Homemade Honey Roasted Peanut Butter

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Why you should make homemade peanut butter

• Fresh – your kitchen is about to smell wonderful! Nothing beats freshly roasted nuts warm from the oven. 
• Healthier – you control the amount of added sugar, and there’s no need for any high oleic oils for this recipe
• Customize to your taste – do you prefer dark roasted? Extra salt? A touch of cinnamon? Maybe you’re a vanilla girlie or maybe chocolate is your jam. This base recipe enables you to add as much or as little of your favorite flavors to make this custom batch of peanut butter uniquely yours!
• Minimal separation – most “natural” roasters will toss in a hefty dose of peanut oil to help the processing along, which leads to separation in the jar. This recipe is free of any added oils, so there’s no need to stir. 
• It can be cheaper – depending on your purchasing habits. For reference, a 1lb bag of whole peanuts yields about two cups of peanut butter. 1lb bags of peanuts from Trader joes currently cost $2.99, whereas a jar of natural salted Valencia peanut butter is $4.49.
• Perfect for gifting – pour into mason jars and tie them off with a ribbon for the perfect little housewarming gift! There’s something so lovely about receiving homemade baked goods, and this option is sure to be enjoyed!

How to make honey roasted peanut butter

Contrary to common belief, you do NOT need expensive specialty grinders like you see in stores to make your own nut butters. Freshly ground peanut butter can be made at home with just a blender and some patience. I have full faith in you!

Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheating the oven to 350. Spread the peanuts over the parchment paper in an even layer and drizzle your favorite honey overtop the peanuts in quick, circular motions until you’ve satisfied your inner artist. 

Add the sheet of honey-drizzled peanuts to the oven and roast for 9-14 minutes. Keep a close eye on the oven, as everyone’s oven is different. Honey burns quickly, and the last thing you want is a ruined batch of burnt peanuts.

Once the honey has darkened to a deep caramel hue, remove the peanuts from the oven. You should be able to hear them whistling gently when you take them out. 

Add the warm peanuts to a high quality food processor and begin blending. Whenever the nuts lose their “catch” on the blades of the processor and stick, unmoving, to the sides of the machine, just pause the blender. Remove the lid and use a silicone spatula to push the peanut powder back down towards the center blades.

Continue blending until you’ve achieved a smooth, creamy nut butter. This may take upwards to 15 minutes, depending on the strength of your blender. See my tips below more advice on how to speed this process along.

The last step – add extra flavor! Once the peanuts resemble a smooth and creamy nut butter, add in the rest of your flavoring agents. I typically add salt, vanilla, and coconut sugar to my honey roasted peanut butter. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Tips for success

Start with a DRY base

Make sure your food processor or blender is bone-dry before beginning. Wipe down the bowl, lid, and attachments with a clean cloth or paper towel before adding the nuts. Excess water or moisture will interfere with the breakdown process and leave you with a gummy mess. 

Use a durable food processor

I rely on a cuisinart 14-cup food processor to make nut butters and for nearly all my dessert recipes. It’s sturdy, reliable, and can handle high heat from freshly roasted nuts. That said, you don’t necessarily need to go out and buy a new blender if you already have one at home. I’ve had success making nut butter in a variety of blenders; I’ve even made it in a coffee grinder! Using a blender will take longer, require more frequent pauses, and therefore requires extra patience. There’s a higher risk of “burning out” your blender than there is with a food processor. I’ve never tried a nutribullet or vitamix, so I won’t speak to their efficacy.

Start blending with warm peanuts

Use the heat from freshly roasted peanuts to your advantage. Warm-from-the-oven peanuts are faster to blend. Why? The naturally occurring, healthy oils trapped in the peanuts are released as they melt into the liquid phase and cell walls are lysed. These natural oils coat the nuts and encourage a faster breakdown into smooth, creamy peanut butter. 

Don’t add extra ingredients too soon!

You should only add vanilla, cocoa, or spices after the peanuts have fully broken down into a smooth, homogenous peanut butter. Adding other ingredients too soon will interrupt the blending process and prevent that creamy peanut butter from ever forming. This means waiting to add any extra honey! The honey added before roasting has a chance to solidify in the oven 

Be mindful of capacity

This tip is actually goes in both directions – you don’t want to overload the processor for obvious reasons, and you also don’t want to under-load the processor with a batch that’s too small. There is a minimum volume required to make the blending process easy and hassle-free. Start with not enough peanuts and you’ll be pausing every couple of seconds to scrape down the sides. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that the volume of dry roasted peanuts cover the blades completely

Serving suggestions

• Fresh and warm paired with cold medjool dates – my personal favorite!
• Smeared on your favorite sourdough with a dollop of raspberry jam
• Straight from the spoon : )
• As a dip for apple slices – nature’s candy!
• Topped on banana slices with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sea salt
• Drizzled over a short stack of pancakes or waffles
• Swirled into yogurt with purely elizabeth granola and fresh berries
• Alongside a few squares of your favorite dark chocolate bar

Troubleshooting homemade peanut butter

My peanut butter is too thick and won’t blend!

Solution: Be patient! Keep blending—the natural oils need time to release. If it’s still too thick after 15 minutes, you can try:

• Adding a tiny bit of neutral oil (like peanut or coconut oil) to help loosen it. Start with ½ teaspoon at a time.

As you continue blending, keep these tips in mind:

• Make sure your peanuts are warm before blending. Cold nuts take longer to break down.
• Scrape down the sides frequently to keep everything moving.

My peanut butter is grainy instead of smooth.

Solution: The issue could be time or your equipment:

• Keep blending! It can take 5-10 minutes depending on your blender/processor.
• Consider your equipment. It may be that your blender isn’t strong enough to achieve a smooth consistency. I use a Cuisinart food processor to make all my nut butters.

My peanut butter is too runny.

Solution: Check whether the peanuts you’re using were roasted in oil. Many manufacturers will cover the peanuts in canola or peanut oils to help the salt stick. I always look for “dry roasted” on the bag. If it’s thinner than you’d like:

• Let it sit – it thickens slightly as it cools.
• Store it in the fridge—chilling helps firm it up.
• Next time, be sure to purchase dry roasted peanuts!

My blender/food processor is struggling to blend the peanuts.

Solution:

• Make sure you’re using enough peanuts—too little and the blades won’t catch them properly.
• Pause and scrape down the sides frequently.
• Give your appliance a break if it overheats! Some blenders – especially older blenders – will need a rest every couple minutes.
• Consider upgrading to a stronger processor if you plan to make nut butter often.

My peanut butter seized up after adding extra honey or vanilla.

Solution: This happens when water-based ingredients are added too early. To fix it:

• Only add the honey before roasting the peanuts in the oven. The caramelization process from roasting in the oven lowers the water content in the honey. If you add honey while the peanuts are blending, the moisture will interfere with the breakdown process.
• Drizzle in a bit of neutral oil and blend again.
• Next time, only add vanilla in small amounts after the peanut butter is fully blended.

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Did you try this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below!