Step 1

Roast the peanuts (optional). Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Place the peanuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly golden-brown and glossy with oil, about 10 minutes. You can skip this step if you prefer raw nut butter or if you're using pre-toasted nuts; roasting gives the peanut butter a deeper flavor and also helps make the oils looser and easier to blend into a smooth butter.

Step 2

Pulse the peanuts until ground. Transfer the peanuts to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or blender. If you toasted your nuts, do this while the nuts are still warm. Pulse a few times just until chopped.→ For chunky peanut butter, remove 1/2 cup of chopped nuts and set aside.

Step 3

Process for 1 minute. Run the food processor or blender continuously for 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. At this point, the peanut butter will look gritty and dry, almost like couscous.

Step 4

Process for 1 minute. Run the food processor or blender continuously for another minute, then stop and scrape down the sides. At this point, the butter will start clumping together. It's not quite peanut butter, but it's getting there!

Step 5

Process for 1 minute. Run the food processor or blender continuously for another minute, then stop and scrape down the sides. At this point, the butter will be glossy and soft, like very thick peanut butter.

Step 6

Add the salt, oil, sweetener, and any other extras. Sprinkle the salt, oil, sweetener, and any other extras over the top of the peanut butter.

Step 7

Process for 1 to 2 additional minutes. Continue processing the butter until it becomes completely smooth. Homemade peanut butter will still be a little more gritty than Skippy peanut butter, but should be spreadable at this point. Taste and add more salt or other add-ins to taste. If you reserved some nuts for chunky peanut butter, add them now and pulse a few times to incorporate.

Step 8

Transfer the peanut butter to storage container. Scrape the peanut butter into a storage container, cover, and refrigerate. The peanut butter can be used immediately.