A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is like a white tailored shirt – classic and never out of style. That’s my sentiment, anyhow. Those of you allergic to peanuts, however, may have an entirely different opinion. For those out there who share my affection, I’ve lost count of how many PB&J sandwiches I’ve ingested over the years. Probably best I never know the final count, which would surely prove horrifying.
All I do know, is that I’ve tried every imaginable brand and variety out there: Skippy, Jif, Peter Pan, Smuckers, MaraNatha, organic, natural, all-natural, smooth, creamy, extra creamy, chunky, extra chunky, low-sodium, no-sodium, with-sodium, low-fat, no-sugar, low-sugar. Whew! I wondered why, for being such a staple in the house, I had never considered making my own. I make homemade jams and jellies all the time, surely making homemade peanut butter would be just as simple.
Well, guess what? It’s even more simple! The first batch was so utterly delectable, that most of it never saw the likes of a piece of bread. That spoon you see below is the ultimate vehicle to deliver the peanut buttery goodness to your awaiting mouth. So fresh, so pure and so simple. Embarrassingly simple. Buying factory produced peanut butter is no longer an option here. I may never get around to making that sandwich, if I don’t put this spoon down soon.
Homemade Peanut Butter
Tweaked from Alton Brown, yields about 1 1/2 cups
Find the very best quality, unsalted roasted peanuts you can get your hands on. It takes a bit of time to shell the peanuts, but it’s well worth the effort. Alternatively, if you’re feeling ambitious, buy raw peanuts and roast them yourself.
If you enjoy smoother peanut butter, process for a minute or two longer. I like mine on the chunky side, as you can tell from the photo, so the two minutes worked just fine for me.
And though I have an obvious affinity towards peanut butter in sandwiches, I use it often in sauces, dressings, pastas, stir-fry dishes and of course, desserts!
Music Pairing: All You Need is Love, The Beatles
Ingredients
- 15 ounces shelled and skinned unsalted roasted peanuts
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
Method
Place the peanuts, salt and honey into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Place the lid back on and continue to process while slowly drizzling in the oil. Process until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Taste, and make any necessary adjustments to your liking. Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Wow, you even make your own peanut butter, u’ve got all the goodies in your pantry! This is so cool!
I am totally making this tomorrow! Can’t wait :)
I love peanut butter, but never tried making at home. thanks for this recipe:)
I have tried making my own almond butter at home and will never buy store bought again. I am now motivated to try homemade peanut butter! Thanks!
homemade peanut butter is the best! i usually make it with just peanuts, but the honey and oil would definitely make it sweeter and creamier.
I love this idea of making your own peanut butter. I never tried it. I just finished a huge jar though, so maybe now is the time :)
heavenly housewife – LOL. too funny! yes, sounds like it might be the perfect time. :)
I love peanut butter!!!!
Don’t know which I love more – peanut butter or AB. : ) It’s a close call. I make peanut butter too, but I don’t add anything but salt to mine. The honey would be a fun flavor addition. Thanks for the idea.
oneordinaryday – gosh, that is a tough one. almond butter feels more like a treat to me, while peanut butter feels more like a dependable go-to item.
Homemade nut butters are the best!
oh my, how delicious.
This looks really good! I really like the addition of the honey. I assume that this should be refrigerated. Is that right?
hi cookin’ canuck – yes, definitely refrigerated. you may want to leave it out at room temperature for a few minutes if you like it to be super spreadable. the honey added a touch of sweetness that makes it stand out from ordinary PB that uses sugar, high-fructose syrup, etc., – you know what i mean – that extra something that makes you wonder what’s in there. let me know how it turns out for you!
For fun, i decided to make a PB&J using tahini instead of peanut butter because i saw that Good Eats episode where AB made his own cashew butter. I wouldn’t say it was exactly a winner, but what else was i going to do with the rest of an $8 bottle of tahini after i was tired of hummus and baba ganoush?
hi john – i would have done exactly the same thing. it kills me to see tahini priced as much as a small plot of land. i’ve read tahini goes well with honey on sandwiches. and a vegetarian friend of mine loves tahini in summer noodle salads, i’ve never tried it before, but can see how it could work.
mymy! i think i will only make this when i am not lazzzzyyy:P:P
but yours looooks sooo yummmy!:)
I LOVE peanut butter, thanks for the recipe, I’ll pass it on to my man…he does all the cooking and I get kitchen duty after he’s done. He creates quite the disaster, not always sure it’s a fair trade off!
