Let's make 2 of my favorite healthy nut butter recipes with unique and delicious flavors:
- A healthy Nutella-like alternative with aromatic Rosemary leaves.
- And a nut and coconut butter with zesty orange flavors.
They come together in 30 minutes and easily fit into a low-carb, vegan, or Paleo-friendly diet.
Creamy and finger-licking good!
Jump to:
- Homemade nut butter is best
- Let's look at the flavors
- What nuts to use
- General tips for making these nut butter recipes
- If you use a high-speed blender like a Vitamix—tips
- If you use a food processor—tips
- How to make a healthy Nutella-like alternative
- How to make a zesty nut & coconut butter
- Substitutions & Notes
- How long does homemade nut butter last—storage
- Other nutty or fruity delightful recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Homemade nut butter is best
It's no secret that making homemade nut butter is much cheaper and much better than anything store-bought if you've already invested in a food processor or high-powered blender.
You only need 1 ingredient, the nuts of your choice. And then there are the endless flavors you can add—a tad of salt, cinnamon, sugar-free vanilla extract, and the list goes on.
My family goes through a fair amount of nut butter throughout the week—it can go on anything.
These healthy nut butters have a super creamy consistency that makes for an easy spread, but they also can enrich mini doughnuts, cakes, chia puddings, or drizzle some on your pancakes and waffles!
I hope you'll try these uniquely flavored nut butter recipes!
Let's look at the flavors
I have been experimenting with homemade nut butter in every flavor imaginable. And I always come back to these two:
- A HEALTHY NUTELLA ALTERNATIVE made with a good mix of nuts, cacao powder, coconut oil, roasted and olive oil-infused Rosemary leaves, and a tad of monk fruit sweetener.
- A NUTTY COCONUT BUTTER with a pop of zesty flavors made with a good mix of nuts, toasted and unsweetened coconut shreds, a tad of orange zest, and monk fruit sweetener.
So, let's make them!
What nuts to use
Usually, I make a new batch of nut butter when I have leftovers from many different nuts in my pantry.
And that can be anything from peanuts, raw almonds, or slivered almonds to cashews, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, salted or unsalted, roasted or raw.
It's a great way to clean out your pantry, and I've found that a mixture of nuts used in nut butter adds a lovely flavorful complexity.
However, nothing is to stop you from using only one type of nut or just combining two or three of your favorite nuts for these recipes—you can't go wrong with walnuts, macadamia, or almonds.
Or just keep it simple by adding the same flavorful ingredients to homemade peanut butter.
Sesame, pumpkin, or sunflower seeds sometimes also end up on the baking sheet.
Note: As you can see in the picture, I like to toss in some Brazil nuts. But avoid adding too much or overeating them due to their high selenium levels.
General tips for making these nut butter recipes
ROASTING: whether you use raw or a combo of raw and already roasted nuts, I suggest popping them briefly in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly browned.
Keep an eye on the nuts while in the oven, as burned nuts will have an unpleasant bitter taste.
Roasting the nuts first brings out their sweet and nutty flavor, and warm nuts will help quickly turn them into creamy butter.
TO MAKE A HEALTHY NUTELLA-LIKE ALTERNATIVE: add one to two fresh rosemary leaves onto the baking sheet, lightly coated with olive oil.
This herb becomes brittle after roasting and easily crumbles into smaller pieces. It adds a sophisticated minty element to the chocolate taste.
TO MAKE THE NUTTY COCONUT BUTTER: briefly roast the coconut shreds together with the nuts until brown and crispy.
If you use a high-speed blender like a Vitamix—tips
- Push the nuts into the blades with your tamper.
- I usually rotate the tamper and ensure I get all the corners of the container.
- You kind of need to butcher the nuts at first, but this ungentle process is what releases their oils and starts making everything creamy.
- You'll have creamy nut butter in minutes if you use a Vitamix blender.
- Continue to run the blender on high until you have almost a runny consistency.
If you use a food processor—tips
- It might take a little bit longer with a food processor to obtain the same creamy consistency—up to 10 minutes.
- And you might need to scrape the sides a few times.
- You'll see the nuts go through a few stages. First, it starts with a crumbly consistency, to a ball forming against the sides of the processor (keep scraping the sides from time to time), and then as you keep going, you'll get creamy goodness.
- OPTIONAL, add extra virgin coconut oil: it helps increase the level of creaminess—I hardly ever need to do so.
How to make a healthy Nutella-like alternative
Chocolatey nut butter with cacao and roasted Rosemary leaves
For this first flavor, I am going for a "Nutella"-like mix with chocolate flavors and rich, warm undertones—deliciously creamy, a bit festive, and utterly irresistible.
Here is what you need:
- Roasted nuts and rosemary leaves
- cacao powder
- coconut oil
- Monkfruit sweetener
Here is what you do:
- Blend the roasted nuts, and 1 tablespoon of Rosemary leaves until you have creamy butter. Let it rest in the blender and reserve.
- Melt half of the coconut butter in a small pan over medium heat.
- Stir in the cacao powder and monk fruit sweetener.
- Add in the rest of the coconut oil.
- Keep stirring until you obtain a glossy chocolate mixture—about 3 minutes.
- Note: at first, the cacao mix will look crumbly and dry, but as you keep stirring, it will mix with the coconut oil and become glossy.
- Add the glossy cacao mixture to the creamy nut butter in the blender.
- Blend for a few seconds or until thoroughly mixed.
- Immediately spoon the butter into a glass container with a lid.
How to make a zesty nut & coconut butter
This is a beautiful coconut butter mix with zesty flavors that lifts the fattiness of the nuts and coconut shreds.
