Homemade Almond Butter Recipe

Almond butter, sooooooo delicious, yet soooooo expensive. I was introduced to this recipe last year by fellow Nutrition Educator Ruby Germono. After making it last night and being reminded how delicious it was, I thought I'd share! First, lets look briefly at the health benefits reaped from the main ingredients of this recipe: almonds and coconut oil.

Almonds are an excellent source of monounsaturated fat, which have shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. They are also high in vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc. Almonds have been shown to lower our "bad" cholesterol (LDL), and are also high in fiber.

Coconut Oil is amazing. Enough said. By now, you all know how I feel about coconut oil, but here's a quick reminder of its myriad of health promoting properties. Coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid, which has been shown to boost metabolism and actually help with weight loss (despite what conventional nutrition would warn against all saturated fats being evil). Additionally, coconut oil is an anti-microbial, and can help with gut (and other) inflammation, it has many antioxidant properties that protect against cancer and degenerative disease, and is a great immune booster. Read my previous blog on coconut oil for more info.

ALMOND BUTTER


Ingredients:

2 cups almonds
3/4 cup coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons raw honey (I'd start with one and then add to taste)
1/2-1 teaspoon sea salt (again, start with just a pinch)

For this recipe, you will need either a powerful blender (I have a VitaMix), or a food processor. If using a VitaMix, put all ingredients in the blender and just go for it. If using a food processor, first grind the nuts and sea salt, then add honey and coconut oil and process until smooth.

You can also use any other kind of nuts! I recommend soaking the nuts first, as nuts, seeds, and grains all
have enzyme inhibitors (designed by nature to protect), however it makes these foods partially indigestible. By soaking (with almonds, soak for 8-12 hours), it allows us to digest more of the vitamin and mineral content and is less likely to cause digestive distress. This is not absolutely necessary, but a good idea!