Last June, my blog buddy Ashley came for a visit! It was our first time meeting ‘in real life’. I was nervous and basically had hot flashes anticipating her arrival.
Luckily, we hit it off. :)
We bonded over foodie gifts..
Oatmeal.
[That would be my favourite VOO –> Cherry Chocolate Bomb Vegan Overnight Oats]
Photography…
And hiking!
Oh, and nut butter. It was on this visit that Ashley gave me some of her Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter and Salt-Kissed Cashew Butter. Before then, I was always a Homemade Raw Almond Butter kinda gal, but she inspired me to experiment with other homemade nut butter flavours!
I have since made 4 Ingredient Dark Chocolate Almond Butter…
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Pecan Butter
Clearly my nut butters are simply another vessel for chocolate. I blame PMS.
Yesterday, I made a spin-off of Ashley’s Vanilla Bean Maple Almond Butter. It was also inspired by Naturally Nutty’s Cinnamon Vanilla Almond Butter made with chia, flax, and hemp seed that I spotted on Kath Eats. I thought the idea of adding chia, flax, and hemp seed was a great way to sneak in more nutrients.
And I’m totally down for anything that gives me another reason to eat nut butter!
Maple-Cinnamon Superseed Almond Butter
Yield
1 1/4 cups (310 mL)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is easily the most delicious almond butter I've ever tasted! The secret to this incredible nut butter is to coat the almonds in maple syrup, hemp hearts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds, and then roast it all until fragrant and golden. After processing for about 5 to 10 minutes, it turns into the creamiest, "drippy" nut butter ever. I love adding a healthy portion of cinnamon, fine sea salt, and pure vanilla bean powder (or extract) to take it over the top. You'll be enjoying this spread straight out of the processor bowl—I can promise you that! I recommend using a heavy-duty food processor when making nut butters; the smaller machines just don't have the power to do the job and might burn out.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole raw almonds
- 2 tablespoons whole flaxseeds
- 2 tablespoons hemp hearts
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon (7 mL) coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) pure vanilla bean powder
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together the almonds, flaxseeds, hemp hearts, chia seeds, and maple syrup until combined.
- Spread the almond mixture onto baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- Remove from oven and allow the almond mixture to cool for 10 minutes before placing into a food processor.
- Add the almonds into the food processor along with the coconut oil. Process for about 5 to 10 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl every 60 seconds, or as needed. (Be sure to leave the processor chute uncovered so the steam from the almonds can escape.) The mixture will be very drippy and smooth when ready.
- Add in the cinnamon, salt, and vanilla and process until combined.
- Remove the almond butter and store in a glass jar or a container with an airtight lid. If the almond butter is still warm, allow it to come to room temperature before securing the lid.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Have you ever made homemade nut butter before?
It is really quite easy if you have a processor or blender that will do the work. This recipe requires more time than any nut butter recipe I have made before (due to the almond roasting), but it was so worth it in the end!
Mix together the almonds, chia, flax, hemp, and maple syrup. Spread out onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through, at 300F.
After 30 minutes of roasting:
Eric came into the kitchen when I was making this yesterday morning and he said, ’Mmm it smells amazing in here! WOW!
When I told him that I was making nut butter, he was crushed (he hates nut butter).
He thought I was making waffles!
I pity the fool.
For the first 5 minutes of processing, stop and scrape down the bowl every 30-60 seconds as needed. In the initial stages, I stop every 30 seconds or so.
After 5 minutes (half-way point):
After 5 more minutes of processing, my nut butter was ready! I added in the cinnamon, salt, and vanilla around minute 9.
I won’t tell you how much fun licking the bowl is. That would just be mean.
It makes about 1 and 1/4 cup.
The result is an almond butter with a deep roasted flavour and layers of nuttiness with just a hint of sweetness. I didn’t detect the chia, hemp, or flax flavours specifically, but I was happy knowing they were in there!
I enjoyed some apple slices spread with nut butter and strawberry jam.
I
Unreal!
The clean up for this photoshoot was also a good time. ;)
If you’d like to make chunky almond butter, you can process or chop some almonds and then stir it back into the almond butter. I think I will try that next time!
Does anyone know if I can make nut butter in my Vitamix without a DRY container? I’m scared to ruin it!
Have a great Monday!
