The peanut butter aisle used to be simple: Crunchy or Creamy. Now there’s a variety of nut and seed butters to choose from – many with the claim of “natural” – making even tougher to figure out what’s best, so today we’re Getting the Skinny with Molly on the best and worst of “natural” nut & seed butters.
Nut & Seed Butters: What to look for on labels:
- Sugar: Look for brands with little or no added sugar (or honey, cane syrup, etc) in ingredient list
- Nut-free: More & more varieties are allergen-friendly: go peanut-free with almond butter or cashew butter, or entirely nut-free with a seed butter like SunButter, NutZo or Beyond the Equator 5 Seed Butter
LOVE IT!
Cashew Butter, Walnut Butter, and/or Almond Butter – any variety without added sugar
COnutButter – e.g. Maple Cinnamon or Pure Sea Salt Almond Butter (LOCAL)
- 2 tbsp: 160 calories, 15 grams fat, 5 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 1 gram sugar, 5 grams protein
- Ingredients: Roasted almonds, organic cold-pressed coconut oil, sea salt
- Locally at Langenstein’s, Nesbit’s Market, Robert Fresh Market, Dorignac’s, Breaux Mart & more
Beyond the Equator 5 Seed Butter – NO SUGAR ADDED (LOCAL)
- 2 tbsp: 200 calories, 17 grams fat, 5 grams carb, 2 grams fiber, <1 gram sugar, 8 grams protein
- Ingredients: Sunflower seeds, chia seed, flax seed, hemp hearts, pumpkin seed, salt
- Peanut-Free, Tree Nut-Free, Soy-Free
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- Locally at Robert Fresh Market, Langenstein’s, Nesbit’s Market, Zara’s, Breaux Mart & more
NuttZo (Available at Costco)
- 2 tbsp: 190 calories, 17 grams fat, 8 grams carb, 3 grams fiber, 1 grams sugar, 6 grams protein
- Cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, salt
- 2 tbsp: 190 calories, 7 grams carb, 2 grams fiber, 3 grams sugar, 9 grams protein
- Ingredients include almonds or peanuts, egg whites, dates, coconut oil
SunButter Organic – NO SUGAR ADDED
- 2 tbsp: 210 calories, 16 grams fat, 7 grams carb, 3 grams fiber, 4 grams sugar, 8 grams protein
- Ingredients: Sunflower seeds
- Peanut-Free, Tree Nut-Free, Soy-Free
Powdered PB – unflavored (available at variety of stores including Walmart)
- 3 tbsp: 70 calories, 2 grams fat, 4 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 1 gram sugar, 8 grams protein
- Defatted peanuts: 85% fewer calories than regular nut butter – easy to blend into smoothies
LIKE IT!
Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter
- 2 tbsp: 190 calories, 16 grams fat, 7 grams carb, 3 grams fiber, 2 grams sugar, 8 grams protein
- Peanuts; less than 1% salt
Beyond the Equator 5 Seed Butter (SWEETENED) (LOCALLY OWNED)
- 2 tbsp: 220 calories, 20 grams fat, 5 grams carb, 2 grams fiber, 1 grams sugar, 6 grams protein
- Ingredients: Sunflower seeds, cane syrup, chia seed, flax seed, hemp hearts, pumpkin seed, salt
- Peanut-Free, Tree Nut-Free, Soy-Free
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- Locally at Langenstein’s, Nesbit’s Market, Robert Fresh Market, Zara’s, Breaux Mart & more
SunButter Organic (SWEETENED)
- 2 tbsp: 200 calories, 16 grams fat, 7 grams carb, 2 grams fiber, 3 grams sugar, 7 grams protein
- Ingredients: Sunflower seeds, sugar, salt
- Peanut-Free, Tree Nut-Free, Soy-Free
Justin’s Vanilla Almond Butter (or any flavored variety of Justin’s)
- 2 tbsp: 200 calories, 16 grams fat, 10 grams carb, 2 grams fiber, 6 grams sugar, 5 grams protein
- Peanuts, palm oil, salt, molasses, honey
Natural Jif | Honey
- 2 tbsp: 190 calories, 15 grams fat, 10 grams carb, 2 grams fiber, 6 grams sugar, 7 grams protein
- Peanuts, palm oil, salt, molasses, honey
HATE IT!
Nutella | chocolate hazelnut spread
- 2 tbsp: 200 calories, 11 grams fat, 1 gram fiber, 21 grams sugar, 2 grams protein
- Dry roasted hazelnuts and almonds, cane sugar, cocoa, cocoa butter
Choco-Dream Hazelnut Cocoa Spread | “natural – nothing artificial – fair trade cocoa”
- 2 tbsp: 210 calories, 14 grams fat, 21 grams carb, 1 gram fiber, 20 grams sugar, 2 grams protein
- Ingredients: Sugar, oil, hazelnuts, cocoa…
- More sugar + palm oil than nuts, it’s essentially an “all natural” Nutella!
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