How to Make Cashew Butter

Name: How to Make Cashew Butter
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 23 min
Ingredients: 3 cups raw cashews; 1 tablespoon neutral oil; ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Yumna Jawad

Published Jan 27, 2023

5 from 8 votes

Learn how to make Homemade Cashew Butter using a food processor and only one ingredient. It's fast, healthy, and economical!

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Prep Time 15

Servings 12 (2 tablespoons) servings

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Once you see how easy it is to make cashew butter at home, you’ll never go back to store-bought! Whipping up a batch of homemade cashew butter is easy and much more cost-effective than buying at a store. I like to keep it on hand as a healthy ingredient to include in recipes such as stuffed dates, added protein in smoothies, or as a topper on pancakes, toast, and oatmeal. It’s also a fun kid-friendly recipe to make and enjoy together. Keep it simple, or add in some flavors for more variety.

Homemade cashew butter in a small bowl with a spoon dipped in.

Making cashew nut butter at home is such a fun cooking DIY for kids. They get to see the transformation of cashews that they eat whole become something spreadable on sandwiches. You control the ingredients, too, so you can make this cashew butter recipe as simple or enriched as you like with some tasty add-ins.

WHY learn to make your own cashew butter

Easy to make. There are just two basic steps to this homemade cashew butter: roast the cashews until crisp and lightly golden and then blend them into a creamy, buttery spread.
Great for storing. Cashew butter has a decent shelf life, though not as long as store-bought. However, this isn’t an issue, as a batch is usually devoured within the week in our house! Otherwise, you can keep it in the fridge for a few weeks.
Get creative and make it your own. I absolutely love the simple toasty, nutty flavor of a 1-ingredient cashew butter recipe, rightfully so! The flavor and texture combination is incredible. You can certainly take this basic nut butter recipe over the top with flavor combinations to satisfy your cravings.
Tasty addition to recipes. Spread on toast and enjoy all the nutty goodness in every bite, or include it in some recipes. You can stuff it in dates for a decadent treat, or try blending it into this breakfast coffee smoothie to kickstart your morning.

ingredients to make cashew butter

Cashews: Start with raw unsalted cashews and roast until nice and toasty golden brown. This brings out the best flavor in this DIY cashew butter.
Neutral oil (optional): Add a neutral oil like avocado or coconut oil to help thin the thick cashew butter to the consistency you like.
Salt (optional): Salt does wonders for enhancing natural flavors, but you can leave it out.

Raw cashews in a small white bowl with dark specks.

HOW TO MAKE homemade cashew butter

Roasted cashews make the best-flavored cashew butter, so taking this extra step is well worth it. After roasting, the food processor does the work with occasional scrapping of the sides to ensure it blends into a deliciously smooth and nutty nut butter.

Roast Cashews

Place the cashews in an even layer on a large baking sheet.
Roast until they are light golden in color, shaking the pan once halfway through.

2 image collage showing raw cashews on a baking sheet before and after being baked.

Blend Cashews until creamy

Once the cashews have cooled, transfer them to a food processor.
Cover and turn on high, scraping down the side with a spatula when needed.
Continue to blend until it becomes creamy. This may take more or less time, so judge the consistency visually.
Once you’re happy with the consistency and it is smooth with no more crumbs, add the oil.
Blend until the oil has fully incorporated, and then mix in the salt.
Add more oil or salt if desired to get your desired taste and consistency before transferring to a jar or other airtight container.

6 image collage on how to make recipe in food processor by blending, adding oil, adding salt, and then blending until smooth and creamy.

TIPS FOR making the best cashew butter

Use a food processor. Cashews and nuts generally require some time to process into creamy butter, so using a food processor is ideal because it is hands-off and has enough power to get the job done. A high-speed blender should also work, but it may take more time and scrape down the sides more often.
Add oil, or don’t. Oil is a fantastic way to get that drippy cashew butter consistency and helps smooth the cashews if it becomes difficult to blend. But you can skip it to make this an oil-free nut butter recipe.
Add some flavor. I love the clean nutty flavor of cashew butter, but it sure is scrumptious with some extra flavors! Try a mocha cashew butter by adding cocoa powder and espresso powder plus your sweetener of choice. You could also add pumpkin spice,
Make it crunchy. Before starting the butter, add about ⅓ cup of roasted cashews to the food processor and pulse a few times. This will crumble the cashews and can be folded in after the butter is finished.

ways to use cashew butter

On toast: Enjoy it on your favorite sliced bread, pita bread, or even avocado bread.
With oatmeal: Whether you’re making quick microwave oatmeal, overnight oatmeal, steel cut oatmeal, or baked oatmeal, cashew butter makes for wonderful toppings.
On muffins: Try a tablespoon on top of muffins for an extra delicious bite. It’s a creamy, nutty addition to slather-on blueberry muffins, chai vegan muffins, banana nut muffins, and cranberry muffins.
In a smoothie: Just like using peanut butter in smoothies for extra protein and fat, cashew butter works really well. Try it with a banana smoothie, green smoothie, very berry smoothie, or a morning coffee smoothie.

HOW TO STORE cashew butter

Transfer the nut butter to a jar or another sealable container. Store it in the fridge to extend homemade cashew butter’s shelf life and freshness. Unlike storebought, homemade nut butter does not have preservatives and will spoil quicker. Scoop some out and bring to room temperature if you don’t like it cold.

HOW LONG WILL cashew butter LAST IN THE FRIDGE?

You can store cashew butter in the fridge for up to 3 weeks as long as it is kept refrigerated.

CAN I FREEZE homemade nut butter?

Yes! Nut butter freezes remarkably well. A fun way to store this recipe in the freezer is to split it into an ice cube tray until frozen and then pop each nut butter cube into a freezer bag or container. Then, add a cube to your smoothies for a cold nutty flavor. Or, thaw it in the refrigerator and use it as usual.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is cashew butter made of?

You only need one ingredient to make cashew butter, and that’s cashews! Roasted and blended until smooth and creamy, but oil and salt are also common to add in.

How long does it take to make cashews in a food processor?

It can take up to 10 minutes to reach the final smooth consistency and as little as 5-6 minutes. Check each time you scrap down the sides.

Can I use a blender to make nut butter?

A food processor works best, but a high-speed blender should work to make blend this cashew butter recipe. For a blender, you may need to allow the motor to cool after a few minutes.

Is it cheaper to make cashew butter or buy it?

If you buy cashews in bulk, it can cost almost twice as less to make it yourself.

Cashew butter in a mason jar with lid on.

Smooth and full of the best roasted nutty flavor, once you learn how to make cashew butter, you’ll question why you ever bought it from the store! Make with the kids every few weeks for a fun, tasty way to get them eating healthier recipes. You’ll want to keep it stocked up anyhow to add to all your favorite recipes!