Absolute Best Tests

The Absolute Best Way to Make Peanut Butter

December 22, 2020
Photo by Ella Quittner

In Absolute Best Tests, Ella Quittner destroys the sanctity of her home kitchen in the name of the truth. She's boiled dozens of eggs, mashed a concerning number of potatoes, and roasted more broccoli than she cares to recall. Today, she tackles peanut butter.


This was the year the peanut peaked.

Each American consumed, on average, 7.6 pounds of peanuts—an all-time high. This per the USDA, the U.S. Census, and, delightfully, the National Peanut Board. Of that 7.6 pounds per person, roughly 56 percent was ingested as peanut butter. I am willing to believe this part, as I once attempted to scoop out the Skippy from the inside of a dog’s bone.

While they may be Miss Popular in America’s Top Snack to Eat on a Domestic Flight, peanuts got their start far afield. The legumes are thought to have originated in South America some 10,000 years ago. After Spanish colonizers hefted peanuts back across the Atlantic by the bushel, they brought them to the Philippines—and meanwhile, the Portuguese brought them to Goa—spurring their proliferation to China and Indonesia. Peanuts traveled to Africa as a commodity exchanged by the Portuguese for spices and ivory, and from Africa to the United States through the slave trade. Up until the Civil War, peanuts were largely a regional staple in the American South. Circus peanuts and peanut butter both emerged commercially in the late 19th century, and the groundnuts have since been a staple in the culinary realm and beyond, with significant credit due to George Washington Carver, who invented hundreds of products made from the little guys. Corporations like Conagra and Procter & Gamble joined the commercial butter fray soon after.

Join The Conversation

Top Comment:
“I've been making peanut butter for 30 years. I don't like mine sweet, so I skip the honey, and I've never understood why people add oil to a product that already contains plenty of oil. If your peanut butter isn't getting smooth and liquidy enough, you're not blending or processing it long enough. I have always used a food processor with unsalted (unseasoned) dry roasted peanuts and get ultra smooth peanut butter, which I store in the fridge. It will keep for weeks (if it lasts that long), plus be perfectly spreadable right out of the fridge. All I add is some salt. Oh, except for a very brief period of extreme indulgence when I was adding butter to the peanuts, just because it tasted so amazing!”
— Patricia F.
Comment

Which brings us—sort of, kind of—to 2020, the year of the peanut.

There was, accordingly, no more obvious contender for my last Absolute Best Test of the year than PB, which was convenient given our SEO strategist basically insisted upon it. Behold, the results of my day spent with so many peanuts, when the grocery store employee who checked me out asked if everything was “going okay.”


Controls & Fine Print

For each test, I used 2 cups of unsalted roasted peanuts, 2 scant tablespoons of peanut oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, and a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. A highly biased taste-tester who also identifies as my dad described this ratio as “delicious” and “just like candy.”

If you prefer to buy peanuts raw and roast them at home, simply pat yourself on the back because you’ve got your life together in a big way, then proceed to roast on a rimmed baking sheet at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes, until they’re fragrant and golden with oil beginning to brim on their surface.


Methods & Findings

High-Powered Blender

Method

  1. Add the peanuts and blend, covered, on medium-high for about a minute, until they’re broken into pieces the size of coarse grains of salt.
  2. Scrape down the sides with a spatula, cover, and continue to blend until the peanuts look damp and matted.
  3. Scrape down the sides, add the oil, honey, and salt, and blend on high until the desired texture is achieved, another minute or two. If needed, pause to scrape down the sides intermittently.
  4. Store covered at room temperature for up to a week.

(Note: I suspect standard blender butter would be a bit chunkier naturally—I plan to test and report back for a round two.)

Findings

Every time I use a borrowed Vitamix—I refuse to shell out—I am floored by its sheer power. There’s always a moment about 30 seconds into blending during which the motor kicks into high gear and it sounds like my kitchen might explode. It was at this precise juncture that my peanuts began to turn from plain old roasted nuts into nut pieces closer in texture to Parmesan dismantled by the finest side of the box grater. A few minutes and side-scrapings later, they morphed into something wetter, more matted, almost like crumbly biscuit dough. At that point, I added the oil, honey, and salt and “let her rip,” as they say in the Vitamix community.

The result was a peanut butter so creamy, so smooth, so glossy, it could’ve graced the cover of any magazine (or slice of toast). While it had a touch more texture than store-bought PB, it lacked the coagulated stickiness, in the best possible way. I would be pleased to drizzle blender peanut butter over any yogurt or granola bowl, turn it into sauce and pour it over rice, or incorporate it into my next round of baked tofu. Chunky butter lovers may want to reserve half of the peanuts to add along with the oil and honey, for more texture.

