If you follow my Instagram (@ellen_whitney) you probably know by now nut butters are my favorite food. Almond, cashew, peanut, pecan, mixed…you name it! The unfortunate part of this love is that all natural nut butters can sometimes cost $14-$20 per jar….and when I eat a jar a week, that is simply not in the budget haha.  Since I’ve been getting raw walnuts lately for $3.99/lb. this homemade batch of Walnut Butter came to a grand total of just $5.50 (Yay for saving money!) and is absolutely in my top 3 favorite nut butters of all time!

walnut butter, diy, diy walnut butter, diy nut butter

Almond butter is usually my go-to butter, but the other day I had a sample of walnut butter at the farmers market, and was inspired to go home and blend up my own since it was SO good- and, in my opinion, walnuts are probably the healthiest nut you can eat because of their Omega-3 content. (1/4 cup provides 113% of your recommended daily value).

walnut butter, diy, diy walnut butter, diy nut butter

Omega 3’s provide the starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clotting and the contraction and relaxation of artery walls (improving blood vessel function). They also help the heart beat at a steady clip and not veer into a dangerous or potentially fatal erratic rhythm. Additionally these fats have been shown to reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure.

walnut butter, diy, diy walnut butter, diy nut butter
My favorite way to eat Walnut Butter is by the spoonful!

Even if you don’t care about the health benefits, between the taste and price of this DIY version, you will be making walnut butter a part of your regular pantry! Oh, and another great quality about this recipe is if you stop grinding it at Step #3 (below) the thick texture resembles cookie dough, and that’s a food I’m ALWAYS in the mood for.  Spread this on toast, melt into a sweet potato, or just take a spoon straight to the jar!

walnut butter, diy, diy walnut butter, diy nut butter

walnut butter, diy, diy walnut butter, diy nut butter
Handmade ceramic leaf plate by Marsha Karagheusian.
walnut butter, diy, diy walnut butter, diy nut butter
Serving size 1 tablespoon? Ok great- this is how I measure 😉

If you’ve never made your own nut butter before, you might be intimidated by this DIY Walnut Butter. But do not fear! This is so much easier than you think.  I will say, having a high powered blender or food processor will make this a much easier and faster process.  I personally use this food processor,and my process looks like this:

walnut butter, diy walnut butter
Step One: Start with 1 pound of raw walnuts in your food processor or blender.
walnut butter, diy walnut butter
Step Two: Grind the nuts for 3-5 minutes until a dusty paste forms. Then, add in the remaining ingredients.
walnut butter, diy walnut butter
Step Three: Continue grinding, and in another 2-4 minutes it will look like this- a very thick, cookie dough like mixture. I often leave it like this because it’s delicious! But if you want it to be a smoother consistency, keep grinding…
walnut butter, diy walnut butter
Step Four: After 12-15 minutes of total grinding time, your walnut butter should be smooth like this. You can always add more walnut oil to make it more smooth, but I find it unnecessary.
walnut butter
Take your sweet potato to the next level by melting some walnut butter in it and then topping it with pecans, cranberries, and golden raisins- yum!

Walnut Butter

Ingredients:
1lb raw walnuts
1/3 cup* walnut oil1/4-1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt

Method:
Grind the walnuts in a food processor for 3-5 minutes until it forms a dusty paste. Then add in the remaining ingredients, and blend until it reaches the texture you prefer (another 3-10 minutes). Store in the fridge!

*Optional, but without it you will end with a thicker texture (really like cookie dough in this case) or you could add more 1T at a time- it just depends on how creamy you want it!

By Food, Recipes, Vegan