SaurabhWhether it’s the holiday season or not, having a healthy and well-balanced diet is still important (although of course it’s totally possible to look great while still eating all your favorite foods!). No wonder almond butter is a go-to choice for health enthusiasts – not only for its health benefits but also for its goodness.
However, if you’re not fond of almond butter or it’s not readily available in your area, there are tons of alternatives. You can substitute it with peanut butter, cashew butter, walnut butter, mashed avocado, mashed banana, Greek yogurt, and unsalted butter.
We’re sure that you want to find out more about these excellent substitutes. Without further ado, here are your almond butter substitutes.
Almond Butter Substitutes
1. Peanut Butter
The easiest and the most readily available substitute is peanut butter. We realise that almond butter could be scarce in some areas, and in fact you might need to visit a specialty store. However, if you’ve got no other option, peanut butter is an excellent alternative.
It’s still a nut-based butter perfect for a toast, as an ingredient for baking dishes, and even makes a great topping for classic oatmeal in the morning. The substitution is easy, since both have the same characteristics. Just pick your favorite brand.
2. Cashew Butter
Cashew butter is also a great substitute for almond butter. As a nut-based butter it still has the same profile. If both almond and peanut butter are unavailable, or not to your liking, then definitely give this option a go. Rest assured that there’s not much difference when it comes to aroma, taste, and texture.
Compared with peanut butter, cashew butter also contains more monounsaturated fat, which is the healthy fat that your body needs. However, it contains less protein compared to almonds and peanuts. The taste is also more on the creamy side, depending on what brand you choose.
3. Walnut Butter
It seems like we’ll never run out of nut-based butter! Next on our list is walnut butter. Just like other nut butter variants, walnut butter has also grown in popularity because of its abundant health benefits. In fact, it is also often used as a crucial ingredient for vegan treats.
Walnut butter has the most omega fatty acids out of all the nut butter variants – making it the preferred choice for many health enthusiasts. The overall profile resembles the previous alternatives, so using walnut butter as a substitute doesn’t result in a significant difference.
4. Mashed Avocado
For those who don’t like nuts, or who are allergic to them, no worries. This might be outside the box but mashed avocado can be an excellent alternative. If you like toast for breakfast, instead of topping it off with peanut butter, why not try it with mashed avocado? Yep, it’s delicious and its healthy fats make it healthy as well.
This ingredient will also help create baked dishes without using any butter. The natural fats of the avocado provide lower calories but with a higher healthy fat content. Surprisingly, avocado brings a very fluffy and moist texture to any baked dish – which is why it’s often used in vegan baked dishes.
5. Mashed Banana
If avocado is not quite your thing, bananas can be the next resort. Banana is equally as effective as almond butter when it comes to making baked dishes. You can also use this as a substitute for butter if you wish to adopt a vegan or gluten-free diet. On top of that, bananas are readily available throughout the year, everywhere in the world. So finding them shouldn’t be a problem!
As for which type of banana is preferred, make sure that it’s ripe enough. It pays to have a sweet and soft banana to mash and mix with the ingredients. When substituting, just replace it in the ratio 1:1.
6. Greek Yoghurt
If creamy goodness packed with nutritious vitamins and minerals is what you’re after, Greek yogurt is also a good bet. Just be mindful that Greek yogurt is still an animal product, so it isn’t vegan-friendly. But you can enjoy this when you want your favorite sweet treats to be lower in calories and fat.
For every tablespoon of almond butter, substitute it with 1½ tablespoons of Greek yogurt. Make sure you choose the regular or plain yogurt so as to not clash with the other flavors in the recipe. If you wish to use flavored yogurt, just make sure that it matches the recipe. For example, if you’re making a lemon cake, you can pick a lemon-flavored Greek yogurt.
7. Unsalted Butter
If the options are quite limited, there is no need to rush off to the grocery store. If you have unsalted butter, this will do just fine – butter has always been a key ingredient for baked dishes, so butter is always a good option. You can find vegan-friendly and low-fat unsalted butter just to make it on the healthier side.
This substitution needs the same 1:1 ratio, and it will ensure that all your baked dishes are soft, moist, and fluffy. Butter is excellent for doing that!
Tip: Keep in mind that when using non nut-based substitutes, you will not get the same aroma and taste. If you really like having a nutty taste in your dish, you could always make your own almond butter at home. There’s a ton of recipes online that you can follow to achieve the perfect creamy goodness.
FAQs:
Are almond butter and almond spread the same?
Technically speaking, no. Although both are made from almonds, almond spread has added sugar, while almond butter is all pure almonds alone.
Does almond butter have more nutrients than peanut butter?
Only slightly. Almond butter has a little bit more fiber, minerals, and vitamins. However, both are still nutritious as part of your daily diet.
Is almond butter expensive?
Yes, compared to other nut butter variants it is a bit expensive, depending on the brand. The process of making almond butter is expensive and time-consuming, hence the price.
Do you need to refrigerate almond butter?
Read the packet to see how to store it once it’s opened. Some almond butter or other nut-based butters do not require refrigerating. However, if the variant has less added sugar or other preservatives, it needs to be refrigerated once opened. Take note that the purest form of food will more quickly spoil at room temperature.
There’s no mystery as to why we are hooked on almond butter. It’s delicious, nutritious, and versatile to use in any dish. But it won’t hurt to do some substituting when the recipe calls for something else.
1 comment
thank you