Why It’s Time to Add Homemade Nut Butter to Your Diet
Almond, peanut, cashew, walnut—nut butters are the perfect hearty and healthful diet staple for fall.
Nuts are nutrient powerhouses filled with protein (important for muscle growth and maintenance), healthy fats (which may lower bad cholesterol levels) and fibre (to help you feel full longer). But you don’t just have to nosh on a handful of raw almonds to reap the rewards. Instead, try integrating homemade nut butters—which are often healthier than store-bought varieties—into your snacks, meals and desserts. They’re a wonderful addition to a well-rounded diet and can even give dishes a dose of richness.
The benefits of homemade nut butter
Making your own nut butter instead of buying it at the store means you can customize it to your specific tastes and needs. You can…
- Skip the preservatives.
- Avoid additives like salt and sugar, which fill many commercial nut butters.
- Sprinkle in your own spices and extracts for unique flavour.
- Set your blender time so the butter is the exact texture you prefer, from chunky to smooth.
How to make nut butter with a Vitamix
Making creamy peanut, almond, cashew or walnut butter is easy to do with Vitamix’s aircraft-grade stainless steel blades and cool-running motor. Now celebrating 100 years of helping people introduce whole, healthy foods into their lives, Vitamix features an angled container, which creates a vortex, so all ingredients are folded back toward the blades for a smooth texture every time. It makes eating—and living—healthy that much easier.
Directions:
- For about two cups of butter, start with four cups of roasted, unsalted nuts. You can even roast them yourself on a baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
- If you prefer, simply blend raw nuts with a little bit of coconut milk or a neutral oil.
- Place the nuts in your Vitamix and start on low speed, before moving quickly to high speed.
- Use the tamper to move the ingredients toward the blades until the mixture blends smoothly on its own.
- For a grainy texture, blend for just one minute. For a smooth, creamy butter, mix for up to two minutes.
- If you like a bit of sweetness and subtle flavour, you can add honey, maple syrup, vanilla, cocoa, cinnamon or cardamom. Start with small amounts, like a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup and a ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon or cardamom.
Using homemade nut butter in fall recipes
To give your comfort food a nutritional boost this autumn, just add nut butter. It’s perfect for topping oatmeal, mixing into smoothies, sauces and soups or baking into cookies, bars and muffins.
You might like these tasty recipes:
- Banana Quinoa Breakfast Cookies: These cookies are packed with filling, nutritious ingredients like flax meal, rolled oats, almond butter, roasted cashews and quinoa.
- Sweet Potato Brownies: A healthier take on traditional brownies, these treats feature almond butter alongside sweet potato, applesauce, dates and chocolate (of course!).
- Caramel Apple Peanut Dip: This tasty four-ingredient dip is perfect for serving with apples.
- Cashew Energy Balls: Looking for a snack on the go? Pack these energy balls, which include cashew butter, rolled oats, raisins and coconut.
- Chipotle Peanut Sauce: This super-simple peanut-and-chipotle sauce works for homemade Pad Thai, chicken wings or veggies.
For more recipes for the whole foods you love, or to find the Vitamix that’s right for you, visit vitamix.com.
