Learn how to make peanut butter with just peanuts and sea salt in 5 minutes or less. This creamy, toasty, and healthy recipe is better than anything you've bought in the store!
Table of Contents
📖 About
We've yet to meet someone who isn't in love with peanut butter.
Peanut butter is enjoyed by many in baking, on bread, or even in savoury meals like spicy peanut sauce and West African peanut stew. But, do you know where peanut butter came from?
The best guess is South America since they've found pottery made in the shape of peanuts dated back 3500 years ago! They probably didn't have the luxury of a Vitamix back then...
Anyways, we're not sure why it's taken us so long to make our own homemade peanut butter recipe.
We've always been huge fans of Adams peanut butter and thought nothing could compare.
Boy, were we wrong.
We had the power at our fingertips all this time, and we're about to show you exactly how easy it is to make your own homemade peanut butter.
Why is this peanut butter so special though?
It's cheaper, creamier, takes all of 5 minutes, and requires very minimal effort (unless you find pushing a button on the blender hard).
Need we go on?
So what's in this peanut butter recipe? Just peanuts and salt! But, we'll also share a few customizations for you to try.
If you're vegan, gluten-free, or keto look no further. We got you!
🍲 Key ingredients
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
Roasted peanuts
Taste: known to some people as goobers (we couldn't leave that name out), roasted peanuts have a rich, sweet flavor, with hints of chocolate. That taste can change depending on how long you roast them.
Health: we love peanuts for their oleic acid content (healthy fat), which has been shown to help people with diabetes better control their blood sugar levels (these nuts should win a Nobel prize).
Fun fact: Peanuts actually come in four basic types (Runner, Virginia, Spanish, Valencia) and all have distinct sizes, colors, shapes, and tastes (the more you know, right?).
Salt
Taste: used to bring out flavor, salt actually helps to enhance sweetness and lessen bitterness. How cool is that? It literally makes everything taste better. But, you can also leave this ingredient out if you need to watch your sodium levels.
🔪 Instructions
If you have questions about how to make homemade peanut butter, don't forget to check out our FAQ section at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: if you don't have roasted peanuts, toast them up in your oven on a baking sheet. Wait until they're turning golden brown and shiny (they'll also smell intoxicating).
Note: by using roasted peanuts, you'll end up with a deeper, richer flavor, but it's up to you! We like it both ways.
Step 2: once the peanuts are roasted, add them with a pinch of salt to a high-speed blender or food processor. Pulse to grind the nuts together into a gritty-looking mixture (see above photo).
Step 3: stop and scrape down the sides, and turn your blender on low-medium again. Continue this blending and scraping process until you have peanut butter!
Step 4: last but not least, add in any other optional flavors you want and blend to combine. Transfer your homemade peanut butter to a jar or a container for storage!
🌡️ Storage
Room temperature: keep this peanut butter in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1-2 weeks. That is, if it lasts for that long. You don't want to keep it out past that since the peanut oils will turn rancid.
Fridge: to keep it fresh for longer, store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Roast the nuts yourself rather than buying them roasted.
- Buy your peanuts in bulk because you know you'll be making this recipe again.
- Store it in the fridge so it lasts longer.
- Measure out your usage (yes, you know who you are).
🍴 Tasting notes
Homemade peanut butter is something you'll be making for the rest of your life. It's:
- Creamy
- Melt-in-your-mouth
- No-stir
- Peanutty
- Sweet
If you try this recipe, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
♻️ Similar recipes
For some more tasty recipes to use peanuts in, check out our:
- Palanqueta to try this Mexcian-style peanut brittle treat made with peanuts, amaranth, and caramelized sugar.
- Vegan peanut butter cookies for a soft, chewy, and easy-to-make cookie you're going to love.
- 2-ingredient peanut butter cookies if you're feeling like a treat ut are short on time!
- Peanut butter cups that will give Reese's a run for their money.
- Chocolate peanut butter fudge for the easiest 2-ingredient recipe that's full of decadent flavor.
- Homemade Snickers bars if you want to try a no-bake dessert full of rich chocolate, caramel, and peanut flavors all together.
💬 FAQ
If you're planning to use this within a week or so, you can keep it at room temperature. If you think it's going to last longer than that, store it in your fridge. The reason for this is because the natural peanut oils will become rancid when left too long at room temperature.
If this is your first experience with natural peanut butter, it's going to taste much different than you expect. To make it sweeter, simply add agave, maple syrup, or sugar until you reach your preferred taste.
While we prefer the taste of pink Himalayan salt in our peanut butter, any type of salt will do! Just use whichever variety you have on hand, or buy already-salted peanuts to skip a step.
Yes, peanut butter is suitable for celiacs and those who follow a gluten-free diet. For more information, tips, and tricks about eating peanut butter on a gluten-free diet, check out The Helpful GF.
📋 Recipe
How to Make Peanut Butter
Equipment
- High speed blender or food processor
- Spatula
- Mason jar with a lid
Ingredients
- 4 cups unsalted and dry roasted peanuts ($2.41)
- ¾ - 1 teaspoon salt ($0.01)
Add-Ins optional
- Cinnamon
- Cacao powder
- Agave nectar or maple syrup
- Pumpkin spice
- Chopped peanuts
- Coconut oil
- Chocolate chips
Instructions
- If you don't have roasted peanuts, preheat your oven to 350°F and spread the raw peanuts out on a baking sheet. Bake them until they're turning golden brown, about 10 minutes. By using roasted peanuts, you'll end up with a deeper, richer flavor, but it's up to you! We like it both ways.
- Once the peanuts are roasted, add them and your preferred amount of salt to a high-speed blender or food processor. Pulse or turn on low for 1 minute to grind the nuts together into a gritty-looking mixture. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom with a spatula or spoon.
- Then, turn the blender or food processor back on to continue mixing for another 1-2 minutes. It will look like a dry peanut clump at this point. Don't you worry, we're not done yet!
- Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom once more, then blend again until the mixture starts to appear smooth and glossy, about 2-3 minutes. You're going to be shocked at the transformation at this point.
- Last but not least, add in any other optional flavors you want and blend to combine. Transfer your homemade peanut butter to a jar or a container for storage!
Notes
- If you prefer a lighter peanut flavor, opt for raw instead of roasted peanuts.
- We personally use pink Himalayan salt for our peanut butter, but any type will do. If you have salted peanuts, omit the extra salt altogether.
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of our recipes.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe-to-recipe.
- All prices are in USD.
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