How to make homemade peanut butter
Learn how to make peanut butter at home from scratch with this easy step-by-step tutorial. You only need peanuts and a food processor. No oil, no sugar, no nasties! Naturally vegan and gluten free.
I can still remember the first time I tried peanut butter – it’s not really common where I’m from so I was in my early 20s – and it was love at first bite. I told myself “ok, now I understand why Elvis (Presley, duh!) was such a big fan!”.
I learnt pretty early on how to make it at home (again, not common where I lived at the time) and let me tell you, it is super duper easy!
Making your own peanut butter is amazing because:
- you control the amount of salt and sweetener (if any) that goes in it, and you don’t need oil, making it much healthier than regular store-bought peanut butter
- it’s cheaper than most natural peanut butter brands out there
- it’s extra delicious because you can make it exactly how you like it! (see the variations below)
I’ll show you how it works in this easy step-by-step tutorial.
Steps 1 & 2 – First, we dry roast some raw peanuts in the oven
Step 3 – If your peanuts have remaining skin on them (quite common when you buy them in bulk), let them cool a bit, place them in a clean towel and rub them against each other. The skin will go off easily.
Step 4 – Place the roasted peanuts (warm but cooled down a bit) in a food processor.
Steps 5, 6, 7 & 8 – Process until you reach a very smooth, almost liquid consistency (5 to 10 minutes, depending on your food processor)
The peanuts will go through different stages: sandy, wet sand (step 5), thick paste, half thick/hack smooth paste (step 6), smooth paste (step 7) and almost liquid (step 8).
At this point (step 8), you can incorporate some add-ins to make this peanut butter yours.
Peanut Butter Variations
Crunchy Peanut Butter
Reserve 3/4 cup of the roasted peanuts (before making the peanut butter). Place them in a food processor and process until they’re finely chopped. Remove from the food processor and set aside.
Proceed with the rest of the recipe and make the peanut butter. When it’s ready, stir in the reserved peanuts with a spoon or rubber spatula until well combined.
Salty Peanut Butter
My personal favorite! PB with a hint of saltiness is a must to me, but it’s completely a personal preference.
Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to the finished peanut butter in the food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Taste and add more to taste.
Honey Peanut Butter
Add 2 tablespoons honey to the finished peanut butter in the food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add more to taste.
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup cocoa powder to the finished peanut butter in the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
You can add some honey too for a sweeter peanut butter. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more to taste.
Besides these 4 popular variations, some people also add cinnamon (start with 1/2 teaspoon) and vanilla (start with 1/2 teaspoon).
Homemade peanut butter tips
- You can use dry-roasted peanuts. I like to roast my peanuts because I can control how roasted they are (it does change the taste), how much salt I add and processing the peanuts while still warm helps release the oil. That being said, it does work with pre-roasted peanuts and it’s delicious, too!
- To avoid overheating your food processor, pay attention if it starts getting too warm. If it does, stop, let it cool down and resume. PB is delicious, but not worth breaking your food processor for. Mine is heavy duty so it can do the job easily: this is the one I use and absolutely love.
- Homemade peanut butter will keep at least 3 months in the fridge. If it lasts that long, that is! It will smell rancid when not good to eat anymore.
My favorite recipes using peanut butter:
- Thai Chicken Patties And Spiralized Veggies Bowl With Peanut Sauce
- Vegan Mango And Avocado Summer Rolls With Peanut Sauce
- Asian Slaw With Ginger Peanut Dressing
- Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips Fruit Dip
- PB & J Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites
- Healthier Peanut Butter And Chocolate Cookies
- Healthier Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
Homemade Peanut Butter
Learn how to make peanut butter at home from scratch with this easy step-by-step tutorial! You only need peanuts and a food processor. No oil, no sugar, no nasties! Naturally vegan and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 4 cups peanuts shelled, unroasted – see notes
- 1 tsp sea salt optional – see notes
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400F - 200C.
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Spread the peanuts on a large baking sheet, in a single layer.
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Roast for 15 to 25 minutes or until golden.
