Peanut butter is pretty much a Top 10 Best Food, and everyone has their favorite brand.
But here’s a little secret about peanut butter: it’s one of the easiest foods to make, (seriously, you don’t even need a recipe) and it is endlessly customizable. In fact, you can even replace the peanuts!
Homemade peanut butter—or nut butters, if you use almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, or even pecans—is not only easy, but it’s incredibly delicious, and a bit healthier than some store-bought versions, which can be very high in sugar. All you need are some nuts, a food processor, and any flavorings you like best.
Let’s get started!
The Nuts: Okay, technically peanuts are legumes, but for these purposes, let’s group them in with nuts. If you want peanut butter, you should start with peanuts. Of course, you can also use almonds, cashews, hazelnuts (did you know they’re also called filberts, which is one of the funnier food names we know), walnuts, pecans, or even pistachios. Use roasted or unroasted, but we think roasted nuts lend a nicer flavor all around—especially peanuts, which should really always be roasted for good eating. Start with about 2 cups of nuts for about 1 1/2 cups of finished butter. More than that will overwhelm even a big food processor.
The Equipment: A really good high-powered blender is great for this, but any old food processor will work. The time it takes will depend on how powerful your machine is, so just keep an eye on the mixture. For stronger nuts (like almonds) in a less powerful machine, you may want to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of neutral oil to help get things going.
The Method: It’s a 1-2-3 situation.
- Put peanuts in the food processor/blender.
- Turn it on and blend until the nuts are as chunky or smooth as you like. This can take some time, so don’t be surprised if it’s almost 8 minutes or so. Add oil, if using.
- Add any flavoring ingredients, like honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, or cocoa powder. You’ll also want a good pinch of salt.
THAT’S IT! Homemade nut butters should be refrigerated, so put them in a jar or tightly-sealed container for storage. Because nuts are high in fat and we aren’t adding any stabilizers or emulsifiers (ingredients that keep liquids and fats together for a smooth appearance), your peanut butter will separate between uses. Just use your knife to stir it up a little before you use it.
Naturally, nut butters are great on toast or PB&J sandwiches. But you can use yours in peanut butter cookies, to blend into whipped cream for a chocolate cream pie topping (OMG), or to top rice cakes or celery for a great snack.
