Making homemade peanut oil is a very easy thing to do. All you need is a good amount of peanuts to make a healthy and wholesome oil, and a little patience and energy. Let’s take a look at how to make homemade peanut oil in detail.
I. Benefits of making peanut oil at home
In our modern world, almost all the oils consumed around the world are manufactured in an industrial way, sometimes adding dozens of chemical additives in order to preserve them over time and to give them an aroma that does not disappear so quickly.
Indeed, many oils that we consume daily are manufactured thousands of kilometers (miles) from home and sometimes their manufacturing dates are several months old.
And to preserve them and not scorch them, and to keep their flavors, the industrial manufacturers resort to different flavors and chemical preservatives.
You can easily guess that any chemical element can be harmful to health, and sometimes very dangerous.
But if we make our own peanut oil at home, we can be sure of the quality of the peanuts we use and the manufacturing process.
II. How to make peanut oil at Home
1. Is it possible to make peanut oil without a machine?
There are some great machines available on the market or on the internet at quite reasonable prices with which we can prepare our homemade peanut oil.
The manufacturing process is simplified to the maximum. These machines have a container tray in which we put our roasted peanuts. Then we let the machine do its work.
The oil falls into a bowl already prepared. It is almost finished, there is only one last filtration to make sure that it does not contain any waste.
The waste (or the rest of the peanuts) will be thrown out of another end of the machine. They are almost dry.
Otherwise, if we want to prepare our own peanut oil, the process is also simple, except that it requires some effort and patience.
You have to crush, stir, filter, etc.
2. Material and Tools
The equipment to prepare peanut oil without a machine is very basic: bowls, a blender, a mixing tool such as a wooden spoon, a strainer to filter the oil, and finally a glass container to store it.
It is not too much to remind you that you must wash your hands and all the utensils to be used before starting the manufacturing process to ensure cleanliness and not to risk getting infected by old bacteria that sometimes linger in poorly washed utensils.
3. Preparation
* Cleaning the peanuts
Washing peanuts is not a deeply rooted custom, although they can accumulate dust and dirt during the harvesting and packaging process.
Peanuts are sometimes sold with crop remains and even have small gravels in them, especially when sold in large quantities.
It would then be wise to spread them out on a plate to remove any waste, expired peanuts, and those that are too soft and have lost their nutritional value.
Shake the plate to remove all the waste from the pile.
* Drying the peanuts
Almost all organic peanuts sold have gone through a drying process at harvest. But it would be useful, if possible, to dry them at home for a while to give them more flavor, especially if you live in a sunny area.
You can even wash them superficially and then dry them in the sun.
* Roasting the peanuts
To roast them in the oven, it is advisable to preheat the oven to 180 °C, place the peanuts on a tray suitable for the oven, and place the baking tray on the middle rack of the oven.
This will help it to toast evenly. It is not necessary to turn the peanut during roasting.
Depending on the type of peanuts you are roasting, roasting times will vary:
For shelled peanuts, roast for 15 to 20 minutes.
For in-shell peanuts, roast for 20-25 minutes.
And to roast them in frying pan, just put the peanuts in a frying pan, and roast them for about 7 minutes, without the need to add oil since peanuts are full of fat.
Once roasted we will find that the skin separates very easily from the fruit and it is enough to shake them and sometimes rub with the hands to see the skins get on top.
It is then easier to remove them.
4. Steps of making peanut oil at home
This is the most important step in the process of making peanut oil at home.
First, we put a number of peanuts in a blender, fill its equivalent in water and rotate the blades until we obtain a kind of creamy liquid paste.
We leave aside for a few minutes (15 to 20 min). Then we put the obtained paste in a saucepan, which we will put on a soft fire.
We add then water very slowly until obtaining a rather liquid paste.
It is necessary to leave it until we begin to see the oil that puts above the pasty mixture.
We turn off the fire to let rest for a few minutes. And with a small ladle, we start to collect the oil that floats.
It remains to us then, to filter the obtained peanut oil.
2nd Method (The laborious method)
We pass the peanuts in a blender until we obtain fairly coarse peanut flour. Immediately afterward, we put the powder in a bowl on which we will pour spoonfuls of hot water gradually.
Each time we put a spoon of water, we mix it with the powder. We continue to put water with one hand and mix with the other hand until we begin to feel the oil that escapes from the paste that is made.
We let act for a few minutes. Then we take a clean and rather fine white cloth. We will make balls which we will press to make leave the peanut oil in a clean bowl.
It remains to us then, to filter the peanut oil obtained.
