I grew up on processed big brand peanut butter. It was so smooth and creamy and sweet and salty. Yum. We would buy it in big giant jars when it was on sale.

And then we began to cut processed foods and really be aware of what it was we were consuming and so while peanut butter wasn’t the worst of the bunch, we did switch to an all natural product. We still mostly ate peanut butter but we mixed things up with other nut butters now and then too -our favorites being almond and cashew.  The natural products were great except….the oil separated out and mixing it was a bit of a mess. I ended up frustrated every time I tried to stir the oil back in. And I also didn’t like that it had to go in the fridge, it made it harder to spread. Still, these products were very good quality and tasted great too. I liked them better than the processed sort from the past.

Until I began making it on my own. Man, what a difference! Homemade peanut butter is SO easy to make in your food processor and it is WAY less frustrating and messy. The best of both worlds! I can add in a bit of sweet honey and control the salt and in about 5 min I end up with a shelf stable product that I can keep in the pantry. Whoohoo! I add some cashews too and we absolutely love the end result.

Here’s how to make your own

Homemade Peanut Butter

Yield: 400ml

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

It’s easier to make your own peanut butter than to stir the oil into the store bought kind!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup cashews, unsalted
• 3 cups peanuts, unsalted
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil

Instructions

Place cashews, peanuts and salt in your food processor and turn it on high, letting it run until the oils are released from the nuts. This takes a bit of time, be patient. First, your mixture will begin to resemble cookie dough, keep going until it is smooth, smooth, smooth.

Once your butter is at the right consistency, add in the honey and melted oil until incorporated.

Spoon into a glass jar and keep in your pantry for 2-3 weeks or in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 tbsp
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 112

This recipe makes about 400mls of homemade peanut butter so choose a jar that will handle that capacity – we just re-use a small pickle jar and it works really well. The coconut oil is what helps it stay shelf stable, it solidifies just a bit as it cools and it keeps the oils in check. We go through this amount in about two to three weeks and it has stayed good on the pantry shelf without need of refrigeration. If you wanted to keep it much longer than that I would put it in the fridge just to be on the safe side.

That’s really all there is to it. Making your own peanut butter isn’t really all that complicated. Experiment with my recipe and find one your family loves – maybe you like a little more salt or a little less honey – do it your way!