I like to roast them for up to 25 minutes so they're very golden (as seen on the pictures) because it really enhances the taste - but it's a personal preference, you might like a milder taste!
If you do roast them for that long, keep an eye them to make sure they don't burn (all ovens are different so yours might be ready in less time)
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Remove from the oven and let them cool a bit. Add the warm (but not hot!) peanuts to a food processor fitted with the "S" blade.
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Process for about 5 to 10 minutes (depending on your food processor) or until you obtain the very smooth, almost liquid peanut butter (it will firm up as it cools).
Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula during the process as needed.
The peanuts will go through different stages: sandy, wet sand, thick paste, half thick/hack smooth paste, smooth paste, almost liquid.
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At this stage (when the peanut butter has reached the perfect consistency), add your optional add-ins (see notes) and process until incorporated.
I like to add 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp in my peanut butter.
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Transfer peanut butter in a airtight container and store in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Variations
- Crunchy Peanut Butter: Reserve 3/4 cup of the roasted peanuts (before making the peanut butter). Place them in a food processor and process until they're finely chopped. Remove from the food processor and set aside. Proceed with the rest of the recipe and make the peanut butter. When it's ready, stir in the reserved peanuts with a spoon or rubber spatula until well combined.
- Salty Peanut Butter: Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to the finished peanut butter in the food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Taste and add more to taste.
- Honey Peanut Butter: Add 2 tablespoons honey to the finished peanut butter in the food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add more to taste.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter: Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup cocoa powder to the finished peanut butter in the food processor and pulse a few times to combine. You can add some honey too for a sweeter peanut butter. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more to taste.
- You can also add cinnamon (start with 1/2 teaspoon) and vanilla (start with 1/2 teaspoon).
Tips
- You can use dry-roasted peanuts. I like to roast my peanuts because I can control how roasted they are (it does change the taste), how much salt I add and processing the peanuts while still warm helps release the oil. That being said, it does work with pre-roasted peanuts and it's delicious, too!
- To avoid overheating your food processor, pay attention if it starts getting too warm. If it does, stop, let it cool down and resume. PB is delicious, but not worth breaking your food processor for. Mine is heavy duty so it can do the job easily: this is the one I use and absolutely love.
- Homemade peanut butter will keep at least 3 months in the fridge. If it lasts that long, that is! It will smell rancid when not good to eat anymore.
If you tried making homemade peanut butter, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published on August 15, 2012 and republished in February 2019 with an updated recipe, new photos and more tips.
Looks delicious Marie! I love making nut butters. They’re so much easier and more economical than buying from the store…and they taste better because they’re so fresh! I will definitely have to check out those chocolate bites. I love having little treats like that to snack on in a day. Beautiful pictures, as always… 🙂
Thanks so much Lauren! What kind of nut butter do you make besides PB?
Great pics! How long do you think it can last for in the fridge?
Thank you 😀 I’m not sure because mine gets eaten in less than a week. But I would say at least a month. The only ingredient is peanut, and peanuts last forever in the pantry. So I don’t see why it would be different with peanut butter.
can you do this with almonds?
I’m not sure because I haven’t tried, but I don’t see why not. I don’t think you’d even need to add any oil. Let me know if you try it someday, I would love to know how it turns out.
This looks great! Do I need to roast my peanuts first or can it be done with un-roasted peanuts?
Thanks Teresa! I didn’t roast mine because I bought roasted peanuts. I would say roasting them is not an essential step but it definitively adds some flavors. If you don’t know how to roast nuts, check that article http://www.notenoughcinnamon.com/2012/06/24/how-to-toast-nuts-and-almonds/
I have tried w/ unroasted peanuts and it did not work well. It did not get past the thick, clumpy phase. Once I roasted the raw peanuts, it worked beautifully.
Thanks for letting me know Eileen. I’ve never tried with unroasted peanuts and I assumed one would get the same results with roasted and unroasted ones.
I’m glad you decided to try again after the first failure!
