How To Make Homemade Peanut Butter

Making homemade peanut butter is surprisingly simple and you have the control to decide the saltiness and the sweetness, and you get to be creative as well (how does adding cocoa powder sound?).

All you need is a food processor or blender, peanuts, and then it is up to you to decide the amount of honey/sugar, salt, and any other additions.

So, let’s cut to the chase.

First, get your peanuts. Here in India, peanuts are used in cooking very often, so I always have some at home. It is best to buy unsalted so that you can control the flavor. Also, most people roast their peanuts at home when making homemade peanut butter, but you could buy them already roasted.

I roasted my peanuts in the stove because I don’t have an oven. I placed as many as I could fit in my pan in a single layer (about 1 1/2 cups) and toasted them on a low flame for 10 minutes stirring frequently.  If using the oven, roast at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes stirring or shaking a couple times until they are lightly browned and smell nutty. Be careful not to burn them.

Some of them started to crack and some of the skins came off.

I let them cool completely and then removed all the skins. You can skip this step if you bought skinless peanuts. It is very easy to remove the skins, it just takes a bit of time because you have to do every peanut. It is great for people who are a bit OCD, like me. Simply rub them off with your fingers, they come right off.

Then, I took them out for a walk because it enhances their flavor. No, not really, I actually took them outside to blow all the skins off and avoid a mess in the kitchen. I read a tip online of someone using a blowdryer. And I don’t have one so I blew them with my own breath until I got a little dizzy from hyperventilating, it was a hot day.

Time to blend.

I blended until it got pasty and then added 2 tsps of peanut oil because the mixture was too dry, and 3 tsps of honey. I would’ve added about 1/4 tsp of salt to enhance the flavor, but I forgot.

Lastly, I transferred the peanut butter to a glass jar.

My jar is made in Italy; I wish I could say the same about the peanut butter. Not meaning imported from Italy, but made by me in Italy. (I’ve been craving a trip to Italy lately.)

Anyway, I digressed. This was my first time making homemade peanut butter. It tastes great. In my next experiments I would like to make peanut almond butter by blending half peanuts and half almonds, and chocolate peanut butter by adding cocoa powder and powdered sugar.

I mostly use peanut butter for breakfast, with oatmeal or sliced apples.

How To Make Homemade Peanut Butter

Ingredients:

2 cups (300g) of Peanuts

1/4 Salt (Kosher is best) (adjust for preference & optional)

2 tsps of Honey (adjust for preference & optional)

2 tsps of Peanut Oil, plus more if needed

Directions:

1. Roast peanuts in a single layer on the stove for about 10 minutes stirring frequently, until they are lightly browned and smell nutty. If using the oven, roast at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) for about 8 minutes and shake or stir at least once. Don’t allow to burn.

Let cool completely.

2. Remove all skins by rubbing between your fingers and separate from peanuts. (tip: use a blowdryer.)

3. Blend in food processor or blender until finely chopped. Add honey, salt, and oil and blend until smooth. Add 1 or 2 tsps of oil at a time as needed.

4. Transfer peanut butter to a food-safe container, cover tightly and store in refrigerator for several months; refrigeration also slows down oil separation.

Notes: Peanut butter may harden a bit in the refrigerator. I store mine in the pantry because I use it up quite fast.

To make crunchy peanut butter, measure about 1/3 cup of the roasted peanuts and pulse in processor until chopped to small pieces. Reserve for later. After blending the peanut butter, stir in the reserved peanuts.

You can make life easier by buying peanuts without skins and/or already roasted. Then you can skips steps 1 & 2.

If you have a powerful blender or food processor you may omit the oil. The peanuts will release natural oils as they blend and will eventually become smooth.