Here is what you need:
- Roasted nuts and browned coconut shreds
- orange zest (1 teaspoon is enough)
- Monkfruit sweetener
- A pinch of salt (optional and omit if you've already added salted nuts to the mix)
Here is what you do:
- Add roasted nuts and coconuts with the ingredients to the blender.
- Blend until you get a creamy, nutty coconut butter—you will smell the incredible aroma of the orange zest.
- Immediately spoon the super creamy mixture into a glass container with a lid.
Substitutions & Notes
- Cacao powder: you could substitute this for unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Salt: This is optional, but a little—like a few pinches—is enough to improve the flavors of the nuts and enrich the chocolatey or zesty taste. Just omit if you already use salty nuts.
- Sweetener: adjust this ingredient based on taste by adding more sweetener if preferred. I use Monkfruit, a no-carb, no-sugar, no-calorie sweetener (also ideal if you want to make it Keto-Friendly and leaves no aftertaste). If you prefer to work with other low-carb sweeteners such as Stevia or Erythritol and Swerve, you'll have to adjust the amount to your palate—start with a small amount and work your way up.
- If you prefer to use Agave, liquid honey, or maple syrup to add a touch of sweetness (not a low-carb option), always mix this in AFTER you have made your creamy nut butter and stir it in by hand. Processing any syrup in the blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients results in sticky nut butter. Also, start with a small amount and work your way up based on taste—note: it will change the overall taste of the nut butter.
How long does homemade nut butter last—storage
Both flavored jars of nut butter can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
The super creamy consistency of the healthy Nutella needs to firm up a bit before serving but will keep a smooth consistency even after refrigeration and can be immediately enjoyed.
On the other hand, the nutty coconut butter's texture will become harder and more difficult to spread after refrigeration. But that is easily fixed by letting it rest at room temperature for several minutes before serving.
Other nutty or fruity delightful recipes
- You might also like my Chocolate peanut butter avocado mousse!
- Or try these healthy peanut butter cookies (gluten-free with variations)
- I highly recommend these Rhubarb compote recipes that you can pair with sweet or savory dishes.
- And you'll love this grain-free apple crisp or this low-carb cheesecake in a cup for a healthier bite.
- For walnut lovers, you'll have to try this fig and walnut cake, healthy apricot walnut breakfast cake, or oatmeal raisin cookies with walnuts.
- And these pumpkin spice energy balls are also made with mixed nuts.
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📖 Recipe
Healthy Flavored Nut Butter
Mariska RamondinoEquipment
- Powerful food processor or high-speed blender
Ingredients
For the healthy Nutella alternative
- 3 cups mixed nuts (preferably raw or a mix of raw and roasted, unsalted) 425 grams
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons Monkfruit sweetener see substitutions in post
- 1 pinch of salt optional and only if you haven't added already any salted nuts to the mix
For the nutty zesty coconut butter
- 3 cups mixed nuts (preferably raw or a mix of raw and roasted, unsalted) 425 grams
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut shreds 86 grams
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 4 tablespoons Monkfruit sweetener see substitutions in post
Instructions
Healthy Nutella Alternative
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or 175 °C) and cover the bottom of a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the nuts evenly over the baking sheet.
- With a baking brush, coat the Rosemary sprigs with olive oil and add them to the side onto the baking sheet.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until nuts are slightly browned, and the herbs are dried. Keep an eye on the nuts to ensure that they don't burn. Take them out earlier if needed.
- Remove from the oven and let them sit for a minute.
- Crumble the dried Rosemary leaves with your hands into bits and measure out about 1 heaping tablespoon—store any leftovers in a small jar to flavor other dishes.
- While still warm, transfer the nuts and the tablespoon of crumbled rosemary leaves to a high-speed blender or food processor.
- Blend until creamy. With a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, this will only take a few minutes. You have to use the temper to push the nuts into the blades. Be a bit more patient with a food processor because it will take a lot longer. It will go from clumps to a bigger ball—keep scraping the sides and blending until very creamy; reserve in the blender or food processor.
- Meanwhile, melt half of the coconut butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Stir in the cacao powder and monk fruit sweetener.
- Then add the rest of the coconut oil.
- Keep stirring frequently until you get a glossy chocolate mixture. It will first all look crumbly, but if you keep stirring the ingredients into the coconut oil, it will eventually all mix into one saucy liquid (about 3 minutes).
- Immediately pour the cacao mixture into the reserved nut mixture in the blender or food processor.
- Pulse until well combined and super smooth.
- Pour immediately into a large enough glass container with a lid, and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. This mixture needs to firm up a bit in the fridge before serving (about 1 hour).
- You can enjoy it immediately out of the fridge. It will maintain its smooth and spreadable consistency.
Nutty Zesty Coconut Butter Variation
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or 175 °C) and cover the bottom of a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the nuts and coconut shreds evenly over the baking sheet.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until nuts and coconut shreds are slightly browned. Keep an eye on the nuts to ensure that they don't burn.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for a minute.
- While still warm, transfer the nuts and coconut shreds to a high-speed blender or food processor.
- Add the orange zest and sweetener.
- Blend until creamy. With a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, this will only take a few minutes. You have to use the temper to push the nuts into the blades. Be a bit more patient with a food processor because it will take a lot longer. It will go from clumps to a bigger ball—keep scraping the sides and blending until very creamy.
- Immediately pour the zesty nut and coconut butter mixture into a large enough glass container with a lid, and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks—you will smell the zesty aroma of this delicious coconut butter.
- This mixture does NOT need to firm up before serving. If stored in the fridge, it is best to keep it for a few minutes at room temperature before serving.
Notes
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Nutrition (% Daily value)
Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.
Reena says
Excellent work.....i must try this healthy food
Mariska says
Thank you, dear Reena! I hope you will love it!