There are plenty of mediocre nut butter choices out there (see for yourself with our , specifically), which is why lots of us opt to make our own at home. The best part is that it only takes one main ingredient, nuts (of course), along with a pinch of salt to boost flavor, and any other seasoning you like. That's it, no extra additives are necessary.
The one trade-off about so few ingredients, however, is that there are no preservatives in the homemade version of nut butter, which means its expiration date is much sooner than that of commercial nut butter (some of which can last up to two years in your pantry, unopened). Unopened commercial natural nut butter (made with almost only nuts, with no additives) will still last for two years in your pantry. But once it's been opened, it's important to refrigerate it since there's no preservatives in it, and you've got between three and six months to use it up.
That means the way you store your homemade nut butter is important. Because the natural oils in your nut butter can go rancid relatively quickly, you'll want to store the homemade stuff in the fridge, where a jar will last you about a month. Keeping the nut butter away from warmth and light is key, otherwise it'll spoil much faster.
Let your nut butter come to room temperature if you like it silky The thing about storing your homemade nut butter in the fridge is that its texture will harden, making it almost impossible to stir or spread when it's still cold. No luscious gooey.
