Introduction
Anybody who likes peanut butter must surely enjoy other nut butters. One that springs to mind is almond butter which if made at home is not only healthy and full of nutrition but also incredibly easy to make. Most almond butters or spreads as they might also be called are great as low sugar snacks with biscuits and bread. Most would claim to be excellent fare for anytime of the day but I think it is either breakfast or a tea treat.
For those on a keto diet, just look at what nut butters in general are available. The nut butter perfectly fits in with the idea of a keto diet staple.
You might care to try the recipe at the end of this piece.
The Almond Board Of America is the main agricultural body promoting almonds. They are advertising almond butter as a clean label-friendly alternative to peanut butter. It offers a nutty creaminess as they put it to make a softer bar product and filling. If the almond butter is combined with roasted and diced almonds, and even more interesting crunch can be added.
Almond butters also come with added flavours because it is a nut that lends itself well to other distinctive variants. Take a look for these: vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon, honey etc.
Who Are The Commercial Suppliers?
The main suppliers of almond butter from a commercial perspective are the following:- The J.M. Smucker Company, EdenNuts Inc. Cache Creek Foods, Once Again Nut Butter, Futter’s Nut Butters, Barney Butter, Zinke Orchards, Maranatha, Nuts’N More.
What Is Out There In The Market Place?
Most commercial butters use almonds from California. Indeed this state accounts for most of almonds coming out of the USA. Generally speaking most almond butters will offer 220 calories per serve which is usually around 2 Tbsp (32g) as with Justin’s Nut Butter.
The other interesting feature of almond butter in particular is the option of two way of preparing it. The first is to vigorously grind raw almonds with a neutral flavoured oil which allows the almonds to blend into the oil. This makes a pliable and runny style paste. The alternative and now a method that is finding great favour with nut butter officianados is to roast the almonds in an oven.
Look for butters that contain 6 gram of protein in amongst a fat content of about 19 grams total fat. All these butters are cholesterol free. It may be that some contain dietary fibre which might be in the form of added fiber from the almond itself.
Some of the famous producers include Barney & Co. which makes a great play from its state-wide presence and the fact that it is also peanut free. We all know that with peanuts, allergens are an issue but they have managed to ensure their products are free from this nut.
All Barney nut butters are produced using an expellar. The almonds used are non-GMO and the defatted product does not have any additives in it. Look out for their smooth and crunchy variants and for the one that contains chocolate.
One other brand to look out for is Justin’s based in Boulder, Colarado. Justin’s Classic Almond Butter is a pan-national product that is only known for its clear and unaffected packaging but an exceptional product. It comes in a 16 oz. (454 grams) jar. As with all good quality almond butters and spreads this develops the flavour using dry roasted almonds and some palm oil to help with spreadability. The serving size is 2 Tbsp (32g) and contains 220 calories per serve. Also look out for the Vanilla Almond Butter variant which is reviewed by many for its distinctive mellow and characteristic vanillin notes. Also look for the maple syrup variant.
Quite a few bloggers have tried to recreate Justin’s Cinnamon Almond Butter and having tried a few, I do not think they have yet surpassed this particular version.
Who else is there ? Well, Amazon have their own brand which is described as RX Nut Butter in a vanilla add-on.
See if you can find Julie’s Real which appears to be only available in the USA retail sector. The jar variants are all 9 oz. and include Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Almond Butter.
They offer not only jars but single serve packs which is appropriate for snacking and pic-nics. The variants on offer come in 10 sets of sachets providing 1.15 oz.. They too have various flavour variants including Cinnamon-Vanilla, Cacao Espresso in the same single-serve format.
Once Again have a formidable range of almond butters. You can find Blanched Almond Butter and Maple Almond Butter for example. This last variant is comparable in texture to the unflavoured nut butters but adding maple syrup produces a slightly sweeter, more polarising taste that many may find more amenable to their palates. It is marginally darker in colour and this version has some skin fragments throughout. is there a hint of vanilla in it – we do not know ?
We like the American Classic Natural Almond version which is said to be creamy and no stir alluding to the issues of separation that can occur. Even larger pots are available. The company offers 9 lb buckets of Natural, Creamy Almond Butter which is unsweetened and salt free. This almond butter is prepared from lightly toasted almonds for a better flavour.
Organic butters are available both sides of the Atlantic. Biona Organic do a Crunchy Almond Butter as well as the smooth version which they suggest will ‘feed your skin and nervous system’.
