If you love pecans like I do, you must try pecan butter. It is truly luscious. Pecans are not cheap, but I assure you that pecan butter is worth every penny. It is liquid gold.
Might I suggest that you slather it on a piece of my favorite honey-sweetened banana bread, as I have every morning this week? It makes a healthy breakfast that tastes almost as decadent as a piece of cake.
The idea for pecan butter came to me on a road trip back from Colorado. I munched on a cracker, then a couple of locally grown pecans. Those pecans were extraordinary; one taste convinced me that every pecan I’ve ever tasted has been rancid with old age. My grandmother Mimi’s family owned a pecan farm and she adored pecans. Now I know why.
I munched on a couple more pecans, and another cracker, wishing I could smear the pecans on top like peanut butter. Bingo! Pecan butter. One quick Google search confirmed that it could be done, but no one has given pecan butter the attention it deserves.
I’ve tried to make peanut butter before with disappointing results, but not so here. Pecan butter is the least finicky all-natural nut butter I’ve come across.
Toasted pecans meld together in a food processor, turning into silky smooth, spreadable nutty goodness with maple undertones, without any added oil. A pinch of salt and a dash of cinnamon at the end make it positively divine.
More Homemade Nut Butters
Please let me know how you use your pecan butter in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Homemade Pecan Butter
Pecan butter is easy to make and tastes absolutely incredible! Feel free to to double or maybe even triple the amount of pecans in order to make a bigger batch (you may find it easier to toast the pecans in the oven at that point). Recipe yields 1 cup as written.
- Pour the pecans into a large skillet and toast, stirring often, over medium heat until fragrant (don’t let them burn!). This will take about 4 to 8 minutes.
- Pour the toasted pecans into a food processor or high-speed blender and let them cool for several minutes. Then blend the pecans, pausing to scrape down the sides with a spatula often. The mixture will be crumbly at first, but will eventually blend into super-creamy goodness. Be careful not to let the mixture get too hot, which seems to cause oil separation. You might have to stop and let the mixture/machine cool down for a bit just to be safe. The amount of blending time required really depends on your machine—my old food processor took ten to fifteen minutes to turn the pecans into pecan butter, but my fancy Blendtec and Vitamix blenders can turn it into butter in a minute or two.
- Add a pinch of sea salt and a dash of cinnamon (if using). Blend again, taste, and add more salt or cinnamon if needed.
- Pour into a small jar, seal it with a lid, and store it in the refrigerator for good measure. This pecan butter will keep well, refrigerated, for up to 1 month or so—obviously, don’t eat it if you see or smell any signs that it has gone bad.
Notes
This pecan butter is only as good as the pecans you put it in it. Seek out fresh pecans from a store with high turnover. Bonus points if they’re local, organic and/or stored in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
