Peanut butter was actually not a “thing” for me…until I began reading food blogs. Somewhere along the way, everyone’s gushing about nut butter in smoothies, nut butter in oatmeal, and oatmeal in almost empty nut butter jars—it finally got to me. I needed nut butter in all the things too!
We probably go through a jar of nut butter every week. Aaron eats some version of an almond butter and jelly sandwich most days for his fourth meal (he’s on a six meal a day schedule, as required for his training plan) (yes, it’s a ton of food!), and the dogs help him out with their own nut butter kong treat schedule at 12pm every day. ← And this is every. single. day. They are really good about telling time. As for me, I’m usually hit or miss with nut butter, as dictated by hormones. Does this happen to anyone else? One week I can’t get enough of it (especially with chocolate for dipping!!), and the next week the thought of it makes me ill.
The other week, we hit a nut butter rut. We’d been buying raw almond butter for months and needed a change, so we decided to pick up something different at Whole Foods. Um, have you looked at the nut butter selection there? It’s amazing, and it better taste that way too because some jars were $26! What?! That would put our nut butter bill at over $100/month. Insane.
So, I did what I usually do, which is loudly proclaim to anyone standing near me in the grocery store, “I can do this better at home.”—and armed with lots of dry roasted peanuts and a few simple flavorings, I think I did.
Drippy, organic, easy peanut butter, with fancy flavor variations like maple, vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate, that costs much less than what you’d pay at the store for the non-organic, pre-made stuff (and if you’re enjoying peanut butter, you want it to be organic).
How to Make Peanut Butter + 4 Fancy Flavor Variations
Serves: about 2 cups
Drippy, customizable, homemade peanut butter that won't break the bank! Below are easy instructions to make your peanut butter creamy or chunky, along with mix-in recommendations for fancy flavor variations.
Cuisine: Gluten Free, Vegan Servings: about 2 cups
Prep Time: 10 mins
Drippy, customizable, homemade peanut butter that won't break the bank! Below are easy instructions to make your peanut butter creamy or chunky, along with mix-in recommendations for fancy flavor variations.
Even though the peanuts are already roasted, you will end up with a much more flavorful, smooth peanut butter if you lightly toast them to warm them up.
Copyright © 2020 Amanda Maguire for Pickles & Honey
It’s funny, because I never really liked nut butters of any kind either until I went vegan and especially once I started blogging. There’s just something in the way they got described that made them seem so seductive. Funny how I grew to like something because of the way someone described it rather than the way it tasted. Before it was always “gummy and sticky” but now it’s “rich and creamy”. Minds can play funny tricks on you!
Love all these variations. I’m craving a maple + cacao combo now!
I was the same way with nut butter. The way bloggers were describing and gushing over it made me start craving it too. It’s pretty powerful advertising when you think about it…
I bet maple + cacao would be really good!
I agree! I NEVER ate nut butter until I started reading blogs and kept seeing it everywhere. The power of suggestion!
Seems like we can all blame blogs for our new nut butter cravings! haha
I was the same, I never really thought about nut butters pre-vegan and pre-blogging. I occasionally had peanut butter but only when there was nothing else in the house to eat. Now I’m a nu butter fiend!
I’ve never actually made peanut butter, though I make almond and others regularly, but your pictures make me want to whip up a batch pronto!
I usually stick to almond butter too. Every once in a while I get a peanut butter craving though–there’s something so comforting about it. If you decide to make peanut butter at home, I think you’ll find it’s much quicker than almond butter (and less noisy!).
i’ve always loved nut butter, especially peanut butter. when i was in 11th grade, i discovered crazy richards natural crunchy pb butter and was hooked. i could eat peanuts or peanut butter every meal for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. needless to say, i love this post and want to eat fancy peanut butter with you!
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of that brand of peanut butter. We always had the Teddie old-fashioned pb when I was growing up.
Um, how did I not know homemade peanut butter was so easy to make?! Definitely need to try this ASAP.
It’s super easy, Meredith! The hardest part is cleaning the food processor. 😉
That’s why I make Mark do it. I cook, he cleans. 😉
i never like peanut butter until i became a vegetarian and then it become essential for me in order to survive the barren food land of college life. Do you have a good source of organic peanuts? i don’t seem to be able to find organic nuts anywhere local let alone at an affordable price. thanks.
“the barren food land of college life”–too funny! I actually don’t have a go-to source for organic peanuts. Sometimes Whole Foods has them, but mostly I buy them on Amazon since I have Prime. I’ve bought the Sunfood brand before, but there may be a more affordable option.
Hi Amanda!
Photo editor at Yahoo! here and would love to maybe feature a variation of your recipe and some images on our Yahoo Food site.
Could you please contact me?
Thank you!
Jared
jharrell@yahoo-inc.com
I cannot find my favourite brand anywhere near me so I have decided to make my own ! I’ll follow your suggestions, we’ll see if it turns out as good as my fav brand ! 😀
Homemade peanut butter is great! (and in many cases, better than store-bought 🙂 ) I hope you enjoy!