Homemade Macadamia Nut Butter

Making macadamia nut butter at home is incredibly simple and requires just one ingredient: macadamia nuts. This homemade nut butter boasts a smooth, velvety consistency and a subtle, sweet, buttery flavor, making it one of the most luxurious nut butters available. Enjoy the rich, tropical essence of macadamia nut butter, and relish in how easy it is to create this gourmet spread in your own kitchen!

Due to the high-fat content of macadamia nuts, macadamia nut butter is one of the easiest to make at home. Compared to other nut butters, it takes very little time and no additional oils for your food processor to turn the nuts into a silky, buttery texture.

How to Choose the Best Macadamia Nuts

Raw macadamia nuts can go rancid easily, so it’s important to choose and store them properly to ensure freshness and quality. Here are a few tips:

Buy from a trusted supplier: Purchase your macadamia nuts from a reputable source known for quality.

Packaging matters: Opt for nuts that come in an opaque bag, or are vacuum packed, which helps protect them from light and air and extends their shelf life.

Choose whole nuts: Select whole macadamia nuts rather than chopped or broken ones. Whole nuts are less likely to be rancid as they are less exposed to air.

Taste: Quality macadamia nuts have a rich, buttery flavor. If they taste bitter or off, they are likely rancid and should not be consumed.

Proper storage: Once purchased, store the nuts in the freezer to maintain their freshness and prevent them from going rancid. Freezing them helps preserve their natural oils.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that you are getting the freshest and highest quality macadamia nuts.

Raw or Roasted?

While it’s common to believe that raw nuts are superior, a comprehensive 2021 study concluded that dry-roasting macadamia nuts offer several benefits.

According to the study, “the total available polyphenol content increased by 25.6%, and the oxidative stability index of kernels increased by 21.6% after dry roasting. The sensory scores for taste and aroma were doubled. Overall, the sensory, nutritional quality, and oxidative stability of roasted macadamia nuts were greatly improved compared with raw nuts.”

For the best quality nuts and butter, I prefer buying high-quality raw macadamia nuts and dry roasting them at a low temperature for a short time: 15 minutes at 125°C (257°F).

For these reasons, I roast the nuts when making macadamia nut butter. However, you can also use raw nuts if you prefer.

Ingredients to Make Macadamia Nut Butter

Makes: 1/2 cup of butter

• 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
• Pinch of salt
• Dash of vanilla
• Optional: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon coconut oil (to taste)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 125°C (257°F).
• Spread the macadamia nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast them in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Be careful not to roast them for longer than this.
• Remove the nuts from the oven and allow them to cool completely.

• Transfer the cooled nuts to a high-powered food processor suitable for making nut butter. I am using a Bamix immersion blender. Check out our article on essential kitchen tools for more details.

• Blend the nuts until they reach a creamy, butter-like consistency. This should take about 1-2 minutes with a powerful blender like mine, but it may take longer with other processors.

• Once the macadamia nuts have reached a smooth consistency, add the coconut oil (optional), salt, and vanilla.

• Blend again until fully incorporated. If you enjoy a hint of coconut flavor, use the coconut oil; if not, you can skip it or try both versions to see which you prefer. I find the combination very pleasant.

• Transfer the butter to an airtight jar. Store it in the refrigerator for two to three weeks (it won’t last that long!).

Nutritional Value and Serving Size

Macadamia nuts are uniquely distinguished by their exceptionally high monounsaturated fat content, including a significant amount of palmitoleic acid, an omega-7 fatty acid. Research suggests that palmitoleic acid can support increased insulin sensitivity, potentially reducing the risk of diabetes, and also promotes cardiovascular health.

Unlike many other nuts, they have a low omega-6 fatty acid content, helping to maintain a healthier omega-6 to omega-3 ratio and reduce inflammation.

Additionally, macadamia nuts are nutrient-dense, offering a rich supply of essential nutrients such as thiamine, magnesium, and manganese, along with antioxidants like tocotrienols and polyphenols, which protect against oxidative stress and support overall well-being. They are also lower in carbohydrates compared to other nuts.

One cup of macadamia nuts (about 140 grams) has about 962 calories, 10 grams of protein, 100 grams of fat, and 19 grams of carbohydrate, of which 12 grams are dietary fiber.

For this reason, macadamia nuts should be consumed in moderation, as they can lead to weight gain. One serving of macadamia nuts is about 10 whole nuts. But they are so rich and satisfying that I always feel like 5 nuts are enough as a snack.

The nutritional card below the recipe provides more details on the nutritional value of macadamia nut butter and the serving size.

How To Use Macadamia Nut Butter

• In recipes that ask for nut butter
• For a nut butter toast or sandwich with homemade jam or fresh fruits
• To fill chocolate-covered dates
• To drizzle on pancakes
• To make macadamia milk; instead of using the traditional method of blending nuts with water, you can blend about 4 tablespoons of butter with filtered water, and you have a quick and delicious macadamia milk.

Enjoy this smooth and luxurious treat and let us know if you make it!

Other Nut Butter and Healthy Spread Recipes:

• Creamy Walnut Butter with Cinnamon
• Homemade Pecan Butter
• Healthy Sugar-Free Nutella

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