If you’re wanting to learn how to make peanut butter at home, it couldn’t be any easier to make! You only need one ingredient and a food processor or high-powered blender to make peanut butter. Once you try it, you’ll never want to buy store-bought again.
Making your own peanut butter is so much cheaper and tastier than store-bought brands. It’s super easy and takes about 5 minutes! Just dump peanuts into a food processor and let it go. If you don’t believe me, try it and see!
I first posted this peanut butter recipe because when I first moved to Germany, I had a student who was excited about her peanut butter recipe. She said, “I put a stick of butter in the food processor and add some peanuts!”
I loved her enthusiasm, but… nope. That’s not peanut butter.
So this fresh ground peanut butter recipe is for her and anyone else wanting to make their own creamy peanut butter.
Some of the natural peanut butter I find here in Germany just isn’t the same as in the States. Some of it is so bad that I can’t eat it.
I thought peanut butter was peanut butter, but – apparently not! I should say that I’ve been here for 13 years and haven’t bought store-bought for about 7 years, so it could be that things have improved.
By making my own, all I’m buying are peanuts and letting the food processor do all the work. Super easy!
How to make peanut butter at home
You need a food processor or a high-speed blender like a Blendtec or a Vitamix. A normal mixer will not work!
Add enough peanuts that the blade of your food processor bowl is well covered. I’d say by an inch or two. If you don’t add enough, then it won’t blend properly.
The exact minimum amount will depend on the size of your food processor. I always use at least 2 cups of peanuts.
If you don’t need that much peanut butter, then see the questions in the storage section below. Surely within 6 months, you’ll use it up. You could start by making these Gluten-free No-bake Cookies. They’re definitely a favorite of ours!
If you use a high-speed processor, then I highly recommend using the smaller jar that’s intended for making nut butter. Using the large one is a pain when making nut butter because you often need to stop and stir.
Now start processing. At first, you’ll get something like this that looks like chopped peanuts.
After a few more seconds, you’ll have this. Perhaps some people like their peanut butter this thick. I can see how it’d be practical for spreading on bread.
But keep going because once you chill it, it’ll be crumbly and not spreadable.
I continue processing until it’s 100% runny. Although it’s super runny at room temperature, once you refrigerate it, it’ll thicken quite a bit.
Note that if you process your peanut butter so that it’s not so runny, your recipes using peanut butter might not come out as intended.
I’ve had a few commenters on my peanut butter cookie recipes tell me that their cookies didn’t flatten like mine. And only now that I write this out, I’m now realizing that it’s because they must be using thicker, less processed peanut butter.
Store-bought natural peanut butter, at least the ones I’ve bought, have always been runny at room temperature, so I think you should process until runny if you want to bake with your peanut butter.
Is this natural peanut butter?
Yes, it is! The most natural way to have peanut butter is to make it yourself. You know exactly what is going into it and it’s super simple.
Some peanut butter says “natural” – but they have added fat and sugar. I guess those ingredients are “natural”, so they went with it, but I don’t consider that natural.
Plus, if you’re using the peanut butter in baked goods or in healthy energy treats like these Bliss Balls or these Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls, you don’t really want added sugar and fat!
What kind of peanuts should I use?
Make sure to use roasted peanuts to get the most flavorful peanut butter.
I always use roasted and salted peanuts, but if yours are unsalted, just add a tad of salt during the processing.
If you have raw peanuts, I strongly suggest roasting them before making peanut butter with them. I personally don’t think raw peanut butter is very tasty, but if you do, then you can certainly give it a try. But it will take much, much longer to process.
If you want to roast your own:
If you have raw, shelled peanuts, this is what to do:
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
- Spread the peanuts in an even layer on a rimmed baking tray.
- Toast for 15-25 minutes, stirring them after every 8 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before pouring into the food processor bowl. It’s best to process them now while still warm, as processing will be quicker and easier.
You can use unblanched raw peanuts if that’s all you’ve got. But when you make your peanut butter, those little bits of papery skin might be noticeable (I haven’t tried it, so I’m not totally sure).
But there’s a way to avoid that! Once the peanuts have cooled for a few minutes, place them in the center of a clean tea towel, and bring together the sides of the towel together to form a bag. Rub and rub until the skins have come off.
That’ll get rid of most of the skin! Now you have to pick out the peanuts from the skin bits.
Roasting and then getting rid of the skin and then making peanut butter sounds like quite a hassle. I’d definitely just buy it rather than go to all that trouble. But to each their own!
How long does peanut butter last?
According to this, homemade peanut butter should last for 3–6 months in the refrigerator. You can tell if it’s gone bad by a rancid smell.
I’ve been making peanut butter for years and have never had that happen nor have I ever had the oil separate like in the store-bought kind!
Equipment:
You need a food processor or a high-speed blender, like a Blendtex or Vitamix..
Blender — please don’t try making nut butter with a regular blender. It won’t work, and you’ll almost certainly destroy your blender.
Food processor — a 1,000-watt processor will do a great job. But before buying one, I highly recommend reading the reviews and searching for comments about making peanut butter. You can also search the questions section on an Amazon product page for “butter.” Usually, someone has asked if nut butter can be made successfully with the food processor.
