The easiest Homemade Cashew Butter you’ll want to make over and over again! Prepare it plain, or make a variety of flavors like cinnamon sugar or spicy savory cashew butter. All versions are vegan-friendly, refined sugar-free, and gluten-free!
Why We’re Crazy for Cashews
If you didn’t already know, we’re big fans of cashews and use them in a wide variety of recipes like our No Bake Chocolate Cashew Fig Bars, Vegan Cashew Cream Sauce, and even these Dairy-Free Lemon Cheesecake Bars! However, our favorite way to use this nut is in our homemade cashew butter recipe.
Better than anything you’ll find at your local grocery store, this nut butter is:
- Created with a base of just 2 ingredients.
- Made with minimal prep time and a total time of under 20 minutes.
- Easy to customize to fit your flavor preferences.
- Great to make in bulk and keep on hand for a variety of recipes.
Which Kitchen Appliance Works Best?
Since this cashew butter recipe only includes a few ingredients, let’s talk about the equipment you’ll need. There are several options, but my preference would be a food processor or a heavy-duty blender such as a Vitamix. When I say heavy duty, I mean durable! This recipe will take a good 10-15 minutes of blending to become store-bought quality smooth, but it’s sooooo worth the wait.
If you use a food processor, you’ll just need to stop every 5 minutes or so and scrape the sides. By the end of 10-15 minutes, the cashew butter will be very warm from the heat of the motor. Not to worry, it will thicken once cooled in the fridge.
One more nutty blending note. If you are using raw nuts, you might want to add a touch of oil during the last 5 minutes of blending. This helps smooth out the batter. However, roasted nuts will not need the additional oil.
Hope that helps! We’ll walk you through the whole process below.
Cashew Butter Ingredients
Below is an overview of the ingredients and recipe. Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details and nutrition information.
- Cashew Halves – We recommend using halves instead of whole cashews so they’re easier to blend. We prefer raw cashews, but roasted cashews work well, too, and add a nice smokey taste.
- Sea Salt – Use as little or as much as you like to suit your flavor preferences.
- Coconut Oil – Technically optional, adding a drizzle of coconut oil can help smooth out the batter if you’re finding it’s still a bit clumpy.
How to Make Cashew Butter
Once you learn how simple and cost-effective it is to make your own cashew butter, you’ll never go back to store-bought varieties again!
- Blend. Add all the cashews, salt, and any seasonings to the bowl of a food processor or blender, and pulse until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed.
Pro-Tip: We like to grind our cashews in a blender before transferring them to the food processor. It’s not entirely necessary but can help make the texture extra creamy!
- Smooth. Add a bit of coconut oil, and continue to blend until the nut butter is smooth and creamy.
How to Store
Once blended, this homemade cashew butter can be transferred to an airtight container or sealable jar and stored in a cool, dry place at room temperature for up to 3 weeks or in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Flavor Variations
We kept this quick cashew butter recipe plain, but you can easily mix and match different ingredients to give it a boost of flavor! For instance, some of our favorite options include:
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla Extract
- Chili Pepper
- Coconut Sugar
- Maple Syrup, Honey, Or Sweeteners of Choice)
- Cocoa Powder
Serving Suggestions
We’ve been known to eat this nut butter straight from a jar with a spoon. It’s that good!
However, if you’re looking for a slightly more civilized way to use it, some of our favorite options include:
Common Questions
Cashew butter is a smooth, luxurious nut butter that consists of cashews that have been blended down into a creamy spread.
Cashew butter and peanut butter are almost equal in regard to their overall fat and calorie contents. However, there is less protein in cashew butter and more carbs in cashew butter. That said, it’s still a great source of vitamins and minerals. So, which is healthier is up to you and your specific dietary needs.
Again, what is healthier will vary from person to person depending on their needs. However, cashew butter generally has fewer calories and more protein than almond butter. Meanwhile, almond butter has less saturated fat and more calcium.
Usually! Of course, it depends on the brand and the store, but more often than not, pre-made cashew nut butter is pretty pricey. If you want to make this recipe even more affordable, try buying the ingredients in bulk!
Yes, just make sure it’s a high-power blender, and adjust the blending time as needed until your desired consistency is achieved.
Sure! To do so, spread your raw cashews in a single layer on a baking sheet. Then, roast your cashews by baking them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-5 minutes or until lightly golden and fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through.
More of Our Favorite
Homemade Gluten-Free Recipes
Looking for more ways to make your favorite kitchen staples at home? Take a look at the DIY recipes below!
Homemade Cashew Butter Recipe
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup + 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Learn how to make homemade cashew butter with two simple ingredients and a variety of flavor options for an easy, budget-friendly recipe to fit all your needs!
Ingredients
- 2 cup raw cashew halves (roasted will work – see notes)
- Pinch sea salt
- Optional Mix-ins: cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla extract, etc.
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil (see notes)
Instructions
- Optional – To make the cashew butter more creamy, first grind the cashews in a blender then transfer to the food processor. This is not necessary but I find that the cashews blend better.
- Add the salt and any desired mix-ins to the food processor and blend for 5 minutes.
- After blending for 5 minutes, scrape the sides of the processor and mix, let the processor cool then begin blending again in 5 minutes increments.
- It usually takes about 15-20 minutes unless you have a high powered food processor. If a creamier texture is desired, add 1 Tablespoon coconut oil the last 5 minutes of processing.
