My homemade cashew butter recipe is incredibly delicious and creamy. Our easy recipe is super simple to make and tastes better than anything from the store!
If you’ve followed us for a while, you already know that we love making homemade nut butter. This easy cashew butter recipe has quickly become my favorite! I love spreading it on toast, stirring it into my morning oatmeal, slathering over English muffins or pancakes, and spooning it into dates.
I love making creamy cashew butter, but I’ve included tips for making it crunchy in the recipe below. For more recipes, see our homemade peanut butter or homemade almond butter.
Key Ingredients
- Cashews: I use raw, unsalted cashews and then roast them for the best cashew butter. You can buy whole cashews, or sometimes, you can find broken cashew pieces that are sold at a discounted price. I also use raw cashews to make homemade cashew cream.
- Oil: I use a tiny bit of oil to help my cashews blend into a super smooth and creamy cashew butter. Avocado oil or coconut oil is perfect.
- Spices: I use a bit of salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. This simple blend makes our cashew butter taste so much better than anything I’ve had from the store.
- Sweetener: I love a bit of honey or maple syrup. I don’t add much, just enough to give it a hint of sweetness.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Cashew Butter
Tip 1: Roast your cashews. I roast my cashews before making cashew butter. Roasting adds 10 to 15 minutes, but trust me, it’s worth it!
Tip 2: Use a food processor. I add my roasted cashews to my food processor (I love using a food processor, but a high-powered blender works, too). The cashews will go through a few stages before they turn into butter. Here are some photos showing them:
In the photos below, you can see how after a minute of processing, the cashews have turned into a powder.
Tip 3: Add a bit of oil. The cashew powder is starting to release some oils. I usually add a little bit of oil at this point to help it along. You can see it looks like a big clump whirling around the bowl, and honestly, it might feel like it isn’t ever going to turn into creamy cashew butter, but it will (trust me).
Tip 4: Add extra flavor. Now we have creamy cashew butter! You can add any flavor like salt, vanilla extract, spices (I like cinnamon), and some honey or maple syrup if you want it sweetened.
Easy Cashew Butter
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Homemade cashew butter is delicious, creamy, and very simple to make! I love spreading cashew butter onto toast, stirring it into oatmeal, and spooning it into dates. We use a 12-cup food processor (10-cup should be sufficient), but a large, high-powered blender should also work.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
3 cups (16oz) raw unsalted cashews
1 tablespoon oil like avocado oil or coconut oil for a slight coconut flavor
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon to ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
¼ teaspoon to ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Honey or maple syrup, optional
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
2Add the cashews to a round or square cake pan (or rimmed baking sheet).
3Roast the cashews for 3 minutes, shake the pan, and then roast for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the nuts are lightly browned and smell nutty ( watch that they do not burn). Let them cool until you can handle them.
4If you are making crunchy cashew butter, add ⅓ cup of the roasted cashews to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times or until the nuts are chopped into tiny pieces. Transfer the chopped nuts to a bowl and reserve for later.
5Add the roasted cashews to a food processor bowl. Process for 1 minute, then scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
6Add the oil, and then process another 2 to 3 minutes until the cashew butter is shiny and smooth. Depending on the brand/variety of nuts you are using, this may take slightly longer. As you process them, the cashews will go from whole nuts, to a fine powder, to a clumpy mess, and finally to a creamy smooth substance. Stopping and scraping or breaking up any large clumps will help to quicken the process.
7When the cashew butter is smooth and creamy, add salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Process for 10 to 20 seconds and then taste. If you feel it needs more salt, cinnamon, or vanilla, add more.
8To sweeten it, add a teaspoon or more of honey or maple syrup and process for another 5 to 10 seconds so that it is well incorporated.
9For crunchy cashew butter, stir in the reserved chopped cashews.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Homemade cashew butter lasts 3 to 4 weeks. I like to store mine in mason jars in the refrigerator.
- Can I make it in a blender? Yes, but you’ll need to use a high-powered blender (which most are). More expensive models with a tamper (like Vitamix) will make the process much quicker.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
I loved this recipe. It found it so easy to follow and really walked me through the process.
