The Benefits of Peanut Flour and Where to Use It

Pecan nuts nutrition

If you’re like most Americans, you’re eating peanuts and peanut butter regularly. The United States’ peanut farms grow the majority of the world’s peanut crop, and in 2013 exported more than 350,000 tons. BEtween the years 2008 and 2014, American ate around 120 million pounds of peanut butter alone, and 90% of households in the United States do eat it. Peanuts and peanut butter are almost 70% of America’s entire nut consumption every year, and that’s not even including the consumption of chocolate peanut butter snacks! Peanut benefits are fairly well known, but what fewer people know about is peanut flour nutrition and uses.

Peanut Flour Nutrition

Peanut flour is low in fat, naturally gluten-free, and vegan. It is almost half protein, as well, and a highly concentrated source. Peanut flour nutrition doesn’t stop there, though. It is also full of bioactives and nutrients like folate, potassium, zinc, fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, and niacin. Peanut flour nutrition also includes arginine, which has been shown to help improve blood flow by opening blood vessels. This is a great reason for us to grow peanuts and do more peanut harvesting for flour!

Peanut Flour in Baking

Among other peanut benefits, at least in flour form, is its great application to baking and confectionery. It makes an excellent binder for fat, adds a lovely roasted and nutty flavor to dishes, and extends the shelf life of anything it’s in. It brings texture and flavor to sauces and soups, as well.

Peanut Flour Uses

Peanut flour is made by pressing out all the peanut oil. Peanut oil uses are many, but peanut flour is a great way to get the health benefits of peanuts without the fat. It is a popular and useful additive for smoothies. You can also dip apple slices and other moist fruits into it for a coating that adds some textural interest as well as health benefits. Using it in place of white flour lowers the carb load of baked good dramatically while upping the protein by orders of magnitude. In stew, sauce, gravy, and soup it works as a great thickener, as well. If you’ve run out of peanut butter, you can also make more in a pinch by adding a couple teaspoons of oil to a cup of peanut flour. It also makes a great coating for fried foods like fish or chicken.

There are a lot of great uses for peanut flour and peanut flour nutrition makes it well worth looking into. If you’re trying to eat better, lower your carbohydrate intake, or just want something with more texture and interest than plain old white flour, see how peanut flour could transform the way you eat!