My family loves this homemade almond butter! If you are anything like my family, you go through jars (and jars) of nut butter every week. We eat oatmeal most mornings and always add almond butter on top.
We use a 12-cup food processor (10-cup should be sufficient), but a large high powered blender should also work.
1 pound (450g) raw unsalted whole almonds (3 cups)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Honey or maple syrup, optional
1Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C).
2Add the almonds to a round or square cake pan (or rimmed baking sheet). Roast them for 3 minutes, shake the pan, then roast another 3 to 5 minutes or until the nuts are lightly browned and smell nutty (be careful as they can burn quickly). Let them cool until you can handle them.
3For crunchy almond butter: Set aside ⅓ cup of the roasted almonds. Pulse them in a food processor 6 to 8 times until finely chopped. Transfer the chopped almonds to a bowl and set aside.
4Add the remaining roasted almonds to the food processor. Process for 1 minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5Continue processing for another 2 to 3 minutes until the almond butter is smooth and creamy. It will go through different stages, starting as whole nuts, turning into a fine powder, a clumpy mess, and finally, a smooth paste. Scraping down the sides and breaking up any clumps will help speed up the process.
6Once smooth, add the salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Process for 10 to 20 seconds.
7Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. If you prefer a sweeter almond butter, add a teaspoon or more of honey or maple syrup and process for another 5 to 10 seconds to incorporate it.
8For crunchy almond butter: Stir in the reserved chopped almonds.