Fix Runny Peanut Butter In Seconds With Something Everyone Has In Their Kitchen

Peanut butter is arguably one of the most universally beloved foods, and for good reason. Whether you prefer it in classic PB&J sandwiches or nutty Costco bakery cookies, the legume-based spread is protein-packed, affordable, and most importantly, utterly delicious. However, nothing derails a perfectly good peanut butter sammy or ants on a log quicker than a watery jar of peanut butter. If you're of the mind that PB should stick straight up on the spoon, you'll be glad to know that it's possible to thicken up unpleasantly runny peanut butter in seconds with the addition of an everyday ingredient you almost certainly have in your kitchen: water. Yes, it sounds preposterous on the surface, but hear us out. 

When you add a splash of water to runny peanut butter, the proteins in the peanuts will absorb the water, causing them to expand and clump up. This translates into stiffer and thicker peanut butter in a jiffy (by the way, Jif was never called Jiffy). It feels and tastes like magic, but it's simply mouthwatering culinary science.

Adding water to this classic spread is even easier than slapping together a peanut butter sandwich with one of these best twists. Just add your desired quantity of peanut butter to a bowl, and then mix in a splash of water (a teaspoon or less). It should thicken right up, but you can add more water as necessary until you achieve your desired texture – remember, it's easier to add more water than correct the mixture after adding too much.

Now you know the simplest way to thicken up peanut butter in seconds, but you might be wondering why it gets runny in the first place. Peanut butter is essentially a mixture of ground peanut particles and their natural oils, and it becomes watery when the oils separate from the ground peanut solids. This is why natural peanut butters are more prone to runniness — they lack stabilizers and other additives that help prevent separation (luckily, you can keep peanut butter from separating with a simple storage hack). No matter what style or brand of peanut butter you prefer, this science-based trick will have you enjoying perfectly viscous nut spread through thick and thin, no special ingredients necessary.