This easy homemade peanut butter is better than any store-bought spread. Made with only unsalted peanuts, a tablespoon of honey, and a dash of salt, this simple recipe can be made in just ten minutes.
Nothing beats peanut butter on breakfast toast in the morning, or even a heaped tablespoon to curb your appetite before bed.
Do away with all the preservatives and excess salt in store-bought spreads by making this homemade peanut butter recipe. It’s creamy with a hint of crunch, and can be made as sweet as you like. Let’s get cooking!
Benefits of Making Homemade Peanut Butter
Like with any food, making your own peanut butter gives you more control over the amount of sugar and salt in your diet. Store-bought spreads are notoriously high in both, so this DIY version gives you the chance to be kinder to your heart.
Homemade peanut butter is fresh, and the taste is more authentic than something packaged with thousands of other bottles. Also, it’s a cheaper option than buying. You can also tailor-make it to the consistency you want.
Natural Peanut Butter vs. Traditional Peanut Butter
The main difference between these two is the ingredients used. Natural peanut butter will have just two ingredients, and these are simply peanuts and salt. Traditional peanut butter has peanuts, sugar, salt, and hydrogenated vegetable oil. Natural peanut butter can be affected by temperature and time, whereas traditional peanut butter isn’t, which is why it’s easier to stock it in stores.
The other difference between the two is the way they look. Natural peanut butter needs to be stirred so that it reaches the right consistency. The oil in natural peanut butter will separate as soon as it settles. This is why you will need to do some sort of stirring to mix the two. Traditional versions, on the other hand, are always ready to go. It is easily spreadable and doesn’t need mixing before you use it, even after refrigeration, unlike the natural peanut butter, which naturally thickens after some time and refrigeration.
Ingredients
- Peanuts – the most prominent ingredient. You will need 2 cups of dry roasted peanuts that have a high or at least a fair amount of oil in them. Spanish peanuts are a good choice for this, and they should be shelled and toasted for best results.
- Sweetener – you will need 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey or sugar, depending on your preference. The sweetener is there to balance the salt levels from the peanuts, and raw honey will give you an unadulterated taste to work with.
- Salt – add the amount you need to taste.
Quick Tips
Pulse Your Food Processor
As you blend, it’s essential to make sure that you stop the food processor regularly. After every 30 seconds or so, stop it so that it doesn’t overheat. During this break, you can also scrape down the sides to make sure everything is equally blended.
What to Do if Your Peanut Butter Is Too Dry
One of the leading causes of dry peanut butter is a lack of oil. So to fix dry butter, add more oil to it. You can either do this by hand or with a blender if there is a lot of dry peanut butter. You could also make sure that you store it upside down to let the oil drip through the peanut butter, moistening it on its way. The other option is to heat it a little, and this will loosen the peanut butter and allow you to stir it more easily.
What to Do if Your Peanut Butter Is Too Wet
You can make your peanut butter with a little more oil to the mix. Try to stir it as long as you possibly can. It will get creamier as you stir longer. You can also refrigerate it, and this way, you get to thicken it. The drop in temperature will help to keep the peanut butter stable and avoid it separating.
You could also just drain out the excess oil. You can also add extra peanuts, which will help add extra texture. Another method you could use is adding liquids. While this may sound like the opposite of thickening the butter, adding liquids helps make it thicker.
Add-in Ingredients
You can add in a couple of ingredients to enhance the flavors of your peanut butter, and Maple syrup can help balance out the flavor. You could also add a seedy-like taste by adding chia seeds which are a great addition to a keto diet. You can also add crushed peanuts to add a crunchy texture.
How to Make It Creamier
You can make homemade peanut butter creamier by adding more oil and blending. Creamy peanut butter is smooth and can easily be spread, and this means that you need to make sure it’s the right consistency. With the oil added, you will need to blend the butter, making sure not to overdo it. Keep an eye on it.
What to Make With Homemade Peanut Butter
- Ice cream topping – you can make an ice cream topping with homemade peanut butter mixed with granola or other nuts for texture.
- Mix peanut butter with shredded cheese with crackers and cheese and use it as a topping for crackers.
- Milkshake – you can also make a peanut butter milkshake using milk and peanut butter. Blend the two and enjoy.
Storage
If you store homemade peanut butter at room temperature, it will last for about two weeks. You could also store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container, and this way, it will last for several weeks or months.
Homemade Peanut Butter
Equipment
- food processor
- mason jar
Ingredients
- 4 cups dry roasted peanuts unsalted
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Put the peanuts into a food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds. Then blend to form a smooth paste, stopping every 30 seconds to scrape down the sides.
- Once it starts to smoothen, add the honey and salt
- Process for a further 1-2 minutes, still stopping every 30 seconds
- Once creamy and smooth, transfer to an airtight container or mason jar. Store at room temperature for up to 1 month.
