As we close in on the end of the year, I thought it would be fun to highlight a few posts on Tuesdays that maybe didn’t have a lot of initial traffic, but have experienced ongoing popularity after the fact as the blog has grown.
One of my favorites out of the group of posts that continues to see regular readership is how to make your own peanut butter. It is really so easy and so delicious, and a fun holiday project with the kiddos!
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Mmmm. Peanut Butter. So good, and so simple, yet most people buy it already made and full of salt and preservatives.
Hold on to your hats, ‘cause today we’re making peanut butter with just one ingredient: Peanuts.
Oh yeah.
In roughly 3 minutes, start to finish, you can have fresh peanut butter, and it is so simple you won’t believe it.
This would be a good project to have the kiddos help with, because it’s kind of fun to watch the transformation.
First, we need our ingredients: 16 ounces (that’d be a pound) of unsalted shelled peanuts. You can use salted peanuts too, but I prefer the no sodium aspect of unsalted. Safeway had a sale on peanuts recently for 2 for $4.00 on Planters, so that’s what I have. You can probably find them even cheaper in the bulk section or at Trader Joe’s.
Note: If you want, you could add 1-2 tablespoons of a neutral oil during the blending process to make the peanut butter super creamy. Depends on your tastes and if you’re concerned about calories. I personally like to add a little oil to make it all nice and creamy.
Pour the peanuts into your Ninja Blender or other high speed blender. If you only have a food processor, it will work too, it’ll just take a little longer.
Blend on “1,” for a Ninja, or “Low” for other brands, until you have a peanut butter consistency you like. Seriously, it’s that easy. It took me a total of three minutes. If you have a food processor, count on 6-10 minutes, and be sure to scrape the sides down every so often.
This was after one minute, notice that the bottom half already looks like peanut butter:
This was after two minutes, mostly all combined:
After a couple of minutes, stop and push down any peanut dust that isn’t getting incorporated before you finish blending to make sure none goes to waste and then resume blending. Blend until you get a thickness you like. It will thicken up more the longer you blend it.
Voila. Peanut butter in three minutes.
Finish it off by scooping into a very fancy container and storing in the fridge or pantry. You can see I went with something super high end.
Let’s review the steps:
- Pour 16 ounces (or more) of peanuts into a high speed blender or food processor.
- Blend for about 2 minutes on a low setting, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed
- Blend for another minute or two until you get the consistency you like (longer for food processors)
- Enjoy, and try not to eat it all before you put it in your fancy storage container
And, that’s all there is to it. I admit to licking the spoon. A few times. Please don’t tell 2Chili I double-dipped!
View Comments (15)
Wonder post! I look forward to trying this. I have been adding chipotle powder to my store bought organic peanut butter. It adds quite a kick and boosts the flavor on my salt free blends. This will help me get started on having even better control over the food I eat.
I love your recipes, thank you! The cost of the peanuts vs store bought already done. I don’t know how much the peanuts cost where you live, but here that same bottle of peanuts is almost $4 while I can pick up a large jar of Jiffy crunchy (yum) for about $3 (which will yield far more than making it). The only benefit I see in doing it this way is for more of the health conscious people in the world.
I have always wanted to do an almond/banana spread… Do you have a section for “fan” submitted recipes?
Wow, that is a difference! I live in Seattle, where things are not “cheap” by any means, but I buy on sale. Also, Trader Joe’s is an excellent option for more affordable nuts. They can be a lot cheaper!
I do post guest recipes from time-to-time. Send me an email at testkitchentuesday {at} hotmail dotcom and we can chat!
I’ve done this twice now. Yum!!!! My husband and our little ones got a kick out of watching it turn into peanut butter so quickly ?
I’m not sure if it is actually cheaper than just buying peanut butter already made (and we get the 100% peanuts one…) but it definitely tastes better!
Hi Mel,
I agree, I don’t know that it’s necessarily cheaper than buying already made, but it sure is fun! Glad you ilke it!
Well, it just mght be more expensive than the regular commercial brands, however, you have complete control over the ingredients. No salt, sugar,oil, or presevatives. Just peanuts and it is delicious. Just shows you how much junk ingredients we and our kids are ingesting. I made peanut butter with just plain roasted peanuts from the bulk section, it was cheaper than buying some the commercial peanuts in the bottle. It was plain delicious. I have a vitamix, but just bought my friend a ninja, ( I saw first hand how well the ninja works making smoothies, peanut butter, and ice cream etc.) I know she is going to enjoy making these delicious recipes. Thanks for the website.
Hi Cat,
Thanks for your note! I agree with you that it is nice to make your own and know exactly what you are putting in your body. It’s amazing how simple products can be pumped with a ton of ingredients…
I just made my first homemade peanut butter!! Oh man..it is awesome! I bought a 16oz. bag of Honey Roasted Peanuts from Trader Joe’s. That makes the most delectable peanut butter ever! I used the small Ninja container and it worked perfectly. But here’s a great tip: Spray the container with Pam before you pour the peanuts in and the peanut butter just slides out .. it was neat!
I didn’t know that dry roasted peanuts still have alot of oil in them. I didn’t have to add anything at all…just the peanuts. Next time I am going to try just plain dry roasted peanuts and see how that works. I could add my own honey if I want to. That little container of peanut butter cost me $4.00!! *L* But soooo worth it.. Good-by Jiff !!
Nice Lee Anne!! That is great to hear! I agree that homemade is really tasty. Love the tip about Pam. I would probably spray with my mister full of olive oil instead of the pre-made Pam, but the idea is the same – smart girl!
Hi Angela…
I tried the dry roasted peanuts to make peanut butter and they didn’t have as much oil as the honey roasted ones did. I had to add a bit of canola oil to make it creamy. I chose canola because it is pretty much tasteless. But the peanut butter was really good! I also LOVE flaxseed in my PB so I added probably 2-3 tablespoons after it finished mixing. So good!! I love the little crunch they add.
So glad I found your site and being a fellow Washington-type person (I live in Bothell), I will check in here often.
i Lee Anne,
Glad it worked out for you! Making your own nut butter is a great way to go – you know what’s in it and you can get creative too. ?
Hope you are surviving this crazy weather we’re having!
Angela
Hi Angela,
I too am a nut butter lover and I’ve been contemplating making my own almond butter, but I’ve been afraid to try grinding raw almonds. Do you think the Ninja blades can handle raw almonds without damage or should I play it safe and roast them first?
Thanks, Julie in SoCal
Hi Julie,
Yes, absolutely, you can blend raw almonds in your Ninja. However, if you don’t roast them, you’ll definitely need to add some oil to get everything blended to a nice consistency. I like to add coconut oil, but any oil will work! The Ninja is powerful — it can even grind dried beans into a flour.
Have fun!
Angela
Can someone tell me if the Ninja can make the same soups as the Vitamix
Thanks
Tilde
Hi Tilde,
That is where the Ninja falls short. It cannot make hot soups like a Vitamix…
Angela