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I’ve been making this Homemade Peanut Butter recipe for years because it’s so easy to make and far better than store bought natural PB. All you need is peanuts, salt and a food processor.
Depending on how I plan to use the peanut butter, sometimes I’ll add a bit of honey or maple syrup. A dash of cinnamon is also a great way to add some flavor.
There are so many ways to customize homemade peanut butter! Once you master the process, be sure to try my homemade almond butter recipe too!
One last note—I do recommend using a food processor here. Can you use a high-powered blender? Sure. But as someone who has worked in some of the most renowned test kitchens, a food processor is what you need when making peanut butter at home.
This recipe article was originally published in September of 2021, it has since been updated with helpful tips, step-by-step photos and a recipe video for guaranteed success.
Reader Review
“Wow, this recipe couldn’t be easier! I toasted the peanuts for ~12 minutes and added cinnamon, honey, and a touch of canola oil. Peanut Butter turned out the perfect consistency and is so delicious, much better than natural store bought!”
– Cara
Why You’ll Love Making Peanut Butter at Home
- Tastes better than store-bought peanut butter. The flavor is more intense thanks to the added step of roasting the nuts. Plus it’s creamier than most natural PBs.
- 2-ingredient recipe. All you need is raw peanuts and salt. I roast the peanuts to bring out their flavor—and it make them easier to blend into a smooth butter.
- Stores well in the fridge. This homemade nut butter keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month.
What is in Peanut Butter?
- Dry roasted peanuts: it’s important that you are using unsalted peanuts! Salted will make a nut butter that’s too salty.
- Kosher salt: may seem weird to add salt if we’re using unsalted peanuts, but the peanut butter does need some salt.
- Oil: I always have olive oil on hand, so usually I’ll use that. Peanut oil would be a great option as well.
- Sweetener: honey, maple syrup or powdered sugar is what I recommend here. See my test kitchen notes below for more info.
- Food processor: if you don’t have one, you can use a high-powered blender. A prefer a food processor because the wide, shallow bowl is more efficient.
What Kind of Peanuts to Use
I recommend using raw, unsalted and shelled peanuts—then toast them yourself. Toasting deepens their nutty flavor and makes for a creamy consistency because when warm, nuts more readily release their oils.
If you’re short on time you can absolutely skip the toasting process. In that case, use roasted, unsalted peanuts. You’ll also want to add a tablespoon or so of oil to help loosen the spread.
How to Make Peanut Butter at Home
- Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and spread the peanuts onto a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast the peanuts. Toast the nuts until you smell a rich nutty flavor and the peanuts are a light golden brown, this will take about 10 minutes. Allow the peanuts to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Blend the nuts. Add the peanuts and salt to the bowl of a food processor or a high-speed blender. Pulse the peanuts until they are chopped and crumbly.
- Process or blend the chopped nuts, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Watch as the peanuts break down and start to form a ball or large clumps in the food processor.
- Keep on processing! The peanuts will take several minutes to process, eventually the nuts will turn into creamy peanut butter.
- Customize with any mix-ins. At this point you can blend in any desired sweeteners or spices to taste.
Best Peanut Butter Recipe Tips
- Continue to pulse longer than expected. The process of blending the peanuts into a smooth nut butter will take longer than you think. Just continue blending and we promise it will become creamy and delicious.
- If you add any liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup you will need to add equal amounts oil. Liquid sweetener does the opposite of what you think it would—instead of making it looser and more drippy it actually makes it stiffer. If you want to sweeten the nut butter without adding extra oil, use powdered sugar.
Storage
Homemade peanut butter will last for up to 1 month in the refrigerator in an airtight container (I like glass).
Flavor Variations and Mix-Ins
Want to take your peanut butter to the next level? Try adding the following spices or oils to customize your peanut butter with different flavor variations.
- Crunchy PB: After pulsing the peanuts until they are crushed, remove some of the crumbs from the bowl of the processor and set them aside. After processing the remaining peanuts into creamy peanut butter, stir in the crushed peanuts.
- Chocolate: Add a couple teaspoons of cocoa powder to your peanut butter for a delicious chocolate peanut butter spread. Or…try my homemade nutella!
- Cinnamon: Try sprinkling ground cinnamon or nutmeg into your peanut butter for a sweet and spicy take.
Ways to Use Homemade Peanut Butter
Use homemade peanut butter in your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe, on top of toast, in a smoothie. It also makes a fabulous gift!
More Peanut Recipes to Try
Best Homemade Peanut Butter
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Ingredients
- 1 pound unsalted dry roasted peanuts
- ¼–½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil or peanut oil, optional
- 2 tablespoons honey, optional
- ¼–½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350ºF (177ºC) with rack set in middle position.
- Arrange peanuts in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast peanuts in oven until fragrant and light golden brown, 10–14 minutes. Let peanuts cool on sheet 10 minutes.
- Add peanuts and salt to the bowl of a food processor (or high-powered blender) and pulse until finely chopped. Continue processing, scraping down the bowl as needed, until a smooth, creamy and drippy peanut butter is formed.
- Add olive oil, honey and cinnamon is using and process to combine. Season with additional salt to taste.
Wow, this recipe couldn’t be easier! I toasted the peanuts for ~12 minutes and added cinnamon, honey, and a touch of canola oil. Peanut Butter turned out the perfect consistency and is so delicious, much better than natural store bought!
Hey Cara! Yay!! so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. It’s so hard for me to buy PB now that I know how good it can be!
I have made this and it excellent. I keep wondering if it’s possible to use a tsp. of instead of oil? I love butter and peanut butter together on toast but I’m wondering if it would work? Thank you!
Hi Ellen, I think a teaspoon of butter would work just as well as oil! That sounds delicious, let me know how it goes if you try it.
interesting, I’m going to try adding coconut oil.
I can’t believe someone would suggest canola oil. thats gotta be one of the worst oils in the world.
Since homemade peanut butter is stored in the refrigerator, coconut oil will make for a firmer peanut butter. You’ll need to let it sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes if you want it to be nice and loose as is shown in the photos. Enjoy!