Food Processor

Method

  1. Add the peanuts to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Process for a few minutes, until the peanuts are broken into pieces the size of coarse grains of salt.
  2. Scrape down the sides with a spatula, cover, and continue to process until the peanuts look damp and matted.
  3. Scrape down the sides, add the oil, honey, and salt, and process until the desired texture is achieved, another few minutes. If needed, pause to scrape down the sides intermittently.
  4. Store covered at room temperature for up to a week.

Findings

As I’ve mentioned before in Absolute Best Tests, the food processor is the most-used appliance in my kitchen. That said, it can be hit or miss in the realm of plant-based butters and milks. (This is a passive-aggressive reference to my old Cuisinart specifically, which shuddered to a full stop the last time I attempted coconut butter within its mighty plastic bowels.)

So I was surprised when the process of alchemizing roasted peanuts into silky butter with a food processor turned out to be extremely simple. The method mimicked that of the Vitamix, except with only one “blend” setting in the case of the processor, and the resultant PB was nearly indistinguishable. If pressed in, say, a Court of Peanut Butter, one might admit that food processor peanut butter is a hair grittier than blender butter, but it’s otherwise nearly identical. As with the blender method, consider adding half of your peanuts midway through if you prefer a spread with more texture.

Mortar & Pestle & Mixer

Method

  1. Grind the peanuts in a mortar with a pestle until you’ve achieved a homogeneous paste. (Note: If you’re going for something chunkier, stop while you’ve still got plenty of small, visible peanut shards.) For me, this took about 25 minutes for 2 cups of peanuts.
  2. Transfer the paste to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the oil, honey, and salt. Mix for roughly 10 minutes on medium-high until you’ve achieved a creamy emulsion that doesn’t settle into separate layers when you stop for a few minutes.
  3. Store covered at room temperature for up to a week.

Findings

Oh my good god. This peanut butter made my mouth feel how I imagine feet feel when slipped into silk slippers. (No wonder when I realized that the method was adapted for Bon Appétit by my former Food52 colleague Joanna Sciarrino, one of my nut butter and general sauce/spread idols.) Perhaps due to my subpar pestle skills, my peanut butter retained more texture than either the blender or processor butters. This was a feature and not a bug. This method also affords more control over the exact crunchiness level of your final product, both because you can stop pounding whenever and because you can toss in more peanuts at various points for lots of textural variety, if you please. The mortar and pestle PB was also stickier and thicker than either of the motorized batches.


TL;DR

Make peanut butter any way you please, and it’ll be delicious.

For a crunchy-silky texture, call upon your mortar and pestle plus hand mixer. For the smoothest, least-gritty stuff, break out a high-powered blender. If you don’t have one, use a food processor for nearly identical PB.

What should Ella test next? Let us know in the comments, or send her a message here.

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • j7n
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Ella Quittner

Written by: Ella Quittner

Ella Quittner is a contributing writer and the Absolute Best Tests columnist at Food52. She covers food, travel, wellness, lifestyle, home, novelty snacks, and internet-famous sandwiches. You can follow her on Instagram @equittner, or Twitter at @ellaquittner. She also develops recipes for Food52, and has a soft spot for all pasta, anything spicy, and salty chocolate things.

23 Comments

j7n May 1, 2021
The blender method is cleaner. With a large enough load, nut bits do not get sprayed onto the lid. In fact, I operate the blender without a lid. I don't need to lift out the central shaft of a f/p along with a lump of the product, and push it back in for the next batch, getting peanut inside its grooves and bearings. However, the blender will nearly or completely liquify the nuts by the time a vortex has formed and sucked in all large pieces. It's not possible to stop at a gritty paste stage. Make at least 3 batches and wash the blender with a drink such as coffee.
 
Andrea February 12, 2021
What is the clean up like in the vitamin or cuisinart? Will there be a lot of wasted butter you can’t scrape out and lives in the blades in perpetuity? I like the idea of following up with a smoothie to help with that but does it help enough?
 
Lori February 12, 2021
I never tried making peanut butter in my Vitamix for that very reason. I use my food processor. Blade pulls out and with the use of a rubber spatula, I get every little bit out very easily. Then everything just goes in the dishwasher.
 
NancyJ February 12, 2021
It's easier to scrape the peanut butter from a cuisinart since you can remove the steel blade and very easily scrape the bowl. I first made it in a vitamix and gave up because cleaning was, as you describe, in perpetuity.
 
