How to Make Walnut Butter: The Ultimate Recipe

Homemade nut butter is very easy to make and it tastes great with almost anything.

Peanut and almond butter are more common than other nut butter varieties and can be found almost anywhere.

I find the taste of walnut butter to be far superior. Walnuts are one of my favorite daily snacks. I eat them raw with lunch.

We make spiced walnuts too. They are so versatile. 

You can spread it on a slice of bread, serve it with slices of apple, or add it into a smoothie bowl to give it an extra hit of creaminess.

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the ultimate recipe for homemade walnut butter and discuss how to store it properly.

What Is Walnut Butter?

Just because walnut butter isn’t as popular as almond and cashew butter doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort or the money.

It’s made out of roasted walnuts that are ground up in a food processor until they become a smooth and creamy paste.

It’s quite similar to pecan butter, but it has a bitter taste.

How to Make It?

You can make walnut butter with three types of walnuts:

Raw Walnuts

You can use raw walnuts if you want a smooth and creamy texture with the flavor of shelled walnuts.

Toasted Walnuts

If you want to bring out the sweet and nutty taste of walnuts, then you should toast them before turning them to butter.

Toasted walnuts will give the butter a coarser texture. After toasting walnuts, you need to set them aside to cool before tossing them into the food processor.

If you want to bring out the sweet and nutty taste of walnuts, then you should toast them before turning them to butter.

Toasted walnuts will give the butter a coarser texture.

After toasting walnuts, you need to set them aside to cool before tossing them into the food processor.

Soaked Walnuts

You can also soak the walnuts in water overnight.

To dry them out, you need to arrange them on a baking tray in a single layer and toast them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes.

Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn and allow them to cool before using them.

Homemade Walnut Butter Recipe

This recipe requires roasting the walnuts to release their natural oils. This is done to make the silkiest smooth walnut butter.

What You Need

• 1.5 cups of raw walnuts (unsalted)

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the walnuts in a single layer on the sheet. Roast them for about 12 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit until they start looking a bit oily and moist on the surface.
2. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let them cool down for a few minutes.
3. Once they’ve cooled down, add them to your food processor and process them for around a minute until they become a buttery paste.
4. Use a spatula to scrape any chunks down the sides and process for a few more minutes until it becomes super runny. It should look similar to the consistency of olive oil.
5. Add a pinch of coconut sugar to it if you want to soften the strong, nutty flavor.

Feel free to add a dash of cinnamon or pumpkin spice to it to give it an extra kick of flavor. Serve it on toast or bagels or use it as a substitute for almond butter in baking.

Tips on How to Use Walnut Butter

The most common way to use walnut butter is by mixing it into a spread or a dip. But why should you limit yourself?

Instead of adding tahini to your hummus, you can add walnut butter to give it a strong and nutty flavor. Spread it on Crostinis and serve them as an appetizer at a party. 

Elevate the flavor of plain soups with a spoonful of walnut butter or use it as an ingredient in a pasta sauce.

If you’ve had your fair share of boring salads, you can try making a nutty salad dressing with walnut butter.

You can also drizzle a little bit over a fresh fruit salad or on a bowl of oatmeal to enjoy a delicious breakfast every morning.

If you’re into baking, you should try making walnut butter cookies or make a frosting out of it. Protein smoothies are becoming quite popular these days.

You can add a spoonful of walnut butter in them to make them a lot more flavorful. 

Instead of making the same old nut butter and jelly sandwich, you can make a garlic lemon walnut sauce and drizzle it on an eggplant sandwich.

All you need to do is think a little differently to use walnut butter in ordinary recipes and turn them into something sensational.

How Long Does Fresh Walnut Butter Last?

Fresh homemade walnut butter can last for several weeks. Pour it into a glass jar and seal it before storing it in the refrigerator.

Consume it within four weeks to stay on the safe side.

How to Store Walnut Butter

An opened jar of nut butter bought from the store can last for months in the fridge, but homemade nut butter can go rancid in a lot less time.

If you wish to store your walnut butter for a long time, here’s what you need to do:

Refrigerate

Because homemade nut butter doesn’t have any preservatives, you need to store it in a tightly-sealed jar in the refrigerator.

Refrigeration will significantly slow down the growth of bacteria.

It can be stored for up to a month and needs to be thrown out after that.

Stir

Your homemade walnut butter can separate in the fridge, so you need to stir it regularly with a butter knife to keep it cohesive.

Start from the outer ends and work your way into the center until it becomes a smooth and creamy paste again.

After refrigeration, your homemade butter may firm up, so you need to let it sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes before using it.

After you’ve taken out the desired amount, put the lid back on, seal it tightly, and put it back the fridge.

Freeze

If you’re not going to use your walnut butter within a month, you should seal it tightly and store it in the freezer.

When you decide to use it, transfer it to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight.

Let the thawed butter sit at room temperature for a while before consuming it.

Does Walnut Butter Need to Be Refrigerated?

If you’re planning to use your freshly made walnut butter within a few days of making it, then there’s no need to refrigerate it.

But you should note that homemade nut butter doesn’t contain preservatives so they can go bad quickly. It’s advisable to store them in a cool, dry place.

Final Thoughts

All you need are some raw, unsalted walnuts and a food processor to make the creamiest and silky smooth butter at home.

If you like to indulge in protein smoothies post-workout, you should try adding a spoonful of walnut butter to them for added texture and flavor. 

If you wish to extend the shelf-life of homemade butter, you need to store it in the fridge in a tightly sealed jar.