The nut butter lovers amongst you will be familiar with that heartbreaking moment when you come to the end of a jar of nut butter. This is especially frustrating in the case of all natural nut butters, where, due to the natural oil separation, you are often left with a lump of dried-out-nut-butter paste at the bottom of your jar.
Hey, these natural nut butters aren’t cheap. When I’m splashing out on a kilo of Meridian Coconut and Almond Butter (if you haven’t tried this already then definitely do!), I want to make the most of every gram.
Aside from just attacking the jar with a spoon until you have eaten every last drop of that scrumptious salty spread (a crime I am most certainly guilty of), there are a range of ways that you can use these techniques to make the most out of your jar of nut butter.
1. Revive that dried out nut butter
The reason for the build up of hard and dried up nut butter at the bottom of the jar when you buy a natural brand is due to the natural oil separation that occurs, as they don’t have the artificial stabilizers that are in regular peanut butter. An easy way to fix this and continue to enjoy your spread is to simply replace the oils that it has lost.
You can use the corresponding oil (peanut/almond etc), but these are often expensive and not something most of us have to hand. What I do is melt some coconut oil and stir it through! If you don’t like coconut, and aren’t vegan, then regular butter would work too.
2. Overnight Oats
My favourite way to use the last of my peanut butter is to make overnight oats in the almost-empty jar. I throw in some oats, almond milk, mashed banana, and cinnamon and leave in the fridge overnight. When I wake up, all it takes is a quick stir to ensure the peanut butter has all fully incorporated and I’ve got a healthy breakfast ready to go. If you want to, you can also add extra toppings like sliced fruit, fresh berries, or chopped nuts in the morning. Check here for some other great overnight oat options.
3. Hot Chocolate
Heat some milk in the microwave and add to your empty jar along with some hot chocolate powder. Then just put the lid on and shake for a hot and comforting cocoa with a nutty twist.
4. Peanut Sauce
The uses for your almost empty jar aren’t limited to sweet recipes. When you’ve still got a tablespoon or so of peanut butter left, add sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, a splash of lemon juice and some honey for sweetness, then thin with the desired amount of hot water. Put on the lid and shake it up and you’ve got an instant sauce to coat your noodles or dress an Asian salad.
Now you can squeeze one more nutty treat out of that almost empty jar before saying a fond farewell.