Sprouted Almond Butter

Making Sprouted Almond Butter is quite a task but it is worth it when done. If you can buy sprouted raw almond butter you totally should, we don’t have it where we live and it costs so much more if we would order it than making our own. I am exaggerating a bit about the amount of work. It takes time, soaking, drying and processing.

Almonds are rich in nutrients like arginine, magnesium, copper, manganese, calcium and potassium. Studies show almonds have a consistent “bad” LDL cholesterol-lowering effect, especially in individuals with high cholesterol and diabetes. Also plenty of vitamin E, an important antioxidant. Vitamin E also nourishes the skin and reduces signs of aging.

Why the soaking?

It seems that almonds contain enzyme inhibitors which protects the nut until the proper levels of water and sun allow it to germinate. Activating the enzymes in the almond make them easier on the digestion and easier for our bodies to access its nutrients.

The other concern is that phytates can bind  with minerals like iron and zinc and reduce their absorption into the bloodstream. A  combination of antioxidants and vitamin E is found in almond skins which work to protect cells from free radical damage. The skin of the almond is rich in phytates and in insoluble fiber that doesn’t get digested but travels to colon where it feeds the good bacteria that supports the immune system. So removing the skin makes it lower in phytates but you also remove lot of the insoluble fiber.

New studies have found that phytates are not the total bad guy they were made out to be. Phytates seem to play a role in preventing and treating cancer by hunting down and disposing of cancer cells without effecting the normal ones. They also play a role in osteoporosis protection with similar outcomes as of anti-osteoporosis drugs, but without the side effects of actual drugs [1] Gotta love Mother Nature! I left the skin on in this recipe, mostly out of laziness ….

To sprout almonds you soak them overnight for 10 to 12 hours, I usually do this overnight. After 10 to 12 hours rinse them well and place them on a wet towel. I sometimes leave them in a sieve which I place over a bowl and cover the almonds with a clean towel.  When sprouted you will see white spots at the tip of the almond, this can take one to three days. I rinse them twice daily when sprouting.

After soaking and sprouting the almonds they go in the dehydrator on 115F / 42C for about 18 hours until dry and crunchy.  ( See video at the bottom of the post ) After drying I process the almonds in a food processor until they release the fat and become creamy. I use my Magimix 5200XL for this job, enough power to get those fats soft and big enough to make a big batch at once.  On the picture below it starts to break up but not yet creamy. You will need to be cleaning the sides of the bowl often because the almond paste tends to creep up.

Here it is releasing the oil and getting creamy.

You can of course make any kind of sprouted nut butter you like! Hazelnuts are also delicious or even seeds like sunflower- or pumpkin seeds are great as butter. I use those often in hearty spreads.

Click HERE to see my Raw Chocolate Nut Cupcakes I made using almond butter as a filling and you can watch below how I made the sprouted almond butter.

Tina x

[1] Dr. Michael Gregers Nutritionfacts.org has a lot of new info on phytates if you are interested.