Homemade Peanut Butter

Learn how to make AMAZING homemade peanut butter! It's super smooth, creamy, and flavorful - you won't be able to stop eating it by the spoonful.

Homemade peanut butter

I start drooling just looking at the pictures of this homemade peanut butter! Jack and I have been all about cooking projects lately, churning out homemade bagels, pasta, tortillas, and more. We’ve loved all of them, but this homemade peanut butter recipe reminded us that cooking projects don’t have to be ambitious to be fun.

This peanut butter recipe calls for just 1 or 2 ingredients, and it comes together in under 10 minutes. Still, making it is a blast! You get to watch whole peanuts transform into the smoothest, creamiest nut butter you’ve ever seen. Its oozy texture beats any store bought brand I’ve tried, and its rich peanut flavor is out of this world. You won’t be able to resist eating it by the spoonful!

Jar of homemade peanut butter

Peanut Butter Recipe Tips

Ready to learn how to make peanut butter? There are a few things you should know before you start:

  1. Making this recipe is easy, but it does require patience. Your food processor will need to run for almost 10 minutes, including breaks, before the nuts become smooth and spreadable.
  2. You’re going to need to stop the food processor often. Making homemade nut butter can be hard on a food processor’s motor, so be sure to stop it every 30 seconds to 1 minute to give it a chance to cool off. This break is also a great opportunity to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  3. The amount of peanuts you use should be proportionate to the size of your food processor. I use 3 cups of peanuts in my 7-cup food processor. If yours is much larger, you’ll need more nuts to create a smooth, creamy spread.
  4. You don’t need anything except for dry roasted peanuts, and maybe salt. You can use unsalted or salted peanuts in this recipe, but if yours aren’t salted, you’ll need to season to taste with salt at the end.

Peanuts in a food processor

How to Make Peanut Butter

Add the peanuts to the bowl of a food processor, and process until very smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl every 30 seconds or so. When you first start grinding the peanuts, it might not seem like they’ll blend into a smooth nut butter. But trust me, they will! You don’t need to add any vegetable oil, I promise.

At the beginning, they’ll be chunky.

How to make peanut butter

Then, they’ll form a shaggy ball.

Peanut butter in a food processor

And finally, they’ll blend into creamy natural peanut butter! Let the food processor run as long as necessary to get the mixture really smooth. Store it in an airtight container or jar at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Enjoy!

Homemade peanut butter recipe   Spoon of peanut butter

How to Use Homemade Peanut Butter

There are so many ways to use this homemade peanut butter! Here are a few of my favorites:

What’s your favorite way to use it? Let me know in the comments!

Peanut butter

More Homemade Basics

If you loved learning how to make peanut butter, try making one of these easy recipes for homemade basics next:

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Homemade Peanut Butter

rate this recipe:
4.96 from 99 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Learn how to make AMAZING homemade peanut butter! It's super smooth, creamy, and filled with rich peanut flavor. You're going to want to eat it by the spoonful!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups dry roasted & salted or unsalted peanuts
  • sea salt, to taste, (if using unsalted peanuts)

Instructions

  • Place the peanuts in a medium food processor.* Process until very smooth, stopping every 30 seconds to 1 minute to scape down the sides of the bowl, as necessary, and to give the food processor's motor a break. The mixture will be chunky at first. Then, it'll thicken into a ball, and finally, it will become creamy and smooth. The whole process should take about 8 to 10 minutes.

Notes

Makes about 1 cup.
*Note: I use my 7-cup Cuisinart or KitchenAid food processor. If yours is much larger, you may want to increase the amount of peanuts so that there's enough quantity to blend well.

150 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Efe
    07.17.2023

    5 stars
    Hi, I made this just now and it was amazing and so creamy. I added a pinch of salt and some paprika. Will definitely ditch store bought for this. Thanks for such an easy and detailed recipe. Greetings from sunny Lagos, Nigeria

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.17.2023

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  2. Jill
    06.17.2023

    5 stars
    Amazing! I was craving a spicy noodle peanut dish and realized I just finished my peanut butter yesterday. Busted out my chili onion peanuts and my food processor and dinner is saved, and I doubt I’ll ever buy peanut butter again. Thank you!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.19.2023

      I’m so glad you loved it. Yum!

  3. Leiah
    05.15.2023

    5 stars
    I took the process a little further and wow! My tastebuds were singing. To remove the antibiotic r proprieties in the peanuts (oxolates) I soaked my peanuts in water overnight then dehydrated them for 24hrs first. This made the buttering process even quicker, 4 minutes to make amazing peanut butter. Will do this every fortnight for my family from now on.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.19.2023

      Hi Leiah, thanks for sharing your process! So glad you loved the peanut butter.

    • Nicole
      07.16.2023

      Hi Leiah , Thanks for sharing. Did you start with raw peanuts for soaking?

  4. katie
    04.24.2023

    5 stars
    So good, very easy. Definitely takes some time, just follow the recipe and it’ll get there. Eating by the spoonful, and I love that I know exactly what’s in it, thanks for this great recipe

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.27.2023

      Hi Katie, I’m so glad you love the peanut butter!

