Nut paste is easy to make with a food processor or with a blender. From peanuts to almonds: a food processor transforms hard nuts into a smooth nut paste in no time. Easy, delicious and a lot cheaper compared to the nut paste from the supermarket for which you easily pay more than 5 dollars. In this article we will show you how easy it is to make your own nut paste.
Making nut paste: what do you need?
It doesn’t matter whether you make peanut butter, almond paste or cashew butter: the process is the same and so are the supplies:
- Blender or food processor
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: oil
You may need a little oil for certain nuts to speed up the process. But if you have a good food processor or blender, this is often not even necessary. In fact, it takes a while for a nut to release its oil. The better the performance of the food processor, the faster the oil is released.
Which nuts can you use?
Basically, you can use all types of nuts: almonds, cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts and pecans.
Roasted or unroasted nuts?
To make a delicious nut paste, use roasted nuts. As we just indicated, you want the oil to be released so quickly. With roasted nuts, the oil is extracted faster. Do you only have unroasted nuts? Then throw them in the oven at 150 degrees for about 15 minutes. You can also deep fry them, but that doesn’t really give you a healthy nut paste.
How do you make a nut paste?
Very simple. You throw the nuts into a blender or food processor and it does the rest. Making a nut paste takes about 20 minutes, depending on the quality of your food processor or blender.
Grinding nuts in a food processor
Making a nut paste works best in a food processor, since it has a round bowl and often has more power than a blender. However, it is important that you fill the mixing bowl with enough nuts otherwise the paste will get “stuck” and you will have to stop the machine every time to stir.
It is convenient if your food processor has a pulse function. You use this function when the nut paste gets stuck.
Chopping nuts in a blender
Making a nut paste in a blender is a little more hassle, but should work in the end. The problem is that a blender often has an elongated bowl, which makes the nuts move around less “smoothly. You often have to stop the blender periodically to stir. This is fine when you make the occasional nut paste, but if you make a nut paste regularly, it can be frustrating.
Also, it is often more difficult to get the nut paste out of the blender than a food processor. A blender bowl often has more slits etc. which makes it more difficult to get the nut paste out, but it is also not conducive to cleanup.
Unlike a nut paste, however, a blender is again better suited for nut milk than a food processor thanks to its elongated size.
Add flavors
The nice thing about nut paste is that there are countless variations possible. For example, you can add a little cinnamon or cocoa or mix different nuts together. A little coconut oil can also work wonders.
Nut paste with pieces
Like me, do you like nut paste with a little crunch? Then add some nuts at the end of the grinding process. The longer you blend then the finer the paste (logical of course).
Storing nut paste
You can store nut paste outside the refrigerator and it will keep for a long time (2-3 months). However, it is important to keep the container or glass jug in which you store the nut paste tightly sealed.
Cleaning kitchen appliances after making nut paste
Cleaning after making a nut paste is the least fun part of making nut paste. It is best to soak the mixing bowl with warm water for half an hour. Then wash the mixing bowl under the faucet with warm water and soap or place it in the dishwasher.
Conclusion: never buy nut paste again
Once you have made a nut paste yourself you will find out how easy it actually is. Chances are you’ll start to wonder why you paid so much for a jar of nut paste all this time. Certainly nut spreads made from almonds and cashews are quite pricey. Besides, a homemade nut paste is much healthier and tastier.