Almond butter runs out at the worst possible moment. Mid-recipe. Oven already on.
The good news is that the alternatives to almond butter are not a consolation prize. Some are cheaper. Some are nut-free. One is made from grapes and sesame and tastes, improbably, like rich, fudgy caramel.
Here is what to reach for, sorted by what you are doing with it. Spreading, baking, blending.
Key Takeaways
- Closest: Cashew butter is the nearest match to almond butter in flavour and texture, and swaps in at 1:1.
- Nut-free: Sunflower seed butter, pumpkin seed butter and tahini all replace almond butter with no nuts involved, though tahini is far more savoury.
- Baking: Swap fat for fat. Nut and seed butters work 1:1. Applesauce and mashed banana do not, because they bring no fat.
- Taste: Tahini blended with grape molasses tastes deeply caramel-like, sweet and nutty, which is the whole reason Messyface exists.
What is the best alternative to almond butter?
It depends on the job. Cashew butter is closest for flavour and swaps in at 1:1. Tahini is the cheapest and easiest to find in a British supermarket. Sunflower seed butter is the best nut-free option. On toast, sweet beats neutral every time.
| Alternative | Tastes like | Best for | Nut-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cashew butter | Mild, creamy | 1:1 swaps | No |
| Tahini | Savoury, a bit bitter | Baking, sweet pairings | Yes |
| Sunflower seed butter | Roasted, mellow | Nut-free everything | Yes |
| Pumpkin seed butter | Close to almond, green | Toast, smoothies | Yes |
| Hazelnut butter | Sweet, toasty | Chocolate bakes | No |
| Coconut butter | Sweet, very thick | Baking, warm drizzles | Yes |
| Grape molasses and tahini | Dark, caramel-like | Toast, porridge, yoghurt | Yes |
Most lists stop at the nut butters, which is the same idea eleven times. Take a nut. Grind it until it gives up. Jar.
That last row is ours. Dark, glossy, ridiculously delicious. Somewhere between caramel and toasted sesame, with a thick, fudgy texture made for spreading, swirling and spooning.
Then comes the slightly ridiculous bit. It's just grape molasses and sesame tahini. We've read those two ingredients out loud to people who didn't believe us.
No refined sugar. No palm oil. No milk powder. No emulsifiers. Just grapes and sesame somehow turning themselves into something this seriously moreish.
Why do people look for alternatives to almond butter?
Four reasons, mostly. Almond butter is expensive, often near double the price of peanut butter. It is not stocked in every supermarket. Nut allergies rule it out completely. And plenty of people are simply bored of it, which nobody says out loud.
That last one deserves more respect. Almond butter is pleasant. Beige, mild, sensible, pleasant. It has never made anyone stop chewing and look at the jar.
Meanwhile the spreads that actually thrill you arrive with an ingredients list requiring a small amount of scrolling. So people pick a side. We think that is a false choice, and the proof is a spoonful.
Messyface tastes far naughtier than two ingredients have any right to.
What are the best nut-free alternatives to almond butter?
Seeds. Sunflower seed butter, pumpkin seed butter and tahini are the three main nut-free alternatives to almond butter, and all three behave like a nut butter in a recipe. Coconut butter is a fourth, sweeter and thicker.
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Sunflower seed butter. The safest straight swap. Roasted, mellow, bakes exactly like almond butter.
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Pumpkin seed butter. Flavour-wise the closest of the lot. Be warned that it is green, so anything you hoped would look amber will not.
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Tahini. Ground sesame, nothing else. Cheap, everywhere, more savoury than you expect.
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Tahini with grape molasses. Where sesame stops being sensible. Deeply caramel-like sweetness from the grapes, nutty richness from the tahini, and a thick, silky-smooth texture that makes the whole thing ridiculously delicious. This is Messyface.
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Coconut butter. Thick, sweet, very much coconut. Excellent in chocolate bakes, less good on a cracker.
One important, non-messy bit. Messyface contains sesame, the Peanut edition contains peanuts, and both are made in a facility that also handles nuts.
Sesame is one of the UK's 14 regulated allergens and must be clearly declared. If sesame is off the menu for you, so are we.
What can you put on toast instead of almond butter?
On toast, the alternatives to almond butter split into savoury and sweet. Tahini, hummus and avocado go savoury. Cashew, hazelnut and coconut butter go sweet and mild. Grape molasses and tahini goes dark, sweet and deeply caramel-like, the sort of thing that turns hot toast into an event.
