Homemade Peanut Butter — 🥜🎉🙌 This recipe 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.
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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, using it in everything from oatmeal bowls to smoothies, and granola. I’ve even been known to eat it by the spoonful or with apples. But homemade peanut butter is a delicacy and a nearly effortless delicacy at that.
Once you have something amazing, it’s hard to get excited about anything less than. That’s this peanut butter.
Sure, all peanut butter is good, and some are 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.
Love this recipe?
This chocolate coconut cashew butter is rich, creamy, and so indulgent, too!
Homemade Peanut Butter Ingredients
You only need one ingredient for this recipe. No added sugars or preservatives required!
- Peanuts – 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. However, 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.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Peanut Butter from Peanuts
Making homemade peanut butter from scratch takes less than 5 minutes!
- Add the peanuts to the canister of a food processor.
- Process on high power until creamy and smooth. 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.
- Stop and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Continue to blend until you achieve a smooth, creamy texture.
- Enjoy immediately, or store for later!
Consistency Tip
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, 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 homemade nut 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. Or, add honey or maple syrup for a sweeter taste. 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 flavoring 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.
Storage:
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!).
Recipe FAQs
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.
Not that I’m aware of. Blenders aren’t powerful enough to process all those peanuts, so a food processor is a must.
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.
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.
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.
Yes, you can use any kind of peanut you’d like in this recipe. Personally, I prefer dry 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.
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!
Homemade Peanut Butter Recipe
Equipment
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).
4-Ingredient Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies — These cookies are a new favorite and are super soft, very moist, extremely chewy, and packed with rich peanut butter flavor.
Easy Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce — Look no further from this FAST and EASY recipe for authentic-tasting Thai chicken satay. The chicken is so tender and juicy and there’s plenty of homemade PEANUT SAUCE to dip it into!
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
To keep your natural, store-bought PB from separating, store it upside down. We cannot figure out why this works but it does!
I will be making this version ASAP!!
I’ve just received my first ever food processor as an early birthday present, and I will definitely have to break it in with homemade peanut butter. I’ll let you know if anything goes wrong for a first-time user, i.e. I end up eating the entire jar-ful of PB in one sitting and my pants no longer fit and I have to wear my curtains to work because I can’t afford new jeans. Cookie butter next (you’ve really got me on that bandwagon)–thanks so much for this simple (and divine) recipe!
That is a fantastic idea, I just love it! Thank you for sharing Averie!
How much does the homemade compare to the store bought in price? Is it cheaper to make your own? Also would using honey roasted peanuts make it sweet lik jify, or do u need to add sugar?
honey roasted peanuts sweeten it slightly, it’s not as sweet as storebought honey roasted peanuts
I buy my nuts at Tjs and ounce for ounce, it comes out about the same as buying storebought Jif, cheaper than buying storebought “higher end” and/or natural PBs.
Oh my goodness!! I wasbjust introduced to your recipe/site from a friend of mine on Pinetrest. And yum!! Is all that comes to mind. I love PB, by the spoonfull, in my quina and my oatmeal , not to mention PB cookies :).
Will be giving this a try , asap.
thanks
thanks for saying hi! LMK what you end up making!
I just made my first homemade peanut butter and I nearly pass out with pleasure.
Many many thanks from Spain!! :)
Hi there, all the way in Spain!
Glad you are so happy with it!! YAY!!! :)
This tutorial was so helpful with my latest recipe! Now…if only I could get my hands on a food processor that I didn’t have to hold the button down for the entire 10 minutes!
thanks for linking up and glad it helped you!
I was looking for homemade PB with refined sugar and this is it. Can’t wait to make it! Thanks.
enjoy!
I made the PB today for the first time and it’s amazing! Will you email me, I have a few questions for you! :)
I’m glad you made it and find it amazing! woo-hoo!
I just made this and it’s super yummy…thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for LMK!
I just made this and it’s really very yummy…thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth Whitney, I think your mistake was adding the honey up front. I see your thinking, but you probably need to process the nuts to a cream first, and *then* add it.
If raw nuts are used they need to be roasted on a tray, skins and all, in the oven until they go a little darker and the nuts go a sort of pale orangey buff colour (for want of a better description).
It’s hard to give timings as it can vary. But temp wise about 175 degrees (UK).
Once roasted leave them to cool before processing as above. I made some this way yesterday, only adding a small amount of coconut oil for health benefits and flavour. I would far rather do that than use coated ones, but I have to watch what I eat as I have food sensitivities, which not everyone has to worry about.
Averie, thank you for sharing this recipe. We have started using Teddie in the last year or two but I would much prefer to make my own and never even considered doing so for some reason. Yours looks delicious and I will definitely give it a try!
Well keep me posted and LMK how it goes!
This did not work for me! :( My peanuts never came out of the”ball stage” & I almost overheated my cuisinart! I now have a peanut butter ball, not spreadable at all. Wasn’t that fond of the other ingredients in the trader joe’s honey roasted…so I just used plain, unsalted roasted peanuts & a little honey. It’s almost dry, like I added powdered sugar or something. Bummed out!
Maybe try adding a little oil. It sounds like there is not enough oil if it’s dry and not coming out of the ball stage. I have no issues with that stage and it comes out within maybe 30 seconds and have had other people tell me they don’t have any issues either. It could also be your machine, hate to say.
I’m having the same stinkin problem. I have a Ninja Processor. I seriously think it depends on the processor you have. All I did was waste 20 oz of peanuts at this point, and now have a very unhappy food processor… Don’t think I’m gonna even try more and take a chance of burning that motor out!