In the world of culinary innovation, homemade ingredients are emerging as the gateway to unparalleled taste and nutrition. Among these hidden treasures, walnut flour stands tall as a versatile, nutrient-packed addition to any kitchen. Rich in flavor and abundant in health benefits, walnut flour can be a game-changer for both amateur household cooks and seasoned chefs alike.
If you’ve been intrigued by the idea of creating your own walnut flour but are unsure where to begin, you’re in luck! In this article, we’ll take you on a journey through the process of making this delectable flour right in the comfort of your kitchen, with the help of your trusty Vitamix.
You may also like this article; How to Make Walnut Butter in Your Blender.
What You Need
- Fresh, high-quality raw walnut
- A working Vitamix blender of your choice
- A measuring cup
- A clean, dry storage container, preferably an air-tight one, for keeping your walnut flour when you are done.
A Quick Tip Before Getting Started
Once you have all you need to make your walnut flour ready, you’d want to do some preparation before getting started with making the flour. Start by making sure the walnut you’d be using is fresh and free of mold. Pick out any undesirable walnuts from the mix and only keep those that are fresh and clean. You should also remove any shells or other such impurities you find. You only want fresh walnuts getting into your blender, nothing else.
Next, you’d want to clean your Vitamix and get it ready for work. Practically any Vitamix can be used to make walnut flour, but you’d want to make sure the Vitamix you are using is functioning properly and clean. Make sure to properly clean the Vitamix container so your walnut flour doesn’t come out with odors. If your Vitamix is old, you might also want to sharpen the blades for easier blending.
Finally, make sure to wash and properly dry the container you would be storing the walnut flour once you are done. Don’t have a suitable container? Here’s a great flour storage container you might love.
Got all of that ready? Then it’s time to start making your walnut flour!
Safety Tips Before You Start
When making walnut flour with a Vitamix, it is important to prioritize your safety. Below are some safety tips you should keep to mind:
- Make sure you disconnect the blender from the outlet before touching the blades or trying to clean the blender, to prevent the accidental activation of the blender and cause yourself injury.
- Do not overfill the blender. This would prevent the blender from blending accurately so make sure you follow the capacity guidelines given by the manufacturers of your Vitamix.
- Check the blender cord for any sort of damage before you make use of it, any frayed or damaged wire might damage the motor of the blender.
How to Make Walnut Flour in a Vitamix | A Step-by-Step Guide
1. Load the Vitamix
Start by measuring out the desired amount of walnuts you want to turn into flour then place them into your Vitamix. When loading the blender, make sure not to place too much into the blender so as not to overload it. We recommend that you should never fill your blender jar past half of its capacity when you are blending dry ingredients like walnut or coffee beans. If you need to make a large amount of walnut flour, we recommend that you blend in batches so as not to overload the blender.
2. Start Blending at the Lowest Speed
Once your walnut seeds are inside the blender switch on the blender and start blending at the lowest speed. Starting the blending process helps break down the walnuts into smaller pieces first before you really start grinding. It also prevents your motor from overheating.
3. Ramp Up the Speed
After blending at the lowest speed for a little while and you can notice the walnut breaking down, it is then time to start ramping up the speed gradually. With the slow speed having broken down the walnuts a bit, the blender’s blades would be able to go through the now smaller ingredients much easier.
If your Vitamix is straining a little to keep up with the walnuts at high speeds, try using the pulse function. The intermittent breaks when pulsing the blender would help make sure the blender doesn’t overheat while also helping you break down the walnuts even more until the blender can more easily handle the blending process.
4. Check Consistency
Now here is where most people get it wrong. The difference between homemade walnut butter and homemade walnut flour is simply how long you blend the walnut. It all comes down to their consistency; when making walnut flour in a blender, you blend until the content of the blender has a consistency like flour. When making walnut butter, you keep blending until that flour starts turning into butter.
When blending your walnut flour, make sure to periodically check the flour’s consistency. Turn off the blender from time to time to give its content a good look. Is it starting to approach the consistency you are looking for? Should it still remain in the blender a bit longer? Is it starting to get too smooth? Pay attention to the consistency while you blend and stop blending when the content is at the desired consistency.
Typically, a Vitamix blender should turn walnut into walnut flour in under 3-5 minutes depending on your desired consistency. The time could vary depending on what speed you are blending at. If you keep the blender running for too long though, it could end up turning into walnut butter instead of the flour you were hoping for.
When your walnut is starting to approach the desired texture, we recommend you reduce the speed so you can more easily monitor the progress till the content of your blender achieves the perfect consistency.
5. Storage
Once you have processed your walnut seeds into fresh walnut flour, it is important to properly store your walnut flour to retain its freshness, flavor, and nutrient value.
To store the flour, allow it to firstly cool completely before placing it in the airtight container you have prepared. Make sure the container you put the flour in is clean and dry so as to prevent the development of mold in your flour. You should also make sure to seal the container properly to prevent air from getting in. After sealing your walnut flour in the airtight container, store the container in a cool and dry place. A pantry or a cupboard with adequate airflow would do just fine, though refrigerating the flour is possibly the best way to retain its natural quality and shelf life. Just make sure that your sealed flour is not exposed to heat or direct sunlight.
Note: Storing walnut flour properly doesn’t guarantee it would last for eternity. You have to make use of the flour within, at most, six months of its grinding, as over time the oil in the walnut will become rancid and the flour will lose its quality. After more than 6 months, your homemade walnut flour would start to go bad. One way to avoid this is to blend in small batches or to blend just as much as you need at any given time, that way you get to make use of fresh walnut flour anytime you want it.
A Few Variations
While you can just blend the walnut seeds as it is to get the walnut flour, there are certain ways you can bring out the versatility of the walnut. Below are a few:
- You can toast your walnut in a dry skillet over low or medium heat to enhance the flavor of your walnut flour before you begin grinding it.
- You can blend the walnut with other flour such as coconut, almond, or regular wheat flour to bring out a more unique flavor.
- You can add some spice or sweeteners to your flour to enhance the taste and add a bit more exoticness to its flavor.
Feel free to experiment with various ideas to find what suits you more. That’s the fun of homemade ingredients after all!
Can I Make Walnut Flour in Other Blenders Apart from Vitamix?
Yes, you can make walnut flour in other blenders that are not Vitamix blenders. Provided your blender is a high-powered blender with great blender blades and can be used to blend dry ingredients without getting damaged, it should be able to handle turning walnut into walnut flour and even walnut butter. That being said, you want to make sure whatever blender you would be using is a reliable one because blending dry ingredients like nuts and seeds can be rather tasking on blenders and could damage them over time.
Looking for a list of blenders perfect for making walnut flour? Our list of best blenders for nuts and seeds contains some great recommendations.
Conclusion
Walnut flour is a great ingredient that finds a great deal of uses in various culinary recipes. With a Vitamix blender, or any other great high-performance blender actually, you can make this ingredient in the comfort of your own home. All you need is some fresh walnuts, a working Vitamix (or any other equally powerful blender), a measuring cup, and an airtight container. All you need to do is simply follow the guide provided in this article and store your walnut flour properly, and you’ve got yourself fresh walnut powder anytime you need it.