Peanut butter is made primarily from which legume?

Peanut butter is made primarily from peanuts, which are legumes rather than true botanical nuts. The spread is produced by grinding dry-roasted peanut kernels into a paste.

Peanuts belong to the bean and pea family, Fabaceae. Unlike most familiar legumes, the peanut plant develops its pods underground, a process known as geocarpy. The edible seeds inside those pods are roasted and ground to make peanut butter.

Commercial peanut butter may also contain salt, sweeteners, and vegetable oils or emulsifiers. Smooth varieties are ground uniformly, while chunky versions include pieces of chopped peanuts. These additions affect texture and flavor but do not change the main ingredient.

A common misconception is that peanuts are tree nuts because they are used like almonds or cashews. Botanically, peanuts are legumes, closer to beans and lentils. Peanut butter’s early modern production also predates many famous brands: a method for making it from roasted peanuts was patented by Marcellus Gilmore Edson in 1884.