Have you ever seen a log of herbed butter?  All cut into pretty round slices and full of delicious herbs like parsley, chives, basil, and oregano?

This is not like that.

Well, it’s sort of like it but not quite.  I had the idea to try and come up with an alternative to those fancy herbed butters that are so delicious.  I haven’t had dairy in years, and I wanted to see if I could make a dairy-free version.

Sure, there are tons of vegan specialty butters that you can buy.  But many times those butters are full of processed ingredients that aren’t any better for me than regular butter.

So I decided to go the route of making a savory nut butter.  First I had to decide which type of nut to use.  Almonds and peanut butter have their own distinct taste and I wanted to use something a bit milder so that you could really taste the herbs.

Cashews are pretty mild, but they can be a little grainy in texture unless you have a high-powered blender.  I settled on macadamia nuts.  They are mild and have a slightly buttery taste to them and come out nice and smooth when blended into butter.

I was surprised how quickly this came together and I was pleased with the taste and the spreadability.  The only thing that I couldn’t really change was the color.  Yeah, it’s kind of an icky brown, but sometimes the ugliest concoctions taste the best.  Just trust me on this one.

A few notes about the recipe.  You don’t have to roast the nuts, but it adds a nice depth of flavor to the savory butter.  Raw nuts will give you a lighter, more appealing color.  Don’t worry about the coconut oil giving this butter a coconut-y flavor, it’s just to help the butter set in the fridge and spread nicely on things like bread.

Herbed Macadamia Butter

• 2 cups raw macadamia nuts
• 2 tsp roasted garlic
• 2 tsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spread the macadamia nuts on a large baking sheet in an even layer.
2. Roast the nuts for 10 minutes and then transfer to a blender or food processor immediately.
3. Blend the nuts, scraping down the sides as needed, until you have a smooth and drippy butter.  It should be almost liquid like.
4. Add in the teaspoons of coconut oil and the 1 tsp of salt and blend until combined.
5. Add in the garlic and the rest of the seasonings and blend until completely combined.  Taste and adjust any seasonings as needed.

This will obviously not act the same way as real butter, as in it won’t melt.  But it does add a nice salty, herby, and fatty quality to whatever you use it on.  And really, who doesn’t like things that are salty, herby, and fatty?

Keep this in an airtight container in your fridge and let it warm up a few minutes before you use it so it spreads easily.  And there you have it!  Your own savory spread that you didn’t have to pay top dollar for! Enjoy!