A Short History Of Peanut Butter

So, who created peanut butter? The answer is surprisingly complicated.

Ancient civilisations were grinding peanuts into pastes centuries ago, while several inventors helped shape the peanut butter we know today.  

From ancient peanut pastes to Victorian patents, here's the surprisingly sticky history of peanut butter.

The Origins of Peanut Butter 

Evidence suggests the peanut plant originated in South America, probably in Peru or Brazil. Peanut-shaped pottery and decorated jars have been found dating back around 3,500 years. Indigenous communities were also grinding peanuts into pastes long before modern peanut butter existed.

Some accounts credit the Aztecs with making pastes from roasted peanuts too. These wouldn't have resembled today's ultra-smooth supermarket spreads, but the basic idea was there.

Take peanuts. Crush them. Discover they become something extremely delicious.

So, when was peanut butter first made? That depends on what you're prepared to call peanut butter.

Ground peanut pastes have existed for centuries (maybe millenia). The story of modern peanut butter really gets going during the late 19th century.

Who Invented Modern Peanut Butter?

There isn't one straightforward answer...

Several inventors played a part in developing the processes that eventually gave us modern peanut butter.

One of the strongest claims belongs to Canadian chemist and pharmacist Marcellus Gilmore Edson.

In 1884, Edson received a US patent for a process that involved grinding roasted peanuts between heated surfaces. The result was a fluid or semi-fluid peanut paste that developed a butter-like consistency once cooled.

Sound familiar?

There is a slight catch. Edson's patent was actually titled Manufacture of Peanut-Candy. His paste was primarily intended for confectionery rather than toast.

Still, his process looks remarkably like an early ancestor of modern peanut butter.

A little over a decade later, Dr John Harvey Kellogg (yes, the Kellogg cereal guy) developed processes for turning nuts into soft, nutritious foods. His 1895 patent describes producing a moist substance he called a "butter or paste".

Kellogg was particularly interested in nutritious foods that were easier to eat for people who struggled to chew. His process used boiled rather than roasted nuts, so the flavour would have been quite different from what we're used to, but another important piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.

Did George Washington Carver Invent Peanut Butter?

No. Although this might be the most persistent peanut butter myth of them all!

George Washington Carver was an influential American agricultural scientist whose work explored hundreds of potential uses for peanuts.

In 1916, Carver published How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption. His research helped promote peanuts as a valuable crop and encouraged farmers to diversify away from cotton.

Carver's contribution wasn't inventing peanut butter. Instead, his agricultural research and promotion helped transform the status of the humble peanut.

How Peanut Butter Became Popular

Peanut butter didn't jump immediately from Victorian patent office to kitchen cupboard.

During the late 19th century, peanuts became increasingly popular in the United States. New machinery also made planting, harvesting, shelling and processing them much more efficient.

Peanut butter gained another boost when it appeared at the St Louis World's Fair in 1904, introducing it to a much wider audience.

The two World Wars helped cement its popularity further. Peanuts and peanut butter provided an affordable, portable source of protein and became part of US military rations.

By the middle of the 20th century, peanut butter had travelled a long way from its health-food beginnings and was becoming an everyday staple.

How Is Peanut Butter Made Today?

The process has become considerably more efficient since Edson's heated grinding surfaces, but the fundamentals haven't changed too much.

Peanuts are first roasted, developing the deeper flavours and aromas we associate with peanut butter. They're then cooled and blanched to remove their skins.

Next comes the important bit: grinding.

As the peanuts are ground, their natural oils are released and the mixture gradually turns into a paste. It can be ground until completely smooth or combined with pieces of peanut to add crunch.

Some peanut butters are made almost entirely from peanuts. Others contain ingredients such as salt, sugar, sweeteners or oils to change their flavour, texture and shelf life.

Smooth or crunchy? We're staying firmly out of that argument.

The Rise of Flavoured Peanut Butter

For a long time, the biggest peanut butter decision was smooth or crunchy. Today, there’s a whole world of flavoured varieties to choose from.

Peanut butter’s rich, roasted flavour pairs brilliantly with everything from chocolate and fruit to chilli and coffee.

Naturally, it was the last one that caught our attention.

Our Espresso Salted Date Peanut Butter combines roasted peanuts with our best-selling No.5 Fudge Blend, dates and sea salt. The result is rich and nutty,creamy and satisfying.  It’s also vegan, palm-oil free and dangerously easy to eat straight from the jar.

The Evolution of Peanut Butter, at a glance...

So, Who Created Peanut Butter?

If you want one name, Marcellus Gilmore Edson has a pretty convincing claim.

His 1884 patent describes a roasted peanut paste made by grinding peanuts between heated surfaces. That's remarkably close to the basic idea behind peanut butter today.

But peanut butter doesn't really have a single inventor.

Its story stretches from ancient South American peanut pastes to Edson's patent and Kellogg's health-food experiments. Later manufacturing advances helped turn those ideas into the familiar spread.

And George Washington Carver? He didn't invent peanut butter. But his work helped make peanuts mainstream. 

More than a century later, we're still tinkering with the formula for making the perfect peanut butter. Although adding espresso, dates and sea salt probably wasn't what Edson had in mind…

Frequently Asked Questions

Who created peanut butter?

Peanut butter doesn’t have one single creator. Indigenous communities in South America were grinding peanuts into pastes centuries before modern peanut butter existed. Canadian chemist Marcellus Gilmore Edson later patented a process for making roasted peanut paste in 1884, giving him one of the strongest claims to the modern version.

John Harvey Kellogg also played an important part in its development. In 1895, he patented a process for producing a soft "butter or paste" from nuts as a nutritious, easy-to-eat food. Together, these early inventions helped pave the way for the peanut butter we know today.

Did George Washington Carver invent peanut butter?

No. Despite the popular myth, George Washington Carver did not invent peanut butter. Peanut pastes and patented peanut butter processes existed before his work. Carver was an influential agricultural scientist who promoted peanuts as a crop and developed numerous ways of using them but, technically, as a butter wasn't one of them.

Why was peanut butter invented?

Ppeanut butter developed gradually rather than being invented in one go. In the late 19th century, inventors including John Harvey Kellogg experimented with nut pastes as nutritious, protein-rich foods that were easy to eat, particularly for people who struggled to chew solid food. Other early processes, including Edson's, were associated with confectionery.

Its nutritional value later helped peanut butter find a much wider audience. As an affordable, portable source of protein, it became particularly useful during the two World Wars, when peanuts and peanut butter formed part of US military rations.

How is peanut butter made today?

Peanut butter is usually made by roasting peanuts, cooling and blanching them to remove their skins, then grinding them until their natural oils are released and they form a paste.

Much like coffee, there’s plenty of room for variation. How the peanuts are roasted can influence everything from sweetness and nuttiness to deeper, toastier flavours, while the way they’re ground determines whether the finished peanut butter is silky smooth or decidedly crunchy.

It’s not a million miles away from how we think about our coffees. Different origins, processes and roast profiles can bring completely different flavours to the cup – from light and fruity to rich, chocolatey and nutty. With peanut butter, the same principle applies: what you start with matters, but what you do with it matters too.

What's the best peanut butter?

That depends entirely on what you like. Smooth or crunchy, sweet or salty, classic or flavoured... the best peanut butter is the one you keep going back to.

Naturally, we're rather fond of our Espresso Salted Date Peanut Butter. But we're willing to admit we're slightly biased.

Ultimately, there's no single "best" peanut butter. It's all a matter of taste and what you think is worth a spoonfull.