I'm a huge peanut butter fan—like an eat-a-jar-with-a-spoon-for-dinner type of fan. So, a few months ago, when I noticed powdered peanut butter on my local health food store shelf, I got curious. I heard people were stirring it into smoothies, mixing it into cookie dough, but I didn't really understand it. Dry peanut butter, what gives?
Being the peanut butter addict that I am, I needed to try it out. So I got a few jars and started experimenting with it in the Epi Test Kitchen, where I discovered that the powder format makes it super easy to add to a variety of different dishes. Here are 9 of the many things you can do with powdered peanut butter:
This one might be obvious, but it's worth mentioning. Mix 4 Tbsp. powdered peanut butter with 1 Tbsp. water and you'll get 2 Tbsp. "peanut butter," or at least a creamy, pseudo-peanut butter. A huge reason people love the stuff is the low-calorie appeal of powdered peanut butter—it's made by removing the natural oils from peanuts and making a powder from what remains—and in those 2 tablespoons of "peanut butter" there are just 90 calories calories and 3 grams of fat, compared to 190 calories and 16 grams of fat in 2 tablespoons of typical, natural creamy peanut butter.
Flavor-wise, not going to lie, the reconstituted version of the powdered stuff wasn't my favorite; as straight "peanut butter" it has a sort-of-strange, metallically aftertaste. The true value of the product lies in its ability to meld with other ingredients.
As much as I love PB, I don't normally put peanut butter in my smoothie, because I find the flavor a little overpowering in drink form. But I know fans of the powdered stuff were using it in their smoothies because the powder packs a seriously healthy punch, plus it's smoother than the sometimes gritty real peanut butter. And when I stumbled on this grape and peanut butter smoothie recipe from Food Director Rhoda Boone, I knew it would be a good one. Instead of using the 1 Tbsp. peanut butter, I added in 2 Tbsp. powder, and the drink turned out delicious: slightly sweet, fresh, and full of peanut butter flavor. Like a PB&J, but better.
Another easy way to add a spoonful of healthy protein to your breakfast bowl is by stirring it into oatmeal. Top it with fresh blueberries for a similar flavor to that PB&J, and add in plenty of nuts and toasted seeds for good texture.
You can also sprinkle the powdered stuff into your granola mix for a different take on breakfast. Add it to chocolate granola and you'll have a "puppy chow" flavor going on; add it to a coconut, seeded mix for a more tropical version. Serve with Greek yogurt for even more protein.
That chocolate-peanut butter granola? I would totally bring that along on a road trip as a snack. What other snacks can you sprinkle powdered peanut butter on? Try it mixed into trail mix, toasted nuts, or even on caramel popcorn. Movie night just got way better.
Add a boost of flavor and nutrition to your chicken cutlets by mixing a spoonful of powdered peanut butter into the dry mix along with some spicy red chile flakes and garlic powder. A good rule of thumb is to use 1/3 the amount of peanut butter powder as flour in the mixture.
Any sauce that calls for peanut butter—think Pad Thai, Asian slaws, or spicy peanut dipping sauces—can also be made with peanut butter powder; just rehydrate it first so the sauce isn't too dry. You can also add a spoonful of the powder to a stir-fry to give it a boost of that signature Thai flavor.
For a nutty flavor boost, add peanut butter powder to any baked good—cakes, cookies, pancakes, breads. Since you're not adjusting the amount of fat or moisture in the dish—as you would be if you were swapping out the oil or butter for full-fat peanut butter—it's very easy to add to a recipe. Just sub in peanut butter powder for 1/3 the amount of flour called for in the recipe. For recipes that call for peanut butter already, simply rehydrate the powdered peanut butter and use the same amount.
Peanut butter powder can be used to upgrade desserts in so many ways. Want to frost your chocolate cake with peanut butter icing? Stir peanut butter powder into a simple buttercream frosting recipe. Or try it in chocolate mousse, rice pudding, or even vanilla ice cream. (Add it to the ice cream base if you're making the ice cream at home, or stir it into slightly softened store-bought ice cream.)
