How to Make Cashew Butter with Raw Cashews
Raw cashew butter is such a delicious, healthy snack or recipe ingredient, but it can be hard to find and expensive to buy. Making your own raw cashew butter is quick and easy, and it only takes a few simple ingredients!
When we started our journey towards healthier eating, raw cashew butter was one of the foods we wanted to add to our list of staples. The problem was that it was so expensive! I decided to try making it myself, and we absolutely loved it. It’s smooth, creamy, and slightly sweet and salty. It tastes even better than what we would buy, and it saves us lots of money in the process!
Is it Healthy to Make Your Own Raw Cashew Butter?
Besides being delicious, raw cashew butter is full of so many amazing health benefits you’ll want to start eating it every day!
Can increase lifespan – Cashews are extremely high in unsaturated fats which has been linked to preventing premature death.
Protect against disease – Antioxidants, which cashews and coconut oil are full of, can protect your body from various diseases including cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
May help with weight loss – Studies have linked diets high in nuts to a reduced risk of weight gain and obesity. Coconut oil may also have fat-burning properties.
Improves muscle and bone health – Cashews are high in protein which is essential for healthy muscles and bones.
Quick source of energy – Your body is able to quickly absorb the fat in coconut oil which makes it a quicker source of energy than many other types of fat.
Antimicrobial and antifungal properties – Coconut oil is known for fighting disease-causing bacteria and fungus in your body.
Improves brain health – Coconut oil increases the ketones in your blood which improve brain function and may even help with certain brain-related health issues such as seizures and Alzheimer’s.
Is Making Your Own Raw Cashew Butter Actually Cheaper?
While there are various places to purchase cashews and cashew butter, I’ve found that it’s always significantly cheaper to make raw cashew butter yourself.
For example, I source a lot of our food from Azure Standard due to their low prices and high quality. From their company, cashew butter is around 4 times more expensive than cashews.
How to Use Cashew Butter
There are so many delicious ways to eat it!
Boost smoothies and shakes – Cashew butter adds protein, healthy fats, and a slightly sweet flavor to smoothies and shakes.
Use as dip for apples – Cashew butter and apples makes for a quick and delicious snack that will keep you satisfied!
Use as a spread on toast – Nut butter on toast is a classic for good reason. It’s a tasty way to add extra nutrition to your breakfast or a snack.
Spread on pancakes – It add wonderful flavor to pancakes and will help keep you satisfied for longer.
Add to oatmeal or other hot cereals – Hot cereal can get boring, and cashew butter is a great way to add wonderful flavor and nutrition!
Substitute in recipes calling for peanut butter or other nut butter – The options are endless! Cashew butter cookies, protein bars, energy bites, breads, muffins, you name it! If you can find a recipe calling for peanut butter or another nut butter, try substituting cashew butter for a fun and healthy change!
How to Store
Store cashew butter in airtight glass containers or jars (such as mason jars) in the fridge. It will keep for at least one month.
In the fridge, the cashew butter will become firm, however, you can let it sit on the counter for a little while to soften again before using.
Tools You May Need
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Ingredients
Raw cashews – If possible, organic is best. You can use whole, halved, or chopped cashews or anything in between. Usually I find that cashew pieces are the cheapest which include a variety of sizes. If you want to make this on a regular basis, buying cashews in bulk makes a big difference in cost.
Coconut oil – Unrefined, cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil is the highest quality and healthiest.
Salt – Sea salt or Himalayan
How to Make Your Own Raw Cashew Butter
First, add the cashews to your food processor and grind until they become powder.
Once they have turned to powder, add the coconut oil and salt.
Continue to grind until the cashew butter is smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides every so often. The longer you let it go, the more oils will be extracted from the cashews which will make it smoother and creamier.
Don’t worry if after a few minutes you still see pieces of nuts! You can just trust the process. Depending on the size of the batch, I will sometimes let my food processor run for over 20 minutes to get the cashew butter as smooth and creamy as possible. If your food processor isn’t as high-powered as mine, you may need to let it go even longer. If you’re making multiple batches, you might even need to give your food processor a break to cool down every so often.
Once the consistency is to your liking, pour into glass containers or jars and store in the refrigerator.
If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments! Tag me on Instagram @violet_rightathome
More Healthy Snack Recipes
Simple Banana & Date Oatmeal Cookies – Gluten-Free Snack Recipe
The Best Coconut Date Balls – Healthy and Easy
The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Cranberry Bread with Chocolate Chips
Raw Cashew Butter
With only 3 simple ingredients, making your own cashew butter is super easy and delicious. As a bonus, it's also full of incredible health benefits!
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds raw cashews
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
Instructions
- In a food processor, grind the cashews until they begin to turn to powder.
- Add the salt and coconut oil and continue mixing until the butter reaches your desired smoothness, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed.
- Pour into a glass jar and place in fridge to thicken and store.
