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A delicious, Vegan one ingredient homemade Brazil nut butter recipe with flavoured Brazil nut butter options, health benefits of Brazil nuts and Brazil nut butter uses!
Brazil nuts have always been a Christmas nut for me because that’s the time of year I eat them the most. I’m not sure why I don’t utilise them more to be honest since they are delicious.
The thing that I love about Brazil nuts is their texture. When you bite into a Brazil nut, it’s got a different texture to most other nuts/seeds. It’s almost like I’m more aware of the Brazil nut oil content and it has an almost buttery consistency – in the best way possible. Which brings me to this delicious homemade Brazil nut butter recipe, as well as the health benefits of Brazil nuts. I’ve even thrown in a couple of cheeky sections for flavoured brazil nut butter options, and Brazil nut butter uses.
As with all homemade nut and seed butter recipes, this Brazil nut butter recipe is not only more cost-efficient then store-bought versions, it is also made up of just ONE ingredient – 100% Brazil nuts unlike many store-bought versions. Now, like promised above – I will include some options for flavoured Brazil nut butters, but also feel free to experiment! I always make sure to make flavoured batches in small quantities as the additional ingredients will affect the shelf life of the nut butter.
Bonus tip – for any leftovers you have after making homemade Brazil nut butter, dip them in dark chocolate with a sprinkle of sea salt. You won’t be disappointed! Such a simple, delicious snack!
This recipe is, of course, oil-free too! I know that many nut butter recipes include some oil to yield super-smooth results. However, I omit this and spend a little extra time blending them, for the healthiest version.
Health Benefits of Brazil Nuts
Firstly, did you know that Brazil nuts are technically a seed and not a nut?! – I’ll thank FRIENDS and ‘Doctor Boring’ for giving me that bit of information ( side note – hazelnuts are also a seed !)
Getting back to the point though, Brazil nuts are super nutritious and energy-dense.
- They are the most concentrated dietary source of Selenium ( which is essential for thyroid function as well as your immune system and anti-inflammatory), as well as being rich in magnesium, copper and zinc.
- An excellent source of healthy fats, to benefit heart health
- Brazil Nuts are a great source of antioxidants, combating damage caused by free radicals with anti-inflammatory properties.
- Brazil nuts are rich in antioxidants, which are substances that help keep your cells healthy. They do this by combating damage caused by reactive molecules called free radicals.
- Due to the healthy fats and antioxidants, Hazelnuts have been found to reduce bad LDL cholesterol, while increasing levels of good HDL cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease.
All of the above means that Brazil nuts overall can benefit your health in various ways, including thyroid health and heart, brain and immune system function.
On the flip side, it’s worth noting that you should eat Brazil nuts in moderation, as a portion size of 50 or more can lead to selenium toxicity, which can cause various serious health issues. I don’t know enough about it to give all the details. However, don’t fear as you definitely won’t ever be eating a portion anywhere near as 50 brazil nuts in one serving with this nut butter, unless you try to eat an entire jar in one sitting ( which I wouldn’t recommend with any nut butter!).
Now, for the homemade Brazil nut recipe, flavoured Brazil nut combinations and its uses…
How to make homemade Brazil Nut butter
To begin, roast the raw brazil nuts in the oven at 165ºC (fan assisted) for 15 minutes and then leave till cool-to-touch.
The Brazil nuts are now ready to be blended. Place them in a food processor or blender and blend till smooth. This is best done in intervals, so the nuts ( or the machine) don’t overheat. The longer they are blended, the runnier consistency the homemade hazelnut butter will be.
As these nuts are that delicious buttery texture, these take less time to blend than many other nuts. Five minutes is more than enough for a deliciously smooth homemade Brazil nut butter.
I suggest using a high-speed blender if possible. Otherwise, the process can take quite a bit longer. However, if you do have a relatively mid-level powered food processor/blender, don’t fret! Simply give the nuts longer time to blend, giving the machine a break every couple of minutes.
Once the homemade Brazil nut butter is ready, transfer it to an airtight glass container (scraping down the sides) and keep this in the fridge for 2-3 months. It can also be frozen, for longer.
Some Flavoured Brazil Nut combinations you could try include
Whenever I make large batches of any nut butter, I tend to avoid adding any additional ingredients, and they will affect the shelf-life. If I want to flavour any, I will make sure only to flavour a small portion of it, so none goes to waste. If you want some flavoured brazil nut butter inspiration:
- A simple, sweet modification would be to add some homemade Vanilla extract or Vanilla Powder.
- Since brazil nuts remind me of Autumn/Winter, I would suggest experimenting with seasonal flavours such as with pumpkin spice mix, Cinnamon, or even Christmas pudding style one.
- For a simple, sweet version add your favourite natural syrup of choice.
