What Is Tiger Nut Butter And Is It Vegan?

Are tiger nuts really nuts? 

As is the way with many of our favourite ‘nuts’ the tiger nut is actually a spy and not really a nut at all. They’re in fact chickpea-sized tubers and the thick, underground part of some plant’s stem, much like a potato (but nothing like a potato at the same time). As they’re not a nut at all, they can be eaten by those with allergies as a great substitute, ground into flour, soaked and made into milk or chopped and cooked with. 

What is tiger nut butter?

Even though we’ve just learnt that tiger nuts aren’t actually nuts (or tigers for that matter), they can still be used to create a nut butter with a ‘nutty’ and savoury-sweet taste. Tiger nuts are perhaps most similar in flavour to raw pecans.  

Is tiger nut butter vegan? 

Generally speaking, yes, tiger nut butter is suitable for vegans as in their simplest form, they’re just very heavily ground nuts. Something to look out for if you’re buying tiger nut butter from a shop is the addition of honey, which would make them non-vegan-friendly.

Fancy making your own nut or seed butter? Give this recipe from our Food Editor, Val a try! 

Keep your plant-based questions coming our way through the comments section below.