And if someone mentions that they made almond butter with it, then you know peanut butter will work as peanut butter is much easier to make for a food processor than almond butter.
I love using the Twister jar of my Blendtec to make homemade peanut butter, so that’s what I usually use. I wanted my photographer to do an almond butter butter recipe for me, and I knew her current food processor, a Kitchenaid, couldn’t handle it.
A few years ago, when I looked at food processors, most people were recommending this Cuisinart for making peanut butter.
That one came out in 2015 and is currently unavailable. So I needed to find a newer one.
Now when you search for something like “best food processors for peanut butter,” you almost only find AI-written articles. On websites that are full of nothing but AI-written articles. Yikes.
So I recently spent a full day trying to find the best affordable food processor for making nut butter. So that excludes Vitamix and Blendtec.
I found this test where they (actual people! no robots) have tested loads of blenders and tested many different aspects, including almond butter making performance.
There are a few small personal blenders that have single serving-sized jars that are slightly better (I can’t imagine how that’s even possible) at making nut butter, but the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System [CO351B, SS351] is your best choice if you want a full-sized blender jar in addition to the smaller one meant for making nut butter. Right now, it’s $159.99 but it was as low as $119 in April.
If you’re in Europe, I believe this is the EU version.
You can see how this Ninja blender fared in their other tests found here. It got a 9.5 out of 10 in the nut butter-making test. I can’t imagine what a 10 out of 10 would be like, because it worked flawless and quickly, in my opinion.
I bought the Ninja for my photographer and one for me to replace my current food processor that’s starting to fall apart. But it’s actually not useful as a food processor replacement if you mainly use it for slicing potatoes and grating carrots, as it doesn’t have those special blade attachments.
You can see my photographer’s results in the photos of my blanched almond butter post. It only took about 5 minutes to blend. She used the large blender jar because it’s not really possible to get proper photos using the small jar.
But in the small jar with the turning blade, which is what you’re supposed to use for making nut butter, 1 1/2 cups of almonds or peanuts fit perfectly. It only took 2 minutes!
I was amazed. The result was just as creamy as the nut butter I make with my Blendtec!
If you use the large pitcher that you see in the photos, you need to use 3 cups of peanuts or else it’ll take a long time, with lots of breaks to push the peanuts down the sides of the pitcher.
How much does X cups of peanuts yield?
1 cup of peanuts = about 150 grams.
1 cup of homemade peanut butter = 256 grams.
So you need about 1 3/4 cups of peanuts for 1 cup of peanut butter.
Which is easier than counting out 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter!
Adding things to the peanut butter:
Can I add liquid stuff like honey, vanilla, etc.?
If you add anything liquid other than oil (which you do not need), then the peanut butter will seize. It’ll be clumpy and pretty much ruined. So please don’t try that!
I’ve seen lots of people say you can add honey to the peanut butter once it’s been blended. You can indeed do that, but it will really thicken your peanut butter. I don’t like it, but maybe others do.
I think 1.5-3 tablespoons of honey would be a good amount to add, but it’s just a guess. Add a tablespoon, taste and add more, if desired. And definitely be sure to use runny honey and not creamed honey or honey that has crystallized.
I think using honey-roasted peanuts is a much better idea. Then your peanut butter will have the right texture, and I think the result would be tastier.
If you insist on adding something, try this Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter. It’s smooth and chocolaty, and the kids should love it.
Can I add spices?
You can! If you want vanilla, use the seeds of a vanilla bean. A little cinnamon is also nice.
My recommendation is to make your peanut butter, and once it’s your desired runniness, pour some peanut butter in a little bowl, add a little of whatever you want to add, and see if it works.
This is a much better way than adding something to your peanut butter than ruining your whole batch!
Don’t I need to add oil?
Lots of other peanut butter recipes say to add oil! But…
I have no idea why some recipes call for oil. Just keep processing, take breaks if necessary, and don’t give up!
Do you see how runny my peanut butter is? I’ve never needed oil to get to this consistency!
If you want to add oil, you certainly can.
How will I know if it’s gone bad?
You’ll definitely be able to smell it. It’ll smell like oil paint, paint thinner, or something along those lines. You’ll know! Throw it away immediately.
And if you didn’t notice a smell but it tastes bitter, that also means it’s rancid and it’s time to throw it out.
My peanut butter isn’t coming together! What can I do and what did I do wrong?
Are you sure your food processor can handle making nut butters? If you are, you just need to be patient. Some food processors take longer than others.
If your processor is hot, take a break. Remove the bowl from the base, open the lid, and let it chill for 10-20 minutes or until it’s cooled quite a bit.
We certainly don’t want you to kill your food processor!
Is it cheaper to make your own peanut butter?
It is! According to this, using organic roasted peanuts, you’re saving 30 cents for every 100 grams. It’s not much, but it isn’t peanuts either. ;)
A little known fact about peanuts is you can actually make them into diamonds under the right pressure!
You are what you eat, so let’s get to it! ;)
Is peanut butter healthy?
Making your own peanut butter ensures there aren’t any weird fillers or too much salt or other ingredients that are hard to pronounce, so we’re already off to a good start.