I just made this and OMG! This is so good!!! Getting ready to cut up some apples as we speak! It was so easy and so yummy!! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I am enjoying your site! Lots of great recipes!!!!
glad to hear!!!!
I love your camera!! :D
I especially love that you used Hemp seeds in this! You don’t see that very often! :D
xoxox
Kathleen
Could I make this with pre-roasted almonds instead of raw, and a mix of honey and golden syrup instead of maple syrup? Maple syrup isn’t readily available where I live.
I would guess that yes you could substitute those ingredients, but I’m not positive since I have not tried it before. Goodluck!
I just made this almond butter a few minutes ago and i am enjoying it with a banana right now. AMAZING! Mine didn’t turn out quite as creamy as yours, more like a paste, but who cares when it takes this delicious! Thanks for the great recipes! I always look forward to seeing what you come up with!
I made this almond butter yesterday and it’s absolutely amazing. i didn’t put the cinnamon though, thought it would take away from the maple syrup.
Love your website Angela, lots of great recipes and great pictures, i’ve even made your website my home page!
aww thanks!
o.m.g.
I am sitting in front of my television dipping my scraper into my vat of almond butter and licking away. SO DELICIOUS! Thanks Angela!
haha NICE!!! You just described…my entire winter? lol
Hi Angela! I just have to say I made this last night and ate some right away. It was so delicious and this morning during my workout I felt SUPER FUELED. It’s magic… Thanks :)
i dont get it, i have a kitchen aid food processor which looks just like this one and i processed it for 20 minuites and it has barely done anything exept get stuck ever 2 seconds!!! im pulling out my hair, what do i do? definatley NO butter in sight!
Hi Angela!
I’ve made this recipe many times :) LOVE it!!!
Actually, my question is about the spoon and the red bowls in the picture. I have been shopping around for some new things for the kitchen, and was wondering where you got the little red bowls? It is so cute! What about the green measuring cup? A good set of those would be nice…
Thanks!
Sophie
How do you store your nut butter? In the pantry or do I need to refrigerate? How long does it last?
Thank you for answering my questions! Can’t wait to try the recipe!
xoxo
Janie
I store it in the fridge and it will last over a month in an air tight container :)
I don’t have any hemp seed, do you think this would work without it?
yes for sure! Just make sure you use a heavy duty processor as smaller processors sometimes can’t make nut butters.
I made this this afternoon in my Vitamix, and it is AWESOME! I have one question though regarding making your own homemade nut butters: How long do they last? Should they be refrigerated? I look forward to checking more out on your blog! You have lovely photos!
:)
Hey Natalie, Yes for sure put it in a container in the fridge. It will last for a while- at least 2-3 weeks if not longer. Enjoy!
I just made this delicious nut butter, and then I added it to some of the banana soft serve I made…yummy! Quick question…is it better to refrigerate the nut butter or not? Thanks for yet another awesome recipe!
Yes I always refrigerate the nut butter – it can last over a month or longer in the fridge! :)
Thank you for continuing to inspire me ;)
I just made this and it is delicious!! It is my first homemade nut butter ever and I am very impressed. Of course I knew your recipe wouldn’t fail me, I have so much success with all of your recipes!
Shoul this be stored in the pantry or in the fridge?
I “made” this with raw almonds. I don’t know what happened but it NEVER turned into almond butter. Hours and hours in the Cuisinart, still a lumpy, greasy mess.
On the bright side, though, I found that that lumpy, greasy mess made the most EXCELLENT little Tootsie Rolls.
Yes, you definitely can use the wet container of your Vitamix. In fact that’s the one you’re supposed to use for nut butters. Roasting helps the almonds release their natural oils, thereby making a more successful and quick nut butter. I finally bought dry roasted almonds, no salt, no added oil. After numerous unsuccessful attempts at making raw almond butter in a food processor and my vitamix, the dry roasted almonds were like a miracle! Delicious, creamy and warm almond butter in my vitamix super fast, probably under three minutes. Yes, you do use the tamper and it’s a good workout for your arms, but oh so worth it!
I just made this maple cinnamon almond butter and it’s AMAZING. I normally don’t like almond butter, but this one is a keeper. yum.
How long does this keep?
how do you store you’re almond butter? Fridge? Pantry? Im curious as to which keeps it at a better consistency…obviously fridge will keep it longer, but I’m not concerned with this sitting around too long :)
Vitamix: I make nut butters in it all the time. Typically cashew or sunflower which are softer, but i add melted coconut oil to it to aid the blending process which make my vitamix should less like its dying.
