Homemade Peanut Milk

Introducing peanut butter in DRINKABLE form! If you are a peanut butter lover like me, you will be blown away by how rich and buttery this milk is.

Although peanut milk is popular in many countries across Asia, I first encountered it during a trip to Đà Lạt, a city located in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. In the evening, when the temperature cools down a bit, numerous vendors at the local night market offer a range of fresh soy milk, corn milk, black sesame milk, and peanut milk. With the exception of corn milk, most are actually vegan!

After taking a sip, I knew I had to recreate a version at home. My peanut milk is super peanutty, slightly sweet, slightly salty, and has the smoothest texture!

⭐️ Why You Should Try It

The drinkable version of peanut butter.

Peanut butter lovers, you are going to get addicted to this milk IN NO TIME. It’s literally peanut butter in a glass! With a hint of saltiness and the perfect amount of sweetness, my plant-based peanut milk is, without a doubt, a must-try.

I like to enjoy it hot during the colder days, but it’s also delicious served chilled with ice! Oh, and you can even use it in other recipes to impart a ton of peanut flavor. Overnight peanut butter oats, here I come!

Thick and super creamy.

Thanks to the healthy fats of peanuts, this milk has a silky smooth consistency and a rich mouthfeel. If you are a plant-based milk connoisseur, I would say that this peanut milk is richer than store-bought cashew milk and almost as creamy as full-fat coconut milk.

What I love about this milk is that it’s creamy and luxurious without feeling heavy on the stomach, making it easy to digest.

Made with 3 simple ingredients.

You will only need raw peanuts, sugar, and salt! Plus, an optional spoon of vanilla extract if you want more deliciousness. This makes this milk rather affordable compared to other options like cashew or almond milk.

📘 What Is Peanut Milk

Peanut milk is a plant-based beverage prepared from peanuts, water, and sometimes sugar and salt. It’s a popular drink in Asia, especially in China and Vietnam, where it’s often sold on the street.

There are different versions of peanut milk. Some are prepared with raw peanuts, yielding a light color and a very subtle flavor, while others are made with roasted peanuts, yielding very nutty milk. In this recipe, we are going to prepare the roasted version.

🥜 Ingredient Notes

Just like most vegan milk recipes, there is no need for any fancy ingredients here. You will only need a nut milk bag and a few pantry staples:

Peanuts

I recommend starting with raw peanuts and roasting them until golden brown. I have tried this recipe in two ways: one with store-bought roasted peanuts and the other with raw peanuts that I roasted in the oven. The milk made with store-bought peanuts, while good, didn’t taste as toasty and complex as the one made with the peanuts that I roasted.

Another benefit of starting with raw peanuts is that you can control the roast level. More on that in the Tips section.

After testing, I settled on using 1 cup of roasted peanuts that I combined with 1/3 cup of raw peanuts. The addition of raw peanuts not only gives the milk a thicker consistency but also slightly mellows down the peanut flavor, so it’s not overpowering.

Note: Raw peanuts are available both with and without their red skin (blanched). If you use peanuts with the skin on, you will have to peel them after roasting. Fortunately, you can easily remove the skin by rubbing the peanuts between your hands. You can save time and skip this step by starting with raw and blanched peanuts.

Sugar

Unlike other plant-based milks such as almond, cashew, or hazelnut milk, I do not consider the sugar optional in this recipe since it helps balance out the subtle bitterness and nuttiness of the roasted peanuts.

I went with granulated white sugar, but coconut sugar, maple syrup, or agave will work as well.

Salt

There are two teams (actually four if you count smooth vs crunchy) when it comes to peanut butter: the salt one and the unsalted one. Personally, I am all about the saltiness. That’s why I like to add a generous pinch of salt, which intensifies the peanut flavor of the milk. Plus, peanuts and salt are a match made in heaven, right?

Vanilla extract

You won’t find vanilla extract in most peanut milk recipes, but I believe it complements the peanut flavor, giving it gourmand notes.

Brand recommendation: Of course, I am biased, but my first recommendation will be my homemade vanilla extract, which tastes, in my opinion, 10x better than the store-bought options. When it comes to commercial brands, I like Watkins vanilla extract. Alternatively, the seeds from half a vanilla bean will work too.

🥣 How to Make It

Making peanut milk at home consists of 4 simple steps: roasting the peanuts, blending them with water, straining the milk, and finally, cooking the milk.

1. Prepare the peanuts

1. Soak the peanuts. Add 1/3 cup of peanuts to a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let them soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. These peanuts won’t be roasted, we will blend them raw with the roasted ones.
2. Roast the peanuts. While traditionally, peanuts are slowly toasted in a wok, I prefer to roast them in the oven to make it easier. To do so, preheat your oven to 350°F (150°C). Spread the remaining 1 cup of raw peanuts on a baking sheet and roast them for 23-25 minutes. The peanuts should be golden brown all the way through, and the skin should be cracked.
3. Allow to cool. Next, remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool for at least 20 minutes.
4. Peel the peanuts. Once the peanuts are no longer hot, rub them with your hands. The peels will come off very easily. Discard the peels.

2. Blend them

Once your peanuts are peeled (it’s okay if there are still some peels here and there), it’s time to blend them:

1. Blend the milk. Drain the soaked peanuts and add them to the bowl of a blender. Add the roasted peanuts and the 3 cups of water. Blend on high speed for 1-2 minutes or until the peanuts are fully puréed.

3. Strain

1. Strain the peanut milk. Place a nut milk bag over a saucepan. Pour the peanut milk into the nut milk bag and squeeze with your hands to strain the milk. Once you have squeezed all of the liquid, discard the peanut pulp.

4. Cook the milk

Finally, we will cook the milk for a few minutes. Cooking the milk allows the sugar to melt, as well as giving the peanut milk a creamier and thicker consistency. To do so:

1. Add the remaining ingredients. To the saucepan containing the peanut milk, add the sugar, salt, and vanilla extract if using.
2. Let simmer. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until it comes to a boil. Let the milk simmer for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Your peanut milk is now ready!

☕️ How to Serve It

There are so many ways to use this peanut milk:

• On its own: Serve it with ice during summer or as a hot beverage during Winter (that’s our favorite way to enjoy it!).
• Over cereals: Replace the classic almond milk with peanut milk and pour it over your favorite cereals! Looking for homemade cereal recipes? Check out these Buckwheat Flakes, Cinnamon Cereals, or Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cereals!
• Overnight oats: Make overnight oats with peanut milk and a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter. Your oats won’t get more peanutty than that!
• In smoothies: Use it as a base to make nutty smoothies! It goes particularly well with blueberries and raspberries!
• In coffee or tea: Mix espresso with some peanut milk for a peanut latte.

💬 FAQ

Peanut butter addicts, you have been warned: this milk is insanely addictive! It’s not overly sweet, has a hint of saltiness, and is super nutty!

🥛 More Dairy-Free Milk Recipes

How to Make Hazelnut Milk (Raw + Roasted)

Creamy Taro Milk Tea

Black Sesame Milk

Creamy Banana Milk (Korean-Inspired!)

⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!