Peanut butter is high in protein, full of fiber and fats which help stabilize insulin levels and gives you a constant supply of energy for hours. It’s perfect at breakfast, giving you a boost of energy throughout your day.
Peanut butter is also loaded with antioxidants. It has a high concentration of folate, niacin, riboflavin and thiamin. This helps control cancers, heart and chronic diseases and fungal infections.
Plus, it has so much protein it’s great for repairing and building muscle mass.
It’s high in vitamin E and B6, manganese and magnesium and a good source of copper, too.
It’s super easy to add to your diet. Peanut butter is versatile and can be added to coffee, smoothies, noodles, as a peanut spread or added in baked goods or using it as a base for those healthy energy balls, and the list goes on.
Whatever you use it in, just know that by making your own, you’re making healthier decisions, saving some money and adding nutrition into your diet!
What to do with peanut butter
This might seem like a silly question for a lot of you, but peanut butter isn’t a common ingredient everywhere in the world.
I feel like it’s becoming more common in Europe, but it still remains a somewhat mysterious ingredient to some people (especially the older generation).
It’s fantastic in savory recipes, like Asian recipes such as Thai or Vietnamese peanut sauce or peanut noodles. But I use it mostly in sweets.
I have tons of recipes that use peanut butter, like these flourless Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies or these Healthy Peanut Butter Balls or these Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I’ve got this wonderful easy 4 Ingredient Maple Peanut Butter Fudge or maybe you’d like a Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge.
There’s just so much you can make using peanut butter! I use homemade peanut butter in all my peanut butter recipes. I just can’t justify spending $5 to $15 for a jar of natural peanut butter when I can make it cheaper myself!
And, of course, it’s great on toasted bread or my favorite – toasted English muffins!
Other Nut Butters:
- If you love making this creamy peanut butter, you should also try some other spreads to see which you like best. I also think these make great gift ideas!
- If you’re looking for a rich nutty taste, this Macadamia Butter is truly amazing. It’s incredibly satisfying and has a creamy, buttery smooth texture. It’s vegan, paleo and keto.
- This Pistachio Butter Recipe has a wonderful color and amazing taste! It’s easy and you can even add a little honey or maple syrup to add a bit of sweetness. Paleo and vegan.
- You don’t usually see Walnut Butter in stores, but it’s superb! It’s rich and creamy and nutritious!
- Almond butter is another type of butter that is too expensive for my taste! So why not learn How to Make Almond Butter?! It’s easy! You just add almonds and let the food processor do the work with a fraction of the cost of storebought!
- If you like it sweetened a bit, try this Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter, it tastes amazing!
That’s it! I hope you enjoy making your own. If you try it, drop a comment below and let me know how it turned out!
How to Make Peanut Butter
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 1 3/4 cups peanut butter
Ingredients
- 3 cups (450 grams) roasted or dry-roasted peanuts
- salt to taste if using unsalted peanuts
Directions
- Dump peanuts in the food processor fitted with an S-blade and process on high until creamy. For me, it takes about 4 minutes. In my old food processor, it took about 8. First, there’ll be ground peanuts, then it’ll start to clump together, and then the clump will break down. Then process it a little more until you’re sure it’s nice and creamy.
- Add 1 1/2 cups peanuts to the Twister Jar, and process on high, while turning the blade counterclockwise. This usually takes about 40 seconds. Take breaks if your blender starts to get too warm.
- If you used unsalted peanuts, taste and add salt if desired. You might need more than expected! Store-bought peanuts are very, very salty.
- Store in the fridge for up to three months.
Using a food processor:
Using a Blendtec:
For either version:
Notes
- You need to use enough peanuts to go over your food processor blade by about an inch or two.
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137 comments on “How to Make Peanut Butter in Only 5 Minutes (1 ingredient!)” — Add one!
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Hi, I’m first timer and Fresh into making healthy foods.. coz I have a batch of gym friends who eating healthy too.. I try this peanut butter recipe.. it turn out very nice and smooth even I’m using normal blander.. it’s smell good and smooth texture. I use it to make protein bar too.. it’s amazing I manage use this. Which is cheaper and healthier then commercial peanut butter. Love it.. kee it up with more good recipe ❤️❤️
Thanks so much for your nice comment! I’m really glad that it came out well, even with your normal blender. :) I love using it in recipes, too!
This sounds really encouraging … I live in Goa n my daughter n her friends love peanut butter that I get commercially … I’m definitely going to give it a try n let you know how it fares with local Indian peanuts… I’ve had the American peanuts n they’re far bigger in size n creamier so let’s see how this goes
Oh that’s interesting that they’re creamier! Good luck. :)
What if I have raw peanuts? Can I oven roast them before?
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! I was on vacation and we (surprisingly to me!) didn’t have wifi there. Yes, you can roast the peanuts first! Let them cool a little before processing so that your food processor doesn’t overheat.
Hi there what about the nutrition facts thank you live this site:)
*love
I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. :) You’re welcome for the website! I hope you’ll like the recipes. :)
I made this peanut butter a few weeks ago and it was perfect and easy. I’ve tried two batches today and they won’t go from the bit blob to the smooth texture I got last time. Same ingredients, same recipe. I have no clue why it won’t liquify?