I know this is an older post, but in an attempt to make yummy, not full of sugar vegan presents, I gave this recipe a whirl. Delicious! I am labeling it hippy almond butter (because of the hemp seed- and to be funny). Also, I start all almond butter in my (wet)Vitamix pitcher (to crunch everything evenly) then process in my cuisinart. It’s more to clean but doesn’t overheat the food processor as much. Plus you can make a smoothie after too. Thanks for your creative recipes! All the best!!
So I made this delicious recipe but did not have a food processor strong enough. It never really turned into butter. What it did make is an amazingly delicious sprinkle for my overnight soaked oatmeal and yogurt. Absolutely wonderful.
I know this is an older post, but I have been trying to make almond butter at home (for a couple years) and it has not turned out at all. I have a regular food processor and an 800W blender. I had tried the processor on several occasions and it would puree the nuts, but would go no further with them. So this time I started them in the blender and it whirled them until they stuck to the sides of the blender and the blade simply spun around without touching the butter. So I transferred the goop to the processor and whirled away. I worked on the mess for 3 days (not a total of 3 days, but as time permitted). I finally got the nuts to form a ball, but the processor got so hot you couldn’t touch the base and every time I took the lid off to stir the nuts, smoke came out. My almond goop never got smooth and creamy. It was like a playdough paste and would go no further. Is that because I don’t have a powerful enough processor? Or was i doing something incorrectly. This got so frustrating I finally gave up. Thanks for any tips you can offer.
LOVE THIS! I tried to make it today and it wasn’t turning into a creamy paste and was so dry. I used dry roasted almonds, may be it’s that? So I just added 1/2 cup of almond milk and kept spinning and it finally turned out the way i like it.
This sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it! How long does it stay good for and does it need to be refrigerated or not? Thanks :)
I made this almond butter and it is to die for! My husband can’t get enough and my friends keep bugging me to make more. I will next try the 4 ingredient chocolate almond.
Thanks so much for sharing your recipes, can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
:)
If I only have ground flax can I use that? If so, how much do I use?
Looks amazing and nutritional with nuts like almonds which are good for brain health
I’ve been trying to make the Almond Butter in the food process0ror but even tho the blend was steaming, it is still crumbly and won’t hold together. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong? I processed it for at least 15 minutes.
Hi Elaine, Sorry to hear that! What kind of food processor are you using? I find smaller machines don’t always work. I use a heavy duty 12 or 14 cup processor by Cuisinart and it works every time. Hope this helps!
I have made this a number of times. The only time it actually “worked” and looked like creamy almond butter whas the first time. While it always tastes delicious, every other the almond butter doesn’t stick together. I have pureed it for up to 20+ minutes. Any ideas? Thanks so much!
I tried this receive twice but couldn’t get to look how it looks in the picture so I have two questions?
Q
1. How to roast nuts and seeds without sticking? since I am using maple syrup, most of the seeds just sticks and I can’t even use them
2. And how do I get liquid constitancy? I have ran the food rocessor for about 15 minutes and it was still a bit hard not the kind I see in the picture.
I made this and nearly ate it all in one hit. It taste majestical :D
I attempted this last night in my Vita-mix…I DON’T have a dry container. So…I read the instructions in my Vita-mix manual for making Peanut Butter. Said to blend raw peanuts for 1 minute, no more than that or it will mess up the unit. So I blended the almonds for 1 minute…no luck. I let it rest for 2 minutes then blended for another minute. still not good, it was a dry heap of almond powder! I added some coconut oil and it started to come together, blending in 30 second intervals. I was so scared to mess up my machine!!! BUT…I was dying to make this!! I ended up with a dry paste-like consistency, BUT, I must say, it is VERY tasty…just hard to spread. I spread it on my granola bar this morning and it was SOOOO good!! I dont have a food processor, and really thought the Vita-mix would work…oh well…still got some tasty spread, just not ooey-gooey…
Yummi! I just found this recipe and went straight to my kitchen ;) It’s so good. I spread it into a pitted Medjool-Date – amazing. Thanks for sharing , Angela
New to all this. Just overhauling my diet. Love the recipe and your site. How long will this keep in the refrigerator?
