Amazing Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Spread
This creamy chocolate peanut butter spread is ready in only 30 minutes and easy to make. It's a smooth blend of rich yet simple ingredients. And the best part? There are no refined sugars or artificial additives—just pure, unadulterated goodness that can easily fit into a low-carb, vegan, or Paleo-friendly diet.
Servings: 16 Servings (about 3 cups total)
Calories: 179kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw unsalted and shelled peanuts 440 grams
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves optional
- 1 teaspoon olive oil optional
- ⅓ cup cacao or cocoa powder 45 grams
- ¼ cup solid coconut oil 56 grams
- ¼ cup Monkfruit sweetener 40 grams plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or 175 °C) and cover the bottom of a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the peanuts evenly over the baking sheet in one single layer.3 cups raw unsalted and shelled peanuts
- With a baking brush, coat the rosemary sprigs with olive oil and add them to the side onto the baking sheet.2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until nuts are slightly browned, and the herbs are dried. Keep an eye on the nuts to ensure that they don't burn. Take them out earlier if needed.
- Remove from the oven and let them sit for a minute.
- Crumble the dried rosemary leaves with your hands into bits and measure out about 1 tablespoon—store any leftovers in a small jar to flavor other dishes.
- While still warm, transfer the nuts and the tablespoon of crumbled rosemary leaves to a high-speed blender or food processor.
- Blend until creamy. With a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, this will only take a few minutes. You must use the tamper tool to push the nuts into the blades. Be a bit more patient with a food processor because it will take a lot longer. It will go from clumps to a bigger ball—keep scraping the sides and blending until very creamy; reserve in the blender or food processor.
- While still hot, add the rest of the ingredients to the blender.⅓ cup cacao or cocoa powder, ¼ cup solid coconut oil, ¼ cup Monkfruit sweetener 40 grams, 1 pinch of salt
- Blend and pulse again until you get a smooth and glossy chocolate spread. The heat will also melt the Monk fruit sweetener.
- Taste test and blend in 2 extra tablespoons of Monk fruit if you prefer a sweeter taste. Note that once cooled, it will taste sweeter.
- Transfer to glass jars or containers with a lid. Be careful because the paste is hot. Allow it to cool with the tops open.
- Store in the pantry or a cool, dark place for about 4 weeks. It will maintain its smooth and spreadable consistency. Refrigerate for longer storage.
Notes
Helpful Tips & Notes
- Raw and shelled nuts: If bought in bulk, they are cheaper than already roasted nuts. I often see large bags in Asian grocery stores, or you can find them online.
- Roasting the nuts: Even if you use already roasted nuts, I suggest popping them briefly in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 8 minutes or until slightly browned and warmed. Roasting the nuts first brings out their sweet and nutty flavor, and warm nuts will help quickly turn them into creamy butter.
- Always watch the nuts while in the oven, as burned nuts will have an unpleasant bitter taste.
- There is no need to remove the red skin from shelled roasted peanuts.
- Although optional, roasting rosemary herbs with peanuts adds an incredibly fresh aroma. The needles become brittle after roasting and easily crumble into smaller pieces.
Variations & Substitutions
- You can buy already roasted and unsalted peanuts instead of roasting them yourself. However, it's hard to beat the amazing flavor when the nuts come straight out of the oven.
- Instead of peanuts, use a mix of nuts or other nuts of choice: cashews, walnuts, pecans, macadamia, and almonds, to name a few.
- Note: Usually, I make a new batch of nut butter when I have leftovers from many different nuts. It's a great way to clean out your pantry, and I've found that a mixture of nuts used in nut butter adds a lovely, flavorful complexity.
- Sesame, pumpkin, or sunflower seeds sometimes can also end up on the baking sheet and are a great addition to this chocolate spread.
- Cacao powder: you could substitute this for unsweetened cocoa powder. Add a tad more for an extra dark chocolate peanut butter.
- Salt: This is optional, but a little—like a few pinches—is enough to improve the flavors of the nuts and enrich the chocolatey taste.
- Sweetener: adjust by adding more sweetener if preferred. I use Monkfruit, a no-carb, no-sugar, no-calorie sweetener (also ideal if you want to make it Keto-Friendly and leaves no aftertaste). If you prefer to work with other low-carb sweeteners such as Stevia, Erythritol, and Swerve, you'll have to adjust the amount to your palate—start with a small amount and work your way up.
- If you prefer to use agave, liquid honey, or maple syrup to add a touch of sweetness (not a low-carb option), always mix this in after you have made your creamy nut butter and stir it in by hand. Processing any syrup in the blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients results in sticky nut butter. Also, start with a small amount and work your way up based on taste. Note: It will change the overall taste of the nut butter.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 0.02g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
