Homemade Peanut Butter Recipe
Better than store-bought, this homemade peanut butter recipe is made with peanuts and salt. It is smooth, creamy, and healthy and can be prepared in just 5 minutes.
Equipment
- food processor or high-powered blender
- jar or container with lid
- Baking Sheet if roasting peanuts
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups peanuts, shelled, salted or unsalted dry roasted or raw
- ½-1 teaspoon salt if using unsalted peanuts
- 1-2 tablespoons erythritol, stevia or monk fruit optional
- 1 tablespoon peanut, avocado, coconut or MCT oil optional
Instructions
- Roast the peanuts (Optional). If you are using raw peanuts, roast them first before processing. Set the rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 180 °C/ 350 °F. On a baking sheet with a rim, scatter the nuts in a uniform layer. Toast until lightly golden-brown, glossy with oil and beginning to smell nutty, for about 10 minutes. If you prefer raw nut butter or are using pre-toasted nuts, you may omit this step.
- Place the roasted peanuts in the food processor fitted with blade attachment or blender.
- Pulse the nuts a few times, about 6 to 8 times in the beginning to break them up.
- Optional. If you want to make crunchy peanut butter. Remove 1/2 cup of the chopped nuts at this stage and set aside.
- Pulse the nuts on high speed for a minute. It will appear to be like a wet sand after 1 minute of continuous, high-speed processing. Pause the machine and scrape the bowl's sides and bottom.
- Process for another 1 minute on high speed. The butter will then begin to clump at this point. Even though it isn't quite peanut butter, it is getting there! Note: Pause the processing every after a minute.
- Pulse on high speed for another minute. The butter will be shiny and smooth at this point, like very thick peanut butter. Note: the equipment might heat up due to processing. If the machine starts to struggle at any point, stop for 10 minutes and let it cool down.
- Add the salt, sweetener and oil (if using). Also, if you are using other add-ins, you can combine at this step.
- Process for another 1-2 minutes on high speed. Process it until it is completely runny. Despite being quite runny at room temperature, it thickens considerably after being chilled.
- Optional. If you set aside any nuts for chunky peanut butter, add them now and pulse a couple of times to combine.
- Transfer the peanut butter in a jar with cover.
- Serve as spread with your favorite bread or use as ingredient in making your dessert or sweets.
Notes
- You can substitute honey, maple syrup or sugar as a sweetener, depending on your preference or diet. Also, you can use any neutral oil as desired.
- To save time and pennies, you can buy and use salted roasted peanuts instead of raw.
- Use a high-speed blender or food processor at least 8 cups in capacity. This device will assist in processing the appropriate number of peanuts while avoiding machine burnout.
- Add enough peanuts so that the food processor bowl's blade is completely covered. I'd guess by a couple of inches. It won't blend correctly if you don't add enough.
- I believe that toasting the nuts before blending them warms the oils in the nuts and makes it easier for the ingredients to combine. Additionally, toasting gives peanut butter a richer, more complex flavor.
- You can double or triple the recipe to make a large batch for gift giving. This recipe yields roughly 1 cup of peanut butter.
- You may use any nut of your choice. Making almond butter, pistachio butter, or any other type of nut butter follows the same exact steps.
