Homemade Peanut Butter — This recipes breaks down how to make peanut butter with just 1 ingredient! I’ve also answered some FAQs about making peanut butter so you know exactly what to expect from the process.
Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Recipe
Once you make peanut butter at home, it will be very difficult to get excited about store-bought peanut butter ever again. Not that eating peanut butter of any kind would ever be a chore because I love it so much, but homemade peanut butter is a delicacy. And a nearly effortless delicacy at that.
It’s akin to savoring a piece of high-end dark chocolate that’s rich and pure, uncomplicated by fillers, additives, or ingredients that have no place being in chocolate; and then grabbing a milk chocolate bar in the checkout line at the grocery store, which is likely tasteless, grainy, and waxy.
Apples and oranges. Store-bought peanut butter versus homemade.
Once you have something amazing, it’s hard to get excited about any less than. That’s this peanut butter.
Sure, all peanut butter is good, and some is better than others, but this is in its own league. It’s similar in taste to store-bought varieties of “natural” peanut butter. It tastes like real peanuts and nothing else.
At room temperature, it’s similar in consistency to a stir-free natural peanut butter, thicker than almond butter, but thinner than conventional Jif or Skippy.
Homemade Peanut Butter Ingredients
For this peanut butter recipe, you’ll need a 16-ounce bag or jar of peanuts. You can use honey roasted, plain, salted, unsalted, or even a jar of mixed nuts. You won’t need oil or salt, just peanuts.
For this particular recipe, I used honey roasted peanuts because I love how flavorful they are, but if I know I’ll be using my homemade peanut butter in dipping sauces or specific baked goods, I stick to plain peanuts. This way, I can add salt and other seasonings as needed to the peanut butter to prep it for the recipe at hand.
How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter
Making peanut butter from scratch takes less than 5 minutes. Simply add peanuts to the canister of the food processor, turn it on and watch it go.
The peanuts go through various stages in the five minutes it takes to go from peanuts to peanut butter: crushed peanuts, peanuts crushed into a fine powder, a paste, a thicker paste, and then a big peanut butter “dough ball” will form.
And just like that, the big ball will magically break down and turn into a gritty peanut butter. Keep processing and the peanut butter will get smoother, creamier, and thin out.
No oil was ever added at any point during processing — just the natural oils from the peanuts are being released.
Keep processing until you’re certain the peanut butter is smooth enough for your liking, another minute or so. (I like my peanut butter very smooth, like buttah.)
The peanut butter will be a little on the thinner and runnier side immediately post-processing because it’s warmed from the motor and is similar in thickness to store-bought almond butter. After refrigeration, it thickens up a bit.
How to Make Flavored Peanut Butter
You can flavor your homemade peanut butter with anything you want, from vanilla or coffee extract to cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice or even cocoa powder. This is your peanut butter, get creative!
If you don’t trust your gut when it comes to making flavored peanut butter, start with one of my recipes instead. Some of the flavored peanut butters I’ve made include:
- Sunflower Seed Peanut Butter
- Gingerbread Cookie Dough Peanut Butter
- White Chocolate Cinnamon Chip Peanut Butter
- White Chocolate Butterscotch Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Peanut Butter
- Cookie Butter Peanut Butter
Other seasonings or flavorings to try and add in the final moments of processing are: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cardamom, brown sugar, vanilla extract, coffee extract, a pinch of cayenne or chili powder, cocoa powder, or chocolate/white chocolate/butterscotch/peanut butter chips. Just pulse to incorporate whatever flavoring you use!
You could even add egg-less cookie dough chunks, dried fruits like raisins or dates, a splash of Bailey’s Irish Cream, Kahlua, Frangelico, Chambord, or Godiva Liqueur. Have fun with it!
If you’re unsure how a flavoring will turn out, I suggest removing half the peanut butter or two-thirds of it, placing it in another container, and flavor a smaller portion, to taste, before flavoring the entire batch with one particular seasoning or flavor. Or get two or three flavors from one recipe based on how inspired you are.
How to Store Peanut Butter
I store my homemade peanut butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and although I could keep it at room temperature I’m sure it will keep longer being refrigerated and I prefer my peanut butter on the thicker side. Storing it in the fridge helps it to stay thicker and less runny, especially since my house is warmer now during the summer.
Interestingly, my peanut butter has turned out to be “stir-free.” It has not separated into oil and a solid mass, which is something I detest about natural peanut butters; the oil slick on top and that stubborn dry blob on the bottom that never really wants to re-accept the oil.
How Long Does Peanut Butter Last?
Because homemade peanut butter contains just peanuts, it’ll last for up to 3 months if kept in an airtight container in the fridge. You’ll know if the peanut butter has gone bad if it smells rancid (trust me, you’ll know if it’s gone bad!).
Can I Make Peanut Butter Without a Food Processor?
Not that I’m aware of. Blenders aren’t powerful enough to process all those peanuts, so a food processor is a must.
