If you are a vegan or someone who is trying to inculcate a healthier and conscious lifestyle, nut butters are the perfect ingredient to help you elevate your breakfast or midday snack. They add a rich, creamy texture to your toasts, smoothies, oatmeals, and many other food options, which are the best substitutes for fatty and complex spreads.  

To help you choose the best nut butter for your meal plan, we have listed the 5 healthiest nut butters in this article. Not only that, but we will also provide you with an easy-to-follow recipe to make these nut butters in your kitchen. 

Let’s check them out!

Almond butter 

1. Scoring the highest in terms of healthy fats, almond butter is an excellent choice when it comes to picking a nut butter. It packs a better punch of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that can be a great substitute if you are dealing with heart conditions. Nutrition experts recommend almond butter as a great substitute to satiate your hunger between meals.

Each serving of almond butter (hereafter referred to as the quantity of 2 tbsp) contains about 196 calories composed of 6g carbs, 17.8g fat, 3.3g fiber, 2g sugar, 7g protein, and 73mg sodium. 

You can spread it over apple slices, oatmeal, muffins, or any baked item and turn it into a more delectable meal. Let’s see how you can make almond butter in your kitchen. 

Almond butter recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw almonds 
• ¼ tsp salt

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350℉ (around 180℃). Spread the almonds evenly across a baking sheet and toast them for around 10 minutes. 
• Remove the almonds and let them cool down. 
• Transfer the almonds to a food processor and blend it until it turns creamy. This will extract the almond oil from the nut and mix it with the almond solids. 
• Once blended perfectly, you can add salt and other condiments, like cinnamon powder or vanilla extract to heighten its flavour. 
• You can store it in a refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or until you observe any signs of spoilage.

Walnut Butter 

While some people don’t like the bitterness of walnuts that is transferred into its butter, walnut butter also carries the heightened nutritional properties of its originator. It contains the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids than any nut butter. 

Walnut butter can help you lower the risk of heart diseases, maintain cholesterol levels, and lower blood pressure. Along with that, it also contains a lot of vitamin E, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Each serving of walnut butter contains 170 calories, composed of 11g carbs, 14g fat, 1g fiber, 7g sugar, 3g protein, and 0mg sodium. 

It can be a fantastic base for smoothies and a satisfactory spread on toasts. Here’s how you can make it: 

Walnut butter recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw walnuts 
• ¼ tsp salt (optional)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 320℉ (around 165℃). Spread the walnuts evenly across a baking sheet and toast them for around 10 minutes. Stir halfway.
• Remove the walnuts and let them cool down. 
• Transfer the almonds to a food processor and blend for around 15 minutes. 
• Once blended perfectly, you can add salt. 
• Remove it. Store it. You can store it in a refrigerator for up to 2 months. 

Peanut Butter

1. The OG nut butter… Peanut Butter. Who wouldn’t like a warm slice of bread topped with a dollop of peanut butter? It just contains the perfect amount of creaminess and “nuttiness” that some would want. 
2. Apart from being the most affordable of all nut butters, it also provides the highest amount of protein per serving. A moderate amount of peanut butter can help you elevate the amount of healthy fats, iron, folate, magnesium, and vitamin B6 in your body. 

Each serving of peanut butter contains 191 calories, composed of 7.1g carbs, 16.4g fat, 1.6g fiber, 3.4g sugar, 7.1g protein, and 136mg sodium. Here's the recipe for making peanut butter at home.

Peanut butter recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw blanched peanuts 
• 2 tsp salt

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350℉ (around 180℃). Spread the peanuts evenly across a baking sheet and toast them for around 10 minutes. 
• Remove the peanuts and let them cool down. 
• Transfer the peanuts to a food processor, add salt, and blend it until it turns creamy.
• You can store it in a refrigerator for up to 1 month or until you observe any signs of spoilage.

Cashew Butter 

1. Endowed by the innate sweetness of cashews, cashew butter is the perfect substitute if you have a sweet tooth. It is extremely creamy, so much so that it can be substituted with milk or cream in recipes. 
2. Cashew butter provides higher carbs and lower proteins in comparison to other nut butters. However, it is also more expensive, so people often consume it as an occasional sweet treat. 

Each serving of cashew butter contains 195 calories, composed of 9.7g carbs, 17g fat, 1g fiber, 3g sugar, 3.9g protein, and 94mg sodium. 

Cashew butter recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw cashews 
• ¼ tsp salt

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350℉ (around 180℃). Spread the cashews evenly across a baking sheet and toast them for around 10 minutes. 
• Remove the cashews and let them cool down. 
• Transfer the cashews to a food processor, add salt, and blend it until it turns creamy. You can also add a tsp of coconut oil to speed up the process and give it a unique flavour.
• You can store it in a refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or until you observe any signs of spoilage.

Hazelnut butter 

While you would want to make yourself believe that Nutella cuts in as hazelnut butter, but is it really? It is packed with lots of chocolate and sugar, which makes it unhealthy. 

1. But no need to get disheartened. Hazelnut butter in itself contains a rich, creamy flavour which can be satisfying as well. For those who have peanut allergies, hazelnut butter is the best alternative. 

While being a good source of vitamin E, hazelnut butter is also rich in oleic acid, a form of monounsaturated fat, proven to help lower the risk of heart diseases and strokes. Each serving of hazelnut butter contains 160 calories, composed of 8g carbs, 14g fat, 1g fiber, 0g sugar, 5g protein, and 0mg sodium.