As you may have noticed by now, we try to live a zero waste lifestyle. For example, we have slowly been substituting the items we would purchase and finding a zero waste alternative. This week our zero waste switch is peanut butter! I love peanut butter. It’s one of those items that if I were stranded on a desert island, it would be my food choice. Because of this, we go through a lot of peanut butter and many plastic tubs. So join me on this journey to make delicious and easy homemade peanut butter!
Peanuts
The first step in homemade peanut butter is finding peanuts. For this I headed to the bulk bin at my food co-op. This is a great option because you can get just the amount that you need. If you don’t have access to something like this, I know there are other stores that sell peanuts in bulk. Try these on Amazon if you can’t get them local.
There are two types of peanuts available. The first is the regular peanuts that are roasted and normally salted. The second are those that are meant for making peanut butter. My whole food co-op had one bin for each, making my choice really easy.
Making the Peanut Butter
Homemade peanut butter is really easy to make…if you have the right tools. For this recipe, a food processor is a must. An interesting note: some co-ops have a machine that will make the peanut butter for you in the store!
Simply place the amount of peanuts you want into the food processor (I used about three cups). Blend until creamy. This can take a while but it will come together. It was really chunky when I first started and thought I had done something wrong. It took between 7-10 minutes to form a smooth consistency. I ended up adding a bit of olive oil and salt to my peanut butter mixture to enhance the flavor.
Enjoy
That’s it! Easy, right? Now no more buying plastic jars of peanut butter that are full of other ingredients that you don’t need.
What do you think – can you make the switch to homemade peanut butter? Let me know in the comments below! I found this to be way easy and I am kicking myself for not making the switch sooner. Oh well, better late then never!
Next, see my last post about a zero waste switch to shampoo bar.
How much olive oil and salt did you add for 3 cups of peanuts? I have no imagination and have to follow recipes to a T. Thank you in advance.
Also, do you use jelly of sorts? Or just PB sandwiches?
Hi Jewell,
I am not great at measuring when I am cooking, 1 tsp of oil and probably 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt. This is different to each persons personal taste and the types of peanuts used. I suggest blending the peanuts first and once creamy add a little by little until you get a taste that you are pleases with. I use this peanut butter for everything, with jelly, its great with apples, and even use it to help give my dog her pills.