Andrea February 12, 2021
What is the clean up like in the vitamin or cuisinart? Will there be a lot of wasted butter you scrape out and lives in the blades in perpetuity? I like the idea of following up with a smoothie to help with that but does it help enough?
 
NancyJ February 11, 2021
The secret? Whatever peanuts you buy, and I buy TJ’s salted, roast them in a pan over medium heat until they are a deep, not dark or burnt, brown. Then let the Cuisinart “rip.” Add about a tablespoon of peanut oil. When it’s as smooth as you like, scrape it out into a jar. I like the Weck jars because they have wide openings. Once you make your own peanut butter you will never go back. Thanks to Jennifer Reese, “Make the Bread, Buy the Butter” for the inspiration!
 
Anna April 5, 2022
The Jennifer Reese book is terrific -- one of the best. Thank you for mentioning it.
 
Janice H. February 11, 2021
Sorry, folks. I just buy Laura Scudder’s (Smucker’s in the east) Natural Peanut Butter. The Nutty version. All it has is peanuts and salt. If I want honey, I can drizzle a little on it after it’s spread.
 
Rebecca R. February 11, 2021
My thoughts exactly! I've made it and can't beat or even get close to the perfect blend of this one. It's the easiest too!!
 
JV January 2, 2021
For true peanut butter (the natural stuff), don’t add any oil or honey - it doesn’t need it!
 
Ploum December 30, 2020
Could Ella tell us the best ways to cook eggplants ?
Thanks!
 
Josephsm December 29, 2020
I use the Vitamin with one bag of Trader Joe's salted peanuts and one bag of Trader Joe's Honey Roasted peanuts. i will hold back some of the peanuts if I want chunky. No added salt, honey or oil (other than whatever is already in the bagged nuts). No need to scrape down the blender, just push down on the nuts with the tamper. Start at a low speed and gradually increase to maximum. And because it's impossible to scrape out all the peanut butter from the container, I always follow up with a frozen banana/milk/ice cube smoothie with whatever remains in the container.
 
Patricia F. December 29, 2020
Aww, the smoothie is a great idea!
 
Stephanie G. January 6, 2021
That is genius. I get frustrated with the Vitamix's slim container so I used my Cuisinart. The food processor does not do the same work as the Vitamix. I will go back to the Vitamix and get all the last of the nut butter with a smoothie.
 
Jerry G. December 27, 2020
I grew up on a peanut farm in south Alabama & my mother roasted peanuts in oven then ground them in a meat grinder. No salt or sugar. They were best in the world!
 
ustabahippie December 27, 2020
No honey, no salt, perfect for me.
 
jverene December 27, 2020
I make my peanut butter with my Champion Juicer...best ever! Not so good for almond butter as the almonds seem to have less natural oils in them.
 
Lori December 27, 2020
I just throw a jar of Plantar’s lightly salted roasted peanuts in my food processor and in less than 5 minutes (less if you want super smooth) I have great peanut butter. I have never had to scrape down the food processor. When it gets to a big ball, just leave it alone. In 15 seconds, it resolves itself.
 
Lori December 27, 2020
Ooops! Less if you want chunky.
 
Patricia F. December 27, 2020
I've been making peanut butter for 30 years. I don't like mine sweet, so I skip the honey, and I've never understood why people add oil to a product that already contains plenty of oil. If your peanut butter isn't getting smooth and liquidy enough, you're not blending or processing it long enough. I have always used a food processor with unsalted (unseasoned) dry roasted peanuts and get ultra smooth peanut butter, which I store in the fridge. It will keep for weeks (if it lasts that long), plus be perfectly spreadable right out of the fridge. All I add is some salt. Oh, except for a very brief period of extreme indulgence when I was adding butter to the peanuts, just because it tasted so amazing!
 
connie S. December 27, 2020
totally agree-as an expat that refused to pay crazy prices for imported peanut butter, I started making my own 40 years ago. Just buy regular roasted and salted peanuts (about 2 cups) and toss them in your food processor and start on medium speed. When they are still dry but crumbly, scrape down and increase speed to max and just let it go about 2-3 minutes until it turns into a creamy butter. Don't need extra oil or honey-and it never separates and keeps nicely in the fridge in a glass jar for at least a month or two, but it never lasts that long.......
 
Belinda E. December 24, 2020
I just found out that Jiff no longer makes my FAVORITE PB, maple flavored. I used to buy a dozen at a time so I would never run out. So now I am forced to make my own. But why is it only good for a week? What happens after that?
 
Cissy A. December 27, 2020
I always make a double batch and it keeps perfectly in the fridge for a month or more. It’s never gone bad but between us and the dog, ours never lasts more than a month.