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! I really have no idea if you used the same ingredients and equipment! Is there any chance that your food processor bowl was a little wet? (like you just cleaned it and there was a little bit of water left?) The peanuts are 100% the same – not a different brand or a different type (raw instead of roasted?) I’m sorry I don’t have a better idea!
Never tried it but you can bet I am!!! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! I hope you’ll enjoy it. :)
is the nutrimix machine good to make peanut butter please
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! I’m not familiar with that machine and can’t really find anything about it when googling. I’m guessing it’s not sold in the US? I recommend googling nutrimix + “peanut butter” in whatever language is spoken in the country where you bought the machine. :)
That so so amazing.. Thanks for your recipe.
You’re welcome! :)
What about using pb2 after adding water to it, to make it peanut butter?
I’ve never used pb2 so I’m not sure how it works. Sorry about that!
do you think these ingredients played a part in my peanut butter turning out runny
dry roasted and salted peanut ingredients list.sea salt,sugar cornstarch,maltodextrin,corn syrup solids,smoked torula yeast,paprika (color),spice,garlic powder,onion powder.or me adding 1 tbs to the mix.
or me adding 1 tbs of oil to the mix
You definitely don’t need to add oil! It breaks down nicely without it.
Sorry for just now seeing this! The peanut butter is supposed to be runny (take a look at the video if you haven’t already :)) If you don’t want it runny, you can stop processing it once it’s a consistency that you like.
Hi there! Do you know if a NutriBullet Magic Bullet food processor will work for this recipe?
Hello! Check out the comment below yours. :)
Oh ok, I didn’t see that comment there when I posted my question. Thank you though!
No worries! Hope it works well. :)
I tried two cups of dry roasted peanuts in the magic bullet with the nut chopper blade and the blending blade. The blades are too small, so it was very chunky since it missed a lot. I had to use my big food processor to finish the job.
Thanks for your feedback!
Do you think a magic bullet would work
I wasn’t sure so I just googled it and looks like you can. :)
When we should add honey🍯 on it.
Hi! Only after it’s totally finished processing. :)
Do you use skinless peanuts? Thanks
Yup! Enjoy. :)
Honey roasted peanut butter is AMAZING!! It’s super yum on a spoon.. just so you know.
Haha. I believe you! :)
How long I can keep the peanut butter after making it and do I need to keep it in the refrigerator or a mason jar is good to keep it in the cabinet??
Check out Step #4 or the last few paragraphs of the post. :)
I loved my peanut butter, so delicious but I have a question when I put it in the refrigerator it makes the peanut butter very dry what should I do?
That’s so strange! I’ve never had that happen. Did you add any kind of liquids at all? Because that might cause that.
No I didn’t, should I blend it more in my food processor, it was creamy at the end and it was around 5-8 minutes
No, if it was creamy, then it should have been fine. Could there have been a tiny bit of water in the jar you stored it in? Like you had just washed it or something? That’s the only thing I can think of. Maybe try a different brand of peanuts next time? Sorry I don’t have a better answer for you!
Can u use a regular blender :)
Unfortunately not. :( A regular food processor would work, though!
The Ninja Blender works. You just have to blend on low speed for 2-3 minutes. I don’t think the generic blenders would work, though.
Thanks for the tip! I’m pretty much positive regular blenders don’t work. I definitely don’t recommend it!
A regular blender will burn out. I made that mistake once.
Hi! If you’re still around, I was just wondering if you use regular peanuts (cocktail peanuts here in the states and they are roasted) or if you use dry-roasted peanuts?
Hi there! I normally use regular peanuts (because they’re easiest to find and the cheapest) but dry-roasted work, too. :)
Hola Erin, no se ingles pero puedo leer tus espectaculares recetas, me encantan, voy a empezar por la mantequilla de cacahuate y luego a seguir con todo lo que compartes que se ve delicioso….gracias, gracias.
I don’t speak Spanish but I used Google Translate to read your comment. Thank you so much! I’m very happy that you like the recipes and I hope you will continue to enjoy them. :) Thanks again for your comment!
Do you use whole peanuts in their shells, or ones that are already cracked open? Can’t wait to make this!
The ones already cracked open. :) Never use the ones in their shells for anything except for snacking! Hope you’ll enjoy the peanut butter. :)
Peanut butter is totally an issue in Germany! When I lived there, I bought a jar – the ingredients were just peanuts and salt and I thought, perfect, it’s just the same as at home! NOPE – I still have no idea how they can take the same two ingredients and make it taste absolutely bland, awful and unrecognizable, but they did it! :p Your recipe/tutorial is totally necessary!
Hahaha. Yes! That’s exactly what I thought! The store brand peanut butter from Alnatura is just AWFUL. I have no idea how they managed to make peanuts and salt taste so bad! Is it maybe unroasted peanuts? It’s just bizarre. And the regular peanut butter with added sugar and fat… most of that is awful, too. I threw away so many jars of that stuff before I started making my own!