No, the first timeI tried I used raw peanuts and although I had no problems with the texture it was lacking in flavor. The roasting process is definitely necessary. I also add a touch of stevia as I like it to taste like commercially produced peanut butter and that often has loads of sugar.
I adore peanut butter, homemade is the best! I also make butter from walnuts or cashews, much better than grocery’s ones 🙂
I definitively have to try with other nuts!
Hi Marie,
Thank you very much for showing that one can make peanut butter without adding oil or anything else. This was incredibly quick and easy. I’ve been making my own almond butter for a while now, using raw almonds (not blanched), which is delicious. I started making my own because the stuff in the stores was incredibly expensive and looked awful – not like something I’d want to eat. No more commercial nut butters for me! I’ve checked out a couple of your other recipes and they look wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
I still need to try nut butter, people keep telling how good and easy it is!
I’m glad you enjoyed my blog 🙂
Omg ! It’s so easy to do !
Yes!! And so good too!
Yum! I love how you put it in the cute little canister! I had trouble getting the right consistency without any oil. Any tips?
I made a chocolate peanut butter version that came out really well! Check it out.
http://bedstuyfoodie.blogspot.com/2013/03/chocolate-peanut-butter.html
Hey megan! I love this canister too 🙂 unfortunately I wasn’t able to bring it to Australia with me, or any kitchenware for that matter…
Did you process your nuts long enough? The first time I made some I thought I wouldn’t get past the powder stage, but I kept processing and suddenly the nuts released their oil and it turned into a thick paste, and then a creamy paste. You really need to keep processing until it works! It can take a few minutes. Did you use a food processor? I’m not sure it would work with a blender, I never tried. Hope this helps!
I tried to comment on your blog but it didn’t work. Your chocolate version looks very yummy, and healthy too!!
Hey. I bet you could order the canisters online. I found some on amazon for a decent price, http://www.amazon.com/67000-Ball-Mason-Jar-12-pack/dp/B000BWZ7QO .
I am going to try again without the chocolate. My boyfriend made a good point, he said the oil was probably absorbed by the coco powder. I did use a food processor. Im going to try honey roasted peanut butter next time! Have you ever tried that?
That’s a good point! You have one clever boyfriend 😉 next time you could to incorporate the cocoa powder at the end, once the oil is released, and see how this work. I’ve never tried with honey roasted peanuts but I’ve heard a lot about it, I bet it’s deeeelicious!
OMG, so I am not the only one who dunks a finger into the peanut butter jar when no one is watching. It’s amazing, isn’t it?
Love the blog, lovely pictures, and lovely you 🙂
You’re definitively not the only one, I’m totally guilty too!! Thanks a lot for your kind words Zinal, that’s very sweet of you 🙂
I made this but added a pinch of salt since I used unsalted peanuts and some honey… I like my PB a little sweet 🙂 and it was Yummmmyyyy!! 🙂
You’re right homemade PB is sooo yummmyy!! Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂
It is a recipy that I would like to try, in Greece we don’t eat peanut butter but it is so beloved elsewhere that it makes me want to try.
I made homemade peanut butter for the first time this past weekend 🙂 and I totally added cinnamon to it. Delish- Never buying it again- Next on the list = hazelnut butter! MMM
Oh my! Peanut butter and cinnamon…A dream come true! Can’t believe I never tried that combination before! Thanks for stopping by Mara 🙂
I’m such a fan of homemade nut butters! They always turn out so fresh and creamy.
They’re the best! 🙂
I put peanut butter on EVERYTHING!!! This is an amazing recipe, it was my first time making homemade and it turned out great 🙂
You and me the same!! So glad it turned out great Noelle 🙂
It’s been a while since I’ve made any nut butters myself, but the salted version you shared sounds like something that I need to make… and use for peanut butter cookies. 🙂
Oooh yes! Please do send me a couple cookies please 😉
As if homemade peanut butter itself wasn’t a treat enough, you’ve given plenty of add-ins to add an extra element of excitement now and again. Loving the chocolate version.
More reasons to eat peanut butter everyday haha
Such a delicious and clever idea!
Love it!!
Thanks Alexandra!