Peanut butter is so much more than just a bread spread because it can be added to a variety of things ranging from sweet smoothies to savoury stir-fries. It can be made chunky or smooth, and you can add any flavouring you like. It is incredibly delicious and very easily made. Of course, you can make yours from raw peanuts, but this version is my favourite. A simple, smooth homemade peanut-butter from roasted peanuts with just a pinch of salt.
There are a few options that you have when choosing the peanuts. You can buy them already toasted, salted or raw in their shell. I tend to buy them in their shell and peel them myself. I find it quite entertaining, and you get peanuts that are as pure as they can get. The only thing you should consider when buying them in their shell is that you need to buy more than you think you will need.
I tend to buy twice the weight that I would need because I tend to eat a few while peeling them. In any case, make sure to remove the little brown skins as much as possible because they can turn your nut butter bitter. A little bit here and there won’t hurt, but the majority should be removed. Once peeled spread them on a baking sheet and toast them until lightly golden and glossy with oil.
Transfer your still warm peanuts into your food processor or blender. Turning the peanuts into butter is as simple as pushing a button at this point. They will go from something that resembles wet sand to a smooth butter within a few minutes.
The key is just a little bit of patience …
Even if you use cold, pre-toasted nuts, they will heat up slightly while they are being processed into peanut butter. This helps release the oils, and you will have an effortless time transferring your homemade peanut butter into a jar because it will be very soft and almost runny once you are done.
Once you transferred your peanut butter into a jar, let it rest a bit so it can solidify again. You can speed it up by putting it in the fridge, but I like to keep my peanut butter at room temperature. Now that you have your own smooth homemade peanut-butter you might wonder what you could do with it other than the classic peanut-butter sandwich. I add mine to everything ranging from smoothies to overnight oats or simply snack on it with a few slices of apples.
- 250g (2 cups) peanuts
- 1 pinch of salt
- Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and toast the peanuts for about 10 minutes. They will be ready when they are slightly glossy and golden. Skip this step if you are using pre-toasted nuts.
- Transfer the still warm nuts into a food processor and blend until it forms a smooth and runny butter. If you are using pre-toasted nuts, there is no need to heat them, but you will have to process them for a few minutes longer to get the same results.
So I started going vegan and came across the palm oil problem. Where I live you can only buy peanut butter with palm oil in it. I can not afford ordering the organic stuff that has none in it. Postage is too much. Can you tell me a way to make this less runny? It tastes amazing but I prefer the harder peanut butter. Can you help me?
Hello Esther, this is what the palm oil does. It gives it the thick texture. You could try adding a little bit of coconut oil after the peanuts turned into butter and let it run for another minute or two until evenly combined. Store it in the fridge and the coconut oil should do the same but I have never tried it. The oil might even collect on the surface. I will give it a go myself when I make a batch next time. – Love, G.