I’m glowing about TWO things right now and ONE of them has to do with YOU lovely people.
#1 Some of you guessed it. YES, I did make almond butter for the firs time! It couldn’t have been any easier.
Do you have a food processor? Do you like almonds? Then this is a no brainer! This [along with pnut butter] are items that you almost 100% of the time by in a jar at the store. It’s there + it’s easy. What I love about making nut butters at home is that you can control the ingredients that go in it! Okay…on with the post!
Let ‘er rip!! I’ll post the recipe at the end! This part at the beginning was INsanely LOUD!!!
Starting to form almond meal and sticking together. My excitement is building [nerd]. Scrape down #1
Whirling around…now it’s just “humming”
Ohhhh yaaaaaah…we are on our way…Scrape down #2…3…..4…lots of scraping down the bowl
ChunkEE
And THERE you have it. Creamy, thick, almond butter with no added oil, salt or sweetener. You have to be patient as this took about 15min with all of the bowl scraping and processing.
But it’s so worth the wait.
A little more info? Surely. So I used 2c of almonds. I know the price of almonds vary quite a bit. I can find almonds for ~$7.50/2lbs at Natural Grocers here in CO. That price definitely makes AB at home cheaper.
There are appx. 3.5c of almonds in 1lb. 2c of almonds yields about 1.25c almond butter [or a tad less]. In a typical jar [18oz] you’ll get 2c of almond butter. The cheapest AB I have seen is about $6.99. I do know they have a much larger jar [maranatha brand] at Costco for about that same price you will find the smaller jar in most grocery stores. I think it is definitely doable to find deals on almonds [trader joes, natural grocers, iherb.com, amazon] to make this fit your budget.
It was so easy to whip up without any extra ingredients….unless you want to add more ingredients…which I did 
You didn’t think I was going to make plain ‘ol almond butter now did you?
Say hello to mr.vanilla bean. Oh vanilla, how I love thee.
1/2 of the batch got a healthy dose of finely chopped almonds and CHIA seeds!! I wanted CRUNCHY almond butter.
The other half got vanilla beans + ground cinnamon mixed in. Can you see the vanilla bean flecks? hehehe I’m still working on exact amounts of how much should be put in. The cinnamon definitely made it even a bit thicker. The vanilla beans have opened up quite a bit. I’ll have to see how it is in a few days to know how to adjust for next time.
Chris thought the AB’s were both really good. However, they totally stick ALL over your mouth…but as does any good AB 
I have heard some people say they needed to add extra oil to get it thinner. It all depends on preference!
Let me know if you have questions or decide to try this out. I’m going to post photos that any readers send me of recipes they try from my homemade week. So get in the kitchen + send your photos to edibleperspective AT gmail DOT com.
I know you guys always love seeing the messes I make. This wasn’t toooo bad
RAW Almond Butter
- 2c almonds [I used raw]
- Process in your food process for about 15min scraping down the sides as necessary. It will turn from almond chunks, to almond meal, to almond dough, to an almond ball, and finally to almond butter. If you want a richer/nuttier almond flavor you can roast your almond in oven at 350* for about 7-10min. Make sure to stir the almonds every 2min and watch so they don’t burn.
Mix Ins: chia seeds, vanilla beans, cinnamon, coconut, almond chunks, cocoa powder, etc.
Exciting thing #2!!!! You all know how much I love the cookbook Clean Food by Terry Walters. I recently talked to Terry and she was kind enough to offer a cookbook giveaway for my readers!! I think this is a GREAT way to kick off homemade week. Super excited.
A little about Clean Food:
- all of the recipes are vegan
- it is split up seasonally with a FULL menu of recipes for each season
- there are desserts, appetizers, entree’s, etc for each season
- the first 35 pages give a FABulous explanation about eating REAL, CLEAN food and eating for YOUR health
- there is an ingredient index in the front with very helpful information
- each recipe takes up ONE page and they are all clear cut and easy to follow
- there are some unusual ingredients that are worth investigating and trying out
- there are no recipe photographs
- each recipe has a small summary of what the dish is like, what it will do for your body, and/or what other recipes in the book to pair it with
So far, I have tried about 1/4 of the recipes in the WINTER section of the book. Cooking seasonally is amazing. There is nothing better than using fresh ingredients from the season. I urge you not to be scared because this is a Vegan cookbook. You all know I am not vegan. However, I LOVE how I feel after consuming the food I make from this book. I am not weighed down and lethargic. [I am also not just bs’ing about this ] You will notice a difference once you start to eat cleanly on a regular basis…trust me! Chris even says that he feels better after eating meals, like the ones in this book. If you don’t believe me, ask Teri!
