Peanut Butter Coffee Recipe
If you’ve ever enjoyed an American-style peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you’ll appreciate the nutty kick you’ll get from this delicious recipe for peanut butter coffee. All you need is some brewed coffee, milk, sweetener, and, of course, peanut butter. With such a simple base, there’s a lot of fun to be had with experimentation. No matter your taste or dietary needs, there’s a variation for you.
We’ll show you how in our easy peanut butter coffee recipe.
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee, or 2 shots of espresso
- ½ cup milk of choice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup, or sweetener of choice
- 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
- Ice cubes (for the iced coffee version)
- Whipped cream (optional)
- A blender
At A Glance
BREW TIME:
5-10 minutes
YIELD:
One 360-ml drink
Extra Notes:
- There are many different ways to make peanut butter-flavoured coffee. This recipe will focus on using natural unsweetened peanut butter, but peanut butter chips or peanut butter syrup are viable alternatives depending on personal preference. Peanut butter syrup flavouring is perfect for making a DIY peanut butter latte or a peanut butter mocha.
- For an evening treat, you can prepare this recipe using decaffeinated coffee.
- For a vegan peanut butter coffee, choose non-dairy milk, and check the ingredients listed on the peanut butter carefully. It is not a vegan option if it has honey, fish oil, or sugar made with bone char. Also, be vigilant about where the peanut butter is produced, as some are made in facilities that also handle animal products (1).
- The best milk to give this drink a creamy texture is whole milk, but if you’re a vegan or lactose intolerant, non-dairy options work nicely. Soy milk, quinoa milk, rice milk, cashew milk, macadamia milk, oat milk, coconut milk, and almond milk are all possible substitutes for traditional whole cow milk. Remember that some kinds of milk have stronger tastes and may overpower the peanut butter in your coffee (2).
- If you want to make peanut butter coffee without peanut butter (what a nutty idea!), then here are 10 other types of butter for you to try: granola, soy nut, coconut, sunflower seed, tahini, pecan, hazelnut, walnut, almond, and cashew butter (3).
How To Make Peanut Butter Coffee
This recipe will take you through how to make peanut butter coffee in a few simple steps. It’s kind of like putting butter in coffee but with a delicious nutty flavour. If you enjoy crafting specialty coffees at home, there are dozens of other delicious coffee drinks you can try.
1. Brew Your Hot Coffee
Prepare 1 cup of hot coffee using whichever brewing method you prefer. We recommend brewing a dark roast in a French press or Moka pot for a strong coffee flavour. Alternatively, you can pull a double shot of espresso, giving a stronger and more caffeinated drink. If you choose to use espresso, you’ll likely need to add more of the other ingredients to get the same drink yield. Consider it more of a peanut butter latte.
Pro Tip: You may use 1 cup of cold brew coffee here instead if you already have it prepped in advance. This recipe yields a cold drink in the end, so there is no downside to using cold brew. Some coffee drinkers prefer it for its lower acidity.
2. Blend Your Coffee, Milk, Sweetener, And Peanut Butter
Blend your fresh coffee, milk of choice, maple syrup, and creamy peanut butter of choice (so many choices!) in a high-speed blender. Blend until very smooth. Add more milk as needed to accentuate flavours and reach an appropriate creamy coffee consistency.
For the sweetener, we think maple syrup is one of the best options to pair with peanut butter, but you can choose another option to meet your dietary requirements. Other delicious choices include agave syrup or honey, or you can use a granulated sweetener like brown sugar, granulated white sugar,or coconut sugar. Sugar substitutes like Stevia can also be used, but you may need to adjust quantities.
Add 1 to 2 tbsp of chocolate chips, chocolate-flavoured syrup, or cocoa powder to the blender for a chocolate peanut butter coffee.
Pro Tip: We don’t recommend using an electric milk frother to blend the milk mixture ingredients. A milk frother isn’t designed to blend something as thick as peanut butter. So if you don’t have a blender, try a food processor instead.
3. Serve And Enjoy!
Pour your blended mixture over a tall glass filled with ice cubes, and enjoy your peanut butter iced coffee! Chill it in your fridge for a couple of hours if you’d like an even colder iced version. If you have a powerful enough blender, you can blend the ice with the peanut butter coffee to make a peanut butter frappuccino.
For a hot peanut butter coffee, skip the ice cubes and heat your peanut butter mixture in the microwave or over a small saucepan. Pour it into your favourite coffee mug and drink it hot.
Pro Tip: Several optional additions include topping your peanut butter coffee with whipped cream, adding a little chocolate syrup, or ramping up the peanut flavour with peanut butter chips or a peanut syrup drizzle.
Interested in another nutty drink? Here’s Home Grounds’ Starbucks copycat pistachio latte recipe!
Final Thoughts
Adding peanut butter to your regular coffee drink may seem nutty, but one taste will melt away your uncertainties. Served hot or cold, the luscious texture of creamy peanut butter coffee will keep you coming back for more.
This tasty treat uses simple ingredients like brewed coffee, milk, sugar, and peanut butter to yield something more than the sum of its parts. Optional add-ons like chocolate syrup or whipped cream amp up the flavour and texture.
FAQs
No, peanut butter does not have caffeine. Peanut butter is mainly fat with some protein and a bit of carbohydrate. Natural peanut butter usually contains only peanuts, sometimes with salt. More processed peanut butter is packed with additives and fillers. However, specialty caffeinated peanut butter does exist and is popular with endurance athletes (4).
Yes, putting peanut butter in coffee is healthy in moderation. Peanut butter adds healthy fats and protein to your morning brew. Peanut butter and coffee mix well energy-wise, giving you the morning boost you’re looking for and keeping you satiated longer throughout the day.
Yes, you can put peanut butter powder in coffee instead of regular peanut butter. Powdered peanut butter is a fine powder that is created by removing oils from roasted peanuts. It isn’t spreadable, but it forms a paste when mixed with water. The peanut flavour remains, but the fat content is drastically reduced, making this a healthy option for those worried about their fat intake. It even has twice the protein of peanut butter.
Yes, Starbucks has peanut butter coffee in the form of a Peanut Butter Cup Frappuccino, but it’s secret! To order this unlisted item, ask for a Mocha Frappuccino with a few pumps of Toffee Nut flavoured syrup. Ask for sweetened soy milk to add more flavour, and request a whipped cream topping with a hint of mocha drizzle (5).
For more coffee recipes to make at home or to order at Starbucks, check out Starbucks’ Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Chestnut Praline Latte.
References
- Link, R. (2020, January 13). Is Peanut Butter Vegan? Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-peanut-butter-vegan
- Coyle, D. (2018, January 17). The 9 Best Nondairy Substitutes for Milk. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-milk-substitutes
- Lang, A. (2021, October 19). 14 Scrumptious Substitutes for Peanut Butter. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/peanut-butter-substitute
- Bistro MD. (n.d.). Caffeinated Peanut Butter: Is It Worth the Hype? Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.bistromd.com/blogs/nutrition/reasons-to-avoid-caffeinated-peanut-butter
- Dixon, L. (2021, December 1). Starbucks Has a Peanut Butter Cup Frappuccino on the Secret Menu—Here’s How to Order. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/starbucks-peanut-butter-cup-frappuccino/
