peanut butter
A spread made from ground roasted peanuts, smooth or chunky, eaten on its own and used in baking, sauces, and dressings for richness and nutty flavor. Conventional peanut butter is emulsified and stabilized so it stays smooth on the shelf; natural peanut butter has no added stabilizer and separates into oil and solids, needing a stir before use.
Buying guidance
Check whether sweetened, stabilized conventional peanut butter or natural peanut butter is expected -- they behave differently in baking, since natural peanut butter is often less sweet and can make batter oilier once stirred back together. If buying natural, stir it thoroughly before measuring so what goes in matches the fat-to-solid ratio a recipe assumed.
Substitutions
- Almond butter -- similar richness, milder and slightly sweeter flavor.
- Tahini -- much less sweet and more bitter; works in savory sauces but changes the flavor noticeably in baking.
- Sunflower-seed butter -- nut-free option with a similar texture, slightly earthier taste.
Tips & common mistakes
Peanut butter scorches quickly in a warm sauce over direct high heat because of its natural sugars and oils -- add it off the heat or over gentle heat, stirring in a splash of warm liquid first to loosen it, rather than dropping a cold spoonful into a hot pan.
Storage
Conventional shelf-stable peanut butter keeps fine in the pantry before and after opening. Natural peanut butter separates on the shelf, and once opened it's much easier to stir back together at room temperature than straight from the fridge -- refrigerating slows further separation but firms it into a dense, hard-to-mix block.