For those who love nuts’ flavor in your recipes, almond butter is a great choice. Many health enthusiasts are turning to alternatives to provide healthful and tasty meals. Among the popular options are substitutes made from almonds. Almonds are used to create flour, kinds of milk, and butter, among other choices.
Typically, nut butter contains monounsaturated fat, a healthy fat, and a source of protein to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the nut source.
There are those who either do not like the taste of almond butter, have nut allergies, or may not find it easily in local stores. The good news is that other options are available for substitution, and they are also healthy and tasty!
Contents
Homemade Nut Butter
Begin by using roasted nuts (if they are raw). You can easily roast them on a cookie sheet in your oven. To make the butter, you will need either a food processor or high-speed blender and the type of nut you want to use for the butter.
You can use most nuts as they are except if their skins are still on them. The skins do not blend well and can cause an unsmooth texture. Remove skins before blending. To learn how to make nut kinds of butter, watch this video.
Peanut Butter Substitute
The most common replacement for almond butter is probably on your pantry shelf but is readily available at every grocery store, or you can make it at home. It’s peanut butter! It has a long history of use in baking, on bread or toast, in candies, ice cream, and much more. As a nut butter, it is an easy substitution for almond butter.
= 1 tablespoon peanut butter is an exchange for 1 tablespoon almond butter
Cashew Butter Substitute
Another excellent substitute for almond butter is cashew butter. This butter can also be made at home from roasted cashews, and it has a very similar taste, texture, and aroma to either almond butter or peanut butter.
The cashew provides less protein than almonds or peanuts, but if you are getting protein from other sources in your diet, cashew butter is a creamy treat.
= 1 tablespoon of cashew butter replaces 1 tablespoon of almond butter
Walnut Butter Substitute
Of all the nut butter substitutes, walnut butter provides the most omega fatty acids. Walnut butter is quickly gaining popularity among vegans for its rich health benefits. Like the almond, peanut, and cashew butter, walnut butter can be homemade. It may be harder to find in grocery stores, so shopping at a health food store may be the best bet.
= 1 tablespoon of walnut butter is a substitute for 1 tablespoon of almond butter
In addition to the nut butter alternatives, you can try fruits like avocado and banana or even yogurt.
Mashed Avocado Substitute
Many people have nut allergies, so finding a substitute for any nut butter can be as easy as picking up an avocado in the produce aisle of your favorite grocery store. Avocados have grown in popularity as a richly nutritious fruit spread on toast, and it is high in potassium, monounsaturated fats (the good fats), fiber, antioxidants, and folate.
The fluffy texture of the mashed avocado has lent it to greater use than a spread for toast or its famous guacamole use. It can be used in place of butter in baked dishes.
Mashed Banana Substitute
Another alternative to almond butter is a mashed banana. Many following a vegan or gluten-free diet have found a good alternative in baked dishes. Bananas are rich in potassium and are found in grocery stores year-round. When purchasing bananas to mash, choose ripe ones as they are soft and sweet.
1 cup of mashed banana is equivalent to 1 cup of almond butter
Greek Yogurt Substitute
Although not a vegan-friendly option, Greek yogurt makes a creamy substitute for almond butter. As an animal product, it does provide lower calories and fat than nut kinds of butter. It is best to use plain yogurt so its flavor will not clash with other ingredients in your recipe.
= 1-1/2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt to replace 1 tablespoon of almond butter.
FAQ
Are almond butter and almond spread the same?
While both products are made from almonds, there is a minor difference. Almond spread has sugar added, while almond butter is purely blended almonds.
Does almond butter have more nutrients than peanut butter?
Almond butter has more fiber, minerals, and vitamins, but only slightly more than peanut butter.
Is almond butter expensive?
Almond butter is more expensive than peanut butter. It is primarily a factor of accessibility – peanuts are a legume that grows abundantly in the soil, while almonds are a tree nut. The time to develop a tree to produce a crop, the equipment it takes to harvest the nuts, and the processing all factor into the cost of the nut, which in turn relates to the price you pay for the nut butter.
Are there other nut butter options to almond butter?
Several nut varieties can be used to create nut butter alternatives. Among them are peanuts, walnuts, cashews, and hazelnuts. You can find these nut kinds of butter in most health food stores and some larger grocery stores. You can also roast your nut variety and blend it into homemade butter.