5. Filtering and Storing Peanut Oil
This is the easiest part of the manufacturing process. We take a fine sieve and pour in the coarse oil we just obtained.
Remember that the oil floats on water. So the oil that is on top of the containers is the purest. It can be kept separately for therapeutic use.
As for storage, a glass container is the most suitable for oils. Keep it out of the sun, at room temperature.
6. How much oil comes from 1 kg of groundnut seeds?
The answer depends on the quality of the peanuts used and the species. However, we can generally speak of 1/3 of a liter of oil for one kilo of peanuts.
So if you want to obtain one liter of peanut oil, you need at least 2 to 3 kg of good-quality fresh peanuts.
7. Are there any health risks associated with making peanut oil at home?
There are no particular health risks if we make peanut oil at home, except of course the poor quality of the peanuts and the lack of cleanliness of our hands and utensils.
We are always careful not to use spoiled peanuts or those contaminated by heavy metals.
That’s why it’s always advisable to opt for organic and local products.
III. How to use Peanut Oil
Here are some ways to use peanut oil
- Sautéed or sealed fish, meats, etc.
- Stir-fried and wok-fried vegetables.
- Dressings and sauces.
- Seasoning and flavoring of salads.
- Pickled olives, pickles, cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted vegetables, etc.
- Preparation of olive paste, vegetable paste, etc.
- Preparation of sweet cookies, cereal bars, pie dough, cakes, brownies, etc.
- Preparation of crackers and snacks.
- It can be used as a treatment to alleviate skin conditions, such as acne, wrinkles, and scalp dandruff removal.
IV. Peanut Oil Benefits
Here are some of the benefits of peanut oil:
- Natural antioxidant
- Rich in good fats
- Rich in vitamin E
- Excellent moisturizer for skin and lips
- May help reduce the signs of aging
- Helps reduce the effects of acne
- May help relieve constipation
- May improve insulin sensitivity
- Great energy boost
- Helps Hair Growth
- May help prevent arthritis
- May help reduce the risk of heart disease
- May help prevent cancer
This nourishing oil is loaded with many vitamins and minerals. The following table represents the approximate nutritional values found in one cup or 100 grams of peanut oil.
| Monounsaturated fatty acids | 39g |
| Essential fatty acids (Omega-6 | 38g |
| Saturated fatty acids (palmitic, stearic) | 23g |
| Vitamin E | 17mg |
| calories | 900 |
| Selenium | < 9.1µg |
| Iodine | <0.4 mcg |
| Vitamin K1 | <0.7mcg |
V. Other Questions About making Peanut Oil at home
1. How long does homemade peanut oil last?
Peanut oil can, when properly stored in a cool place and not too exposed to the sun, last up to a year or more. The condition must be to keep it closed.
If opened, the oil may start to go rancid after only 6 months or less.
2. What can I do with the leftover peanut pulp?
You can incorporate peanut pulp in cake preparations.
3. How can I make flavored peanut oil?
The peanut oil that is flavored is usually of good quality, to which various flavors are added, including herbs and spices.
Usually, these flavors are placed in a glass bottle which is then filled with peanut oil and left to rest for at least two weeks.
The longer they sit, the more intense the flavor will be. If the flavors used to break down, leaving impurities in the oil, the best thing to do is to filter it before using it;
If, on the other hand, the aromas are intact, they can be left inside the bottle.
4. Is it safe to make peanut oil at home?
The answer is yes. As already mentioned above, it is only necessary to clean the utensils, and hands and check the healthy origin of the peanuts.
It is also advisable to sterilize the glass bottles in which the oil will be kept once it has been filtered, by boiling them in water under low heat.
5. How do you know if peanut oil has gone bad?
If the peanut oil smells rancid or if the smell is off-putting in any way, or if it tastes very bitter, the oil is probably expired and should be thrown away to avoid getting sick.
7. Which peanut is best for oil?
The peanut used to make oil is a variety with a considerably higher ratio of oleic to linoleic fatty acids in the oleic part (high Omega 9 content).
However, for domestic use, all kinds of peanuts are good for making oil. Sometimes, industrialists prefer small seeds because they are not too saleable as a snack. The peanuts with large seeds are sold roasted in bags or in bulk.
But to make homemade peanut oil, you should opt for fresh and robust peanuts. They give more oil and are more tasty and nutritious.
8. Can I use peanut oil for cooking?
Yes, you can use it in cooking as you would use olive oil or sunflower oil.
You can also fry with potatoes, squash, and even bananas.
9. What type of container should I use to store peanut oil at home?
Glass bottles are the most suitable. But you can also put them in plastic bottles.
