For this easy homemade peanut butter you just need one ingredient- dry roasted, unsalted peanuts. No oil, sugar, or additives. The taste is so much fresher than store-bought, I know you’re going to love it!
About This Recipe
If you’ve ever looked at a jar of peanut butter at the grocery store and found an ingredient list with six things you can’t pronounce, then you need this easy homemade peanut butter recipe. To make peanut butter at home, all you need is peanuts. No oil, sugar, salt, or stabilizers.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Peanut Butter is a great plant-based protein source. You get 7 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons. It is also rich in healthy monounsaturated fats and has a small amount of both fiber and magnesium. Because this recipe skips added oils, sugar, and salt entirely, you’re getting peanuts in their whole food form, which also means you’re in full control of texture and freshness.
What You’ll Need
Use unsalted, dry roasted peanuts (about 1 pound, or 500 grams (2 cups) to start. Make sure the peanuts are shelled, unsalted and dry roasted. If you have raw peanuts it is very easy to roast them yourself. Just place the peanuts in a even layer on a baking sheet or roasting pan lined with parchment paper and roast in your oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (180 C).
Don’t use salted, honey roasted, or any other flavored peanuts. I recommend always using unsalted peanuts. Salted peanuts will make your peanut butter much too salty.
Salted peanuts usually contain iodized salt which does not have the best flavor, and manufacturers tend to add a lot of it. Also, you won’t get a smooth result from peanuts that have any type of sugary coating. If you’d like to add salt, use sea salt or pink Himalayan salt and wait until you have finished processing. Then add just a little at a time.
FOR EQUIPMENT:
A food processor or high speed blender
A spatula
A glass or plastic jar with a screw-on lid
It is easiest to make the peanut butter using a food processor rather than a blender. You can use a high-speed blender for a smoother result, but it must be processed in batches, using about 1 cup ( about 240 g) of peanuts at a time. You’ll need to turn the blender off about every 5 to 10 seconds to scrape down the sides, and it is more difficult to get all of the peanut butter out of the blender container.
While processing, the peanuts will go from chopped, to crumbly, to looking very clumpy. But the total mixing time is only about 5 minutes total, so in no time it will begin to become smooth and glossy as the oils in the peanuts release.
IS IT CHEAPER TO MAKE YOUR OWN?
- Here’s the honest comparison of homemade vs. store-bought. A pound of unsalted dry roasted peanuts typically runs about $4.00 to$6.00 US per pound.
- For reference, Trader Joe’s Crunchy Unsalted Peanut Butter, which is also just dry-roasted peanuts with nothing added, runs about $2.49 to $2.99 for a 1 pound, (16-ounce) jar. So cost-wise, it’s actually pretty comparable, maybe even slightly cheaper to buy it there.
- I always buy generic, no-name roasted unsalted peanuts from a local health food store, which costs me about $2.00 US per pound. In the area where I live, a tiny jar of peanut butter which is only about 200 to 300 grams (about 1 cup) costs me about $4.00, so for me, its always cheaper to make it myself.
- Compare that to mainstream jars like Jif or Skippy, which run about $3.29 to $4.49 for 16 ounces, though keep in mind those include added sugar, oils, and salt, so they’re really a different product altogether.
- Making peanut butter yourself means you control the roast, the texture, exactly what goes into it, and how fresh it is. Plus the taste is just so much better than what you usually get in a jar. That’s always worth more than the possible extra cost of buying your own peanuts.
The Best Ways to Use Peanut Butter
- Spread on toast or a warmed rice or corn cake. Then if you wish, top with apple,strawberry or banana slices, or a couple of mashed dates and dried coconut
- Take the seed out of a medjool date and fill with peanut butter. This is also so delicious dipped in dark melted chocolate
- Replace half the oil or butter in cookie recipes with date puree for a lower fat version
- For spreading on toast or bread, place the jar at room temperature for 30 minutes.
How to Store
- Store in a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3months.
- Remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before using to allow it to soften a little.
Homemade Peanut Butter-Just One Ingredient
Equipment
- 1 Food processor a blender may also be used
- 1 Rubber spatula
- 1 Glass jar
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts 450-500 grams, about 3 cups. Raw peanuts may be used, see instructions below on how to roast them yourself.
Instructions
- Use unsalted, dry roasted peanuts (about 1 pound, or 500 grams (2 cups) to start. Make sure the peanuts are shelled, unsalted and dry roasted. If you have raw peanuts, it is very easy to roast them yourself. Just place the peanuts in a even layer on a baking sheet or roasting pan lined with parchment paper and roast in your oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (180 C). You can also use this same method if you start with lightly roasted peanuts.
- Add the peanuts to a food processor or blender. Begin by processiing at low speed, stopping 30 seconds or so to scrape down the sides. The peanuts will go from crumbly to a thick paste, then to smooth and creamy as their natural oils release.
- Continue to process for about 5 minutes total time. The peanut butter will start to become warm and will become smooth and creamy.
- Add no more than 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt or Himalayan salt at a time if you like, then blend for 30 seconds more. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Transfer the peanut butter to the glass or plastic jar. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the fridge for up to 2 months.
