze completely because of their high fat content, but the freezer temperature helps them stay fresh for longer.
Additions to the basic recipe
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 above, the plain raw butter is very mild. So if you prefer bolder flavors, do feel free to add more ingredients such as sea salt, honey, and coconut oil. See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
Serving suggestions
I confess that I love eating walnut butter with a spoon! It's also excellent on a toasted English muffin, on almond flour bread, or you can spread it on banana bread.
If you don't mind the carbs, it's wonderful when you spread it on fresh fruit such as bananas or apples. It's also very good with celery sticks.
Storing leftovers
Leftovers last for several weeks. I recommend keeping them for up to 4 weeks, in a sealed glass jar in the fridge.
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Recipe card
Homemade Walnut Butter Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups raw shelled walnuts (12 oz)
Optional:
- ¼ 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
NUTRITION PER SERVING
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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, and Country Living. 