My mother eats a PB sandwich almost every day, so in an effort to make a healthier alternative, as she’s already under care for cardiovascular health and mineral deficiencies (“…Phytic acid impairs the absorption of iron, zinc and calcium, and may promote mineral deficiencies…”) I make her peanut butter out of raw, sprouted peanuts. [The following sounds much more bombastic and sciency than I intended, but please bear with me. The topic is actually interesting to me as I’ve been making peanut butter on a regular basis for a while now, plus I’m a geek]
Sprouted peanuts taste and are crunchy somewhat like a firm, fresh green pea or bean, but once dried the peanut butter they make actually tastes just like natural peanut butter, only fresher and ‘peanuttier’. I’m still working out the best way to go about making peanut butter from sprouted peanuts. Along the way I’ve learned a few things, one of which is that the smallest bit of moisture will immediately turn a creamy butter into a pasty doughy ball until it dries out again, so in addition to having to dry the sprouted peanuts thoroughly at low temps, any honey or sugar syrup added to the mixture will necessitate extra processing time, until the friction of mixing heats the butter enough to drive out the moisture. Adding things like granular sugar will also temporarily tighten the butter mixture. I think peanut butter can be considered a “non-Newtonian fluid” (like a cornstarch & water paste), thus accounting for some of the odd reactions to changes in consistency/composition.
Despite the difficulty I often encounter in processing beyond the cookie dough stage, I usually end up with a peanut butter which is too runny. (Sometimes I add about 10% roasted nuts, and this helps to get to a finished state just like “natural” peanut butter, but I don’t like having to do this as “roasted” peanuts is a misnomer, it would be more accurate to call them “deep fried nuts”) I sometimes add coconut oil (which is solid at room temp) to get beyond the doughy stage, but oddly that ends up producing a butter that’s even runnier than plain peanut butter alone, even when refrigerated. I can’t confirm this, but I think the blending of peanut oil and coconut oil is resulting in a “eutectic mixture”, where the phase change, or melting point, is actually lower than the melting points of either oil alone. Perhaps a food scientist will stumble by and provides some data.
I think for those getting a doughy mixture the key is to make sure everything is absolutely dry when they begin, even the food processor bowl and blade. If adding the sweetener is making it doughy, use something with a low moisture content, and keep blending until it smooths out again. Honey is 17-18%, and agave nectar is about 23% water, so expect it to take some time do drive out the moisture, and keep the chute open for water vapor to escape.
I don’t mind the runny consistency of homemade PB, but some people don’t like it, including my mother. I like the suggestion of adding powdered sugar, but that is just fine sugar and cornstarch, and I’m not sure what that’ll really bring to the mixture. Commercial PB makers start with natural peanut butter, then they extract the peanut oil and sell it at a premium, and replace it with cheap hydrogenated oils/shortening.
I’m thinking a similar approach might be in order. Obviously I wouldn’t use vegetable shortening, but I’m wondering if actually using (organic, clarified) butter (the idea of which this blog post originally seems to have been inspired by), or organic lard, might actually be a viable option. On closer look, butter and lard both actually have more Omega 3 and a better Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio than peanut oil, which is almost completely devoid of Omega 3, which the western diet is already sorely lacking. They do have more saturated fat, but that is not the be all to end all it once was, and butter and lard seem to be gaining renewed popularity among people concerned with both the healthfulness and quality of the food they eat.
As we learn more about saturated/monounsaturated/polyunsaturated/omega3/omega6/LNA/LA/EFA, and we begin to untangle the many misconceptions we’ve been fed over the decades (I wonder just how much passive brain damage I’ve accumulated over the years as a result of eliminating nearly all fat from my diet as a youth), I think at the very least it’s worth looking in to.
Wow. Thanks for your comment! Very interesting. I’m most surprised that adding coconut oil results in something even runnier than regular peanut butter when refrigerated. I’ve added coconut oil to my nut butters a few times and the result is usually quite hard once refrigerated. I’ve never thought about trying to replicate the texture of commercial peanut butter, though I’d be very interested to hear if you find something that works. I’ve made nut butters from just about every type of nut and seed and have always gotten to the runny stage quite easily. What you say about moisture makes sense, but I can’t imagine that being the only reason why some people have trouble getting to that stage. I’ve used food processor bowls that weren’t totally dried off and still didn’t have an issue. Perhaps I just have a really good food processor? ;) I don’t know. Thanks again for your comment!
Thank you! I’m finding sprouted peanuts tricky to figure out, and you’re right about having a good food processor. I’m not terribly happy with my Oster. For a while I had this ridiculous system involving running my vacuum cleaner at the same time to draw out the steam liberated by the blender. Mad food science.
One thing my most recent batch had was a note of sugarsnap pea on top of PB. I actually quite like it though I’m sure it takes an acquired taste.
Anyway, thanks Erin for your site, I see a ton of recipes I want to try!
Haha. I think it’s awesome that you even tried your “ridiculous system.” Very inventive. :) And the sugarsnap pea peanut butter sounds interesting. I would have never thought of that. I hope you’ll enjoy the recipes!
You write eloquently and your food knowledge is both inspiring and spot on.
Love this! I have made before from a similar recipe. Any ideas on how to thicken it up a bit?
