Homemade Cashew Butter Recipe (Delicious, Creamy, and Organic!)

Cashew Butter

I love nut butter but don’t like the processed junk you find in most stores. It wasn’t until my daughter was born did I explore the possibility of making my own cashew butter. Who knew it was so easy!

The only thing is that you have to soak your nuts for optimum nutrition. Check out why according to Foodmatters.tv soaking nuts is essential: “Nature has set it up so that the nut, grain and seed may survive until proper growing conditions are present. Nature’s defense mechanism includes nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances that can be removed naturally when there is enough precipitation to sustain a new plant after the nut, grain or seed germinates. When it rains the nut, grain or seed gets wet and can then germinate to produce a plant. So we are mimicking nature when we soak our nuts, grains and seeds.

Nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances found in nuts grains and seed can be minimized or eliminated by soaking. These inhibitors and toxic substances are enzyme inhibitors, phytates (phytic acid), polyphenols (tannins), and goitrogens.”

Why soak nuts, grains and seeds?

To remove or reduce phytic acid.

To remove or reduce tannins.
To neutralize the enzyme inhibitors.
To encourage the production of beneficial enzymes.

To increase the amounts of vitamins, especially B vitamins.
To break down gluten and make digestion easier.
To make the proteins more readily available for absorption.

To prevent mineral deficiencies and bone loss.
To help neutralize toxins in the colon and keep the colon clean.
To prevent many health diseases and conditions.

So the question remains how to soak your cashews? It’s rather simple, although make sure not to over soak or you will be quite disappointed with your first batch of cashew butter!

Soaking Instructions:

1. Put cashews in a bowl and sprinkle the sea salt over them.

2. Add enough warm filtered water to cover them.

3. Leave them to soak in a warm place (room temperature) for 7 hours only – see Note.

4. Drain off the water (do not rinse them), and pat them dry with a towel.

5. To dry them spread them out on a cookie sheet, and put them on the lowest shelf in the oven, with only the oven light on for 12 hours, or more if necessary.

6. Be cautious when drying nuts, since even when only using the oven light they can still burn, so check them and turn them over as needed. They can also be air dried at room temperature but it will take longer.

7. Store nuts in glass containers with lids on them and keep them in the refrigerator, otherwise they will tend to get moldy.

Note: Cashews must not be soaked any longer than 7 hours. They have already been through one soaking in their initial processing. If they are soaked too long they will be bitter.