Some folks watch horror movies when they want to feel trilled and disgusted. I just turn to the food content scattered across TikTok and Instagram Reels. Most of the ideas I encounter there seem questionable at best, and like downright bullshit at worst. Some are surface-level perverted but slightly appealing, so I’ll try them out, expecting them to fall flat (see: Jell-O grapes, cloud bread), but occasionally, one actually proves to be worthwhile. Peanut butter lattes are the latest suspect suggestion to cross my path, and I’m shocked to report they are actually very good.
There is every reason to doubt this drink idea. For starters, peanut butter is a thick paste and espresso is a liquid; how are they going to go together? And then there’s the flavor aspect—will they mesh at all? It turns out these problems work themselves out: Yes, peanut butter is a paste, but it contains a good deal of saturated fats and oils, both of which obtain a pleasantly liquid state when warmed. As far as flavor goes, you’ve probably heard coffee described as “nutty,” and it turns out peanut butter makes itself right at home (at least when paired with the right beans).
Here are my tips for making this flavor combo work for you.
My first question was what types of peanut butters would work best. I also wondered whether to go with a hot or iced latte, or if the two would be equally pleasant. So I grabbed a tub of old-school, sweet and salty, homogenized Skippy, and one of the all-natural, peanuts-only Brad’s Organic. Both were smooth style; I'm all for experimenting with food, but I draw the line at chunky coffee.
I dropped a tablespoon of each type of peanut butter into its own mug, then poured a double shot of hot espresso over both. Nothing happened on its own, so I had to agitate the peanut butter to dissolve it into the liquid. I whisked it first, which was okay, but I had better results with a handheld milk frother, which left no pasty peanut traces behind in either mug, and created a decent foam on the natural peanut butter side. Then I filled both cups with about six ounces of foamed hot milk (courtesy of the same milk frother), and made the mediocre latte art which you can enjoy above.
Both lattes had a gorgeous consistency—slightly thick and noticeably creamy. In regard to flavor, I expected the Skippy to be better because it’s already salty and sweet, but the Brad’s won out. The flavor of the Skippy latte was unfortunately dominated by salt, so it needed doctoring up with extra milk and some honey. The Brad’s was a peanutty blank slate, enjoyable as-is (which I preferred), or sweetened (which my partner preferred).
Now for the bad news: The texture of this blended beverage suffers when you put this latte on ice. I desperately wanted to enjoy it as a cold, sweet peanut refreshment, but it was not to be. This shouldn't be unexpected—saturated fats solidify when cold, after all (that’s why butter hardens in the fridge). Immediately, upon chilling, those fat droplets begin to clump up around peanut particles and sink to the bottom of the drink. It ain’t pretty, giving curdled milk vibes.
So stick to the warm latte. If you love peanut butter so much you’ve always wished you could drink it, well, now you shall.