Pretty paintings for each season
2 SUMMER desserts!
The page marker you see at the top definitely comes in handy!
To enter: This giveaway will be open until 5pm [mountain time] on Wednesday, March 17th! Sorry this is open to US commenters only. I will use the random # generator to pick the winner on Wed.
- Leave me a comment on this post and tell me one thing you HAVE done, or PLAN on doing, to better YOUR health!
Also, check out Terry Walters blog!
All for now….off to make GRANOLA which was definitely the MOST requested item for homemade week!
~Ashley
join the edible perspective facebook fan page
PDF 
I’ve limited myself to eating out 1-2x per week, max. I feel much more healthy when I pack my own lunches and make healthy breakfasts and dinners!
[Reply]
with my husband’s cholesterol high and my being sick of my weight, I am FINALLY changing my eating. Trying to work in some vegetarian days, and really pushing for more real food instead of ingredients concocted in a lab.
[Reply]
Your almond butter looks delicious! I have recently gone vegetarian and converted to a more natural and raw diet. I eat fruits and veggies everyday and now buy special “veggie cheese” that is lactose free. I also eat vegan hot dogs (which i LOVE) and tofu. I feel so much better physically and mentally now that I dont eat the flesh of animals, and I also take my vitamins daily. I eat more beans and green food, and also buy a vitamin powder from Whole Foods that is wonderful..it has Spirulina in it as well. I also workout more and sit in the steam room at least 3-4 times a week to detox.
[Reply]
Love all the add-ins!! I just got a blendtec so I am on my way to making my own almond butter. Yeah! Thanks for sharing.
[Reply]
Eat tons and tons of spinach!
[Reply]
I make daily efforts to improve my health. Being healthy aids in productivity and endurance. However, sometimes I care a little too much about being healthy. I think being more willing to “go with the flow” and be a bit more laid back will aid in a healthier lifestyle.
[Reply]
I’ve decided to really LISTEN to my body and eat nutritious WHOLE foods to nourish it. My body is smart and knows what it needs….I’ve decided to honor it more than I have in the past, and I feel a million times better as a result. Body love!
[Reply]
I am trying to incorporate all organic and naturally raised meats my refrigerator broke and since then I have not bought anything not natural or healthy I also want to start working out more although I have always wanted to and never can quite get a routine down.
[Reply]
Hi there! I love your blog. I have a recipe file on my computer that I am continually dding to, and lot of your recipes are in it!
One thing that I have done lately to better my health is to start eating more raw nuts and dried fruits for a midday snack instead of other calorie dense and who-knows-what-they-put-in-there snack bars.
I’m a college student trying hard to live healthier and you def. are a great motivator! Plus, last week I added Clean Food to the list of Things I Want, so it would be awesome to receive it from you!
[Reply]
I started weight lifting this past week to start incorporating exercise into my routine. And now that it’s getting warmer here, I’ve started back grilling my dinners. I absolutely love grilled food, and it’s a healthy way of cooking too!
[Reply]
I have started to strenght train!!!
[Reply]
just starting an 80-10-10 type of living, with a few tweeks! today is day 1!
[Reply]
Good work on the almond butter! I’ve made both almond & peanut butter in my Vitamix, THE must-have kitchen appliance in my book.
[Reply]
I try to eat foods in their whole, natural form and of course, limit my consumption of processed foods and nix the white flour and white sugar althogher. I am a vegetarian and love to experiment with vegan cooking as well, so to have the Clean Food Cookbook would be perfect for me.
[Reply]
Being a foodie, variety is key in staying healthy for me. I like to be on the lookout for new ingredients (natural and organic, of course!) and incorporate them into recipe experiments. I’m even starting a blog for my kitchen explorations if I can ever get WordPress running smoothly!
[Reply]
I’ve recently cut out all processed foods and foods with preservatives. Your blog has been great encouragement for sticking with it!
[Reply]
I have been drinking my (delicious) smoothies in the morning and have totally switched out spaghetti for spaghetti squash. SO MUCH BETTER! I would love to win! But if not, I’m still going to buy it:)
[Reply]
i broke up with starbucks and started drinking more smoothies!
