Almond Butter
Almond butter is a paste produced by grinding almond kernels, the seeds of Prunus dulcis, with or without prior roasting and with salt or a stabilising fat added in some formulations. Like other nut butters it is a suspension of finely milled solids in the oil released during milling rather than a true emulsion.
The kernel is roughly 50 to 55 percent oil, dominated by oleic acid, with about 21 percent protein and a high fibre content, and that composition determines both the flavour and the handling. The high oleic content makes the paste noticeably more resistant to oxidative rancidity than pastes made from more polyunsaturated nuts. Roasting develops the toasted almond character through Maillard reaction and also lowers viscosity, since heated kernels release their oil more readily; raw grades are milder, paler and thicker.
The product is a smooth to lightly textured paste, ivory when blanched and light brown when the skins are retained, with a marzipan-like aroma in roasted grades. Unstabilised almond butter separates on standing and needs stirring or recirculation before use, while stabilised grades carry a small addition of fully hydrogenated vegetable oil whose fine crystal network holds the oil in suspension. It is low in water activity and shelf stable, is pumpable when warmed, and ships in pails, drums and bulk totes.
We source bulk Almond Butter from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Beijing. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
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- Function
- Bakery ingredient
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Uniform paste, ivory to light brown according to grade |
| Odour and taste | Clean almond, free from rancid, bitter or musty notes |
| Almond content | 99% min for unsalted single ingredient grades |
| Fat | 50.0% to 58.0% |
| Protein | 19.0% min |
| Moisture | 2.0% max |
| Water activity | 0.40 max |
| Particle size | 90% below 40 microns for smooth grade |
| Peroxide value | 2.0 meq/kg max |
| Free fatty acid as oleic | 1.0% max |
| Total aflatoxin | Meets the limit of the destination market |
| Total plate count | 1000 cfu/g max |
| Yeast and mould | 50 cfu/g max |
| E. coli | Absent in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
The primary distinctions are roast level and whether the skin has been removed. Blanched almond butter is pale and mild and is used where colour matters, while natural almond butter made from unblanched kernels is darker, more astringent and higher in fibre and polyphenols. Roast level runs from raw through light to dark, with dark roast used where the flavour has to carry through chocolate or a sweet matrix.
Texture grades run from smooth, milled to a fine particle size for a clean mouthfeel, to crunchy grades carrying chopped almond pieces added after the mill. Stabilised and natural grades differ in whether hydrogenated vegetable oil is present. Beyond that the trade offers no added salt and no added sugar versions, organic grades, and almond paste and marzipan bases, which are a different article altogether since they are formulated with sugar and are not simply ground nuts.
Applications
- Bakery fillings for pastries, cookies and filled biscuits
- Confectionery centres and chocolate enrobed products, blended with sugar and cocoa butter
- Snack and protein bars as binder and flavour base
- Spreads and single-serve sachets for retail and foodservice
- Plant-based beverage and dessert formulation, as the base for almond drinks and frozen desserts
- Ice cream ripples and inclusions, formulated to stay soft at freezer temperature
- Frangipane, macaron and other almond-based bakery systems, where it replaces part of the ground almond
- Sauces and dressings in savoury applications, particularly in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean formats
- Nutrition and meal replacement products, contributing fat and protein together
Brands Using Almond Butter
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Almond Butter on the ingredient label.
- Perfect SnacksAlmond Butter Bar ↗A refrigerated protein bar whose ingredient list opens with almond butter, followed by honey, nonfat dry milk and almond pieces.Label verified 2026-08-31
- GoMacroCoconut + Almond Butter + Chocolate Chips MacroBar ↗Organic almond butter appears as the third ingredient in this plant based bar.Label verified 2026-08-31
- JUSTIN'SClassic Almond Butter ↗A jarred almond butter of two ingredients, dry roasted almonds and palm oil.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Almond Butter
Top Almond Butter manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
Almond butter has no standard of identity in the United States, unlike peanut butter, so it is labelled under the general food labelling rules with a full ingredient statement and any stabiliser declared. Production falls under preventive controls, and because low moisture nut products have been implicated in Salmonella outbreaks, a validated pathogen reduction step and an environmental monitoring programme are the central control expectations. Almonds grown in California are additionally subject to a mandatory pasteurisation requirement under the relevant marketing order, satisfied by steam or propylene oxide treatment, and the treatment used may need to be declared for some markets.
In the European Union there is no vertical standard for nut butters either, so the product sits under general food law and the food information regulation. Maximum levels for aflatoxins in almonds and products derived from them are set in the contaminants regulation, with tighter limits for material intended for direct consumption than for material to be sorted or further processed, and consignments from some origins face increased official controls at import. Almond is a named tree nut allergen in both markets, so declaration and cross-contact control are mandatory. Propylene oxide treated material is not acceptable in the European Union, which is a practical constraint on sourcing.
Manufacturing Process
Shelled almond kernels are received, cleaned over screens and destoners and colour sorted to remove discoloured, shrivelled and insect damaged nuts. Where blanched paste is required the kernels are scalded in hot water or steam for a short time to loosen the seed coat, passed through rubber-faced rollers that rub the skins off, then dried back to their original moisture, since residual surface water would cause the paste to thicken and shorten its shelf life. Kernels for roasted grades are dry roasted in hot air and cooled rapidly to stop the reaction and fix the roast colour.
Milling is done in two stages, a coarse break that ruptures the cells and releases the oil followed by a colloid or stone mill that reduces the particles to the fine range needed for a smooth texture. Salt and any stabiliser are metered in during milling. The paste is deaerated under vacuum to remove air that would accelerate rancidity, then cooled rapidly through a scraped surface heat exchanger, which is what sets the stabiliser as a fine crystal network rather than as coarse crystals that would give a grainy body. Crunchy grades receive chopped almond after the mill. The paste is metal detected and filled warm, then held under controlled temperature while the fat crystallises fully.