I’m happy you like it! All you can really do is not process it as much. At least that’s how it works with my food processor! Peanut butter like Skippy has added fat to it making it firmer so perhaps you could add some coconut oil but personally, that doesn’t sound very delicious. ;)
I can’t make peanut butter! I’ve looked at a zillion different websites and recipes with the same instructions: just process the nuts until creamy. My problem is that it never becomes creamy – even after 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes. Perhaps its my machine? It’s an Oster-brand machine (link: bit.ly/1qzT9u6). I use dry roasted unsalted peanuts, and on separate occasions, added varied amounts of oil. It just isn’t working.
Any thoughts or advice?
That sounds frustrating! I think it’s probably your food processor. If you look on Amazon, it has more 1-star reviews than all the others put together. :( You don’t need to add any oil to nut butters as they should be runny on their own. Maybe you could try with a friend’s machine and see if that works? I really doubt it’s a problem with the peanuts. Good luck! :)
I have the same problem as OP but my food processor is a Cuisinart Pro Classic. Rated high. I have been processing this for 30 minutes and nothing, even after adding a bit of water and honey. Has the consistency of cookie dough
Hmm. I unfortunately have no idea how to explain that! Are you using a smaller amount than listed in the recipe? And are you using roasted or raw peanuts? I make peanut butter almost weekly, with lots of different brands of peanuts, and have never had this issue! It takes me about 3 minutes and I’ve never had to add oil. I’m sorry it’s not working out for you!
I tried to respond to your comment below, but the reply button was missing. I tried the recipe again, this is what happened….I bought a bag of raw peanuts and roasted them. I read on another blog post that you could keep the skins on, so I did. Don’t do that! The skins absorb the oils from the peanuts and you end up with the cookie dough consistency. For the second batch, I removed all the skins (it sucked but was worth it). At first, I had the same problem, so I added a bit of salt. WOW! almost immediately I saw a difference. Honey seemed to hinder the process so I had to add more oil and a bit more salt. I kept adding a pinch of salt and a dap of oil until I got the creamy consistency. I hope this helps some people, I was going crazy when no one posted their experiences.
Thanks for letting me know that it worked out better this time! I’m so happy you figured this out so I can tell the others who have a problem with making it. I’ve never actually seen peanuts with skin so your comment is really helpful! Adding anything liquid (even a little vanilla) always seems to mess things up for nut butters so if you want to add honey, do it only once the peanut butter is finished. Then you really shouldn’t need any oil. :) Thanks again!
Hi, I buy natural crunchy peanut butter from a health food shop in England which is made from 100% skins on peanuts but it is expensive for a small jar and if it is left for a week the oil and nuts Seperate. I love crunchy peanut butter so to make this crunchy would I just blend half till creamy then just rough blend the other half to have tiny chopped nuts and mix the two together?
Hi, there! That’s a good idea. To make crunchy, measure out about 1/3 or 1/2 cup (or however much you want!) of peanuts, pulse them a few times until they’re your desired size, and then set aside. Make the peanut butter and then stir in the chopped peanuts. I hope you’ll enjoy it! :)
Thanks for the recipe. “I can guarantee you I’d sit there with a spoon and eat it all until it was gone. And then cry a little. Because I’d just eaten 43,000 calories worth of peanut butter.” I laughed aloud at that bit.
You’re welcome! And haha. What can I say? It’s so true. ;)
Can’t wait to try this ! Thank you!
I laughed out loud at the 43,000 calorie remark as well. My dinner last night was half a jar of store-bought. …..guilty as all heck.
Haha. Half a jar! That’s quite impressive. Hopefully it wasn’t Costco-sized. ;) Hope you’ll enjoy the homemade peanut butter!
Hi Erin, I just needed to comment, to thank you!!! My mind has been absolutely blown by this recipe. Nut butters are so expensive, and now that I know how creamy you can make it at home, I will never buy another nut butter!!!! I have a Cuisinart food processor, and I watched all the stages, the gritty “powder”, the big ball, the store-bought-texture, to the creamier-than-butter. It all took less than ten minutes and wow am I ever impressed! Thank you for inspiring me, and helping me to be even less dependant than expensive store-bought products!!!!!
Hi, Lindsay! Thanks for your nice comment. :) It’s so fun to watch people watch nut butter being made (if it’s something they’ve never seen before)! At my last party, we needed some almond butter and so I whipped out the food processor and everyone stood in front of it for 10 minutes while it went through all the stages. Hehe. It was a wild party. ;) I’m so happy that the peanut butter worked out for you! Thanks a bunch for your feedback and the rating! I really appreciate it. :)
Where do you get your jars? I really like the one in the pic!
Thanks! I wish I could help you but I got the jars from a website here in Germany (and shipping to the US would be ridiculously expensive). Sorry! But you know who makes awesomely cute jars? Weck! They’re a German company and their stuff is easy to get in the US. :)
you can get kilner jars at most hardware shops or kitchen shops they are sold in varying szes they are ideal for preserves pickles oots rice jams etc
Thanks for the tip! :)
Could I use SunButter Creamy?….I accidentally bought that instead of Natual…
This recipe is for homemade peanut butter so I’m a little confused. But I’m just going to assume you got to this page from the chickpea cookie post and if you did, yes, you can use SunButter. ;)
That’s exactly what I did! Haha. Thank you!
Haha. I had a feeling that’s what had happened. ;) Good luck and enjoy the cookies!