[Reply]
I’ve been getting a workout in before work every morning, eating lots of fruits and veggies, and downing water like there’s no tomorrow!
[Reply]
Great blog! Looking forward to checking in on a regular basis. Now off to make my own batch of almond butter. I’m more of a smooth gal myself, but I will add the vanilla. Yum-me!
PS Thank you, Mr. Brown, for the link.
[Reply]
Yum, I love making homemade almond butter. Though I’ve never tried it will raw almonds. I’m not sure if my food processor could handle it?
Because I live in a dorm, it can be hard to get enough fruit and veggies. For quick snacks I’ve been stocking up on fruit from the dining hall, and also veggies for quick meals.
[Reply]
I’ve been working on working out more consistently. I was very stressed out last week, and just couldn’t bring myself to go to the stuffy gym, so my bf and I went for walks after work. So nice!
[Reply]
The most recent change I’ve made to improve my health is adding chia seeds to my oatmeal in the morning.
[Reply]
I have yo-yo dieted for over 10 years. In the past few months I feel I have started making healthy choices that I’ll be able to sustain for the rest of my life. Since I started reading healthy living blogs I have become so much more educated as to what is healthy and have been introduced to so many fun nutritious foods – greek yogurt, green monsters, almond butter and so much more!
[Reply]
I just joined a local farm’s CSA program. This cookbook would be a great way to put all that seasonal produce to use!
[Reply]
I am relying less on meat, and infusing my diet with more veg!
[Reply]
I’ve started to buy all our meat from a local farm about 25 min away. I buy it once a month and it is all hormone free, grass-fed, and much healthier and leaner.
[Reply]
I do yoga, and I have just recently added meditation!
[Reply]
Reduce the amount of processed food… eat a natural, healthy, and varied diet of fruits and veggies that make me feel great! Cook often and cook clean…
ohh, and never leave home without a snack for those ” I need food NOW” moments!
[Reply]
really trying to eat intuitively and as many natural, raw foods as possible!
[Reply]
I’ve learned to love veggies (omg… SQUASH)
and have incorporated healthier options into my life.
It’s been a whirlwind of a ride and I RARELY eat meat anymore… just cant resist the fish!
[Reply]
To better my health (and for some other reasons as well), I have recently decided to commit myself fully to veganism! So far, I love it.
Clean Food sounds amazing! As do all of those almond butters
[Reply]
I love all those Almond Butter ideas!
Lately, I have been focusing on forms of exercise that make me feel healthy both mentally and physically. Being conscious of both these aspects has gives me a much better attitude about it!
I also strive to incorporate as many wholesome and nutritious foods into my diet!
[Reply]
I LOVE that you are giving away this cookbook! It looks like it has some wonderful recipes! What have I done for my healthy/diet? Well, I have cut out all processed foods…and that is a work in progress, but I am getting better and better! I feel great!!
[Reply]
I’m trying to eat more real food and more ingredients I can pronounce. bye bye diet coke! I don’t even miss you! :-0
[Reply]
I just started training for my third half marathon!
[Reply]
I have started working out at least 4 times per week and have incorporated lots more organic foods into my diet!
[Reply]
I am starting to eat more ginger! MY stomach has been bothering me, and it has such wonderful benefits for the tummy. Plus, it’s delicous! I’m substituting it where I’d normally use garlic, and so far, so good!
[Reply]
i eat a vegetarian diet and avoid processed crap.
[Reply]
Fun!
I’m not quite sure of your cost analysis though. What were the side by side numbers? Cost per cup? I love me some Maranatha!
[Reply]
grrr! i wish i had found this post earlier. or at least remembered it earlier. i JUST tried to recreate your masterful almond-maple butter. and it tastes good, but the texture is just not right at allllll! i had another package of almonds, so i’ll try later in the week. you rock, girlie!
[Reply]
Oooh, your almond butter looks fantastic!
Which exact food processor did you use for it/how many watts does it have? I’ve been wanting to make my own nut butter for a while now but my blender sucks and I do not own a food processor (we’re a bit behind on this in Germany …).
Love your blog!
[Reply]
Just made your almond butter
Thanks a heap.
[Reply]
I made this yesterday and it turned out fabulously! Well…I did have to process it for more than 20 minutes but totally worth it. I added honey and some vanilla extract! Never going to buy it again!
Thanks!
[Reply]
[...] got a quick education in making nut butter from this post (and a few others from the same blog), and I attempted a revised (and simplified) recipe the other [...]