Homemade Peanut Butter

I think among all the crunchy things that conventional individuals are likely to indulge in, natural peanut butter has got to be pretty high on the list of popularity. Granted, this is pure speculation, but it makes sense that this might be the case considering society's war on sugar. Ok, maybe I made this war up too, but there does seem to be a lot of emphasis on cutting back on sugar and peanut butter is an easy way to do it. Most conventional peanut butters are made with peanuts and sugar among other additives. If you ask me, I think the actual peanut flavor is dulled rather than enhanced by the sugar, but that's me. Either way, you are never hard-pressed to find natural peanut butter at even the most conventional of stores and some even have their own peanut butter machines so you can get it freshly ground in the store.

Crazy, these ingredients, in something
as simple as peanut butter

So why then, if it's so readily available would I make it myself? Well, the reality is that it may be easy to find, but it also can be expensive. A jar of natural peanut butter can run about $4 (at least where I've compared prices) for a 12 oz container. If you go through peanut butter like my kids do at times, that can seriously add up. I mean, my oldest ate peanut butter every day for the first 2/3 of the school year. That's a lot of peanut butter. On the flip-side, I can make approximately the same amount (or a little more) for less than $3. It doesn't sound like a lot of savings, but it can really add up.

Roasted salted peanuts

So, here goes with how I make it. You may be surprised to discover that you don't need any fancy equipment. Just peanuts and a food processor. A storage container is a good idea too. Maybe a measuring cup, but even that is negotiable. 

I typically will buy my peanuts in the bulk foods section at my local HEB (the benefits of living in Texas - unless you are in the Dallas area). I get the dry roasted salted. You could opt for unsalted, but your peanut butter might be a bit bland. You could also go all fancy and get honey roasted. I seriously want to try this sometime, but only for a treat. No way could that be our everyday peanut butter.

3 cups of peanuts make roughly a pound, and this is the amout I typically make at a time. It fits easily into a pint sized mason jar, filling it most the way, but not full - maybe 14-15 fluid oz.

3 cups fills my bowl about halfway.
Don't be worried if you don't have a high
speed blender. I used to make it the same
way in a really basic Black & Decker,
it just takes a bit more time, but the
results are the same.

So here's what you do: put the peanuts in your food processor and turn it on high. You may want ear plugs. Add that to the list of supplies. It is loud. That's basically it. The hardest part is waiting during the loud noise. I do stop mine periodically to check progress and scrape down the sides, but aside from that, it's a waiting game.

Peanut powder

Starting to release oils. Though it may
be the thickness you expect, it is
not ready at this point and will be very
grainy and dry.

When it first starts, the peanuts will get chopped into a fine powder. You may think it's not working, but just wait. The heat built up from the friction as well as the continued grinding of the peanuts will cause them to start releasing their oil and it will start to become more liquid. Once it starts to look smooth, you may think you are done. Don't be fooled. If you taste a sample when it first starts smoothing out, that will be the driest peanut butter you have ever tasted. It needs to go for longer. Don't despair if your processor gets hot, you can alway pause mid-process to let it cool then pick it up again.  Keep processing until it's more liquidy than you think peanut butter should be. When it's done, it will probably pour easier than mayo if you need a viscosity visual. Feel free to taste test for palatability and texture.

A nice shiny thick liquid is what you'll see
when it's ready.

This peanut butter pours easily when
freshly made.

I will be perfectly honest, it likely won't be exactly as perfectly velvety smooth as packaged commercial peanut butter. It may have a slightly grainy texture when eaten straight. In my experience though, once it is in a sandwich or fudge, you don't notice it.

Yum!

That's it. You are done. Yummy homemade peanut butter and bragging rights. I keep mine in the fridge, though it gets left on the counter quite a bit since it's easier to deal with a bit softer and more liquid. I have only ever experienced it separating once, and it was in the fridge, so I don't know what happened there. Regardless, when it comes to storage, Do what feels best to you. I really don't know shelf life since ours is always gone before it goes bad. With mostly fridge storage, ours stays good for at least a couple weeks.

I like labeling my jars with Shapies. It comes right off when
cleaned and leaves no residue like sticker labels.

 Happy grinding!


UPDATE!!!

Just after I finished posting this, I tried my hand at almond butter. The process is the same as with peanut butter, but what I found was that almonds are painfully slow at releasing their oil. Painfully slow. I had to stop my food processor multiple times mid-process to let it cool down. In the end though, I had beautiful, almond butter. I used 3 cups of almonds and about 1/2 tsp of salt. Delish!