Homemade peanut butter: the electric chopper recipe
To make homemade peanut butter, all you need is roasted peanuts and a powerful enough appliance to blend them until they release their oil. Allow 5 to 12 minutes of blending depending on the power of the appliance, in short cycles, with pauses to scrape the bowl. The result is 100% peanut butter, with no added oil or sugar, and a texture of your choice.
This guide answers the most frequently asked questions: which appliance to use, how to make the recipe a success, how to make it savory or crunchy, and how to store it. As for equipment, a robust bowl chopper does all the work: our models are gathered in the electric chopper collection.
Which machine to use for making peanut butter?
You need an appliance capable of running for several minutes against a thick and sticky paste. Not all kitchen appliances are suited for this: the table provides an overview, including those we do not sell.
| Appliance | What you get | Key takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Electric bowl chopper or food processor | Smooth or crunchy peanut butter | The simplest solution: the blades work throughout the bowl and the sides are easily scraped between cycles. |
| Powerful blender with tamper | Very smooth peanut butter | A tamper is needed to push the paste back down to the blades, otherwise they spin empty under a stuck layer. |
| Hand blender with chopper bowl | A small jar | Convenient for a small quantity, provided you take regular breaks. |
| Spice or coffee grinder | A powder, then a paste stuck under the blades | Designed for dry ingredients: avoid for a greasy paste. |
| Mini garlic chopper | Crushed peanuts | Perfect for crushing a handful, not for blending such a dense paste for several minutes. |
| Mortar and pestle | A rustic paste | The traditional method for peanut paste, but long and physically demanding. |
In our catalog, the 2 L stainless steel electric chopper is a good example: its 4 blades placed on two levels work the entire volume of the bowl, which limits scraping, and its metal-on-metal drive avoids plastic gears. For large batches, the 800 W electric chopper with a 3 L stainless steel bowl and 6 blades is suitable for families who prepare several jars at once. The steel containers do not retain odors, and all these models are gathered in the stainless steel electric chopper collection.
For a small jar every now and then, a versatile appliance is enough: the 1500 W 5-in-1 chopper mixer has a 500 ml chopper bowl and a Turbo function, and is also used for soups and smoothies. This type of appliance can be found in our multifunction chopper collection. For other nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts, our nut and dried fruit chopper guide details the selection criteria.
How to make your own peanut butter?
The recipe consists of two ingredients. The secret is not in the ingredients but in patience: the paste goes through several stages before becoming creamy.
Ingredients for about a 300 g jar
- 300 g of raw, shelled, unsalted peanuts, or already roasted for the quick version;
- 1 pinch of fine salt, optional;
- 1 teaspoon of honey, optional, for a sweeter note.
Steps
- Roast the peanuts for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven at 170 °C, stirring them halfway through, until they are golden and fragrant. Rub them in a tea towel to remove the loose skins.
- Let them cool slightly for a few minutes: while still warm, they release their oil faster than when cooled.
- Pour them into the bowl and blend in cycles of about one minute, then stop the appliance to scrape the sides with a spatula.
- Continue: the peanuts become a powder, then a compact ball that spins in the bowl, then a smooth and shiny cream when the oil is released.
- Add the salt and honey, blend for another 30 seconds, then pour the butter into a clean and dry jar.
Do not stop at the ball stage: this is the moment when people often think the recipe has failed, when in fact you just need to keep blending. Depending on the power of the appliance, the cream is ready after 5 to 12 minutes of blending, excluding pauses.
How to make homemade savory peanut butter?
Salt is added at the end, once the cream has formed, to distribute it evenly. The same base can then be adapted to your tastes, as summarized in this table.
| Version | What changes | For what use |
|---|---|---|
| Savory | 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt for 300 g, added at the end of blending | Sandwiches, sauces, and savory dishes |
| Plain, 100% peanut | Nothing but roasted peanuts | Savory cooking, peanut sauces |
| Crunchy | A handful of crushed peanuts pulsed and then mixed into the cream | Sandwiches, desserts |
| Sweet | 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey | Breakfast, snack |
| Quick | Already roasted and unsalted peanuts: go straight to blending | When you are in a hurry |
The quick version answers a common question: with already roasted peanuts, the recipe takes about fifteen minutes in total. If they are already salted, taste before adding anything. For the crunchy version, crush the reserved handful with one-second pulses, without overdoing it, to keep the pieces.
And if you are looking for a simpler peanut butter than the store-bought one, the plain version is the right choice: it contains only peanuts, without the added sugar or oil found in some industrial jars.
What is the difference between peanut paste and peanut butter?
In both cases, it is roasted and then ground peanuts. The difference lies mainly in the use and what is added.
We speak more of peanut paste, or peanut butter, for the 100% peanut version, without sugar, used in savory cooking, for example in West African mafé. Peanut butter, of American inspiration, is spreadable and often contains salt, sometimes sugar and oil when it is industrial. Homemade, it is therefore the same product: it is up to you to season it or not depending on the recipe.
The technique is similar to that of other preparations blended for a long time. Our recipe for homemade hummus with a chopper also relies on step-by-step blending and pauses to scrape the bowl.
Storing homemade peanut butter and avoiding mistakes
Well stored, homemade butter lasts several weeks. Most failures, however, come from a few easy-to-avoid mistakes.
Pour it into a clean and properly dry glass jar, sealed hermetically. It lasts about one month at room temperature, away from heat and light, and up to three months in the refrigerator, where it hardens slightly. A thin layer of oil may rise to the surface: this is the natural oil of the peanut, you just need to stir. A rancid smell, on the other hand, indicates that the butter is too old.
The most common mistakes:
- blending continuously without a pause: the motor heats up. Use one-minute cycles and let it rest between them;
- adding water or milk to thin it: the paste solidifies and becomes grainy. If it is too thick, a tablespoon of neutral oil is enough;
- putting too few peanuts in a large bowl: the blades spin without pulling them in. Adapt the quantity to the size of the bowl;
- blending raw peanuts: blending takes longer and the taste is flatter;
- forgetting allergies: peanuts are one of the major allergens. Wash the bowl and blades carefully before preparing something else for an allergic person.
If your appliance struggles with the paste, our guide which power to choose for an electric chopper helps you know what it can handle.
The right chopper for truly creamy peanut butter
For smooth homemade peanut butter, the most important thing is a robust bowl appliance, capable of blending for several minutes with pauses: an electric chopper with a stainless steel container or a food processor. The mini chopper keeps its role for crushing the handful of peanuts for the crunchy version. To find the model suited to your quantities, compare the appliances in our electric chopper collection, from the 500 ml bowl for a small jar to the 3 L container for large batches.
To discover all our other appliances, visit hachoir-cuisine.fr.