There’s nothing fun about boring snacks and sometimes just switching a few things up can make everything feel fresh and new again, whether you’re mixing up a new kind of trail mix, blending up a new smoothie, or something as simple as changing up the dip you serve with apples.
One of our favorite easy snacks is apples (or pears! or bananas!) with nut butter. Peanut butter is always yummy, but we also like mixing things up with almond or cashew butter. The trouble is…my kids don’t think they love plain almond butter.
I get it! It can sometimes be a bit bland, so when we’re in the mood to mix things up, I like bringing out one of our favorite flavored almond butters. I’ve found that by changing things up a bit every few days, they stay interested and are eager to keep trying new flavors. Some work better than others, but we’ve found a few we love time and time again.
Here’s how we make flavored almond butters, three flavors we love, and a BUNCH of ways to enjoy them…
FLAVORED ALMOND BUTTER BASICS + TIPS
It’s EASY to make different flavors of almond butter. Basically, you take a good-quality almond butter, then mix in a few different flavorings or sweeteners. A few notes upfront:
- I RECOMMEND NATURAL ALMOND BUTTER, WHEN POSSIBLE. I like to look for almond butters (and nut butters in general) with only nuts or just nuts and salt. Then, I can add my own sweetness and add-ins without competing with added oils and sugars. Amazon, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Target sell good ones! (Or, you can make your own!)
- I LIKE TO STICK WITH NATURAL SWEETENERS. I like pure maple syrup, honey, or agave in these. Liquid sweeteners blend in really well without thickening the almond butter *too* much.
- SPICES AND VANILLA WORK REALLY WELL. Vanilla and spices like cinnamon or blends like pumpkin pie spice or chai spice are awesome in flavored nut butters. They add sweet taste without any actual sugar!
- POWDERED MIX-INS THICKEN ALMOND BUTTER. Powdered mix-ins (like cocoa powder, powdered sweeteners, etc.) can thicken the almond butter and make it a bit more like dough or batter. If your almond butter gets too thick, try loosening it up with a bit more liquid sweetener, some melted coconut oil, or even a bit of milk or water.
- HOW TO STORE. I keep my flavored almond butters in the fridge. They do harden up a bit, so letting them come to room temperature or warming slightly will help loosen them back up. I keep flavored almond butter about 1 week in the fridge.
3 OF MY FAVORITE FLAVORED ALMOND BUTTERS
The combinations are endless, but 3 of my favorite flavors are:
1) HONEY VANILLA ALMOND BUTTER. This honey vanilla flavored almond butter is lightly sweet with a pinch of salt. I love it. The flavors are beautifully balanced, which makes this flavored almond butter extra versatile. Kids like it. Grown-ups like it. Win-win.
- PS – My favorite salt for this is Maldon sea salt flakes. They’re gorgeous and taste so much better than table salt. Trust me!
2) MAPLE CINNAMON ALMOND BUTTER. Maple Cinnamon flavored almond butter is Michael’s very favorite. It tastes warm and cozy, and is especially nice in the fall, on chilly mornings, or when you’re craving a bit of comfort food.
- PS. For variety, you can swap the cinnamon out for a bit of pumpkin pie spice or my chai spice blend. It’s AWESOME!
3) COCOA VANILLA ALMOND BUTTER. Don’t be fooled, this is definitely not a dessert spread. It’s mildly sweet and not intensely chocolatey, but is a really yummy change of pace and my kids LOVE it. This combination actually happened by accident. We were out of our favorite chocolate hazelnut butter, but Sophie requested chocolate to dip her apple in. A few teaspoons of cocoa powder, a tiny drizzle of syrup, and bam. She feels like she’s eating dessert, and I know it’s not too sugary. Win for everyone.
- PS – If you want it to be more chocolatey, skip the cocoa powder and mix in 2 Tbsp chocolate chips melted together with 1 tsp coconut oil.
- PPS – I love using dark cocoa powder (sometimes labeled Dutch Processed or alkalized cocoa) because it gives a more chocolatey look.
HOW TO ENJOY THESE FLAVORED ALMOND BUTTERS
The options are basically endless! Some of our favorite ways to eat these flavored almond butters are:
- On sandwiches or toast. It’s great on it’s own, with sliced strawberries or bananas, topped with raisins, or with more honey or a bit of your favorite jam.
- With bananas, apples, pears, or strawberries.
- Spread on graham crackers or rice cakes
- As a dip with pretzels
- On a bowl of really good oatmeal with fresh berries or bananas.
- Drizzled over apples slices for apple “nachos“
- Spread on pumpkin oatmeal pancakes!
- Dolloped on my Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal(maple cinnamon or honey vanilla) or over a serving of my Baked Berry Oatmeal(any flavor!)
- In my Chai Spiced Smoothie recipe (the honey vanilla or maple cinnamon are lovely!)
*One note here is that I don’t recommend it for use in baking recipes (cookies, cakes, brownies) as the structure is slightly altered with the mix-ins and may disrupt the structure of your baked goods. You won’t run into this problem with oatmeal, toast, smoothies, sandwiches, etc.
NEED MORE YUMMY SNACK IDEAS? YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- 15 Healthy Snacks You Can Make Right Now
- No Bake Cookie Energy Bites
- 10 Healthy Snacks with Fruit
- 6 Yummy Flavors of Trail Mix
3 Ways to Make Flavored Almond Butter
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 snack servings per flavor 1x
Description
3 Ways to Flavor Your Almond Butter – These 3 kinds of flavored almond butter take healthy snacking to the next level! (Vegan, paleo, and gluten free options)
Ingredients
FOR HONEY VANILLA ALMOND BUTTER:
- 1/2 cup natural almond butter
- 2–4 tsp honey (sub maple syrup or agave for vegan or children under 1)
- 1/4–1/2 tsp vanilla
- generous pinch salt
FOR MAPLE CINNAMON ALMOND BUTTER:
- 1/2 cup natural almond butter
- 2–4 tsp pure maple syrup (more, to taste)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
FOR COCOA VANILLA ALMOND BUTTER:
- 1/2 cup natural almond butter
- 2–3 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I like dark cocoa powder)
- 2–4 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
FOR HONEY VANILLA ALMOND BUTTER:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Taste, and add additional honey, vanilla, or salt, to taste.
FOR MAPLE CINNAMON ALMOND BUTTER:
- Stir together ingredients. Taste, and add more cinnamon or syrup as desired.
FOR COCOA VANILLA ALMOND BUTTER*:
- Stir together. Taste, and add additional cocoa or syrup, to taste. Note: cocoa powder will thicken almond butter. If you find yours has thickened more than you like, you can thin it out with additional syrup, or a bit of melted coconut oil, or a bit of milk or water.
Notes
*PS – If you want it to be more chocolatey, skip the cocoa powder and mix in 2 Tbsp chocolate chips melted together with 1 tsp coconut oil, along with the syrup and vanilla.
- Category: Snacks, Dip
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Almond Butter, Flavored Almond Butter, Honey Vanilla Almond Butter, Cocoa Almond Butter, Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter
I LOVE these ideas! SO clever and delicious sounding!