There can be times when you want almond butter substitutes for your recipe. The butter is delicious and packed with goodness, making it popular. Yet, there can be times when you’re out of this butter or need to work around nut allergies. These are the times to look at options that can save your dish!
Let’s take a look at the options available to see the top replacements for almond butter.
Top Almond Butter Substitutes To Try
1. Peanut Butter
This old favorite of ours is extremely popular and for good reason. Few things live up to the legend of a PB&J sandwich and its wholesomeness. Amazing as it is on its own, peanut butter is also a viable replacement for almond butter.
This nut-based butter is sweeter and is viable for use as a spread, baking, cooking, and topping. Plus, it’s easily available and a useful option where almond butter isn’t readily available.
2. Sunflower Butter
Need to work around a nut allergy? Sunflower butter is an excellent choice. Sunflower butter is often seen as a viable alternative to nut butters. This delicious option is especially suitable as an almond butter alternative because of its creamy and neutral taste.
Here’s something interesting – when spread on baked goods like bread, sunflower butter can change color! It turns green when exposed to baking soda or baking powder. However, this change is purely in color and doesn’t affect the taste or edibility of sunflower butter. That could be a cool trick to show off!
3. Cashew Butter
Cashew butter is a nut-based butter and has a similar profile to almond butter. It is slightly creamier and has a higher fat content. This butter is also loaded with nutrients and its fat content is monounsaturated fat, which is considered healthier. Cashew butter is quite similar to almond butter in aroma, taste, and texture.
4. Pumpkin Seed Butter
Here’s another healthy choice for those who want to avoid nut butters. Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are a healthy food, whether eaten raw or as butter. It also helps that this creamy green butter is delicious. For some, it can take some time getting used to the green butter, but the unusual color is not that big a deal.
It works great on toast and in baked goods. You could even use this for sauces and be delighted with the results!
5. Nutella
The iconic hazelnut and chocolate spread has earned all of the love that it gets. Nutella is delicious for use as a spread on toast or bread and works pretty well with baking too. This is an accessible alternative to almond butter, or for that matter, any spread.
Nutella isn’t a healthier alternative, so if that’s your concern, look elsewhere. It has a fair amount of proteins and nutrients, but you’d have to do serious mental gymnastics to call Nutella healthy.
6. Hazelnut Butter
Since we’ve got Nutella up here, hazelnut butter seems like a good choice. It’s creamy and delicious, though it’s not as readily available. The market for hazelnut butters is pretty much in Nutella’s corner. However, conventional chocolate-free hazelnut butter is a delicacy and a worthy replacement for almond butter.
7. Walnut Butter
Walnut butter is another nut butter that’s high in deliciousness and has a great flavor. This butter is usually quite creamy and has a strong nutty taste. In some cases, it can leave behind a bitter aftertaste but remains palpable.
This is a healthy butter. Walnut butter has the highest amount of Omega fatty acids in all nut butters. This is a top choice for the health-conscious and vegans. It’s a decent replacement for almond butter and has a good profile and texture.
8. Mashed Bananas
Bananas are an effective choice when you need an almond butter substitute for baking. Bananas are effective, flavorful, easily available, and a healthy choice. It checks off quite a few boxes, so it’s reassuring to use this fruit.
For several diets, mashed bananas can also serve as spreads on toast and similar uses. Personally, I don’t care about using bananas as a spread – it doesn’t feel right. On the other hand, I know a few people who swear by it. So, it might be worth the effort to give bananas a shot and see if they live up to your expectations.
9. Avocado
The fleshy avocado can do everything that bananas can. If you prefer the milder taste and texture of avocados, give them a shot for baking and smoothies. They work well as a spread on bread too, allowing avocados to cover many functions of almond butter.
Besides, avocados have a mild flavor and low sweetness, which matches with the conventional almond butter pretty well.
10. Cookie Butter
The decadence and deliciousness of cookie butter are on a whole other level. For those of us not on a diet, the allure of Cookie Butter is tough to ignore. It has a consistency similar to almond butter and did I mention it tastes absolutely divine?
Cookie butter is safe for those with nut allergies, but it’s still best to check the ingredients and packaging to be sure. While the butter itself doesn’t contain any nuts, those with allergies should be vigilant. This one also contains gluten and soy, so watch out if you’re allergic to either of them.
11. Unsalted Butter
If you’re all out of options, go for unsalted butter. This isn’t a bad choice and can indeed liven up the flavor and texture for a lot of recipes. It works splendidly with baked goods and is a staple with toast. It’s safe for those with nut allergies and butter itself is quite tasteful.
As with all substitutes that aren’t based on nut butters, there will be a departure from the texture and taste of almond butter. But don’t let that discourage you. This substitute stands well on its own and is a quick and easy option.
12. Applesauce
Applesauce is a viable baking fat substitute. It’s often used where you can’t work with oil or butter in baking. As such, applesauce is a suitable substitute for almond butter in baking. If the sweetness of the applesauce is an issue, look for unsweetened applesauce for use. Of course, it will still be sweeter than almond butter, considering the nature and ingredients of applesauce.
FAQs And More About Almond Butter
Is almond butter good past its expiration date?
You should not eat items past their expiration date, or in case of some items, the “best before” date. There are associated health risks with eating food past its best before date. Technically, if an unopened jar of almond butter is stored properly (away from heat, moisture, and light), it can last past its “best before” date.
Unopened almond butter in the pantry can go for up to six months past its best before date. That time increases to one year if it was in the refrigerator. An opened jar of almond butter (within its best before date) will last somewhere between 6-9 months in the refrigerator and 3-5 months in the pantry.
Can I make almond butter using almond flour?
Yes, you can get almond butter from almond flour. You’ll need a good quality blender – Vitamix or similar work well. Put 2-3 cups of almond flour in the blender and run it for a while. In a minute or two, you’ll notice the flour reaches a creamy consistency. That means the creamy almond butter is ready!
Feel free to use add-ons like spices, sweeteners, or seasonings to enhance the flavor of your almond butter.
Are almond spread and almond butter the same thing?
There is a difference, though it’s more of a technicality. Almond butter is made solely from almonds without the presence of other ingredients. Almond spread or paste will include other ingredients, flavors, or seasoning. At the very least, they will include sugar.
What Is Your Substitute Of Choice?
Almond butter is delicious and versatile. It’s popular with many people and finds special favor with those on a keto diet. However, if you intend to skip or replace it in a recipe, you can depend on almond butter substitutes to handle that role. There are plenty of simple, easily available replacements as well as a few exotic ones to satisfy the more demanding taste buds.