Erin, what setting do you use on the blender? I never know when to crush something or blend it. Then there’s a liquify button too.
I’ve never tried it in a blender. Just a food processor! Do you have a Blendtec or something similar? I’m sure it’d worked in one of those. I just did some googling and other people use their regular blenders to make homemade peanut butter but I know mine could never manage it. I always need a lot of liquid for it to do anything. But to actually answer your question, I’m assuming you’d use the liquify setting. Good luck! :)
i have made my own peanut butter several times but ive never been able to get it creamy like that. its always super thick and gritty. tastes good but not a texture i care for. my fiance would eat it. how do you get it so creamy looking? ive tried blending it longer and adding a little bit of olive oil but nothings worked.
I honestly have no idea why it wouldn’t work if you’re blending it long enough. It only takes me about 3 minutes with my current food processor, and before that one, I had one that was 20 years old and it maybe took 6 minutes. In comparison to Skippy and those types of peanut butter, I could see how you’d find the peanut butter gritty. But mine is always super runny! Are you using a food processor or a blender or immersion blender…? Are your peanuts roasted? If you’re using raw, maybe that could be the reason!
hey, where do you get your peanuts? are they organic and how much do you pay for them? Do you know how many you need to make a 16 oz jar of peanut butter?
I live in Germany so I’m afraid I’m not much of a help! I get mine from Aldi, non-organic, and they’re super cheap. Like $2.50 / lb. And to make a 16 oz. jar of peanut butter you’d need exactly 16 ounces of peanuts. :) Good luck!
Hey – Just stumbled across this recipe. Do you think it would work in a Ninja blender? I haven’t invested in a food processor yet and i am totally anxious to try this. Could it work with almonds too for almond butter..? I love your recipes!
I honestly don’t know a thing about Ninja blenders but just did some research and it appears that yes, you can make both peanut butter and almond butter in them! :) Good luck and thanks for your kind comment!
Haha I guess I could have looked that up myself! Oh well. Thanks for finding it out for me :) I will let you know how it goes..hoping to take a crack at it this weekend!
Haha. No problem! I’m happy to have helped. :)
I eat Jiff peanut butter, I spread some butter on one piece of bread then I spread on the peanut butter, I flod it in half and eat it, don’t hate, it’s really good! I eat one everyday. I do love natural chocolate flavored peanut butter as well, but I’ve been having my little Jiff sammie since I was a child.
I’ve been making my own peanut butter and almond butter for a while now – since I discovered how expensive and disgusting-looking commercial almond butter is. It’s easy to make and peanut butter is even easier – much cheaper to make your own peanut butter, too. I think the only reason people need to add oil to either nut butter is lack of patience. The food processor will draw out the oil if you just run it long enough (probably about 10 minutes or a little more). Peanut butter happens so fast that one should never feel a need to add oil. I also never use salt, although the peanut butter could probably use a little.
Yeah. I think you must be right. Peanut butter goes so quickly, even in old and bad food processors. Almond butter can be difficult sometimes but I always roast mine in some maple syrup first and never have a problem. SO good! And I would be lost without my salt in the peanut butter. The peanuts come roasted and salted already and that’s just enough salt for me. :)
I don't know if anyone mentioned this because I didn't read all the comments but I make my own peanut butter and you don't have to add the oil! Even healthier!
I never use oil either. :) I wrote that in the recipe (that I never add oil) but added the part about others needing it because some people swear up and down that it doesn't work for them without it.
Amanda – Awesome! I'm so happy that you and the others enjoyed it. I think homemade peanut butter is always risky when it comes to feeding others (just because it's so different than the commercial stuff), so I'm actually surprised it got such positive feedback. :) Thanks for leaving feedback. It makes my day when people take the time to do that! :)
I made this last night with honey roasted peanuts (thanks for the suggestion!!) and I am now OBSESSED with homemade peanut butter!!! :) I put it in my favorite peanut butter cookies and sent them to work with Kev today. Everyone was raving about them and asking what kind of peanut butter I used! :) Thank you for making this so easy!! :)
Miryam – Thanks!
Wow, you're a bunch of hardcore peanut butter eaters. You should definitely try making this. I imagine it'd be way cheaper and maybe it'll even taste better. Or almond butter! But with lots of cinnamon and stuff because almonds by themselves are not so yummy (in my opinion).
Could you believe I have never made any type of peanut butter, almond butter or any butter for that matter?
The honey roasted peanut butter sounds really good. I know my family would love this because we eat peanut butter by the pounds, not kidding. Every time I buy peanut butter I have to buy at least 3 containers at a time :-)
Great pictures!!
Mercedes – Thanks! But now I'm wondering what it is. I get the cheapest peanut I can find so it's not like I have superior peanuts or something. It must be the food processor!
I have tried to make peanut butter a couple of times but mine never gets this smooth! Yours looks so yummy!
