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All you need is two ingredients, an oven, and 15 minutes in the food processor to make the easiest, creamy Homemade Cashew Butter. You won’t believe how simple it is!
Post originally published November 2015. Updated with new photos and more instructions December 2019
Making Homemade Cashew Butter
So to help ease your mind while you embark on this adventure that is cashew butter making, I took a few step-by-step photos. JUST TRUST IN YOUR FOOD PROCESSOR and its BA power, and all will be well.
Ingredients & equipment needed for Homemade Cashew Butter
- cashews – I started with raw organic cashews and lightly toasted them myself. I found a pretty good deal on Amazon. They came out to be $9.50/lb which is not too bad if you’re familiar with how much they can cost normally. Of course you can buy pre-roasted cashews to skip the oven step if you don’t care about what oils are being added.
- coconut oil – or another oil if sensitive to coconut. The oil can help speed up the process once the nut butter starts to get really thick.
- food processor or high powered blender – I use the Breville 12-cup Sous Chef and I love this beast!
How to Make Cashew Butter
Spread the cashews on a baking pan evenly and toast them at 325ºF for about 15 minutes, or until just lightly golden. I suggest watching after 10 minutes just to be sure they don’t get too dark.
Let the cashews cool a little on the pan, for about 10 minutes.
Using a Food Processor
Now add to the bowl of your food processor and start grinding away.
This is where you may have to scrape down the sides of the bowl every few minutes, depending on the size of your food processor.
NOTE: I have a 12 cup food processor bowl capacity, and used 4 cups of cashews.
See NOW we’re getting somewhere! Of course here I was again about 5 minutes in, getting semi-skeptical.
Thinking “Okay, is this really going to work? When will it finally turn into butter? What the heck are you doing cashews?! …”
And then like magic this smooth goodness happened out of nowhere. YUHUMMMM. Ugh I can’t even. SO GOOD.
To Make it Creamier, Faster
I like to add just a couple teaspoons of coconut oil here and process for another 4-5 minutes to get it really creamy. The creamier, the better. You might as well use it for frosting at this point, because seriously that is what it tastes like.
Ways to Use Homemade Cashew Butter
- On toast, bread, english muffins, bagels!
- As a sweet potato breakfast topping.
- As an oatmeal topping.
- I’ve got this amazing cashew curry sauce in this recipe here. Seriously, it’s the best.
- I use nut butter in my super popular Paleo Banana Muffins.
- Of course you can always make loads of cookies – Chocolate Dipped Cashew Butter Cookies, Turmeric Cashew Butter Cookies, or my Deep Dish Pumpkin Cookie.
- I also use cashew butter in this reader favorite dressing.
How to Store Cashew Butter
Transfer cooled cashew butter to jars with lids. You can keep the cashew butter in the pantry (a cool dark place) for about 3 weeks. Or keep in fridge for longer, about 1 month or so.
(But who doesn’t go through it in less than a month with so many cashew butter recipes to make!?)
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Made this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a comment and review on the post! I love hearing from you and it helps others learn about the recipe too.
PrintHomemade Cashew Butter
All you need is two ingredients, an oven, and 15 minutes in the food processor to make the easiest, creamy Homemade Cashew Butter. You won’t believe how simple it is!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: About 2 cups 1x
- Category: Spreads
- Method: food processor
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF and place raw cashews on a medium-sized baking sheet. Spread evenly in one layer and toast for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let cashews cool on pan for 10 minutes.
- Process cashews: Place slightly cooled cashews in bowl of food processor and cover with lid. Process for about 10 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically if necessary. Once your cashews have turned into a slightly creamy consistency, with the motor running, add 2 tsp of coconut oil and process the cashew butter for another 5 minutes, or until desired consistency.
- Cool and store: Transfer cashew butter into jar with lid and store in fridge.
Notes
I have a 12 cup Breville food processor, and 4 cups of cashews allowed me just enough to have the blades work properly while grinding down the cashews. I wouldn’t recommend using less than 4 cups in a 12 cup bowl, or you may not achieve a creamy consistency in the end. prep time refers to oven time for toasting cook time refers to time in processor serving size based on 1 tablespoon, nutrition information approximate.
If you loved this recipe, try my Homemade Almond Butter Recipe too!
STORING: Store cashew butter in a glass jar with secure lid in a cool, dark place up to 3 weeks. Or store in the fridge for about 1 month.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 TBSP
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 1mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: homemade cashew butter, how to make nut butter
NOTE: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Please see my disclaimer page for more information.
sherri webber says
I will do this in the future…just bought some only to find out that the two ingredients are: (roasted cashew-of course) BUT the second ingredient is Sunflower Oil…grrr…)
Ashley says
Yes store bought nut butters can be tricky with the added oils they use. Homemade is best if you have a preference 😀
Carolyn Moorman says
Easy and specific directions. I did add a very small amount of sea salt and honey. Oh my goodness!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Thank you for your feedback! Glad you are enjoying it 🙂
Holly says
This has become my go to recipe for cashew butter and I have a hard time wanting to share it with my kids when I make it. 🤣 Thank you for such a simple and heathy recipe!!
★★★★★
Ashley says
So glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks for your 5 star review!
Christopher D. says
you can also used maple syrup grade A amber color instead of honey.
Ashley says
Thank you for your feedback!
Belinda says
Hi, do i have to add the oil?
Ashley says
You don’t have to but it helps smooth things out quicker and creates a creamier consistency. Without the oil, you’ll likely just need to process the cashew butter longer (depending on your food processor).
Brittany says
What is the yield on this? It’s difficult to decide how much to make… thanks!
Ashley says
It makes about 2 cups total. If you have a smaller food processor, you could try cutting in half. But if your food processor bowl is larger, you need the 4 cups of cashews to break down properly. You can always use up the cashew butter by making energy balls, cookies, etc. 🙂
Jodee says
Can you use avocado oil in place of coconut or extra light virgin oil??
Ashley says
Yes you can use avocado oil. You can also omit altogether. The oil helps the cashew butter smooth out a little better, quicker, but you can leave out the extra oil as well.
Stacey Maria says
Oh my goodness, I just made this recipe and it’s so easy and delicious. It will now be part of my regular rotation. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Thank you for your review!
Susan says
This is very good!!!! I have a peanut allergy. I made the cashew butter from 1 cup of raw cashews today in my Cuisinart mini food processor. I’m now using it in a sate sauce, I’m going to steam tofu and veggies and serve it with brown rice. This sauce will make it amazing!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Thanks so much for sharing!
Mikey says
Hi Ashley – can you tell me how long the butter can be stored before going off?
Ashley says
Hi Mikey, You can store homemade nut butter at room temperature for about 2-3 weeks (make sure to cool jar before securing lid). You can also keep in the fridge for about a month. I will update recipe card to reflect these notes!