Homemade Peanut Butter
Homemade peanut butter is so easy to make at home from a few simple ingredients. Homemade peanut butter is a must if you love that real, roasted nut flavor.
A love of peanut butter has been passed down for generations in my family, through my mom and her mother. All three of us have been known to slather the stuff on practically any breakfast, devour it for lunch and even sneak a spoonful for a snack.
Using Homemade Peanut Butter
I will put peanut butter on nearly everything: bananas, carrots, celery, raisins, oatmeal.
I've even been known to slip it into a turkey sandwich. (It's WAY better than you would think!)
And, I have it from a fellow peanut-butter fiend that it is fantastic on a burger as well. But, that one, I have yet to try.
Protein From Peanut Butter
Nuts and nut butters are a great source of protein, fiber and vitamins.
While peanut butter does contain 160-220 calories and a relatively high fat content per each 2 tablespoon serving, it is incredibly nutrient dense, and the fiber and protein in those calories fill you up and keep you feeling full for longer, making peanut butter a great, healthy snack (eaten in moderation).
The problem with peanut butter comes in when you don't read the label.
Many store-bought versions fill their jars with added hydrogenated oils, salt and sugar. So, if you're buying store bought, make sure to check the ingredients. They should be very straightforward.
Making Homemade Peanut Butter
All you really need to make peanut butter is peanuts.
A little oil and salt and/or sweeteners can boost the flavor, but even those flavor enhancers aren't really necessary.
With so few necessary ingredients, it's a wonder more people don't make it at home.
It's true. Once you start making your peanut butter from scratch, you might not be able to go back.
Don't say I didn't warn you!
The Flavor Of Homemade Peanut Butter
Homemade peanut butter tastes more like a roasted nut, and you can change the flavor to your family's preference: if Jif is your favorite brand, try adding a pinch of sugar and a smidge of molasses to your homemade butter.
We have also found that since switching to homemade peanut butter, the silky smooth texture of store bought butters just feels fake and gummy. Homemade butter has a more natural consistency with fine bits of nut strewn throughout.
How To Make Homemade Peanut Butter: Be Patient
To make our peanut butter, we like to start with unsalted peanuts. Unsalted peanuts let us control the saltiness of our peanut butter. It doesn't matter if they are dry roasted or not, we'll be re-roasting them again anyway to give a deeper flavor and get the oils softening.
After the nuts have been roasted (it takes less than 10 minutes), they go into the food processor.
As you process you will see the nuts break apart into a crumbly mess, but keep going. As you watch, the crumbs will start to clump together, and after a minute, you will have a thick paste.
Keep going.
It's easy to get impatient when making nut butters and think you have to add oil too soon. Just remember that nuts have a lot of oil in them, and let them do their thing.
After another minute or two, the paste will start to thin out and resemble the peanut butter you are used to. At this point you can add a little oil (peanut or other) if you like your peanut butter very creamy. Add salt, if you like it a bit salty, or a sweetener, if you like some sweetness. Then, process some more, until it reaches a consistency and flavor you like.
Just remember, homemade peanut butter will never reach that Skippy-like smoothness. (Unless, maybe, you have a blender with super, duper power.) But, for us, that's not a problem.
Making Homemade Crunchy Peanut Butter
If you like your peanut butter extra crunchy, just lightly pulse some nuts to chop them, and set them aside before making the peanut butter. Then, after you have your creamy base, you can stir the 'crunch' into your butter.
Homemade Peanut Butter
Ingredients
- 2 c peanuts dry roasted, unsalted
- 1-4 teaspoon peanut oil or other neutral oil, like canola
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon molasses (optional, if you like the Jiff sweetness, this is the key)
- ⅛-1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Spread the peanuts onto a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 6-7 minutes. Remove the nuts from the oven when they have become fragrant and have darkened a shade or two from their original color.
- Place the warm nuts in the bowl of your food processor and process until a paste forms, 1-3 minutes. Add oil, 1 teaspoon at a time, while you are processing or processing in between each addition, until the peanut butter becomes smooth, 1-2 minutes. (If you have very oily nuts, you may not need any oil. If your butter starts to smooth out within the first 3 minutes, just let it keep going without the oil.)
- Taste the peanut butter and add in your sweeteners and salt, if you are using them. Always add in small measures and taste as you go. You can always add more, until you reach the peanut butter goodness you are looking for.
Notes
Nutrition
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Can I freeze this?
We have never tried to freeze peanut butter. I would be a bit afraid it wouldn't thaw quite as creamy, the oils might separate. But it's worth a try with a little bit to see. Let us know what you find out!