What Is Peanut butter and How Can I Use It?
Wondering what to do with peanut butter? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it — with 943 recipes to put it to work.
What is peanut butter?
Peanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Some peanut butter marketed as "natural" contains only peanuts and salt (to help prevent spoilage), but most consumer-brand peanut butter today, even if labeled "natural", contains other ingredients including hydrogenated vegetable oil to stabilize it and prevent oil separation, and dextrose or other sweeteners to enhance flavor.
Sometimes palm oil is used instead of hydrogenated oils to prevent oil separation. Peanut butter is also sold mixed with other pastes such as chocolate, jelly (jam) and the like.
Health Benefits
Peanut butter may protect against a high risk of cardiovascular disease due to high levels of monounsaturated fats and resveratrol; butter prepared with the skin of the peanuts has a greater level of resveratrol and other health-aiding agents.
Peanut butter (and peanuts) provide protein, vitamins B3, E, magnesium, folate, dietary fiber, arginine, and high levels of the antioxidant p-coumaric acid.
Health Concerns
For people with a peanut allergy, peanut butter can cause reactions including life-threatening anaphylactic shock which has led to bans in some schools.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (258g)Where found
Peanut butter is usually found in the baking supplies section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group
Peanut butter is a member of the Legumes and Legume Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
How much does peanut butter weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 258 grams |
| 2 tbsp | 32 grams |
Related
Legumes and Legume Products
| In Chinese: | 花生酱 | |
| British (UK) term: | ||
| en français: | le beurre d'arachide | |
| en español: | manteca de cacahuete |
Recipes using peanut butter
There are 943 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Very P-Nutty Muffins
Peanut butter banana muffins with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a swirl of sour cream for extra-tender crumb. Elvis-inspired snack muffins, freezer-friendly, ready in under an hour.
Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
Velvety hot chocolate spiked with creamy peanut butter and dark chocolate chips, creating a decadent fireside drink that tastes like liquid Reese's cups.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate peanut butter cookies bake brown sugar, peanut butter dough loaded with chocolate chips. Soft chewy centers and crisp edges, ready in under an hour.
Peanut Butter Snack Cookies
Classic peanut butter snack cookies with the signature fork-pressed crisscross pattern. Crisp edges, soft middles, and a deep peanut flavor. Makes three dozen for the cookie jar.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies
Peanut butter chocolate cookies blend melted chocolate into the dough for double chocolate-peanut flavor in every bite. Cross-hatched and baked into thick, chewy 3-inch rounds.
Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies
Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies recipe
Almost Whole Wheat Choco Banana Peanut Cookies
Almost Whole Wheat Choco Banana Peanut Cookies recipe
S'more Tacos
A playful twist on s'mores: a warm corn tortilla smeared with peanut butter and folded around a fire-toasted marshmallow. Three ingredients, about five minutes, no graham crackers required.
Tom's Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies
Tom's oatmeal peanut butter chocolate cookies are chewy oat cookies with creamy peanut butter and a melted chocolate dab on top. Three classic cookie flavors in one. Drop, flatten, bake, top.
Peanut-Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies loaded with chopped pecans and semisweet chocolate. Butter and shortening create a crisp edge with a soft, nutty center.
Toasts with Peanut Butter & Sea Salt
Everyone loves toasts with peanut butter, it's so quick and easy to make, and it's just good itself.
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe
Peanut Butter Chocolate Kisses (Healthier Version)
Sweets don't have to be always connected with high sugar, high fat and unhealthy. A few healthy twists, now you can enjoy these delicious cookies without feeling guilty at all.
Vegan Peanut Butter Muffins
Vegan peanut butter muffins sweetened with dark molasses and made dairy-free with soy milk. No eggs, no butter, just a one-bowl stir-and-bake batter for tender, nutty muffins.
Mom's Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mom's peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies bake up with chewy centers, crisp edges and pockets of melted chocolate. A bake-and-share batch of 48.
Lovable Peanut Butter Cookies
Flourless peanut butter cookies made with just peanut butter, sugar, egg whites, and chopped peanuts. Naturally gluten-free with no butter or flour. Crisp edges, chewy peanut centers.
Impressive Peanut Butter Cookies
Classic peanut butter cookies with the iconic fork-crossed tops, soft chewy centers, and crisp edges. Made with creamy peanut butter, shortening, and both sugars for old-school texture.
Honey-Nut Peanut Cookies
Peanut butter cookies loaded with chopped honey-roasted peanuts and built on honey-nut peanut butter for a sweet-salty double hit. Crisp edges, soft middle, ready in half an hour.
No Gluten Peanut Butter Cookies
Three-ingredient peanut butter cookies, just peanut butter, sugar, and an egg, with no flour at all, which makes them naturally gluten-free. Roll, crosshatch, and bake in about 8 minutes.
Satay Peanut Chicken
Satay peanut chicken skewers marinated in peanut butter, soy, lemon, garlic, ginger, and red pepper, then grilled and served with the reserved sauce for dipping. A Southeast Asian classic with a kick.
Peanut Butter Snack Muffins
Peanut butter snack muffins with a tender crumb and mild nutty sweetness, ready in 35 minutes from pantry staples. Lunchbox-friendly snack that pairs with jam, banana, or a cold glass of milk.
Jimmy's Peanut Butter Cookies
Classic peanut butter cookies with the signature fork-pressed crisscross pattern. Vegetable shortening keeps them tender and bakery-style chewy, with both sugars layering caramel and bright sweetness.
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Traditional peanut butter cookies with the classic crisscross fork pattern deliver that perfect combo of crispy edges, chewy centers, and rich peanut flavor.
Nutritious Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter cookies made with vegetable oil instead of butter, brown sugar, and a single egg. Lower in saturated fat than classic versions, with the iconic fork-cross top.
