If you love amazingly smooth and creamy peanut butter, then try making it homemade! This simple recipe requires only 3 basic ingredients and can be ready in just under 5 minutes! In fact, you can even make it using just one ingredient (two guesses at what that ingredient is)!

While you might think of peanut butter as being more of a kid’s requested lunch item, it is also a product that many grownups enjoy as well – myself included! It’s packed full of protein and can be used in a wide variety of recipes or just for snacking right out of the jar.

Unfortunately, peanut butter isn’t always the healthiest food item out there. Several of the most popular name brands are filled with sugar and even filler ingredients. While there is nothing wrong with sugar in moderation, an abundance can start to become an issue.

A jar of homemade peanut butter — Creamy homemade peanut butter using only 3 simple ingredients and less than 5 minutes of your time!

This is where making your own homemade peanut butter comes into play. When you make it at home, you are in total control of the ingredients and how much of each you use (or don’t use). You can vary the sweetness, saltiness, and even the consistency of the peanut butter right from your own kitchen counter.

Once you give it a try, I bet you will have a hard time going back to any store-bought brands! At least we do! Oh, and did I mention that you can often make it for cheaper than you can purchase it at a store?

How To Make Homemade Peanut Butter

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

In order to turn your peanuts into creamy peanut butter, you need either a food processor or a heavy-duty blender. Your average smoothie blender won’t be powerful enough to get the job done, unfortunately.

Other than the food processor, you are going to need a spoon or spatula for stirring and a jar to store the peanut butter in as well as a lid. That’s it!

The Three (Or Less!) Simple Ingredients

Peanuts

The only real required ingredient in homemade peanut butter is peanuts (I bet that one surprised you!). To make the most flavorful spread, it’s best to start with roasted peanuts. You can purchase either salted or unsalted peanuts. I prefer to use salted peanuts in our recipe.

You can purchase raw peanuts and roast them yourself if you prefer that method. To roast peanuts, preheat your oven to 350º F. Spread the peanuts evenly on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Roast them for 15 to 25 minutes or until they are light golden brown. Stir the peanuts every 5 minutes or so while roasting. Allow the peanuts to cool for about 10 minutes before adding them to your food processor.

Optional Ingredients

If you are using unsalted peanuts, you will need to add salt while processing them to flavor. The amount you use will vary depending on your taste preference. Start by adding a little bit at a time and mix well before adding more. It’s always easier to add more but it’s impossible to take the salt away once it’s mixed in!

In our recipe, I like to add in a little bit of local raw honey. We like the added flavor as well as the texture that the honey adds. You can skip this ingredient altogether as well as use more or less than what I call for in the recipe.

A bag of Truvia cane sugar blend — We love using this Truvia Cane Sugar mix. It has way less calories and still tastes delicious. I use it in my tea and coffee as well as in baking items.

Lastly, since I have a pretty decent sweet tooth, I like to add a bit of sweetener to it. We like to use Truvia Cane Sugar Blend. It uses a blend of Stevia sweetener and cane sugar. This mixture has 75% fewer calories than using sugar alone, so that’s why we like it. You can use straight sugar or you can skip this all together if your sweet tooth isn’t as bad as mine and my family’s. (Product Link: Truvia Cane Sugar Blend)

That’s it! Again, you can play around with the additional ingredients until you find a flavor combination that you love. It’s kind of like making a cup of coffee. Some people like it straight black while others prefer to have a little bit of coffee with a lot of creamer!

Instructions For Homemade Peanut Butter

Place your peanuts into a food processor or heavy-duty blender. You want the peanuts to completely cover the blades or else it might not blend as smooth as you want. The size of your appliance will dictate how much peanuts you will need.

Add the lid then start to blend for about 30 seconds or so. The consistency will start off being very crumbly – more like chopped nuts. Keep blending in 30-second intervals, stopping to scrape the sides of the container and giving your processor a break.

Make sure the blade is covered with peanuts.
Save some at this stage to add later if you want chunky peanut butter.
The consistency when I add the sweeteners.
The consistency we like our homemade peanut butter to be.

Eventually, the peanuts will start to break down and become more of a thick mixture. This is when I like to add the additional ingredients if using. Continue to blend until the peanut butter reaches your desired consistency. We actually prefer ours to be a bit thicker than store-bought versions.

You can also make chunky peanut butter by reserving a few tablespoons of the peanuts back when they look like chopped nuts and adding those to your mixture once the base is your desired creaminess. The choice it totally up to you!

Storing Homemade Peanut Butter

Store your homemade peanut butter in a jar with a tight sealing lid. We like to use a wide-mouth Ball canning jar with storage lids. We use these lids ALL the time. They are great for keeping canned foods like applesauce and salsa fresh after opening. (Product Link: Ball Wide Mouth Storage Lid Leakproof 6 pk)

The peanut butter can be stored for up to two weeks when left at room temperature. For longer storage, keep the jar in your fridge. Using this method, the peanut butter should be able to last up to 6 months or more – that is if someone doesn’t eat it all before then!

A homemade peanut butter and dandelion jelly sandwich — A little homemade peanut butter and dandelion jelly makes for a perfect lunch! It’s good to feel like a kid again sometimes, especially when you know what ingredients are in the food you are eating!

Try pairing your homemade peanut butter with my homemade dandelion jelly recipe. Trust me, it’s an amazing combination of flavors and sweetness that will make you feel like a kid again! (Check out my article on making dandelion jelly, “How To Make Homemade Dandelion Jelly – Tastes Just Like Honey!”)

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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