- Once smooth, pour into a glass jar to store at room temperature for up to 3 weeks or in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Notes
Prep Tips – If using roasted cashews, there is no need to add extra oil.
- Prep Time: 1 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: condiment
- Method: blend
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 98
- Sugar: 0.9 g
- Sodium: 12.4 mg
- Fat: 7.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.6 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
My daughter is allergic to coconut. Is there another oil I could use instead?
If you use roasted cashews you might not even need oil. It’s only to thin it out a bit. But if you end up needing oil, maybe try naturally refined avocado oil. It’s a neutral oil. Does that make sense?
I love the recipe and have now made a couple batches at this point. I’m wondering if you have an easy almond butter recipe? I imagine it could be the similar steps but do you think the almonds should be soaked first? Would that make the butter to watery?
Hi Traci! We don’t have almond butter we do have sunflower seed butter recipe! YOu could try making almond butter with this recipe though. I don’t think you’d need to soak the almonds though. It might not last as long if you do. I would use whole raw almonds or slivered almonds without skin for easier blending. Does that make sense?
Here’s the link to our sunflower seed butter. https://www.cottercrunch.com/sunflower-seed-butter/
Yep! I roasted them (skin on) and blended them like the cashews. It worked great. Thanks for the advice. Also- I made our second batch of your cashew butter – oh wow….just so good!
I need a “neutral flavor” nut butter to make vegan ice cream with. My research says cashew butter is the most neutral, a lot of recipes say to roast, and you give that as an option. I know that brings out the oils and can make a creamier/smoother butter, but does it make it nuttier tasting? If I don’t want to taste cashews in my mint chip ice cream, should I leave raw and process/blend longer, possibly with oil?
Hi Lara! The raw cashews have a creamier taste, for sure. Less nutty taste just more gritty texture. You might need a splash more oil or even non dairy milk if you are just going to use it for ice cream vs a nut butter. Does that make sense?
Before I make this cashew butter, I want to know how long I should roast the cashews for a “lightly roasted” cashew? 5 minutes or more? Also, should I roast them on a low flame or a medium flame? I would love to try your recipe, so please let me know. Thank you
Did you buy raw and want to roast them? Or looking to buy already roasted cashews? If so, try lightly toasting then in a skillet until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Came out perfectly. It got light and creamy the longer I ran the Cuisinart.
So glad! Yes, love the longer blend version for extra creamy too Sherry!
Was recently gifted some Raw Organic Cashews and I love Cashew butter. Found your recipe and history was made. I will never buy the commercial product again! Perfect my friend, perfection.
This comment made my day! Thank you so much!
I just made this and it is amazing! I will never buy store bought again! I made in food processor but may try in my vitamin next time. I roasted raw cashews for 10 minutes to bring out their natural oils and added them to food processor with one tsp of maple syrup and vanilla. Next time I’ll try coconut sugar and cinnamon! Thank you so much for this recipe!
So I don’t need to soak the cashews before putting in blender?
I have a high speed blender but not a heavy-duty/high-speed food processor, will it blend well?
Thx in advance!
I didn’t, but if you don’t have a high speed blender, you might try soaking for 10 minutes. I don’t think it will keep as long but still will be nice tasting. Just make sure not too soak too long, otherwise you will have cashew frosting. Haha
How long will this store in a jar for? Is it best to keep it in the fridge or in the cupboard? 🙂
I usually keep mine in the fridge to last longer, a couple weeks. But you will need to let it sit out to soften before using it. Does that make sense? Room temperature is fine for a few days too!
I must be missing something. I’m trying to make this right now and it keeps clumping up and stopping my blender. I used both maple syrup and coconut oil. Maybe it’s time for a new blender?
Oh no! What type of blender do you have? You definitely need a high powered blender. Do you have a food processor?? That might work better. You could also add a little bit of almond milk to the batter to help at thin out. That should do the trick except for you’ll want to keep the cashew butter in the fridge after you make it. Keep me posted
I’m going to make my own cashew butter using your recipe. In the last year at my grocery store (major east coast chain) the price has gone from $5.99 for 12 oz to just recently $7.69 for 12 oz!! Time to get my Oster blender out that crushes ice to make this easy adaptable recipe! Thanks so much! Report on results to follow!
Wonderful! Yes, save that money! <3
I made this homemade cashew butter with cinnamon for the first time. It is the bomb! I will never buy store bought again. I believe it is much more cost effective to make your own as well. It was super quick and easy to make in my Cuisinart food processor. Clean up was much easier than a blender. I’m still a peanut butter girl at heart, but this sultry and smooth cashew butter spread on a sprouted whole grain english muffin with berries for breakfast, or really anytime, really satisfied my taste buds. Thank you Lindsay! Congratulations on your successful business! 🙂
I really need to try this. I buy the Artisana Cashew butter and it’s wonderful but So Expensive!
right?! I feel ya! this is so easy and affordable.
There is something SO fresh and beautiful about homemade nut butter. I can imagine this being absolutely wonderful.
I agree-you can taste the quality! I think you’re going to love this
This is really amazing! I had no idea that making cashew butter was this easy!
So agree!
Love this! So much better than any store bought.
One of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made. And now I’m addicted!!
Thank you for this recipe, I’ve always wanted to make my own cashew butter!
Love this so much more than the store bought kinds I have tried!
Homemade nut butter makes a great gift too!