This easy homemade peanut butter recipe is so much better than store-bought. We can’t stop making it. Creamy, crunchy, and two more delicious variations included.
We go through a lot of peanut butter in our house (so much so that we were determined to start making it ourselves). Homemade peanut butter is easy and allows you to adapt it to make it your own. The same is true for homemade almond butter and this delicious cashew butter.
I’m camp crunchy when it comes to peanut butter, but I know many of you love it creamy, so my recipe below includes tips for making it crunchy or creamy. You’ll also find tips for making almond peanut butter and chocolate peanut butter (think Nutella, but with peanuts). As a side note, this makes an excellent peanut butter pie!
Key Ingredients
- Peanuts: I use unsalted peanuts when making peanut butter so that I can salt to taste. Any peanut variety will work, but for the best peanut butter, look for Spanish or Valencia peanuts, which are a bit oilier and more flavorful.
- Salt: I use sea salt for this recipe. It’s optional, but salt does make peanut butter taste better.
- Sweetener: I always add a little bit of maple syrup or honey when making peanut butter. I don’t like sweet nut butter, but I love the flavor a teaspoon or so adds.
- Oil: This is optional, but if your peanut butter is too thick, add a teaspoon or two of light-flavored oil (like avocado or peanut oil).
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Homemade Peanut Butter
Tip 1: Roast your peanuts. You can make our peanut butter recipe in under 15 minutes. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is roasting the peanuts, which takes about 10 minutes (and I highly recommend it). Roasting your peanuts brings out the flavor.
Tip 2: Use a food processor. I recommend using a food processor to make peanut butter, but a high-powered blender will do the trick. Toss the roasted peanuts into the processor bowl, turn on, and watch as the peanuts transform. In the beginning, the peanuts look dry and very crumbly. After a minute or two more, the dry, crumbly mixture will look more like a thick paste. Keep going, and you’ll see it give up and turn into a silky, smooth peanut butter.
Tip 3: How to make it crunchy. Our family is all about crunchy peanut butter. So before blending the peanuts into peanut butter, I add a third cup of the roasted peanuts to the food processor and pulse into little bits. Then I save that to stir into my peanut butter later on.
Tip 4: Almond or chocolate variations. In addition to crunchy peanut butter, I have two more variations for you. The first is an almond peanut butter, which swaps half the peanuts in our recipe for almonds. The second is a chocolate peanut butter, which adds cocoa powder and powdered sugar to our original recipe. Instructions for both variations are below in the recipe.
Ways to Use Peanut Butter
This peanut butter is absolutely amazing spread onto bread, homemade English muffins, or my favorite fluffy biscuits. I love a spoonful added to my morning oatmeal and use it to make these overnight oats.
I’ve also used it to make my peanut butter granola bars, these energy balls, and even my favorite peanut butter cookies!
The Best Homemade Peanut Butter
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
My homemade peanut butter recipe is so simple to make. All you need is a food processor or high-powered blender and 15 minutes. I always roast my peanuts before making homemade peanut butter (even if the package says roasted). A little time in the oven warms up all the oils in the nuts and brings them to life, making our peanut butter taste even better.
Oil is optional but does help if your nut butter is too thick. Any neutral oil will do the job. You should not need a lot, maybe a teaspoon or two.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
2 cups (300g) unsalted shelled peanuts
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey, or more to taste
1 to 3 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil, as needed
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Add the peanuts to a round or square cake pan (or small-rimmed baking sheet).
2Roast the peanuts in the oven for 3 minutes, shake the pan, then roast another 3 to 5 minutes or until they are lightly browned and smell nutty (watch them to prevent over-browning). Let them cool until you can handle them.
3For 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 small. Transfer the chopped peanuts to a bowl and reserve for later.
4Add the roasted peanuts to a food processor bowl (save the chopped peanuts for adding later if you are making crunchy).
5Process the peanuts for 1 minute, then scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Process another 2 to 3 minutes until the peanut butter is shiny and smooth. The peanuts will go from crumbly and very dry to a clumpy mixture and finally to smooth and shiny.
6Add your desired amount of salt and maple syrup or honey, then process until combined. We add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
7Check the consistency of your peanut butter. If it seems too thick, add oil, a teaspoon at a time, until you are happy with it.
8For crunchy peanut butter, stir in the reserved peanuts.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Almond peanut butter: Use 1 cup (150g) of unsalted shelled peanuts and 1 cup (150g) of unsalted whole almonds. Then, follow the recipe for basic peanut butter.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter: Use the basic peanut butter recipe, but increase the oil to 2 tablespoons and add 1/2 cup (45g) unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 cup (170g) powdered sugar. Process until smooth, taste, and then adjust with more sugar, up to 1/2 cup (85g) more. If it is too thick, add more oil, a teaspoon at a time, until you are happy with the consistency.
