Nut pastes are pastes made from ground or chopped nuts. Does that sound healthy? Very!
Except that the most popular “nut paste” contains only 13% hazelnuts. More than half – 55% – is refined sugar, another 23% comes from modified palm oil, and among the remaining ingredients in the list is pure lactose!
And other manufacturers’ nut paste formulas are most often not perfect – a nut paste recipe almost always contains refined sugar. In the worst case, there’s also a generous dose of potentially carcinogenic palm oil and other artificial ingredients.
Nut paste at home is the solution for those who haven’t found the perfect nut paste over the counter. It’s easier to make than you might think at first glance!
Types of nut pastes
Before making nut paste, you need to choose a variety of nuts. Any kind will do! Peanut paste, hazelnut paste, cashew paste, pistachio paste, mixed nut paste – all are delicious!
The choice depends on taste preferences and priorities. For example, cashews are less fatty than most other nuts. Cashews have 54% fat, pine nuts have 61, and pecans have 72.
By the way, peanut paste is essentially a legume paste, since peanuts grow in the ground, not on trees. That’s right: in origin, peanut paste is closer to hummus than it is to hazelnut paste!
Nevertheless, peanuts do have a distinctly nutty flavor, which is why peanut paste is more often ranked with walnut pastas.
The nutritional value of nut pastes is similar: 100 grams usually contains 550-650 kcal, 15-25 grams of protein, 50-60 grams of fat and 20-30 grams of carbohydrates.
We are in favor of variety: we recommend making several kinds of pastes and alternating between them, because each variety of nuts has a unique vitamin and mineral composition.
Nut pastas are divided into one hundred percent nut pastas and pastas with additives that include other ingredients in addition to nuts.
Be careful: nut paste whose recipe contains refined sugar, do not repeat.
Additive pastes can also contain healthy ingredients – pieces of fruit and chocolate, healthy natural sweeteners, or a small amount of sea salt.
Other nut pastes are divided into smooth pastes with a delicate creamy texture and crunchy pastes with chunks of nuts.
Smooth pastes are more convenient to spread on bread, crunchy – to add to baked goods, smoothies, or other dishes.
Recipe for homemade nut paste
Homemade nut paste can be made in just a few minutes. The principle is the same – chop the nuts in a blender. If you use additional ingredients, you need to add them to the chopped nuts and whip the mass again. In some cases, you may need a small amount of water to achieve a delicate creamy texture.
The main thing is to prepare the nuts: heat them in the oven, or soak them overnight. This way you will reduce the concentration of phytic acid in them to a safe value.
This is very important: phytic acid binds with minerals and removes them from the body, which may lead to anemia, osteoporosis and other consequences.
How to make nut paste (using cashew paste as an example)
Ingredients:
- cashews: 300 g
- Jerusalem artichoke syrup or other sweetener: 2 tbsp.
- coconut oil: 2 tbsp.
- cinnamon: 1 tsp.
Method of preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Place the nuts on a baking tray and put it in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Whisk the warm nuts with a blender. Remove the mixture from the sides of the bowl and blend again. Repeat 3 times.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend again.
Sweet Chocolate Pasta Recipe
Interested in a sweet chocolate hazelnut paste? Look for a recipe with only healthy natural sweeteners.
In our desserts, for example, we most often use dates, coconut sugar and topinambour syrup. We value dates for their high antioxidant content, coconut sugar for its low glycemic index, and syrup for its content of inulin, a valuable compound for maintaining the microbiome.
Sweet pasta recipe with chocolate
Ingredients:
- peeled hazelnuts: 220 g
- coconut sugar: to taste
- cocoa powder: 40g
- coconut oil: 2 tbsp.
- vanilla extract: 1 tsp.
- salt: pinch
Method of preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Place the nuts on a baking tray and put it in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Cool the nuts to room temperature and whisk them with a blender.
- Add the coconut sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk again.
- Add remaining ingredients. Whisk again.
Store homemade nut paste in the refrigerator for no more than two weeks. Pasta without any additives can keep a little longer, but it’s better not to risk and cook it in small batches.
Experiment with varieties of nuts, amount of sweetener, and additives. We’re sure it will be delicious!