What Is Walnut Butter? A Complete Guide

Walnut butter is ground walnuts. That is genuinely most of the definition — walnut kernels milled until the cell walls break down and the nut's own oil releases, turning solid nut into a spreadable paste. No butter, no dairy, and in a well-made jar, very little else. It is the same principle as peanut butter, applied to a nut that behaves quite differently. How it is made Four steps, and the third is where jars diverge. Sorting. Kernels are graded by colour and size. Dark or shrivelled kernels carry more bitterness, so they get pulled out. Roasting, sometimes. Some makers roast lightly for flavour; some grind raw. Walnut oil is delicate, so heavy roasting costs more than it adds. Grinding. Either fast, in an industrial mill that generates significant heat, or slow, between stones. We stone-grind cold for 24 hours. Heat is the enemy of a fat this unsaturated — it dulls flavour and degrades the omega-3. Filling. Straight into the jar. A well-made walnut butter needs no cooking and no setting. What should be in it A short list. Walnuts first, then whatever the maker has added and why. Ours are built like this: Jar Composition Unsweetened Walnut Butter 85% Kagzi walnuts, 13% roasted peanut Walnut Butter 75% Kagzi walnuts, 12% roasted peanut Chocolate Walnut Butter 69% Kagzi walnuts, 10% roasted peanut, 8% cocoa Plus sunflower lecithin (INS 322), salt and Vitamin E (INS 307) in each. The lecithin is an emulsifier that slows oil separation; the Vitamin E is an antioxidant that slows the oil going rancid. We name both with their INS numbers on the pack rather than hiding them behind a word like "natural stabiliser". All of our walnut butters contain peanut and are not suitable for anyone with a peanut allergy. What should not be in it: palm oil, hydrogenated or interesterified fat, artificial flavour. Those exist to make a cheap paste behave like an expensive one. What it tastes like Earthy and rich, noticeably less sweet than peanut butter, with a faint bitterness on the finish. That bitterness is tannin from the papery skin on the kernel, and it is a sign the skins were left on — where most of the polyphenols sit. A walnut butter with no bitterness at all has usually been blanched or heavily sweetened. The texture is looser and oilier than peanut butter. Walnuts are around 65% fat against roughly 50% for peanuts, so there is simply more oil to release. It pours and drizzles more than it holds a shape. Oil separation is normal A layer of oil on top means the jar has not been stabilised with hard fat. Stir it back in with a butter knife — from the bottom up, not the top down — and it stays mixed for a while. Storing the jar upside down between uses helps. If a nut butter never separates at all, something is holding it together, and that something is usually palm oil or a hydrogenated fat. How to use it Anywhere peanut butter goes, plus a few places it does not. On toast, stirred into oats or dahi, blended into smoothies, whisked into a salad dressing with lemon and salt, or into a savoury sauce where its earthiness works better than peanut's sweetness. There are more ideas in eleven ways to use walnut butter and walnut butter smoothie recipes. Storing it Cool, dark, lid on. Refrigeration is not required and makes the butter hard to spread, but it does extend life — reasonable in an Indian summer. The real enemies are heat, light and air, all of which push an unsaturated oil towards rancid. If it smells sharp or like old paint, it has turned. How it compares Walnut butter Peanut butter Almond butter Omega-3 (ALA) High Trace Trace Protein Moderate High Moderate Texture Loose, oily Thick Thick, grainy Price High Low High The fuller version is in walnut butter vs peanut butter, and what walnut butter actually offers nutritionally is in walnut butter benefits. Walnut butter is not walnut oil Walnut oil is pressed — the oil is extracted and the solids discarded. Walnut butter is the whole kernel, so it keeps the fibre, the protein and the skin polyphenols along with the oil. Oil is a finishing ingredient; butter is a food. Common questions What is walnut butter made of? Ground walnut kernels. Ours also contain roasted peanut, sunflower lecithin (INS 322), salt and Vitamin E (INS 307), all declared on the pack. Does walnut butter contain dairy? No. "Butter" here describes the texture, not the ingredient. Walnut butter is plant-based. Why does my walnut butter separate? Because there is no hard fat in it holding the oil in suspension. Stir it back in from the bottom. Separation is a good sign, not a fault. Is walnut butter bitter? Slightly, on the finish. That is tannin from the kernel skin, where most of the polyphenols are. Strong bitterness usually means old or poorly sorted kernels. Does walnut butter need refrigeration? Not required. Cool and dark is enough. Refrigeration extends shelf life but makes it stiff to spread, which is a fair trade in an Indian summer. How is walnut butter different from walnut oil? Walnut butter is the whole ground kernel, so it retains fibre, protein and the skin's polyphenols. Walnut oil is only the pressed fat.