Keep Peanut Butter From Separating With This Simple Storage Method

Peanut butter is so much more than just a spread, whether you're using a nearly empty jar to make a salad dressing, or adding it to marinades or cookies. With so many PB recipes out there, having a jar on hand is a must. But if you're a fan of natural peanut butter like me, you're familiar with the one downside — oil separation. And stirring your PB vigorously while trying to avoid making a mess, kinda sucks. So here's a tip: store your jar upside down.

Turning your PB jar upside down allows the oils to sit at the top, which is actually the bottom of the jar. So, when it's time to use it and you flip the jar back around, the oil will move down, getting dispersed more evenly through the peanut butter. You're essentially letting gravity do the work for you, so you can get straight to spooning it out. Plus, this hack works for any other natural nut butters you like to use.

While storing your jar of peanut butter upside down in the pantry is completely fine, you can also move it to the fridge for a creamier texture. Storing it upside down, refrigerated, will firm up the oil and give your peanut butter a thicker consistency. If you're not going through a whole jar that quickly, refrigerating it is also a good way to extend its freshness by three to six months. Just keep in mind that your PB won't be as easily spreadable, so it might be worth bringing it down to room temperature before using it in your next PB&J sandwich.

If you're in a time crunch and need your PB stirred right away, an alternative method is blending it in a food processor. After around half a minute, you'll have super smooth peanut butter with a perfectly runny consistency. The only downside here is that there are a few more steps required like transferring the peanut butter to the blender and the inevitable clean-up afterward. So, for those in a rush, we suggest you store your jar upside down and let the PB handle the mixing on its own.