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All About Almond Butter: Nutrition and Three Ways to Use It

The creamy, smooth texture and delightful crunch of almond butter makes it a versatile and healthy ingredient that can be easily incorporated into meals, snacks, or even eaten on its own, throughout the day.

Whether you buy your own almond butter from the store or make your own, there are many ways to incorporate it into recipes. Use it as a spread on toast or as a simple dip for apples, bananas or celery. Almond butter is also a great base for protein balls and can be used in baked goods, savory sauces, and smoothies. Check out some of our favorite recipes and learn more about almond butter nutrition below.

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Almond butter nutrition.

A 1-tablespoon serving of almond butter packs a nutritious punch. Almond butter is the best source of Vitamin E among nut butters and surpasses most with its amount of heart-healthy fats, fiber, calcium, iron, potassium and zinc per serving. Almond butter is also a good source of manganese and magnesium.

Nutrition in 1-tablespoon serving of almond butter1:

  • 98 calories
  • 9g of total fat
  • 5g of monounsaturated fat
  • 0.7g of saturated fat
  • 0mg cholesterol
  • 1mg of sodium
  • 3g of total carbohydrates
  • 2g of dietary fiber
  • 1g of total sugars
  • 4g of protein
  • 56mg of calcium
  • 120mg of potassium
  • 4mg of Vitamin E
  • 45mg of magnesium
  • 0.34mg of manganese

Please note that almond butter nutrition facts will vary from brand to brand. We recommend checking the nutrition labels and trying a few brands to find the right almond butter for you.

Almond Butter and Monounsaturated Fat

When eaten in moderation, monounsaturated fats – like almond butter – can have positive health benefits and play a role in a heart healthy diet. According to the American Heart Association, monounsaturated fats can help reduce cholesterol levels, thereby lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke2.

Other Minerals in Almond Butter

Almond butter also contains many other minerals that offer health benefits, such as:

  • Calcium: Helps build and maintain strong bones
  • Potassium: Helps maintain normal levels of fluid inside cells
  • Iron: Helps with growth and development, as wells as makes the protein in red blood cells known as hemoglobin

Recipes with almond butter.

We’ve included some of our favorite almond butter recipes below.

Almonds
Recipe
Asian Noodle Bowl with Spicy Almond Sauce

Whole wheat noodles, crisp snow peas, broccoli and red bell pepper are accented by garnishes of scallion and crunchy sliced almonds. But the showstopper to this dish is the spicy almond sauce that packs a wallop of heat.

Almonds
Recipe
Almond Butter & Jelly Popsicle

Like your favorite school sandwich, this combines creamy almond butter with fresh fruit for a nutty-sweet frozen treat.

Almonds
Recipe
Almond Butter Cookies

A whole-wheat and almond butter cookie. These treats are an ideal partner-in-cookie-crime to a cold glass of milk or a cup of afternoon tea.

Almonds
Recipe
Almond Butter Toast

Perfect for a quick, nutritious breakfast or snack, our simple Almond Butter Toast recipe goes well with a cup of morning coffee or a cup of afternoon tea.

Almonds
Recipe
Crunchy Apple Almond Butter

Kitchen staples like brown sugar, cinnamon, apples, quinoa, and of course, almond butter, blend in this irresistible almond butter spread with multiple sources of plant-based protein.

1. USDA. “Nuts, almond butter, plain, without salt added.” USDA Food Data Central. April 2018.

 

2. The American Heart Association. “Monounsaturated Fat.” The American Heart Association. June 2015.