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A glass jar of walnut butter on a wooden background with raw walnuts in the background.

How to Make Walnut Butter (Easy! + 10 Ways to Use It)

5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Processing Time:: 10 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Servings: 16 tablespoons
Author: Christin McKamey
Making your own walnut butter at home is so EASY- using only your food processor and just one ingredient...walnuts! (+ your favorite additions). Toasting walnuts releases natural oils from these healthy nuts, making it super simple to blend up your very own blend of nut butter.
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Equipment

  • Food Processor

Ingredients

  • 3 cups raw walnuts (halves or pieces) - organic if possible
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt - optional
  • 2-3 teaspoons date syrup, or maple syrup - optional

Optional Add-Ins:

  • IMPORTANT: add any of the following (especially liquids) AFTER processing, NOT during, such as:agave nectar/syrup, coconut/brown sugar, vanilla extract, toasted coconut flakes, cinnamon/nutmeg, cocoa powder, hemp seeds, ground flax seeds

Instructions

  • First, preheat your oven to 350 F. Then add the raw walnuts to a medium baking sheet in an even layer (see below). Toast the walnuts at 350 F for 7-8 minutes. Watch very carefully when it gets to that 7-minute mark so they don’t burn, and remove from the oven immediately. Note: If using pre-toasted nuts, you can skip this step.
    A baking sheet covered with raw almonds.
  • Carefully transfer the toasted walnuts to a food processor (they do not need to cool). Then secure the top of the food processor and start blending. This entire process of blending into a butter will take roughly 5-10 minutes, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides and re-blend as necessary. The mixture will first, form into a dry, crumbly substance, then into a thick paste, then like magic!, the natural oils from the walnuts will release and it will become more of a smooth, thick liquid. **Keep processing until you reach this smooth, liquid state.
    6 images showing the process of making walnut butter in a food processor.
  • At this point, you can remove the blade and add any of the above additions directly to the food processor OR transfer to a bowl. If you want to experiment with different flavors, try adding only a little of the walnut butter to a small bowl and add ingredients (a better option than messing up an entire batch). Or you can split the batch in two and try out two different flavor combos.
    A small glass jar filled with walnut butter.
  • This recipe makes 1 cup walnut butter. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 months or in your pantry for about a month.

Video

Notes

  • Nutrition information includes sea salt and date syrup. 
  • Walnut butter is naturally bitter. You can use as-is for recipes, or add sweetener/additional ingredients listed above. If you still find walnut butter a little too bitter for your taste, you can also experiment by mixing different types of nuts together, such as 1/2 walnuts and 1/2 cashews.
  • It's important that you don't add any liquids (such as maple syrup) during the blending process. This will cause the mixture to seize up and thicken and it will not blend as it should. This is why we recommend adding any additional ingredients AFTER you have fully blended the walnuts into a liquid. Also, note that adding liquids will thicken the walnut butter. 
  • 3 cups is the desired minimum amount of nuts for this recipes, as it blends better in the food processor. If you use less, it will take longer to blend and you’ll have to stop and scrape the sides more often. It's best to make sure you use enough nuts to cover the blade. 
  • It’s recommended to use a food processor for making nut butters, NOT blenders. Blenders do not have enough surface area and will not give you the same consistency that a food processor will.
10 Ways to Use Walnut Butter
  1. Spread onto toasted English muffins, toast, crumpets, etc. Top with toasted coconut flakes or ground cinnamon.
  2. Add a spoonful to your morning smoothie. 
  3. Add some cocoa powder and maple syrup to your walnut butter, and mix in with oatmeal. Try this recipe for Instant Pot Oatmeal for a super easy way to make steel-cut oats.
  4. Fill some walnut butter inside medjool dates, and top with unsweetened coconut or goji berries for a quick sweet snack. 
  5. Add some to energy balls. Try it in the place of almond butter in these Cinnamon Almond Date Bites (and rename them to Cinnamon Walnut Date Bites). =)
  6. Add it to cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins, or any baked good you can think of. Or spread on warm cinnamon rolls. 
  7. Make a dressing or sauce. Or use it in place of peanut butter in this Miso Peanut Dressing.
  8. Make a Walnut Butter and Jelly sandwich. Eat it cold or grilled! 
  9. Add to soup, such as this Instant Pot Pumpkin Curry Soup, or Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup.
  10. Add some walnut butter to a baked sweet potato.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.6g | Protein: 3.3g | Fat: 14.3g | Sugar: 0.6g
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