*1 serving is 1 ounce (approximately 2 tablespoons) of cashew butter. Note about Making Drippy / Smooth Cashew Butter The cashews will come together into a thicker spread / paste first, then thin out more as the nuts continue to heat in your food processor. If you're worried your food processor will overheat, turn it off for 10 minutes, then run it again until you reach your desired texture. 

What if my Cashew Butter is too thick, and isn't becoming a thin, drippy texture?

There are several reasons your cashew butter might turn out too thick, and not have a drippy texture.

• Your food processor / blender isn't powerful enough. This recipe requires a high speed blender, like a Vitamix, or a powerful food processor. I love my Breville Food Processor and it works even with raw nuts.
• You didn't allow the nuts to cool enough before adding them to the processor. The oils in nut butter will seize when processed with water, so if your nuts steam inside the processor, your nut butter will not become thin and drippy. It's okay to add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of oil to try to thin it out, but once it seizes it will never have a perfect texture - but it will still taste great, and work well in baked goods, sauces, or smoothies!
• Raw nuts take longer to release oils, so if you are using raw cashews or very lightly toasted cashews, your nut butter will not thin out as much.

Raw Cashew Butter

Skip steps 1 and 2 in this recipe, and use raw cashews in place of toasted cashews. Roasting nuts help release the oils, so raw cashew butter will take longer to process than roasted (warmed) nuts. If your cashew butter is too thick, it's okay to add an extra tablespoon of oil, and continue processing, so help release more of the nuts' natural oils. In addition, raw cashews still have trace urushiol, a toxin found on the cashew's shell. Removing the shells and toasting nuts destroys this chemical. If you like the sweetness of raw cashew butter, consider roasting your nuts for 5 minutes rather than using completely raw nuts.

Chunky Cashew Butter

Use 3 1/2 cups of cashews, and toast the cashews for 15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of toasted cashews, and chop them coarsely. After making your cashew butter, stir in the chopped cashew pieces.

Sweetened Cashew Butter

The oils in nut butters seize when mixed with liquids, like water or liquid sweeteners. For this reason, I tend to avoid sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. Dry sweeteners, like powdered coconut sugar, or powdered monk fruit sweetener, are both great options! Add 2-3 tablespoons (or more to taste) to the nut butter after it's done, and then pulse to combine. If you want to use maple syrup or honey, then coat the cashews in maple syrup or honey prior to roasting. Roast for 10-15 minutes, which will evaporate most of the water in the sweetener. Then, place the sweetened cashews into the food process or blender, along with the oil and salt, and process until the desired texture is achieved.

Vanilla Cashew Butter

This is my favorite cashew butter variation! When your cashew butter is fully processed, scrape 1 vanilla bean into your cashew butter, and pulse to combine. The vanilla flavor sweetens the nut butter, and tastes more intense after it's sat for 1 day.

Cinnamon Cashew Butter

Add 1 teaspoon of a high quality cinnamon into your food processor, along with the salt and coconut oil.

Cashew Almond Butter

Use 1 1/2 cups almonds and 1 1/2 cups cashews as the nuts in this recipe. The instructions are the same, and this combo can be made with any of the other recommended variations!