11 Ways to Use Walnut Butter Every Day

Most walnut butter gets bought with enthusiasm and then eaten on toast until the jar runs out. Walnut butter is looser, less sweet and earthier than peanut butter, which makes it better than peanut butter in savoury cooking — a use almost nobody tries. Quantities below are rough. A tablespoon is about 15 g; a 28 g serving is roughly two. If you have not bought a jar yet, what is walnut butter covers the basics first. 1. On toast, properly Sourdough or a dense multigrain rather than soft white — walnut butter is heavy and flattens light bread. A tablespoon, spread thin. Salt on top if the jar is unsweetened; honey if it is not. 2. Stirred into oats or dahi A tablespoon into hot porridge off the heat, or into a bowl of thick dahi with a little jaggery. In dahi it turns the whole bowl nutty and loosens the set slightly, which is pleasant. 3. Blended into a smoothie One to two tablespoons per glass. It adds body and fat, which slows the sugar hit from banana or dates. Full recipes in walnut butter smoothie recipes. 4. A salad dressing This is where walnut butter clearly beats peanut butter. Whisk one tablespoon with the juice of half a lemon, a tablespoon of warm water, salt and a crack of pepper. It emulsifies into something creamy without any dairy, and the slight bitterness reads as sophistication rather than a fault. Good on beetroot, cucumber, or a plain green salad. 5. Stuffed into dates Split a Medjool date, take the stone out, push in half a teaspoon. Two of these is a genuinely good sweet at the end of a meal. Chill them and they firm up. 6. Into a chutney Blend a tablespoon with green chilli, coriander, garlic, lemon and salt. It behaves like a peanut chutney but earthier — works with idli, dosa or as a sandwich spread. 7. Through a curry or a noodle sauce A tablespoon stirred into a tomato-based gravy at the end thickens it and rounds off acidity. For noodles: walnut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, chilli and warm water to loosen. Add it off the heat — boiling a nut butter can split it. 8. In baking Swap one for one for peanut butter in cookies, brownies and banana bread. Walnut butter is looser, so expect a slightly softer set; reduce other fat marginally if the batter looks slack. 9. On a paratha or roti A thin layer inside a folded roti with a little jaggery makes a fast breakfast for a child. Nutta works better here than a high-percentage walnut butter, being sweeter and more familiar. 10. With fruit Apple slices, pear, banana. The classic pairing is apple — the acidity cuts the fat, which is the same logic behind an apple-and-walnut spread. 11. Off a spoon Not a joke. A tablespoon before or after a workout is a reasonable snack: fat and a bit of protein, no packaging, no preparation. Two things worth knowing Do not boil it. Nut butters split under sustained high heat. Add at the end, off the flame. Stir the oil back in. Separation is normal and a good sign — it means no hard fat is holding the jar together. Stir from the bottom up, and store the jar upside down between uses. A note on portions Walnut butter is calorie-dense, like every nut butter. One to two tablespoons a day is a sensible everyday amount for most people. At two tablespoons of our 75% Walnut Butter you are getting roughly 1.9 g of ALA omega-3, which is a meaningful daily contribution. Eating four does not make it twice as good for you. Common questions How much walnut butter should I eat a day? One to two tablespoons — about 15–28 g — suits most people. It is calorie-dense, so more is not better. Can I cook with walnut butter? Yes, but add it off the heat. Sustained boiling can split a nut butter. It works well in dressings, chutneys, noodle sauces and stirred into gravies at the end. Can I use walnut butter instead of peanut butter in baking? Yes, one for one. It is looser and less sweet, so the result sets a little softer and may want slightly more sweetener. What does walnut butter go with? Apple and pear, dates, dark chocolate, honey and jaggery, beetroot, lemon, and dahi. Its earthiness suits savoury uses better than peanut butter does. Is walnut butter good for kids? It is a nutritious food, though less sweet than peanut butter so some children need a step across — our Nutta blend is peanut-forward and usually lands more easily. Our walnut butters contain peanut and are not suitable for a child with a peanut allergy. Why does my walnut butter separate? Because nothing is holding the oil in suspension. Stir it back in from the bottom of the jar. A nut butter that never separates usually contains palm oil or hydrogenated fat.