Nora – I know! It's just nasty. Maybe I should have mentioned that the student was a 45 year old business man. That somehow just makes it worse. Anyway, thanks. :)
Nicole – I think he's the only one to attempt that recipe. Ever. He even said it was *his* recipe. I've never tried hazelnut butter either, but I saw this recipe the other day and it looks good!
http://thehealthyfoodie.net/2011/09/28/hazelnut-butter-meets-dark-cocoa-powder/
Anon – Yeah, get a food processor! But only if you would use it for stuff other than peanut butter. They take up a lot of space! Now, if you're a nut butter addict, it'd be totally worth it and you can ignore the previous statement. :)
I've been thinking about making a post for German Vollkornbrot. The problem is that it'd cost a fortune to make in North America. I've used this recipe before with great results:
http://www.applepiepatispate.com/bread/vollkornbrot/
But it takes a ton of time, work and money. Almost everything is more expensive in Germany, but the ingredients to make this bread are super cheap. It costs about $2.50 for me to make this recipe but I'm afraid it'd be at least $10 in the US. Maybe I can come up with a version that's cheaper to make, but I don't have a lot of hope for that.
oh that does look yummy. wish i had a food processor to make some…. the bread also looks fantastic also – do you have a recipe for that? i always thought it would cost more to make nut butters onself but after your comment to the opposite i will certainly look into it a bit closer. could be a justification for a food processor – right? :)
Haha, the student's comment cracked me up. I hope that method was never attempted! This one, on the other hand, is great… I love homemade nut butters. I was actually debating earlier today whether to try my hand at homemade hazelnut butter. I've never even tried hazelnut butter before, but I have a bag of the nuts in my cupboard and couldn't help but wonder.
Okay so 4 years later I’m reading this and having just made this Chocolate Hazelnut spread (Nutella anyone?) I had to share. It’s AMAZING! The PB turned out great, too! Thanks!
http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2011/07/chocolate-hazelnut-spread-homemade-nutella-dairy-free/
I’m happy you enjoyed the peanut butter! I also have a chocolate hazelnut butter recipe that I find quite tasty. :D
Oh yum I’ll hafta try, thank you!
Hahaha, I laughed when I read the conversation with you and your student – yikes! Butter and peanuts – that's more like a unsweetened peanut buttercream!! :)
I LOVEEEEEEE peanut butter – I have an addiction and eat it by the spoonful – I love making my own but sometimes I buy the natural kind when I am running low – but like you said it's so easy! and peanut butter and apple is such a fabulous combo :)
I love the photo of the PB dripping off the side…drool!
Heidi – I don't know about where you live, but it's really SO much cheaper to make it yourself where I am. I'm happy to have provided you with a little reminder. :)
Becca – Good question! I'll add it to the post. Alton Brown says it stays good for two months. I hope you can make it!
Sonia – I just slammed my head on the table. I couldn't believe it. I then explained what peanut butter really is, and his response was, "Well, that's how *I* make *my* peanut butter." Horrifying, isn't it? I look forward to your peanut butter post! I never thought of you as a fancy shmancy food person.
It's so weird. Shouldn't peanuts be peanuts? But you know what, you're right. Yesterday I got some dried blueberries in the mail (they are impossible to get here) and I was SOOO excited. I opened them up and they tasted like nothing. Or the taste that they did have wasn't a nice one. For my peanut butter, I use Trader Joe's peanuts that I get from Aldi. I guess for once I have good ingredients. :)
Could it be your food processor, though? I got a super powerful one about a year ago, but before that I was using one from the former East Germany and I'm pretty sure I had really thick peanut butter too. But maybe you like your peanut butter thick and then it's all good!
Actual butter to make peanut butter??? OMG. I'm not sure whether I should laugh or cry. I just can't believe this. Thank goodness you set them back on the right track, Erin. Oh my… just imagining this, must be so gross.
Funny you should've posted about this, I was planning on doing the exact same thing next time I make a batch of plain ole peanut butter. You know, I do make that too. Not all my nut butter are fancy shmancy. Too many people think that it's super complicated, when in fact, it's extremely easy and so much cheaper to make at home. Not to mention so much gooder. When you know how to make it though and don't go adding actual butter to it. I'll never get over that one. Thanks for sharing that story with us.
Oh, and one more thing… funny how your peanut butter looks so, erm, runny whereas mine is always so thick. Wait 'til you see it, you'll understand. I think our base ingredients are often extremely different!
I think it would be so cool to make your own peanut butter. I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day. How long does it keep in the fridge for?
I love natural peanut butter :D It's amazingly simple to make yourself. I should really do it more often. I'm spoiled because I can buy peanut butter with no added ingredients, but it's probably much cheaper to make my own. Thanks for the reminder!
Amanda – Thanks! What a nice comment. :) I love meeting people with the same food philosophy so I'm happy we found each other. I was having a terrible afternoon and this comment really cheered me up. Thank you so much.
My problem is that I absolutely love peanut butter with junk added. Not to eat on bread, but for baking. I just used some of this peanut butter to make some chocolate peanut butter candy that I'll post in a few weeks. And it's actually pretty good! But natural peanut butter in pie or cookies? The junky peanut butter just tastes so much better! I really wish I hated the stuff. Hopefully my taste will change. :)
Love this! Your blog is so inspiring to me. I feel like you have a similar cooking and baking philosophy as I do and I love coming here to check out what delicious and healthy dish you've whipped up this time. I have a big issue with peanut butter that has junk added to it so this post really spoke to me. I think that most people don't realize how simple it is to make your own. Thanks for posting!