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Cashew butter. Mild, creamy, easy. The one for a fussy eater.
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Tahini and honey. Savoury sesame against something sweet, which is the whole trick.
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Hazelnut butter. Toasty and dessert-adjacent, good on sourdough.
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Sunflower seed butter and banana. Nut-free, filling, survives the bus stop walk.
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Messyface. Hot toast. Big spoonful. Thick, glossy, ridiculously delicious. Absolutely everywhere. Magnificent.
The warm bread loosens it, the surface goes glossy, and a little runs into the holes. Some ends up on the knife. Some of that never reaches the toast.
Once you've had something this sticky, glossy and caramel-like on hot toast, plain toast never fully recovers. More ideas in our best toppings for toast and the caramel and banana sourdough.
What can you use instead of almond butter in baking and smoothies?
In baking, swap fat for fat. Any nut or seed butter goes in at 1:1, including tahini, cashew, sunflower seed and hazelnut. Applesauce and mashed banana fail, because almond butter is there for its fat and they have almost none.
Tahini is the sleeper. Strong enough to notice, excellent in anything chocolate, odd in anything delicate. Our plant-based oaty cookies lean on that.
For smoothies, tahini and seed butters bring some of the same richness and body as almond butter. Greek yoghurt can add creaminess too, although it's a different kind of substitution.
Dairy butter works in a bake, but it is a fat swap. The British Nutrition Foundation notes that nuts and seeds bring fibre, unsaturated fats and minerals butter does not.
Is tahini a good substitute for almond butter?
Yes, with one condition. Traditional tahini is simply ground sesame seeds, and it matches almond butter closely on colour, texture and fat content. The condition is flavour. Tahini has a savoury, faintly bitter edge. Pair it with something sweet and things get much more interesting.
An old idea, this. In Turkey they have eaten tahin pekmez, tahini stirred through grape molasses, for generations. Two ingredients, one bowl, usually with bread.
Britain has had the sesame aisle all along and used it exclusively for hummus.
That ridiculously delicious pairing is what we put in a jar: dark, glossy, sweet, nutty and deeply caramel-like. Spoon it into cold Greek yoghurt and it turns into pudding. Drag it through hot porridge and leave the swirl where it is, because finding the sticky bit is half the point. Good in overnight oats too.
Top Tips
- Warm it for five seconds. Spoon a little into a small bowl, microwave for five seconds, and a thick spread becomes a drizzle. A bowl, never the jar: the lid is metal, and the rest of the jar keeps its texture.
- Taste first. Pumpkin seed butter is green, tahini is savoury. Both lovely. Neither invisible.
- Know the sugar figure. Messyface Original has 42.3g of sugars per 100g, all from the grapes, nothing added. A 15g serving, a heaped teaspoon, is 66 calories.
- Check for sesame and peanuts. Always check allergen labels when serving other people.
Frequently asked questions
Can I replace almond butter with regular butter?
In baking, yes. Unsalted dairy butter goes in at 1:1 and does the same job on fat and structure. On toast it works too, though you lose the protein, fibre and nutty flavour you bought almond butter for. A swap, not an upgrade.
Can I substitute almond butter with peanut butter?
Yes, at 1:1, and the cheapest swap here. The catch is flavour. Peanut butter is loud, so whatever you make will taste distinctly of peanuts. A bonus in cookies, a problem in anything delicate. Check for a peanut allergy first.
What is the best nut-free alternative to almond butter?
Sunflower seed butter. It swaps in at 1:1, bakes without drama and tastes mellow rather than assertive. Tahini and pumpkin seed butter are the other two. Always check for a "may contain nuts" warning, since many seed butters are made in facilities that handle nuts.
Does grape molasses and tahini spread need refrigerating?
No. Store it in a cool, dark place and use within three months of opening. No fridge. Store it in a cool, dark place and use within three months of opening. If a cold kitchen has firmed it up, five seconds in the microwave sorts it.
So what should you actually buy?
Need a straight swap? Cashew butter. Nut-free? Sunflower seed butter. Chocolate bake? Tahini.
And if what you really want is something ridiculously delicious, dark, glossy and deeply caramel-like, the alternatives to almond butter include one made from just grapes and sesame. No refined sugar. No palm oil. Just two ingredients behaving far naughtier than they should.
That one is Messyface.
Get it on hot toast. Mind the thumb.
