How to Stir a Jar of Nut Butter Without Wanting to Scream

That’s it! You’re very welcome and please don’t @ me if you didn’t hold onto the jar tightly enough. I truly am sorry, but you’ve been warned.

How to make stirring nut butter less annoying without an electric mixer

Maybe you don’t have one, maybe you don’t believe in them, or maybe you don’t feel like cleaning the nooks and crannies of the beater afterward. I get it! In that case, the next few tips are for you.

Store the jar upside down.

If you’re a nut butter (and tahini) head like me, you may have heard this tip already, but it really does help. When you bring your beloved jar home from the store, turn it upside down before stashing it in your cabinet or pantry; this allows the oil at the top to slowly spread throughout the jar, making it easier to stir the nut butter when it’s time to dig in. And don’t store it right-side up after you’ve mixed it, either—flipping the jar on its lid also prevents the oil from re-separating.

Another pro tip (me–I’m the pro): Stir the nut butter first (ideally with the electric mixer hack above) and then store it upside down. In my experience, the upside-down trick doesn’t usually work so well with a particularly separated jar; by mixing everything up first, you’ll make your life easier in the long run.

If it’s really separated, stir it in a mixing bowl.

The main reason it’s so frustrating to stir separated nut butter is because the jar is too damn small, and that’s especially true if you have a lot of oil at the top and extra-dry nut butter at the bottom. An easy solution to that problem: Dump your separated spread into a medium-sized mixing bowl so you have plenty of room to combine everything. Then simply return it to the jar, using a silicone spatula (if you have one) so it’s easier to get every last precious drop back into the jar.

Use a knife.

While the above strategies are the best I’ve discovered for making stirring nut butter less of a chore, if you’re going to do it the old-fashioned way for whatever reason, don’t use a spoon—a knife leads to less splattering, and less splattering leads to less cursing.

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