- Vegan peanut butter: Use maple syrup instead of honey to sweeten the peanut butter.
- Storing: Transfer the peanut butter to a food-safe container or jar, cover it, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. If the peanut butter separates, use a spoon to stir it until it is well blended.
- Using a blender: As long as you have a 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 facts provided below are estimates for the basic recipe. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
This was the easiest and tastiest recipe. I used 2 tablespoons of honey. It was so good!
Hi there – please can advise if you use blanched peanuts or not? Thanks
I prefer this when made with blanched peanuts or peanuts with the papery skins mostly removed.
I made this PB today, smooth version. Daughter is allergic to nuts, milk and sesame so I washed my nuts and dried them to remove any traces of these allergens before I re-roasted them for 5 minutes. I can’t believe how creamy it tastes without extra oil! I used 2 packs of 200g nuts with the recommended salt and honey and put into the fridge as suggested. Amazing. Yum! Thank you 🙏 🤗
Peanut butter is something I can’t resist, so even though I lack the skills to do ANYTHING in the kitchen, I took the plunge and tried it out. It was so easy to make and I totally enjoyed it. Thanks.
Wow! Super easy and tastes sooo delicious!! Thank you Wow!
This is so much good with simple process after been explained, much appreciated.
I tried the recipe and I’m sure that its user error not the recipe. I used already deshelled peanuts and I’m thinking maybe that’s where it went wrong. It just never quite came together it’s still slightly gritty even though I added way more oil than I ever needed. Does it absolutely have to be shelled peanuts that you peel by hand? Thank you for the recipe I shall try again until I get it! 🙂
Hi Ashlee, It’s best to use peanuts that have the shells and any paper skins removed. To make removing the skins a bit easier, you can heat the nuts in a 350F oven for 5-7 minutes and then when they are cool enough to handle, rub the nuts together with your fingers. This should encourage the skins to flake off. Hope that helps!
Delicious and easy recipe ,loved the explanations. love from India (Kerala) .
My butter became clumpy and it’s releasing the oil it’s like a heavy mass with oil. How can I repair it
Hi there, Keep processing the peanuts. It will eventually transform from the clump to a smooth peanut butter. You can see this in our video.
Can I use a blender or the smaller jars instead of a food processor? Thanks!
Hi Zabin, You might be able to. I like using a food processor since it has a good amount of power and space, but some higher end or higher powered blenders work.
Thank you for the recipe. The clearest instructions I have seen so far. I am making it tomorrow without sugar. I am 66, living in Kerala, the southern most state in India. Will make and review.
Hi what is the shelf life of the peanut butter?
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.
I simply love rigatoni. To this day I can still remember the cheesy sausage rigatoni my mom used to make when I was just a child. And seeing how I prepare it at least once a month, it’s safe to say that my husband and my boys love it too.
That’s a precise recipe nicely explained. Could you please suggest some storage tips for the peanut butter, in case we aren’t adding any preservatives like salt or sugar.
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.
What food processor do you have. I don’t think my old cuisinart is cutting it
We are currently using a Magimix.
I enjoyed my study with you. I believe I can make peanut butter on my own now. Thanks
My peanut butter formed a cluster after adding 1tbsp of jaggery and 1/4tsp of vanilla extract, what should I do to make it creamy?
We would just try to processor longer. It may seem like the mass isn’t breaking up but with more processing time it should turn into consistency.
I discovered a healthy variation that substitutes pure vanilla extract for the honey! I use 2 c. unsalted roasted peanuts, 1 t. vanilla, and 1/2 t. sea salt. It is sooo delicious with sliced Fuji apples, which are the sweetest. No oil! No sweetener!
I add salt, vanilla, cinnamon, honey and a banana. Go to recipe.
Hi, Mine is not as smooth. It’s more like a rough paste. I added oil more that the amounts mentioned as well.
Also the peanut butter tasted a bit bitter. Pls advice. Thanks
Your peanuts could have been over roasted or they might have tasted bitter to begin with. You can try adding a touch more honey or maple syrup to balance it out. As far as the consistency I would try blending longer to see if it turns smooth. If all else fails we would suggest that you try with a fresh batch of peanuts from a different source.
Hi Brenda, I’d try processing a bit longer or if that doesn’t do it for you, add a little extra oil.