How to make healthy peanut butter

Let’s talk about why you need to make peanut butter at home. It’s simple to make plus you can easily add your own creative spin. Below we’ve shared how to make both creamy and crunchy peanut butter as well as an almond and chocolate variation.

It’s So Easy To Make Homemade Peanut Butter!

I love making my own peanut butter. You have all the control — the amount of salt or honey is up to you. Plus, you can get creative. We make our basic peanut butter crunchy. Sometimes, we add almonds. And when we’re feeling bold, we make chocolate peanut butter. (It is seriously good).

Are you game for whirling up some peanuts and making your very own peanut butter? You really can make our peanut butter recipe in under 15 minutes. In fact, most of that time is roasting the peanuts.

After roasting, throw peanuts into the bowl of a food processor. Turn on and watch as the peanuts turn into crumbs, then a thick paste, and finally smooth, shiny peanut butter. It’s almost magical.

Here’s what the peanut butter looks like at the beginning of processing. Very crumbly.

After a minute, the peanut butter looks more like a thick paste. It needs more time.

Then, after a bit more processing the whole mixture just sort of gives up and turns into a silky smooth peanut butter. It’s at this point that you can add sweetness with honey or a little seasoning with salt. For extra smooth peanut butter, you can also add a tiny bit of oil, but that’s completely up to you.

More nut butter recipes! How to make cashew butter and how to make almond butter

Homemade Almond Peanut Butter

Now that you are a pro at making basic peanut butter, get creative and play. One of our favorite twists is to use equal parts of peanuts to almonds. By the way, if you only use almonds, you can make almond butter.

The process is the same, roast then add all the nuts to a food processor, turn on and watch the magic happen. Add salt, honey (or maple syrup) as needed then check the consistency — we have found the peanut almond butter needs a little more oil added.

For homemade almond butter, take a look at this recipe. We add a little bit of vanilla and cinnamon and it’s amazing!

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter — Pure Joy

OK, now for my favorite: Chocolate Peanut Butter. Think of it as a peanut-ified Nutella. It’s quick and easy to make. Start with the basic peanut butter then instead of adding honey, add cocoa powder and powdered sugar.

The result? Creamy, chocolaty goodness — we’re absolutely in love with it.

(Chocolate and peanut butter has to be one of our favorite combos — see our Easy Bar Cookie Recipe with Peanut Butter Cups or our Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treats)

You decide. Basic peanut butter, peanut almond butter, chocolate peanut butter or would you make your version? We want to know. Just leave your response in the comments below.

(If you love peanut butter, try making our peanut butter granola bars or these peanut butter cookies. They are so easy!)

Recipe updated, originally posted February 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne

This peanut butter recipe is so simple to make — all you need is a food processor and 15 minutes. Plus, you can get creative. We make our basic peanut butter crunchy. Sometimes, we add almonds. And when we’re feeling bold, we make chocolate peanut butter. (It is seriously good). It’s best to start with raw peanuts, however, if you cannot find them, use roasted. Since they’re roasted you could skip roasting in the oven, but we do it anyway — it sort of brings them back to life. Regarding the oil — add as needed. If it seems dry, add a little oil — maybe a teaspoon at a time.

Makes approximately 1 1/4 cups or 20 (1 tablespoon) servings

You Will Need

2 cups (300 grams) unsalted shelled peanuts

Pinch to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 to 2 teaspoons honey

1 to 3 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil, if needed

1 cup (150 grams) unsalted shelled peanuts

1 cup (150 grams) unsalted whole almonds

Pinch to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 to 2 teaspoons honey

1 to 3 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil, if needed

2 cups (300 grams) unsalted shelled peanuts

Pinch to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil, plus more as needed

1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup to 1 1/2 cups (170 grams) powdered sugar

Directions

• Roast Nuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Add the nuts to a round or square cake pan (or rimmed baking sheet).

Roast nuts for 3 minutes, shake pan then roast another 3 to 5 minutes or until the nuts are lightly browned and smell nutty (careful, they can burn quickly). Let cool until you can handle them.

• Basic Peanut Butter

If you are making crunchy peanut butter, add 1/3 cup of the roasted peanuts to the bowl of a food processor.Pulse 6 to 8 times, or until the peanuts are chopped into very small pieces. Transfer chopped peanuts to a bowl and reserve for later.

Add the roasted peanuts to the bowl of a food processor. Process 1 minute then scrape sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Process another 2 to 3 minutes until the peanut butter is shiny and smooth.

Add your desired amount of salt and honey then process until combined. (We add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of honey). Check the consistency, if it seems too thick, add oil, a teaspoon at a time, until you are happy with it. For crunchy peanut butter, stir in the reserved peanuts.

• Almond Peanut Butter

Add nuts to the bowl of a food processor. Process 1 minute then scrape sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Process another 2 to 3 minutes until shiny and smooth.

Add your desired amount of salt and honey then process until combined. (We add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of honey). Check the consistency, if it seems too thick or dry, add oil, a teaspoon at a time, until you are happy with it.

• Chocolate Peanut Butter

Add the roasted peanuts to the bowl of a food processor. Process 1 minute then scrape sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Process another 2 to 3 minutes until shiny and smooth.

Add salt, oil, cocoa powder, and the powdered sugar then process another minute until blended and shiny. Check the consistency, if it seems too thick, add oil, a teaspoon at a time, until you are happy with it.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

• How to store: Transfer the peanut butter to a food-safe container, cover, and then store in the refrigerator up to one month. If over the month the nut butter separates, use a spoon to stir it until it is well blended.
• Using a blender: As long as you have a relatively high-powered blender, you can make peanut butter in a blender. The steps will be the same as with a food processor.
• Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates and are for the basic recipe. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving: Serving Size 1 tablespoon / Calories 95 / Protein 3 g / Carbohydrate 3 g / Dietary Fiber 1 g / Total Sugars 1 g / Total Fat 8 g / Saturated Fat 1 g / Cholesterol 0 mg

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