How to Cook: Homemade Peanut Butter

Homemade peanut butter? Really!?

Why do you need homemade peanut butter? Well, you don’t… Unless you’re an addict like I am. I reckon I get through fifteen to twenty jars of peanut butter in a year. That’s a lot. But, if you like messing about in the kitchen, or need a cheap cheerful gift for a peanut butter addict then this might help you out!

Ingredients and Equipment:

1. 250g Unsalted Peanuts. (I use blanched peanuts but skinned ones will probably work too.)
2. Optional: Honey, salt and oil. Or any other flavouring you desire.
   
3. A Food Processor. Not an immersion blender or smoothie maker. A Food Processor.
4. Some type of container. A jar is probably best. (Get into the habit of washing out and saving any jars you have… Or buy some…)
5. An oven.

How to Make:

1. Measure out your peanuts. 2 cups or 250g of peanuts will fit into a 300ml jar. 
2. Place onto baking tray and roast in an oven (170C) for 8-10 minutes.
3. Wait for the peanuts to cool.
4. Put them in your Food Processor. Again, DO NOT USE AN IMMERSION BLENDER… It will burn and break and you will be sad.
5. Now pulse until peanuts break down into couscous or breadcrumb-like consistency. (approx. 1 minute)
6. Then process them some more. They’ll start to combine and become sticky, like peanut butter. (1 minute)
7. You’ll need to stop every now and then to scrape down the sides of your mixer. Do that or the mixture will be inconsistent.
8. Be patient and the mixture will become glossy and, well, peanut-buttery. This is when you add in your honey and/or salt.
9. Then mix for a few more minutes until everything is combined and it tastes delicious. (2 minutes)
10. Plop it into your container and store safely.

How to Store

Keep it in the fridge or in a cupboard.

I’ve kept mine in the cupboard since I made it and it seems fine and tastes great. (It’s also a lot easier to scoop than the one I tested in the fridge.)

How to Use

Just grab a spoon, people. But if you want a little bit of inspiration here’s a bunch of recipes using peanut butter: Click to be inspired by peanut butter.

The Results

I’ve used this recipe to make multiple batches of peanut butter now, so here are the things I’ve learnt.

• Don’t skip the roasting. I experimented with using raw peanuts so you don’t have to. Don’t bother. It tastes funky… really not great.
• Don’t double the recipe. Unless you have a huge and powerful food processor.
• Use less. Unlike even natural peanut butter, this stuff has no added oil, so it’s a lot more dense and flavourful. So you don’t need to use as much.
• Each batch is different. The colour and taste depend on how long you roast the peanuts for. Want a more ‘roasty’ taste roast for a few minutes longer. For normal peanut butter, stick to the recipe above.
• Don’t need the fridge. I’ve kept mine out of the fridge for ages now and I’m still alive so it’s probably okay. Keep it somewhere cool & dark.
• Don’t use a silicone spatula. Food processor blades + plastic spatula + creamy peanut butter = lots flecks of plastic… somewhere… Just use a spoon to scrape down the edges.

The Maths Doesn’t Lie…

I used to buy Whole Earth Crunchy Peanut Butter at £3.45 per 450g (76p per 100g) And that lasted me about two weeks. So, just under £90 on peanut butter every year! 

If you’ve read my New Years Resolution! , you’ll know that I’m on a mission to improve my lifestyle and be a better human being. And peanut butter, believe it or not, is part of that.

At my local supermarket, I can buy 1kg of blanched peanuts for £3.49. Each bag will make 4 jars of peanut butter, which is richer, denser and yummier than the Whole Earth stuff. 

If one jar lasts me (about) two weeks, one bag of peanuts will last me two months. So I’ll only have to buy six of these bags every year. (Maybe less if I’m overestimating my peanut butter intake!) That’s £21 a year.

Homemade peanut butter can save me a bunch every year.

**Disclaimer** I’m not including the cost of destroying my immersion blender, silicone spatulas or the cost of a new food processor… (but let’s pretend this is saving me money, okay?)

So, why homemade? Because it’s going to help me pay for my phone bill for a few months. Or pay for two Sims 4 expansions. Or pay for a dinner out for my mum on her birthday.

Thanks for reading!