Can I Make Chunky Peanut Butter?
Of course! To make homemade chunky peanut butter, you need to make this recipe as instructed. Once the peanut butter is creamy, add in another cup or so of peanut and pulse until it reaches your desired consistency.
Can I Make Another Type of Nut Butter?
You can make almost any nut / seed butter you’d like using the method listed in the recipe card below. Just keep in mind that certain nuts (like almonds) are much coarser than peanuts and therefore will take more time to make. If your food processor starts to overheat, turn it off and let it cool down before continuing.
Can I Double This Recipe?
If your food processor can hold that many peanuts, yes. Just keep in mind that the more nuts you use, the longer you’ll need to make creamy peanut butter.
Can I Make This With Raw Peanuts?
Yes, you can use any kind of peanut you’d like in this recipe. Personally, I prefer roasted peanuts since they have more flavor and are easier to process. But if you prefer raw, go for it. You can also toast the raw peanuts yourself before blending them up.
Where Do You Buy Your Peanuts?
I always buy my peanuts at Trader Joe’s. They’re inexpensive (around $3) and easy to find. Plus, Trader Joe’s carries different flavors of peanuts!
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Homemade Peanut Butter
Ingredients
- 16 ounces peanuts, you can roasted, salted, unsalted, honey roasted, etc.
Instructions
- Add peanuts to the canister of a food processor, process on high power until creamy and smooth, about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the canister if necessary.
- Note that the peanuts will go through stages of: crushed, crushed into a fine powder, a paste, a thicker paste, a big “dough ball”, and then the ball will break down into runnier peanut butter. At the point the peanut butter is runny, continue processing for about 1 more minute, making sure the peanut butter is as smooth as desired.
- Store the peanut butter at room temperature where it will keep for at least 2 weeks, or store in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator, where it keeps for many weeks, and I’ve stored it for months. As with any food that has no preservatives, use common sense.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Peanut Butter Recipes:
Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mini Blender Muffins — These muffins are gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, dairy-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and they’re under 100 calories each (66 calories if you omit chocolate chips).
Better Than Anything Peanut Butter Cake — This Peanut Butter Cake is a super easy poke cake recipe. It’s packed with peanut butter flavor and topped with a mix of peanut butter chips and peanut butter cups. Poke cakes don’t get tastier than this!
Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken — This chicken is coated in the most incredible peanut sauce. Serve it over rice for an easy meal, and garnish with green onions and extra peanuts for added crunch!
Peanut Butter Brookies — A soft and chewy peanut butter cookie base with a rich fudgy brownie recipe on top!
Did you know I wrote a cookbook that includes 100 recipes that all contain peanut butter? It’s called Peanut Butter Comfort. Included are 25+ recipes for homemade peanut butter variations
No, I don’t make peanut butter, or anything with peanuts, we just don’t get it’s taste, even teenager doesn’t like it. I don’t even make the recipe if it calls for peanuts ot peanut butter. Weird, ha? I know. :) But I do make cashew, walnut and sunflower seed butter, mmmm, heavenly good, but dangerous: I can eat a whole jar at once!
And even though I don’t like peanut anything, I love your photos, those cute little (Italian?) jars, presentation, and crisp images (can I say it about photos? I guess I can if I like it, right…) :) Have a good day Averie! :)
thanks for the compliments on the photos…I appreciate it!
Tell me you don’t like Pad Thai.
I am so with you about the chocolate. so disappointing when it’s waxy and not flavorful…
I can’t remember the last time I bought it, because I make my own nut butter all the time (Basil still has his own jar, too). I don’t have links, never shared, but yes, I have added all kinds of flavorings (the one we made last week was chai sunflower seed).
oh, wait! one of the best nut butters I’ve made, my marcona butter: https://spabettie.com/2011/09/09/marcona-almond-butter/
oh, um, never mind, I guess I have shared some… I also made a chai pecan butter:
https://spabettie.com/2012/05/25/sweet-chai-pecan-butter-sauce/
:D
I wanted to name drop a few mainstream American chocolate brands that taste like granular wax but refrained :)
Those nut butters sound delish!
Years ago I was friends with the president of Mars. The candy company, not the planet. He said that in America wax is added to many chocolates because Americans prefer that texture. Ever since then, not being a “typical” American, I’ve been buying European chocolate. So, the waxy texture is no accident!
Tell me you put Baily’s in there. Please?
I don’t make my own pb, because I don’t have a food processor. I don’t care to either, because I can get the freshly ground stuff at the store for the same amount of time. Yeah, its more $$, but my time is money. And I’m lazy. ;)
This is one situation where a food proc definitely trumps the Vita. In a food proc, it’s effortless. In a Vita, you could blow a motor if you’re not careful and really watch it (I’ve watched youtube videos of it and although theoretically possible, not entirely comforting to watch)
Baileys, so good :)
I got a food processor for Christmas but haven’t used it yet. I think that this will be the first thing that I make!!! I just need to find a jar now …
Just put it in a plastic container or any little bowl and cover with plastic wrap…go get to work :)
Ohhhhhh hoohohohoh, YES.