I haven’t had a PB&J in forever…think I’ll make me one today, this is one of the few things I can actually make with no problem. Love your blog and thanks for the visit!
you have a man that does all the cooking??? that in and of itself makes you an inspiration! :)
I love making nut butters as well, and always add a bit of honey too. Love that combination of sweet, salt and creamy nuts. Thank you so much for visiting my blog, which brought me to yours and I’m so glad it did. It’s beautiful.
Homemade peanut butter gets my vote. Have you tried homemade nutella?
curiousdomestic – you must be reading my mind. i just procured all the ingredients yesterday and that is next on my list!
I have been craving a peanut butter sandwich on squishy plain old non healthy white bread for weeks……!!
Cannot wait to make this….what a great idea!
:-) I love your site, going to be adding it to my favorites on my blog!
hi amanda! thank you and it makes me so happy that you are enjoying it!
I am picturing a big spoonful of this across the top of a salty, crunchy toasted English muffin.
I’m a sucker for anything containing peanuts! Your homemade peanut butter looks delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Hey,
I can definitely tell you one of the habits I’ve acquired in the U.S. as a student is to have peanut butter in my pantry LOL! Your homemade peanut butter looks yummy!! I personally like chunky one. So, I can definitely help you polish off the entire batch if you’d like to! :)
And, you’ve got a superb blog here!!! I LOVE your food photography!! Keep up the good work yea?
Cheers,
Pei-Lin
hi pei-lin – come on over, my dear! i have an extra spoon waiting for you. :)
So perfect recipe because here isn’t popular peanut butter, the dulce de leche is more local :) but love both mmmm!
Cheers!
Gera
hi gera – oh gosh, dulce de leche is a weakness of mine. especially swirled in ice cream with chocolate. i’ve had many failed attempts making it at home though. any advice?
This would make the perfect PB&J sandwich with homemade strawberry jam!
I am a hugeeee peanut butter fan! Making homemade peanut butter is one of my culinary goals. Thank you for sharing! :)
How cool! I should totally try making my own PB too since we go through it so quickly.
What a fun idea! It never crossed my mind to make my own. Your blog is so much fun! I love it.
yummmmmmmm!!! i would love to try this at home.. never tried before.. thanx for sharing :)
cheers!!
I’ve always wanted to make peanut butter! But my processor doesn’t seem to be doing its job!
Wow! You are a great cook. I loved your homemade ketchup also.
Indian recipe corner
OK…I’m adding this to my “must make” list. How simple and I hate standing in the peanut butter aisle reading the backs of all of those jars! :)
I was just discussing making peanut, cashew, and almond butter the other day with someone. So glad you posted this. I can’t wait to play with it!
I LOVE homemade peanut butter and I just wanted to point out that you can make it without any added oil. It tastes just as wonderful too! All I do is grab a jar of lightly salted, dry roasted peanuts and dump them in the food processor. It takes a bit of time to churn and at a few points it doesn’t seem like it will turn into a liquid (it spins around in a ball like state for a bit), but eventually the nuts break down and release their own oils. It only takes about 5 minutes or so–you just have to have faith! I add a couple whole nuts in at the end for a little extra crunch too. Just wanted to point out the options!
Never even thought about making my own peanut butter. Thanks to you, it’s now a possibility! Great blog, and pics! =]
Hey so I have tried this twice and I was wondering if the longer you process it the more spreadable it will be? Mine is like super dry and crumbly? It’s kinda annoying to use it that way. But it is worth it cuz it is so delicious! Anyway, I just was curious. Oh and the first time I did this I used a blender which didn’t work the best but kinda did. The second batch I used an actual processor but the peanuts were not very good quality.
hehe, you’re a girl after my own heart.. :-)
Thanks for that! Just made it with cashew nuts as I couldn’t find peanuts. Delicious! Don’t know why I never thought of doing this before.
Can wait to make some! I’m going to try it with dry roasted, no salt peanuts, from a jar :) a little lazy :) I’m always trying to find a lower fat peanut butter. I might try adding a low salt lofat margarine. I always have a peanut butter, banana with sugar free maple syrup on toasted sandwich each morning with my first cup of coffee! Yum! Can’t wait to try this! Thanks!