9 recipes that use peanut butter that aren't a PB&J
- You can use peanut butter to make more than just PB&J sandwiches and desserts.
- Chefs shared recipes for dishes including peanut stew, chicken wings, and even pizza.
Almost everyone has a jar of peanut butter in their kitchen. But besides peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, what else is the spread good for when it comes to cooking?
Cookbook author and food stylist Susan Spungen told Insider that peanut butter is a great ingredient to cook with because it's fatty, which means it acts as a vehicle and carries other flavors well. As for peanut butter's flavor, she said it's a "no-brainer" to use it to jazz up your recipes.
"It's creamy, it's nutty, it complements - it's a great base for a sauce or marinade because it brings so much flavor, a very unique flavor of peanuts, to whatever you put it in," she said.
In honor of March 1 being National Peanut Butter Lover's Day, here are nine recipes that feature peanuts or peanut butter.
Peanut soup and peanut stew are staples in West African cuisine.
Peanut soup and stew have a special place in Chef Eric Adjepong's heart.
"Groundnut soup was my favorite — it was probably the first thing that I could eat as a child growing up, like that was the first thing my mom [made for me]," the "Top Chef All-Stars" alumnus told Insider. "It's delicious."
Adjepong said because of their abundance, the use of ground nuts — peanuts in particular — "is woven into West African culture."
The dishes feature a rich, creamy, earthy flavor and broth, but the peanut butter also brings a sweetness. If making either stew or soup, Adjepong recommends buying the creamiest all-natural peanut butter you can find.
This easy Senegalese peanut soup recipe from Food.com only takes 25 minutes and is perfect for the peanut soup curious. If you're looking for a heartier alternative, check out this peanut stew recipe from Budget Bytes that is vegan and wallet-friendly. It features a rich peanut and tomato sauce with sweet potatoes, collard greens, brown rice, peanuts, and cilantro.
Peanut butter can act as the base for hummus.
Cookbook author Susan Spungen told Insider that peanut butter is a great substitute for tahini, which is traditionally used in hummus.
Peanut butter "will just give you a different flavor," she said. "I think you find tahini more often in savory recipes than peanut butter but just doing a quick sub is a good one."
If you're looking for an easy peanut butter recipe, try this one from Jessica Merchant at How Sweet Eats.
Chicken wings become extra flavorful when coated in peanut butter.
In this recipe for spicy peanut butter and honey wings, food blogger Lemon Tree Dwelling instructs to mix honey, peanut butter, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and garlic in a bowl until smooth.
After baking your chicken wings for 20 minutes on each side at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, toss the wings in the sauce until wet, and then use any remaining sauce for dipping.
Peanut butter can be used as a condiment to add to a cheeseburger.
Peanut butter on a burger might seem surprising, but there are many positively reviewed recipes across the internet, like this one by Barbie Burgers, that call for spreading a generous amount of peanut butter on your burger bun and letting it act as a savory sauce.
It also works great as a source of protein in this vegan and vegetarian-friendly wrap.
Elvis Presley famously loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but this variation from the Minimalist Baker takes the combo a step further by pairing it with swiss chard, basil, and flaxseed meal for a super healthy wrap.
Spungen also has a recipe for a satay-style sauce for chicken.
Spungen says peanuts work especially well with grilled meat, specifically chicken. In her recipe, Spungen makes Indonesian-style chicken satay, although she calls for peanut butter rather than the ground roasted peanuts that are used in authentic satay sauces.
You've heard of dessert pizza, but have you heard of peanut pizza?
One recipe essentially instructs you to cook chicken in a peanut sauce with shredded carrots, cilantro, cheese, and spices on top of pizza dough. Numerous reviews on Allrecipes' "Thai chicken pizza" say the dish is "divine" and "delicious."
It's worth noting that peanut butter is not part of traditional Thai cooking — Chef Pailin Chongchitnant told Insider that peanut butter is used as a shortcut in some North American Thai restaurants or by home chefs, so recipes that use it are not authentic Thai cuisine. If you want the real deal, you have to process your own peanuts into a meal for homemade peanut sauce.
Peanut butter can also be used in noodles that are coated with a zesty peanut sauce.
Spungen also recommends tossing soba noodles in peanut sauce, as seen in this recipe from Cookie and Kate.
Try throwing some peanut butter into the mix the next time you make chili.
Peanut butter and beans — who would've thought? While peanut butter may not be traditional to chili, it can be added to just about anything to thicken it up or for a flavor boost, Spungen said.
This peanut butter chili from Allrecipes only takes 40 minutes to make and consists of ingredients commonly found in your pantry and spice cabinet.
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