Hi, Just bought a vitamix and saw your recipe. If I feel the need to add coconut oul, do I melt it, cool it and then add slowly so I don’t over do it
Melting is a good plan. No need to cool it, though.
I’m sorry I didn’t explain myself very well. Can I use other nuts besides the cashews in the cashew butter recipe to make the butter?
Definitely!
Why in the description before the actual
recipe does it say you use one teaspoon of oil, but the recipe itself calls for a tablespoon? That’s 3 times more oil than the priori information!
Hi Roxanne, Sorry to be confusing. Stick with the tablespoon noted in the recipe. I’ve updated the article to match.
Hi I’ve made this several times. And it’s perfect every time. I use it for making snacks, caramel, for glazes gluten dairy free snacks etc etc. Just wondering. Will washing the nuts before roasting in oven affect the cashew butter in anyway? How about washing then air drying it overnight? Thank you!
Hi there, As long as your nuts are dry before roasting you should be fine. So, either pat them very dry or as you suggested, air dry them overnight.
Delicious and so easy. This was my first time making cashew butter so I kept it basic and your method really helped.
So happy you found us! Thanks for coming back.
I was so excited to try this recipe b/c I love cashew butter but I’ve never made it before. And I love how simple and clean the ingredients are! Who knew it was so easy! Mine turned out a little too thick and dry so I added more oil. (I used coconut oil and it was a wonderful flavor booster!) I used a high powered blender instead of a food processor, so maybe that’s why it didn’t get more creamy? Thanks for the recipe! I will continue to make for many years!
Hi Kayla, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I don’t think it was thick because of your blender, I’m thinking the nuts were just not as oily inside as the ones we used in our video. I’m glad you were able to adjust with the coconut oil, which I can see would add a really yummy flavor! Way to go for going with your gut!
Very simple and direct thank you.
This is so delicious! I have made nut butters before but never cashew and I couldn’t believe how great it is! Thanks Adam and Jo Anne!
Very tasty! Mine was a little thick. Does it have to be refrigerated?
No. The refrigerator will extend shelf life, though.
I absolutely loved this recipe. I did get confused at the beginning because of seeing the 10-15 minutes roasted.
But, now I can see that you meant the whole process took 10-15 minutes. I caught my nuts just in time because not all had overcooked, but now I feel more confident next time. The cashew butter still came out amazing 👏!!!!
Wow, so delicious, easy and less expensive than store bought. I added 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and a drizzle of honey. It was still warm as I spread it on my apple slices. Homerun!
Wow! So easy and tastes amazing. I used unsalted roasted cashews from Costco and added the salt, but the flavor was incredible. The flavor and affordability is perfect. Thank you for time and attention. I appreciated the video as well without all the ads!
So happy you found our recipe, Kimmy. Thank you for coming back!
This is really so easy to make and so much more delicious than imagined. All eaten now so I’m trying the almond butter recipe today.
Wonderful, Susan! So happy you enjoyed it.
Just used the cashews and avocado oil. Made it as a plain butter because I needed it as an ingredient for a savory dish I was making and didn’t have store bought. It turned out beautifully. All I can say is that you have to be patient and wait for the magic to happen✨ I almost added more oil because I was getting impatient waiting for it to turn into butter. A definite keeper ❤️
Hi Victoria, We are thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe! You are correct, patience is key when making nut butter. It doesn’t seem as though it will turn into a silky butter, but eventually it does!
Hello there. What happens if I skip the 1st step of roasting the cashews? Thanks.
Roasting brings out more flavor from the cashews.
Ohh my this is amazing I love that the peanut butter is warm I used native organic keto blend coconut and avocado oil delicious will definitely make again
Wow. Everything about this is so delicious. I added Vietnamese cinnamon and vanilla, just a little salt…oh and some sunflower seeds while blending. We found it delicious but a little dry so added about 2 tbsp of locally sourced Coconut Oil and a little Jamaican Honey but not much because it really doesn’t need it but this is a truly decadent butter.
I like to cook and this is a good recipe and for sure I will try. Thank you. Kind regards Maria