- As with all my homemade nut butter recipes, I have to suggest adding some cocoa powder for a delicious chocolatey version because everything is better with chocolate!
- You could also try making an espresso version with ground coffee
How To Use Brazil Nut Butter/Brazil Nut Butter Uses
I still have quite a bit of experimentation to do regarding using this delicious nut butter more. However, here are a few suggestions for you!
As with all nut & seed butters, this homemade brazil nut butter works well as a simple spread, within smoothies, stirred into or drizzled over oats, a yoghurt parfait, pancakes and ice-cream. You can also use it to make fun alternatives to these homemade Vegan peanut butter cups. As well as for homemade energy balls, protein bars and other raw treats swap about whatever nut butter you usually use for Brazil nut butter instead.
As always, if you give this recipe a go then let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, feel free to tag me in your recreations @AlphaFoodie.
Homemade Brazil Nut Butter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups Brazil nut
Instructions
- To begin, roast the raw brazil nuts in the oven at 165ºC (fan assisted) for 10 minutes and then leave till cool-to-touch.
- The brazil nuts are now ready to be blended. Simply place them in a food processor or blender and blend till smooth. This is best done in intervals so the nuts ( or the machine) don't overheat. The longer they are blended, the runnier consistency the homemade brazil nut butter will be. 5 minutes is more than enough for a deliciously smooth homemade brazil nut butter. *
- Once the homemade brazil nut butter is ready, simply transfer it to an airtight glass container and keep this in the fridge for 2-3 months. It can also be frozen, for longer.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe, received a huge bag from my sister-in-law who said they were bland and tasteless! As far as brazil nut poisoning or whatever.. We grew up with brazil nuts as an xmas treat. We would sit around a massive bag with my huge italian family and crack nuts on xmas eve. I remember being a preteen and eating 10-15 nuts in a sitting easily.. if selenium poisoning is as serious as everyone says it is I would most likely be dead already! Not saying you can’t be poisoned but it looks like everyone on this recipe is eating 3-4 T’s of this on a sandwhich. I think you will be okay….
Thank you so much for your comment, Nicholas 🙂
This was so helpful. You answered all my questions.
Thank you.
Thank you, Kim 🙂
Hi
Thank you for this great post
As i type I’m blending the brazilnuts
I have an 800 watt blender but it doesn’t seem to turn into a smooth consistency
It stays crumbly
I blended a few times with pausing but still same result
Please help
Hi Omar,
I recommend to keep on blending – with some nuts, it takes awhile. Blend for a couple of minutes, then give the blender a rest, and repeat. You could also add a splash of plant-based milk to help with the texture.
Did you roast the brazil nuts? Roasting them brings out their natural oils and then blending is easier.
This was SO easy to make, I can’t believe it. I used my Breville food processor’s grinding function and it worked perfectly. Flavour is fantastic after the mild roasting so, I feel no need for flavouring. My partner and I are trying to lose the last few kilos of a keto program and need the healthy fat and fibre content from nuts to make the macro’s work (it is so easy to overdo the nuts, so using them as paste goes further). Very grateful for your instructions. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your comment, Virginia. So happy you tried the recipe and are enjoying the nut butter.
I just made this, didn’t quite have 2 cups of brasil so added half a cup of pecans and a good grind of sea salt, wow, its the nicest nut butter ever! Thank you from Wales xxx
Thank you for your comment, Robin. Glad you adapted the recipe to what you had at the moment 🙂
Could you blend with walnuts for this nut butter? And could you answer this in my email?
Hi Bobbi,
You can use the same process to make walnut butter. The steps are described also in this blog post – https://www.alphafoodie.com/simple-homemade-walnut-butter/
Alternatively, if you’d like, you can make a mix of walnut + Brazil nut butter. I hope this helps.
Eating more then 4 Brazil nuts a day can give you selenium poisoning.
Hi Emily,
Research shows that 50 average-sized Brazil nuts could lead to toxicity. Consuming a spoonful of Brazil nut butter every now and then as part of a balanced diet should not have any negative effects.
I did some measuring and 1 TBl brazil nut butter is about 2 nuts worth… so in order to avoid the selenium poisoning, You can stir that 1 Tbl into your other nut butters or PB smoothie or whatever because 1 Tble. is NOT enough to spread over stuff!!! Hope that helps!
Thank you for your comment, Jenny.
Finally, someone else as interested in Brazil Nut butter as I am lol!
Thank you for your comment, Brie. Brazil nuts are so yummy 🙂 I love making this nut butter with them.
Do you have to roast the nuts or can you use raw nuts?
Hi,
Roasting the nuts makes them easier to blend and brings out their flavor. You can use raw nuts but please note that you might have to blend them longer, giving your processor a break from time to time if needed, so it doesn’t overheat.
I hope this helps.