Just made the maple cinnamon almond butter and the dark chocolate almond butter. So easy and so delicious. Bringing first batch to my daughter in college. Second batch for me. Would make a great Christmas treat/gift. Thank you!
Angela – This maple cinnamon almond butter is out of control good! It was my first time making nut butter, and as I sit here licking the bowl i know i’ll never get store-bought again. Thank you!!
Looks fantastic! I want to try to make this for my boyfriend’s mom as a Christmast gift. Can you use ground flax seed in place of whole?
Awesome recipe! How do we store it? At room temperature or refrigerate it?
Hi Cindy, I store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
Thank you very much for sharing this awesome recipe, been searching for a good almond butter recipe, this look like the one.
Hi Yvonne, I hope you like it if you give it a try!
This is BY FAR the best nut butter I have ever made or tasted! Thank you! I don’t think you can use your vitamix to make nut butters. Not wet enough and motor will burn out! I will never complain about my very heavy Cuisanart food processor again! It did the job great for this recipe;)
Always looking for a bit of sweetness to add to my lunch, and this coupled with sliced apple totally did the trick. LOVE IT!
Glad to hear it, Lori!
After poor results for this recipe from the Oh She Glows Cookbook I came online to see if I could read some comments from anyone suffering from the same thing. I just couldn’t get my butter to be creamy. The problem became clear on this site .Upon reading the ingredients here, 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil is called for, in the book 1-2 TEASPOONS. Big difference to be sure even considering here there is flax,in the book there is not.
As usual most comments were about how great a recipe sounds and not how good it tastes.
For those of you who are having trouble with this recipe and are fortunate enough to have both a good quality food processor and a high speed blender, I found a solution.
So I am a boring and predictable person who likes routine, and one of my routines is having a piece of sprouted bread with some sort of nut butter (and sometimes some chia jam if I’m feeling crazy) for a snack every day. So, suffice to say I have made my fair share of nut butters over the last few years.
This one was the most stubborn and difficult one I have ever made. I processed it with a full tablespoon of coconut oil until I feared the death of my processor. It got liquidy but not smooth – still chunks of nuts and seeds throughout. I tried to let my processor cool down and give it another go but I guess I had WAY overheated it. And then I spied my Breville Boss.
With about 30 seconds on the “Blend” setting (it’s a medium speed setting for those of you with Vitas and Blendtecs etc.), I had the smooth and creamy consistency pictured above.
The verdict? It’s pretty good. Worth it this time, but I won’t be remaking it. Probably more of a 3.5 just due to the struggle (it took me 2.5h all told – including the measuring/roasting/cooling) but I’ll be generous. :)
This looks great, and I think I’m going to make this as a gift for a friend. How long do you think this would keep?
Hi Robin, Oh, I hope your friend loves it! What a lovely idea for a gift. Stored in the fridge in an airtight container, it keeps at least a month.
Hi Angela, I make almond butter all the time in my wet vitamix container and I always have to add a little bit of coconut oil to get it going well, but once it is made, the oil goes to the top and I drain it so that I don’t have too much oil. It always turns out great. I am excited to try your recipe in my vitamix.
I need help. this totally seized on me! I sprouted and dehydrated my almonds and added to vitamin with 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil and 3 T maple and the almonds got super creamy/blended – but it’s still a weird consistent with pockets of oil/liquid. Can’t get it ymmy and smooth, anyone else having issues?
Hey Carol, Water tends to make things like this seize. Is it possible your almonds weren’t fully dehydrated? I have never tested this recipe with sprouted and dehydrated almonds before.
Hi – I did some research and I think it seized because I used maple syrup direct,
I think when you cook it – it turns into sugar and not a liquid and therefore doesn’t seize.
But if there is additional help please let me know!
Also – I SEE YOU POSTED WITH MY FULL NAME – please remove just my first name please – did not realize it would be published this way!!! Thanks!!!
I just made this in my vitamix with out the dry container. Worked just fine. And the almond butter was delicious!
I really want to make the almond butter bad but my Vita Mix is 30 years old and aluminum. The first time I tried, I put 2 cups of raw almonds in and all I got back was almond meal. :(
I made this today but it came out so much darker looking than yours. I had flaxmeal on hand and used that instead of whole flax seeds. Maybe that is why? Besides that, it is absolutely the best nut butter I have ever smelled or tasted!
I’m so glad you love it even if it turned out darker :) Enjoy!