Can You Put Nuts In A Blender?

Whether you are making a breakfast smoothie or a hearty hummus, blenders are fantastic kitchen appliances to help with this task. However, you may be wondering, “Can I put nuts in a blender?” Perhaps you want to make homemade peanut butter or chop pecans for your Grandma’s famous fudge. Well, we have researched this topic thoroughly and have the answer for you.

The short answer is yes; you can put nuts in a blender. Using the pulse setting is the best option to evenly crush, and blend nuts. For the best results, you can also pre-soak to soften the nuts, use a tamper while blending, and layer ingredients as you prepare foods in the blender with liquids and soft ingredients first and nuts added last. 

Before you run off to make your own almond milk, you may want to continue reading for blending tips and blender recommendations to help you prepare for an easy task.

What Blender Is Best For Nuts?

There is obviously an abundance of blenders out there available for purchase. So how do you determine the very best blender for your nuts? You’ve probably heard the saying, “a tough nut to crack,” and that isn’t more true than when blending nuts. They’re hard and can easily damage the blades of a blender. So what you want is a blender with a powerful motor that can process them effectively.

At the very least, you will want a blender that has 1,000 watts of power. Anything less than that, and you risk not only damaging your blender but also producing low-quality food. Now don’t please don't misunderstand; power and speed are not the same things. Power controls the blade's ability to move through your ingredients, while speed controls how quickly you can get the job done. For nuts, you’ll want a blender with four or more speed settings as this allows you to process many different kinds of nuts into whatever end product you are trying to create.

Other areas to consider when looking for the best blender for nuts includes:

• Pitcher Size
• Material; glass vs. plastic
• Warranty; We recommend you get one with a minimum of a year.

Top Blenders

Based on several reviews we found on the internet, we can confidently recommend these blenders for all your nut-loving needs.

Hamilton Beach Professional Quiet Shield Blender

This blender boasts 1,500 watts of power, has multiple speed settings, and is dishwasher safe. It also includes a removable shield that dampens noise, which is a serious bonus when blending nuts! Included with this purchase is a five-year warranty. Click here to see it on Amazon.

Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender

Vitamix blenders seem to have the most positive reviews of all the blenders we found online. If you desire creamy nut butters and silky nut milks full of flavor, the Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender is the way to go. It lists its power at 2.2 horsepower, which translates to about 1,600 watts, has 10 speeds, and a self-cleaning mode. It comes with a seven-year warranty which makes this a risk-free investment. Click here to see it on Amazon.

Learn more at "Is Vitamix Dishwasher Safe?"

Ninja BL770 Mega Kitchen System and Blender

This system includes a 72-ounce pitcher, an eight-cup food processor, a dough blade, and two 16-ounce Nutri Ninja cups with to-go lids. To say it covers all of your nut processing bases is an understatement. This blender has a 1,500 watt base, five different speed settings, and is dishwasher safe. It has a one-year limited warranty. Click here to see it on Amazon.

Which Is Better For Chopping Nuts: Blender Or Food Processor?

In the course of our research, we consistently found that while you can put nuts in a blender, it's not always the right tool for the job. Perhaps you need to chop nuts for your granola, or you want to grind them into flour for a gluten-free alternative. What we have discovered is that a food processor is much better for chopping nuts.

Food processors have multiple blades at different levels, which allows for more uniform results. Most blenders only have blades at the bottom of the containers, creating small and large chunks of nuts all in the same batch. If you want perfectly chopped nuts but don’t want to buy two appliances, the Ninja Mega Kitchen System is a great option for you. If you don’t care about the uniformity of your chopped nuts, you can simply use the pulse setting on any of the other blenders we recommended.

To get your food processor fully equipped for grinding nuts and other types of food prep, check out "11 Types Of Food Processor Blades And How To Use Them."

How To Properly Blend Nuts

At this point, you know the right tool to use, and you are probably itching to whip up a bunch of nut-centric recipes. But as we said before, nuts are hard and can potentially damage your blender. Follow these tips to help keep your appliance in good working order and get the very best results for those tasty nuts.

Soak your nuts

Soaking nuts in water for an extended period of time can soften them up, making it easier for them to blend. Soaking some nuts, like almonds, can have other benefits, including improved taste, greater absorption of the food’s nutrients by the body, and easier to digest.

1. Put the nuts into a glass container and fill it with water.
2. Then, seal it with an airtight lid and place them into your refrigerator.
3. Soak them for anywhere between 20 minutes to eight hours; the harder the nut, the longer they will need.

Use a tamper

A tamper is a tool that is included with some blenders to help move the ingredients towards the blades. This is especially useful when trying to create a silky smooth nut butter as it promotes a more even blend without the need to stop and start your machine. Both the Hamilton Beach Blender and the Vitamix include a tamper, but the Ninja System does not.

Layer your ingredients

Putting your ingredients into your blender in the right order will help your appliance do its job more effectively. Start with liquids at the bottom, then add softer ingredients such as fruits or vegetables, and hard ingredients like ice and nuts should go into the blender last. If you’re adding leafy greens to a smoothie, these can go in before or after ice.

Can You Put Nuts In A Smoothie?

Now that we understand that you can put nuts into a blender, all you need are some recipes to get this party started. Besides the obvious, like baked goods, you may be wondering what recipes you can add nuts. For example, can you put nuts in a smoothie? Our research says absolutely! In fact, adding nuts to your breakfast smoothie can really amp up its nutritional value as they are a great source of healthy fats. Try this delicious fruit and nut smoothie from Cooking Light.

In Closing

We hope you found this article helpful and would love to hear from you. Leave us a comment below sharing how you intend to use blended nuts.