The best nut butters

Nut butters have become really popular, not only for being delicious, but also for being nutritious. For a long time, it was thought that fats weren’t healthy and made you fat. It’s no surprise considering that in the world of nutrition, there’s a lot of confusion as to what is good and what is bad. In fact, for many years, there were claims that fats made you fat; therefore, they gained such a negative connotation. Recently, The New York Times published a very interesting and revealing article providing evidence that the sugar industry bribed a few scientists in 1960 to claim that fats made you fat, and not sugar. Hence, why people believed fats were bad for you. What really makes you fat and is detrimental to your health is sugar.

Therefore, don’t be fooled and scared to eat healthy fats. They’re actually very good for your health and help maintain a healthy weight. They are essential for the absorption of nutrients in the body, thus, without them, we’d be facing nutritional deficiencies. They’re also filling and help you have a balanced diet and avoid eating in excess. So, if you were one of those people that still had doubts whether fats were healthy, now you know the true story and can enjoy them knowing you’re doing your body a favour.

These nut butter recipes are a great source of plant-based protein and eating them in moderation (and by moderation we mean not eating a whole jar of nut butter), they’re very healthy.

You can add them to your toasts, smoothie bowls, smoothies (to make them thicker), pancakes, granola, porridge or spreading them on a chopped apple. The ideal snack!

Cashew and lemon butter

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight
• 2 ½ tsps lemon zest
• ½ cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch sea salt

Preparation:

• Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Peanut butter

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw peanuts
• 1-2 teaspoons rice malt syrup (or any other sweetener of your choice)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:

• Add all the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.

Note: You might need to stop processing once in a while and mix all the ingredients with a spoon to ensure that all of it is getting processed uniformly. Depending on the quality of your food processor, it will take more or less time to process it into butter.

Almond butter

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw almonds

Preparation:

• Add all the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.

Note: The same rule noted for the peanut butter, applies to any other butter.

Nut butters can be made with any nut or seed. The elaboration process for all of them is the same. You can also add any sweetener of your choice, vanilla extract or to give it a creamier texture, a tablespoon of coconut oil. Depending on your tastes and preferences, you can adjust it to your liking.

Try making one at home. You won’t be disappointed!