What Almond Butter Works For People With Diabetes
OK, nothing added is a good start for diabetes sufferers. There is Georgia Grinder’s Salt-Free Almond Butter but we also know that if you check the labels, there are a number of varieties which we have already mentioned that fit the bill. This one is only using roasted almonds and there are no peanuts because it is prepared in a peanut-free facility.
The spread contains 7 grams of carbohydrates (carbs), 7 grams of protein in a 32 gram serving. It has a strong flavour and is a good balance of fat, protein and dietary fiber.
Whilst it might not suit diabetics, Oprah Winfreys’ favourite almond butter is Georgia Grinders Maple Caramel version. Some consumers think this is possible the best of all.
Squeezable Packs
For convenience, almond butter comes in handy squeezable packs which adds to the sense of convenience and removes the need for a knife. Unfortunately, part of the joy of getting any butter from a jar is that satisfying bit of knowledge of literally scraping out the last bit of paste. Justin’s have a few up their sleeve. Look for their classic almond squeeze pack.
Powdered Forms Of Almond Butter
One of the innovations in recent years from Barney has been the powdered form of almond butter. Obviously, the standard non-nonsense powdered form is available but they have a chocolate version too which helps extend the range.
What else can we say about their offerings ? The almond butter is 50 calories per serve with just 1 gram of fat and 5 grams of protein. 
Almond Butter In Snack Bars
Kind have a breakfast protein bar which contains almond butter. As well as providing almond butter they build on the Kind premise of a healthy bar. This one has 5 super grains – oats, millet, buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa. the food is a good source of protein (8g per serve), and there are 20 grams of whole grains in each bar too. Another grain bar is the Almond Butter Dark Chocolate which is gluten -free and comes in 1.2 oz. sizes. We also noticed some nut butter filled bars from Kind, one of which is Honey Almond Butter.
Vegan protein bars are also available. Check out GoMacro’s Organic Vegan Protein Bar with Banana and Almond Butter which comes in 2.3 ounce bars.
Which Is Better? Almond Butter Or Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is by far and away the most popular nut spread. Peanut better has a much higher protein content but surprisingly less fat. Peanuts are also much cheaper to grow and easier to process, and they are more readily available. A number of peanut butters contain a variety of ingredients that almond butter has generally steered clear of. Many peanut butters contain additives, hydrogenated oils and sugar. These have all been added to improve spreadability, reduce oil separation and the general sweetness of the food. At the moment almond butter is free of these because many producers want to operate on a clean-label platform.
Peanut butter does contain on average more saturated fat and less of the unsaturated types. One feature about the fat content though: peanut butter contains polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) whilst almond butter is richer in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Each type pf fatty acid has its own particular health benefits.
From the mineral perspective, almond butter is a good source of a variety of minerals and vitamins which peanut butter is somewhat short on pound for pound. Almond butter is a source of riboflavin (vitamin B2), magnesium, calcium and iron. It cannot contain at least double the fiber content of most peanut butters.
Most nutritionists concede that whilst peanut better is a better staple, almond butter has some specific health benefits compared to peanut butter. The mineral and vitamin content is one significant aspect as is the higher fiber content in almond butter. Both spreads however should be considered as part of a balanced nutritional diet.
The Recipe For Homemade Almond Butter
The one piece of kitchen equipment you need is a good food processor or a blender. Our recipe makes about 4 cups of almond butter which is just over 32 ounces.
Ingredients:
- 6 cups (32 ounces) raw almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (sodium chloride)
Additional flavourings can be added to make interesting variants. We’ve tried 4 tablespoons of maple syrup or a good quality honey, or you can add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Preparation:
- Heat the oven to 220ºC (350ºF).
- Place the almonds on a large, baking sheet on a metal tray.
- Toast the almonds for 10-12 minutes. Check after 5 minutes to see if any burning is occurring.
- Allow to cool to about 30ºC or just above kitchen ambient temperature.
- With the blender of the food processor whirring, add portions of the cooled almonds. Continue until a slightly chopped nut mixture is created. Use a spatula or wide spoon to scrape the sides until all the mixture is fully blended in. Many culinary artists like to see a ball of almonds forming clumps against the side. The whole mixture should then turn into a soft gooey mass. It’s also likely that the whole mixture will heat up slightly. Just leave to cool.
- Add any other ingredients once the almond butter has turned into a soft paste.
- Continue with the tip-ins as it were until all is evenly dispersed throughout.
- Allow the whole mixture to cool to ambient (room) temperature. Spoon the mixture into a sterilized (heated) glass jar and firmly screw the lid on.
- Keep at chill temperature in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Check for spoilage because there will be off-odours if it has not been stored properly
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