  5. Marcus
    04.21.2023

    3 stars
    Recipes are useless without storage instructions. Do I have to eat it all at once? Does it go in the fridge? Do I keep it under my mattress? Cmon..

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.21.2023

      Hi, happy to answer your question! You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

  6. Roseann
    04.09.2023

    Hi…making the peanut butter recipe again but it seems to be taking longer. How long would you estimate the process to take from peanuts to creamy butter?
    I’ve been processing in 30 sec to 1 mim intervals for about an hour. It seems to be stuck in what looks like photo number 2 in yiur recipe. The only difference is I added honey. Thank you!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.12.2023

      Hi Roseann, it sounds like the honey might be changing the peanuts’ texture – next time I might try adding honey at the very end once it’s creamy.

  7. David
    04.04.2023

    Is a Nutribullet strong enough?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.07.2023

      Hi David, I wouldn’t recommend using a Nutribullet for the peanut butter. You’d need a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or a food processor with a strong motor.

  8. Brenda Buchholz
    03.30.2023

    5 stars
    I just finished making my first ever!!! Amazing! I used my black and decker. It worked like a champ! No cooling down needed. Thanks

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.31.2023

      I’m so glad you love the peanut butter!

  9. Lauren Kelly
    03.20.2023

    What can I add to make it more high protein?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.23.2023

      Hi Lauren, we haven’t tested any add-ins here, so I’m not sure.

  10. Katie
    03.16.2023

    I ran mine in a cuisnart food processor for 15min and it never turned out as liquidy as yours. It remained in the shaggy ball stage. I added honey to try and thin it. No dice. I like a thicker PB so it’s ok. But do I need to run it longer? Did the honey hurt the thinning process?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.16.2023

      Hi Katie, it could be that the peanut butter just needed some more time—food processors can vary. To help loosen it up next time, I would add a little neutral-tasting oil, like avocado oil or grapeseed oil, instead of honey. Hope this helps!

    • Jennifer
      03.27.2023

      I’ll add that it also really depends on your food processor. I have a really nice Cuisinart one and a Ninja, and I’ve only gotten this consistency with the Cuisinart. The Ninja just doesn’t seem to have the power or whatever, no matter how long I run it.

    • megan
      04.09.2023

      over roasting and honey have caused mine to be too thick in past. if ur nuts are bought roasted maybe try roasting your own peanuts. ive found if they’re too cooked it becomes more of a paste.

  11. Roseann
    03.12.2023

    5 stars
    Hello again! I made the peanut butter today and it turned out amazing! I left it just slightly grainy. Your instructions were flawless. I didnt add a thing as but for my next batch I’m adding honey.
    Thank you!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.15.2023

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  12. Samantha Villanueva
    03.08.2023

    5 stars
    I buy natural peanut butter but this is way better because you can control the amount of salt and the smooth texture is way easier to work with. This has been a game changer for me!

  13. Lori
    03.04.2023

    Can I use a Ninja blender?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.09.2023

      Hi Lori, I don’t think a Ninja blender would be powerful enough for this recipe.

  14. Rebecca
    03.01.2023

    Can I use a Vitamix instead of a food processor? I have both, but Vitamix is easily accessible vs. the food processor. Thank you for your assistance.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.03.2023

      Yes, a Vitamix works well for this!

      • Rebecca
        03.06.2023

        Thank you for getting back. I look forward to making it in the next couple of days.

  15. Michal
    03.01.2023

    Hello, thanks for the great explanation!!!
    I have peanuts but they are not roasted. Can I still use them? Or should I roast them?

    Thanks!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.03.2023

      Hi Michal, I’d recommend roasting them. You can toast them in a 325°F for about 10 minutes, until they’re fragrant. They’ll blend more easily and have a nuttier flavor!

  16. Roseann
    02.27.2023

    Hi! I actually have a question. I want to make this recipe and I have a mini kitchen aid food processor.
    Is it possible to crush the peanuts before adding to processor to aid in the breakdown of peanuts and be easier on motor?
    Thank you.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.28.2023

      Hi Roseann, I have that mini food processor too… while it’s handy for pestos and small-batch sauces, I don’t think it’s powerful enough to make smooth nut butter. I highly recommend either the 7-cup KitchenAid or Cuisinart.

  17. Mike
    02.18.2023

    I’ve been making Peanut Butter this way for years! I use a heavy Cuisinart that looks like the one in your pictures. I haven’t bought store peanut butter in years! Glad you put out the word!

  18. Ivy
    02.01.2023

    Hello! I was curious on how to store this after and how long?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      02.02.2023

      Hi Ivy, you can store it in the fridge for 2 weeks-a month!

  19. Marino
    01.18.2023

    5 stars
    Hello,
    do you keep or throw the skin of the peanuts?

    Cheers,

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.20.2023

      Hi, I’d peel off and discard the skins as best you can.

  20. Kelly
    01.12.2023

    ‘m just curious about what the nutritional info is for the homemade peanut butter please/

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.13.2023

      Hi Kelly, we don’t typically calculate nutrition facts for our recipes, but in this case, the nutrition info would be similar to that of store-bought natural peanut butter.

      • Alisdair Richter
        03.29.2023

        If nothing is added, then surely the nutritional value will be the same, as stated on the pack the peanuts came in?

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.