Cooking with Peanut Flour

This year, in an effort to diversify my food storage, I am trying to add new items to my plan. Have you ever tried peanut flour? I started out looking for a shelf-stable peanut butter substitute and arrived at peanut flour instead. Nutritionally speaking peanut flour is gluten-free and low in carbohydrates. Two tablespoons of flour have 45 calories, 1 gram of fat, 3 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of protein. It is a healthy alternative for families looking to reduce their intake of white flour.

One of the most delicious, nutritious, and satisfying foods you can store is peanut butter. It will keep on a cool, dark shelf for six months and in your refrigerator for over one year. Creamy peanut butter stores better than the crunchy kinds. “Old-fashioned” peanut butter is not hydrogenated and may contain few or no additives but it also separates and leaves an oily layer on top. If you want to store the old-fashioned kind, keep it in the refrigerator. (source)

Peanut flour is relatively low in fat because most of the oil is pressed out during processing. It still has all the protein, fiber, and nutrients that make peanuts a nutritional powerhouse. Removing the fat also make it have a longer shelf life.

Storage Basics

Shelf Life: 1 to 5 years.

While processed peanut butter has a normal shelf life of 6 months to 1 year, peanut flour will last up to one year under normal pantry conditions. You can extend the shelf life up to 5 years by storing peanut flour in an oxygen free environment.

Peanut Flour in Food Storage – How to store

Using a Mason jar and oxygen absorber – Put your peanut flour in a jar, place 1 300cc oxygen absorber in with it. Secure the lid and screw the band tightly. It will take approximately 30 minutes for the air to be removed and the top to “plink.”

Using a FoodSaver machine with the canning jar attachment – This works well for storing small amounts of dry food. I use mine almost every day for keeping the extra food we haven’t used, it’s super handy.

Where to purchase

Most natural food grocers will carry a variety of specialty flours, including peanut flour. If you don’t have one close to you try these online retailers.

Protein Plus, Roasted All Natural Peanut Flour at Amazon– The Thrive Life Store has 15 ounce and #10 cans available-

Uses: Blend into smoothies; mix into cookies and replace a portion of white flour; use as a thickener in sauces and gravy; make peanut butter.

I decided to use peanut flour instead of PB2 because I want to be able to control the amount of sugar and salt that I add to my peanut butter. I also think that straight peanut flour is more versatile than a peanut butter mix for my food storage needs.

Cooking with Peanut Flour

I tried this on my daughter today and she was not impressed. We usually eat Jiff and she says this recipe does not compare. I will say that it is difficult to get the butter as smooth as the commercial brands if you are only using a wire whisk. Perhaps your family will like it better if they are used to eating natural butter instead of the more processed brand. I thought the peanut taste was great, but the texture might not be right for some people.

Making a Healthy Peanut Butter Replacement

• 2 tablespoons of peanut flour
• Sugar to taste (I started with ¼ teaspoon)
• 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt
• Vegetable oil

This makes a small batch suitable for one sandwich. Experiment with using sugar, Swerve, Stevia, or even honey for the sweetener. Place the peanut flour, sugar, and salt in a small canning jar or bowl and mix. Slowly add the vegetable oil until it reaches the consistency you want. It doesn’t take much oil.

My daughter said that my homemade peanut butter was gritty and not smooth like she was used to. This recipe is really about the taste. Perhaps your family likes more or less sugar, more or less oil.

Next time I make it I will try adding the sugar and salt to the oil until they are dissolved and then add the peanut flour, which may make the batch smoother.

Peanut Flour Waffles

We also made peanut flour waffles today and those were a big hit, although I was surprised that they did not have more of a peanut flavor.

2/3 cup peanut flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar or Swerve
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup softened butter

Preheat the waffle iron to high.

In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until smooth. Let the batter sit for 3-5 minutes.

Make sure the iron is hot and add the batter onto the greased waffle iron. Close the iron and cook until crisp, 2-3 minutes. Serve with a little butter melted on top and sugar-free syrup. Makes 4 single waffles.

Another idea to extend your peanut butter

Do you love peanut butter? Here’s how The Hungry Artist makes her regular peanut butter jar last 3 times longer. Find creative recipes for peanut Nutella and peanut chocolate truffles.

Do you keep peanut flour of PB2 in your food storage? What is your favorite way to use it?

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Other posts in this series: Cooking with Powdered Milk – Cooking with Lemon Juice Powder