Answer: Yes.
Are you a dedicated vegan and wondering if almond butter is vegan? Well, the good news is you have arrived at the right place to do away with all your doubts.
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Is Almond Butter Vegan?
The answer is yes. Originally, almond butter is vegan and is made with simply two ingredients, almonds, and salt. However, some brands may prefer adding extra ingredients to their products for sales or simply creating something new. Such alternatives may not be ideal for vegans.
Almond butter is a smooth food paste made of raw almonds, or so to say. They are originally eaten without any added sugar or oil. However, it entirely depends upon your choice. While you can prepare almond butter at home, commercial brands prepare it in various ways.
Let’s find out more about almond butter, its ingredients, and what makes it or does not make it vegan. In the meantime, you will also get to read through the health benefits of almond butter.
So, let’s get started.
Almond Butter Is a Treat!
Almond butter is an incredible treat for those who love roasted almonds with bread or any other base. It is crunchy and smooth at the same time. You will find this food paste in both stir or no-stir variations.
Loaded with protein and fiber, almond butter is rich in monounsaturated fat and comparatively less saturated than other alternatives. But is almond butter vegan-friendly? Is it healthy for vegans? Let’s find out.
Is Almond Butter Vegan-Friendly?
Yes. Almond butter is vegan-friendly. It is safe for vegans. Even the dedicated ones for almond butter typically contain roasted almonds and salt.
However, it would not be entirely correct to assume that all almond butter variations are vegan. Several companies with expensive brands of almond butter use palm oil and sugar as their ingredients.
Palm oil is used to smoothen out and make the product uniform. This leaves out a layer of oil on top of the butter sometimes. Also, companies use sugar to maintain the perfect blend of almond butter. Besides, Americans love sugar and are fascinated by sweet foods.
But using palm oil and sugar doesn’t make almond butter the perfect fit for vegans, at least not for the dedicated ones. So, there are ingredients to look out for so that it doesn’t disrupt your food preferences.
Is Almond Butter Healthy?
Almond is derived from ground almonds and, thus, has several health benefits overall. No doubt, almond butter is high in calories. It is also rich in vitamins, minerals, and many antioxidants vital for your health. Here is how almond butter could prove to be beneficial for your health.
Heart Disease Prevention
Almond butter contains monosaturated fats that help lessen your LDL cholesterol and raise your HDL cholesterol.
Many nutrients in almond butter improve your heart and lower any heart risks. Omega-3 fatty acids prevent irregular heart rhythms to a great extent. Vitamin E is also effective in reducing plaque buildup in your arteries. L-arginine helps improve your artery walls.
Bone Health
Almond butter is sufficiently rich in 60mg of calcium, accounting for 5% of your recommended daily diet. Calcium is essential for your bone health. Almond butter also contains magnesium which helps absorb calcium better.
Blood Sugar Control
Almonds contain magnesium. The acceptable contents of magnesium help control blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity in the human body. This potentially lowers the risk of diabetes development.
Lower Risk of Other Diseases
Almond butter contains vitamin E, an antioxidant preventing the development of diabetes, obesity, and certain diabetes. It also has antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids and polyphenols.
Nutrition
Rich in vitamin E, almond butter accounts for 26% of your daily requirement of the vitamin in a single serving. Vitamin E boosts your immunity. It also contains Omega-3 fatty acids, plant sterols, and L-arginine.
Omega-3 fatty acids are required by the body essentially, but the body cannot secrete them independently. These fatty acids are essential for your brain and eye health. Plant sterols prevent cholesterol from being absorbed by the bloodstream.
Additionally, L-arginine plays a significant role in healing wounds, lushing waste out of the kidneys, and improving blood circulation by relaxing the blood vessels in the body.
Almond butter is a storehouse of many critical healthy nutrients, unsaturated fat, and a minimal quantity of saturated fat.
Mineral and vitamins included in almond butter are:
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Manganese
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Vitamin E
Nutrients Per Serving
Per serving of a tablespoon of plain, unsalted almond butter, which is 16g, contains:
- 98 calories
- 3.4g protein
- 9g fat
- 3g carbohydrates
- 1.6g fiber
- 0.7g sugar
What Is Almond Butter Made Of?
Almonds are beneficial as well as the favorite snack of so many individuals. They are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, plant protein, antioxidants, and fiber. Almond butter can be easily made using three simple ingredients: roasted almonds, salt, and some coconut or vegetable oil which is optional.
Using oil makes the batter smooth and creamy. You can use a blender or a food processor to mix all the contents when preparing almond butter at home. It is just a matter of a few minutes.
Grinding shelled, blanched, unbalanced, raw, or roasted almonds with some salt, some syrup if preferred, corn maltodextrin, flaxseed, wheat germ, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract will make a finely mixed batter of almond butter.
Some use stabilizing ingredients like palm or peanut oil.
However, a vegan would preferably avoid these ingredients. Still want to blend the batter finely? Not an issue! You can use vegetable or coconut oil, which does not involve animals or ecosystem degradation during the extraction process.
Ingredients
- Raw almonds
- Salt
You can also include ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, or maple syrup. However, these are optional ingredients and can be added if you want to prepare the almond butter specially or enjoy some extra flavors.
Questionable Ingredients
While almond oil is typically a vegan food paste, some companies add other ingredients for various purposes. They add palm oil to maintain the fine paste and sugar consistency to make a sweet variation of almond butter.
Although sugar’s vegan status depends on its extraction process, it has health deficits that make it potentially unhealthy. Many almond butter brands make sugar-free variations too.
Here are the ingredients dedicated vegans should look out for to maintain their veganism without disruptions.
Palm Oil
Although a plant-derived product, palm oil serves environmental degradation by cutting down forests on a large scale. This way, many habitats in the woods are destroyed.
Vegans are strictly against animal and ecosystem degradation and preferably do not consume any food product contributing to such conditions. Therefore, it would be best to steer clear of almond butter that contains palm oil.
The good news is many brands have available variations of palm oil-free and vegan almond butter for strict vegans.
Sugar and Honey
As far as almond butter is concerned, it does not need sugar or any sweetness in its recipe. Making the butter sweet or adding sugar is entirely based on personal preferences.
Mostly, the source of sugar in almond butter is honey. Honey is derived from bees and is not vegan on any ground. However, many vegans consume honey since it is metabolized like sugar.
Sugar is processed food, and some companies extract it through methods inconvenient for vegans to accept their beliefs.
Therefore, if you are a dedicated vegan, honey or sugar are two ingredients you’d want to avoid. However, even some vegan variants would contain some source of sugar which is excellent if you prefer it sweet. But mind it, it only adds to your calories and decreases the health benefits of the roasted almond flavor.
Vegan Almond Butter Choices
Here are a few vegan options for almond butter for all vegan fans of almond butter:
These are all deep-roasted almond-flavored, palm oil, and sugar-free. All they include is almonds or almonds and salt. Although every individual has different preferences and tastes, these have earned quite popularity in the market and are delicious and healthy, especially for vegans.
Closing Thoughts
Almond butter is the favorite of so many! It is incredible how even vegans want more of this food paste in their diet, for it is delicious with several health benefits. It contains omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, calcium, and iron, which are essential for your health.
With a single serving of almond butter, most of your daily nutrient amounts are fulfilled. However, there are ingredients you should watch out for a while purchasing commercial almond butter from the market, such as palm oil, sugar, or honey.
Furthermore, whether you choose almond butter made of roasted or raw almonds, ensure they contain organic nuts and seeds. This will free you from any added chemicals or fertilizers, even in their raw forms.