Homemade Cashew Butter

We need to talk.

About cashew butter and why you should let those wannabe nuts change your life.
When I started my journey into the world of good and healthy food I read a lot about good and bad fats. I learned that butter and margarine are not really that healthy for you. And let’s be honest, they don’t really hold that much taste. So I tried to find some fun and delicious alternatives for it. First thing I encountered, and it was love at first sight, was the divine avocado. It is called ‘natures butter’ for a reason. Ever tried mashed avocado with smoked salmon on your bread? You should. Admittedly, the rich and creamy taste of avocado might go well with savory food, but when it comes to sweet spreads you want to avoid it.
This was the moment, when cashew butter came into my life. Well, nut butters in general are pretty awesome, but it happened that I just bought a full bag of cashews and after some research I made my first batch of cashew butter.

The cool thing about cashew butter is its variety. You can use it as a butter substitute for both, sweet and savory spreads. I personally love cashew butter with sliced cheese, oregano and chili flakes. Or cashew butter with jam and cinnamon.
You can use it as a baking ingredient like in this Cashew-Coconut-Pancake Recipe or a base for some delicious and healthy wraps.
Nut butters are available in many bio or vegan supermarkets but they can be quite expensive, so if you can get some fresh or roasted nuts for less money, consider making it yourself, it is really not that hard to do 🙂

How to make cashew butter

If you own a food processor you should have no trouble at all to transform your solid, crunchy nuts into a soft, homogenic, buttery texture. Just make sure to check your processor from time to time to prevent it from overheating. Let it cool down if necessary and give it some breaks.
If you don’t own a food processor but only a hand-held blender I cannot make any recommendations. Especially if it’s a cheap one, it might not be suitable for this (my hand-held blender got demolished last week because I wanted to blend cooked beetroot into my soup. Beetroot!! What a pussy blender. It deserved to die). So, please don’t use a hand-held blender and point your finger at me when it breaks. Instead find a friend or family member who has a food processor and start a nut butter party!

Of course cashew butter is just one of many nut butter versions. If you like experimenting you can surely try it with lots of different nuts that will all vary in taste (some are sweeter, some are more bitter), calories and price, such as:

• walnuts
• hazelnuts
• almonds
• peanuts
• pecan nuts
• para nuts
• pistachios
• macadamia nuts

Homemade Cashew Butter

 

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Portionen / Serves: 1 - 2 Glasses

Zutaten / Ingredients

• a handful of cashews
• optional for different flavours:
• salt
• vanilla
• chili
• cinnamon

Zubereitung / Instructions

1. Soak the cashews in water for a couple of hours (not longer than 8 hours) to make them softer and neutralize the phytin acid. This is especially important if you consume high amounts of nuts daily.
2. After the soaking pour away the water and add your cashews into the food processor and then let it slowly start chopping.
3. Give your food processor a break from time to time when it gets too hot.
4. Be patient and persistent. It can easily take you 20-30 minutes if you want your result to be extra creamy.

Anmerkungen / Notes

You should store the cashew butter in the fridge and use it up within a week. If you're not sure if it's still good just take a smell at it or taste it.

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