No kitchen? No problem. Whether in a dorm or an apartment, all you need is a blender and less than 2 quick minutes to turn a container of dry roasted peanuts into smooth, creamy peanut butter.
Peanut butter is a staple in many college student’s diets. For peanut butter lovers like me, I go through at least one jar a week. I eat it with EVERYTHING- toast, oatmeal, fruit, stir-fries, dates, smoothies, chocolate, and just by the spoonful.
On-the-go or in a meal, peanut butter is a versatile food that is an excellent source of protein and healthy fats. While many commercial brands add unnecessary oils, making it yourself is a much healthier option because you control what goes into it. Homemade peanut butter is also cheaper than most natural brands in the stores.
After spending too much of my money on countless jars of PB, I finally tried to make it myself. Once I realized how easy, quick, and delicious my homemade version is, I have not bought another jar since.
This is one of the easiest recipes ever; all you need is one ingredient, one machine, and 2 minutes. That’s it! Add a little honey, a little salt, or nothing at all! I prefer my peanut butter on the sweeter side so I like to add a teaspoon of honey but you can add or omit whatever you want. The best part about making it yourself is that you can put your own creative spin on it. Make it creamy or crunchy, salty or sweet, thick or runny. Within 2 minutes, you will have peanut butter that gives the store-bought brands a run for their money.
Ingredients:
2 cups unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
Pinch of salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp honey (or more to taste)
Directions:
1. Place peanuts in a blender and blend for 1 minute on high. During this time, the peanuts will quickly go from a solid form, to small crumbs, to a thick ball, and to finally, smooth, creamy peanut butter. Add in salt and honey (if desired) and blend for another 15 seconds.
2. Remove from the blender and store in a mason jar at room temperature. It is that easy!
If you have a peanut allergy or peanuts are not your thing, you can make any homemade nut butter using the same method with almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, etc. The time it takes to blend the different nuts might vary, but other than that, all you need are nuts and a blender to make your favorite spread. You can even get creative and try chocolate peanut butter (by adding cacao powder), maple-cinnamon peanut butter (by adding maple syrup and cinnamon), or vanilla peanut butter. You can also experiment by mixing nuts! The possibilities are endless.
Homemade peanut butter is easier, tastier, healthier, and cheaper than the store-bought version. There is just nothing better than a spoonful of creamy, drippy peanut butter first thing in the morning/ as a midday snack/ to satisfy pre-dinner hunger- really, at any time of the day. So, if you have 2 minutes, a jar of peanuts, and a blender, what are you waiting for?