Honey Roasted Peanut Butter, are you kidding?!?!? How do you keep from eating the whole jar?Sounds heavenly! Now I want to make your 3-ingredient pb cookies with honey roasted pb! Yum!
I agree with you Jiff creamy is the best peanut butter for baking! I use Trader Joes natural pb for eating and Jiff for baking.
We polished off that jar along with (a little) help from Scott and Skylar in like 2 days. I justified it that it was “only” a 16 oz bag of nuts split 3 ways :)
I have made my 3 ingred PB cookies with storebought honey roasted PB; so good. I just worry that this natural/homemade PB is going to create too much runniness in them since there is no flour to bind them and even in other cookies with flour, I still feel it will yield a really flat/thin cookie.
Yum. I’ve recently only “rediscovered” a love for peanut butter. Can you believe I used to dislike it? Maybe because I didn’t have spoonful after tempting spoonful of this AMAZING homemade version? Honey roasted peanut butter–I die.
I’ve always loved it – glad you’re back on board.
So funny that you made homemade peanut butter. That is on my to do list. My girlfriend just whipped up a batch the other day and inspired me to do so. Now you have inspired me as well. She made hers in the vitamix. The reason I abstain from most natural peanut butters’ is due to the oil and the separation. I hate trying to combine the two together. It’s a messy process that doesn’t really taste that great. I am trying to like the healthier peanut butters, but I find I have to glop on jelly in order to enjoy them. I am still a fan of Jiff and I know it’s terrible because its full of “who knows what” and tons of sugar. Anyway, this looks so easy and it could even be a job for Eli (which he would love). Maybe it would help my kids to like peanut butter and jelly a bit more.
“It’s a messy process that doesn’t really taste that great” — exactly. That is what I was trying to say in the post. An oil slick and a dry blob that doesn’t want to ever really re-accept the oil or if it does, it’s a lot of stirring and elbow grease.
People freak out about so many things and try to say they are so “unhealthy” and sure it’s healthier to make your own, but even Jif…dare I say with “all” the chemicals and “all” the sugar, is still far healthier than eating just about anything most of mainstream America will be eating at their 4th of July bbq’s :)
Hi Averie. I wanted to let you know that I received your reply in my inbox, so it seems to be working now.
I didn’t know it will just take you 5 mins to make your homemade peanut butter. I love peanut butter and I would really love to try and make this one at home. This is gonna be amazing especially adding your own flavor to it. This is great. Thanks for sharing this Averie.
LMK if you end up trying it!
I’ve thought about making homemade peanut butter several times, but I’ve never actually done it. I’m glad to see that someone has! I might just do it this summer with my kids!
LMK if you end up trying it & what the kids think!
Just wanted to ask, how long is the shelf life or the fridge life? Also thanks so much, this would make a great gift.
Good question & I thought I had addressed it within the post and sort of did in places but updated the post in the recipe section, under notes, about storage. Your mileage will vary and your comfort levels, but for me, many, many weeks – at least a month (but it will be devoured FAR before that!)
I seriously need to get my little paws on a food processor asap!! I keep putting it off, and then I see amazing recipes like this, and I kick myself. One day!!
You will love it once you get one!
Of all the nut butters, I’ve never made plain pb! I literally just ran out this morning too, maybe I should actually make it instead of buying it this time around. I love how smooth yours looks!
Just keep on blending!
This weekend I made a how to make peanut butter video that I am going to share on my blog soon. It is so much better than store bought; I kind of couldn’t believe it. I think I’ll be making rather thsn buying now. Mine was thick and creamy, almost whipped, and it didn’t separate either. Such a treat :)
that sounds like a fun video!
I have not made homemade peanut butter in a few years, now it looks like I will have to do that very soon. You are right. It is so much better than store-bought.
If I had a high-powered blender, I’d be all over making my own nut butters. My poor blender can barely handle cashews for a cashew cream. My cuisinart food processor is great, but it’s big and really note meant for blending.
Ok wait, you have a Cuisinart but it’s not meant for blending? That’s a great brand of machine and if you can’t use it for blending..well…ya know.
This food proc I used is a 12 cup, so a pretty big machine. It’s not a “mini” by any means! I feel like the words “12 cup” or “14 cup” really are like coffee pots. That sounds “huge” but once you get to really using it, it’s not “that” big. Same with my stand mixer, it’s a 7 quart and that sounds huge but I am grateful for it over a 5 quart b/c I feel like I need the space! Point being, I think you should try your Cuisinart again!
I use a ninja that I bought at Big Lots for 29.00 makes everything great! I bought it to make protein shakes with ice so they would be more like a milkshake, but works great for grinding anything and has a small and large bowl.