“My nut butter has separated, I think it’s gone bad.” This is probably the most common complaint in Ekogram’s history. We made the first 100% nut butter in Poland over 10 years ago, and ever since, such messages keep coming back like a boomerang. So, we’re here to explain where the oil on top of the jar comes from, whether there is any reason to worry, and how to easily fix it at home.
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Where does the oil on top of nut butter come from?
Think about chicken soup that you put in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you see drops of fat on the surface, and no one claims that the soup has gone bad. It’s the same with nut butter. It is a natural and completely reversible phenomenon that applies to products without emulsifiers and, above all, without hardened palm oil – it is this ingredient that prevents separation in many store-bought nut butters.
Pure physics is responsible for this. Oil is lighter than ground nuts, so over time it floats to the top, and heavier particles sink to the bottom. It’s like a jar with water and sand: after shaking, everything is cloudy, and after a while, the sand settles at the bottom. Nut butter is not an emulsion, but a suspension, meaning nut particles are suspended in their own fat.
A layer of oil in the jar is proof that there are only nuts inside. If 100% nut butter separates, it means it is working exactly as it should.
How to stir separated nut butter?
For the video, we chose a particularly tough opponent: a jar that had been sitting with us for three years. Since we managed to deal with that one, your butter won’t be much of a challenge.
Method 1: the spoon – don’t do this
Most often, we instinctively reach for a spoon. The problem is that there is liquid oil on top and a thick, compact mass at the bottom that the spoon can barely penetrate. Mixing turns into a wrestling match with the jar.
Method 2: the knife – our favorite
Take a regular table knife and plunge it deep into the butter in many places. Each insertion creates a channel through which the oil flows to the bottom. After a dozen or so such movements, the mass will soften significantly. Only then start stirring. A fork may also prove helpful here.
Method 3: water bath for the lazy
In extreme cases, or when you just don’t want to struggle, hot water will help. Boil it, take the pot off the heat, and place the closed jar in it for about 15 minutes. Warm butter is much softer, the knife enters it without much resistance, and the oil combines with the nuts more easily.
What not to do? The microwave is a bad idea
Never put a jar with a metal lid in the microwave. Metal sparks in the microwave and can become really dangerous. Heating without the lid is also not an ideal solution. The contents can heat up unevenly, and the oil accumulating on the surface can get very hot.
How to make the butter separate more slowly?
Put it in the fridge. Properly stirred butter separates much more slowly at low temperatures, so you don't have to mix it before every breakfast.
Keep your stash upside down. A trick for real fans who buy several jars at once. Since oil rises to the top due to gravity, use it to your advantage. Check if the spare jar is tightly closed and place it in the cupboard upside down. A few days before opening, turn it back over – the oil will travel through the butter to the other side, and the jar will practically mix itself.
Choose fresh butter. We try to ensure that the nut butter in our store is rarely more than a month old. That is why there is usually no oil layer in a jar from us, or it is minimal.
So which method wins?
The spoon works the worst because it’s hard to even get started with it. The knife is the best, and a fork for finishing: push the oil to the bottom until the butter combines, and then put the jar in the fridge. Separated butter is not spoiled. Are you looking for one made solely of nuts? Take a look at our nut butters, start with a classic – 100% BIO nut butter, or check our top 5 100% nut butters.
Video - Why does nut butter separate?
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