10 Creative Ways to Use Nut Butter

10 Creative Ways to Use Nut Butter / Photo by Alison LaFortune

Nuts are packed with healthy oils and nutrients, making them an essential part of a balanced and healthy diet. There are so many ways to use nuts in both savoury and sweet recipes. One of the best and most enjoyable ways to eat nuts is nut butter, and we’re going to share a universal nut butter recipe with you in just a little while.

Making your own nut butter is relatively simple and there are so many ways you can incorporate nut butter into your cooking. Another great thing about recipes with nuts is that the nuts are completely interchangeable. If you don’t like cashews, use almonds, or macadamia nuts. Simply sub in a different nut and see what happens! You can also experiment by varying the amount of salt or sugar in your nut butter, to get it just right for your personal taste.

Eating nuts can help you to feel fuller for longer (which helps on a weight loss diet), and they’re full of healthy fats, proteins, and vitamins. What’s not to love about nuts?

Almonds

• Lower end of fat and calorie scale

• More calcium than any other nut

• Great source of fibre

• High in vitamins E & B

• Good for your immune system

Pecans

• Higher end of fat content

• High levels of antioxidants

• More than 19 vitamins and minerals 

Peanuts

• Fat content makes it ideal for making into butter

• High in monounsaturated fat and folate

Macadamias

• Highest level of fat

• High level of monounsaturated fat

Cashews

• High in iron, magnesium, and copper

• Promotes healthy skin, hair, joints, and bones

• Moderate fat content

Pistachios

• High in copper, magnesium, and B vitamins

• High in monounsaturated fat

Walnuts

• High levels of omega-3 fatty acids

• Good protection against blood clots, heart disease, and arthritis

Hazelnuts

• High levels of vitamin E, good for red and white blood cell production

• High levels of selenium, which has anti-ageing properties

Pine nuts

• High in vitamins E and K

• Good source of manganese, a key mineral for immune health

• High levels of oleic acid, which reduces cholesterol levels

Sunflower seeds

• High in selenium, folate, and vitamin E

• Full of healthy fats and many antioxidants

Although making nut butters is fairly straightforward, certain tools and ingredients are essential to creating a high quality finished product. These are fresh ingredients, a powerful food processor, salt, and patience. Nut butter can take 20 minutes or longer in the food processor, depending on the strength of your machine and choice of nut.

Universal nut butter recipe

Yields: 1 ¾ cups

Ingredients
2 cups any nut
½ - 2 tsp salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 175C.

Spread the nuts in a single layer on an unlined baking tray. Bake for 5-10 minutes until nuts are golden and smell delicious! The softer the nut, the less time it’ll need in the oven.

Remove nuts from the oven and transfer immediately to your food processor with the salt.

Process nuts until you have a truly smooth nut butter. It will be grainy at first but keep scraping the sides and processing until it gets there.

Add salt to taste.

Once you have your perfectly creamy and delicious nut butter, try using it in these creative ways:

1. Add your nut butter to the creaming stage when making biscuits and cookies.

2. Add it to your favourite pancake mix.

3. Add some into the mix when making your own granola bars.

4. Add it to a milkshake or smoothie.

5. Add it to your homemade chocolate sauce to serve over ice cream.

6. Add some to your scone mix when rubbing the butter into the flour.

7. Add it along with your favourite Asian sauces when stir frying.

8. Add a ¼ cup to your homemade dips.

9. Add it to the sauce base of your pasta dish.

10. Use it on the base of a dessert pizza.

And there you have it! Ten creative, delicious and healthy ways to use nut butter in your cooking. Have fun experimenting with different nuts and varying the levels of salt and sugar in your butter. You may just end up creating a new recipe favourite in your household.

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Ditters is a family-owned, South Australian food business in Adelaide. Famous for finest quality nuts, gourmet fruit and nut cakes, glacé fruit, dried fruit, chocolate and gift hampers.