Peanut or Groundnut are easily found in Indian households. They are a good source of protein and healthy fats. Comparatively lower in carbs and yet higher in overall calories. They are also a good source of vitamin E, Folate, thiamine, and a few other micronutrients. They are usually consumed raw, roasted, boiled or as a part of salads, snacks, gravies.

So this time I decided to try out something new peanut butter.

Most peanut butter brands available in the market are loaded with sugar, preservatives, and fat. The best part of making peanut butter at home is that you can control the amount of extra sugar and fat that is added to it.

Peanut Butter

Ingredients:

Peanuts- 300 gms

Honey-3-4 tsp ( more if you need it extra sweet and less if you want it less sweet)

Vegetable oil-4-5 tsp ( Depending on the variety of peanuts you use, the amount of added oil would vary.

Salt-1/4 tsp

Procedure:

• The quality of the peanut butter depends mainly on the quality of the peanuts used. So buy the best variety eg. Bharuch peanuts.
• The next important step is roasting. Make sure you roast them well. If you roast them in a Microwave 10-15 mins is just fine. In an oven, preheat the oven to 350c and roast the nuts for 3-5 mins. If both methods are not possible, the good old roasting on the oven works great. Though roasting them in an oven/ microwaves gives a better taste and flavour as compared to roasting them on gas. *Roast them till light brown and till you get a nutty flavor. If you taste them, they need to be crunchy.
• Peel the peanuts. Put them into a blender or food processor and grind them to paste by adding honey (as per sweetness) and oil ( as per the consistency that is required). Peanut butter can also be made with unpeeled groundnuts but it leaves a slight aftertaste.
• Also if you want a slightly crunchy consistency. Coarsely grind 1/3 of the peanuts and use the rest to make the peanut butter. Once the peanut butter is made, add in the partially ground peanuts.

Peanut butter can be consumed just as it is or with whole wheat roti/bread. It can also be added to smoothies and milkshakes.

Just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean you can consume it in access. Consumption in moderation is recommended.

Do give it a try and let me know how it turns out.