Peanut butter is one of those sneakysuperfoods.
When made correctly, it provides high protein levels, healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals.
It’s as filling as all get out and pairs well with dang near anything.
Photos: The brands. Design: Eat This, Not That!
My family even spreads it on bread to eat alongside bowls of chilia Midwest delicacy.
Peanut butter is also one of those items that inspires strong brand loyalties.
Some people are ride-or-die Skippy fans.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
Others only fly with Peter Pan and an entirely different groupincluding my chili-loving familyonly stock Jif.
I ended up sampling 10 different brands with a mix of both creamy and crunchy varieties.
Here are my final sweet and salty results, from my least to most favorite spreads.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
Don’t forget about its almond butter, chocolatey hazelnut spreads, and peanut butter cookies.
Yes, I am aware of how dumb that sounds.
I blame the waves and waves of golden goodness I was staring at for clouding my mind.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The look:Thick with no residual oils resting on top.
Its sticky and dense nature makes it difficult to scoop or spread, even at room temperature.
The taste:The addition of honey couldn’t pull this one up from the depths of last place.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
This was enough to warrant a pretty quick no from me.
The gummy texture on top of it made it too much to bear.
A message from me to you, Bee’s Knees: Kindly buzz off.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
However, ample options lined the shelf.
All are natural or organic and free from hydrogenated fats and preservatives.
A 16-ounce jar cost $4.69.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The look:Before mixing, the top resembles more of a peanut butter soup with sporadic floating bits.
The taste:Like powdered peanut butter that’s been mixed with too much water.
The nut pieces themselves are tolerable and present in a manageable amount.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
I think they contribute to the product’s strange bitter aftertaste.
Theorganic creamy peanut butterrang up at a stupefying $6.79.
I took advantage of a sale to receive about $1.50 off.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
It’s a lot to pay for a pile of pulverized nuts.
The viscous, no-stirring-required spread sports a deeper, caramel-colored shade, easily distinguishable from other brands.
Neither salt nor sweet notes jump in to offset this overpowering flavor either.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
And, to top it off, each spoonful lacks moisture.
The glossy, velvety texture is pleasing to the eye and the perfect consistency for spreading.
Once it touches your lips, it’s all downhill.
Photo: Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
As a creature of habit, I have never ventured from this core creamy offering.
The 16-ounce helping cost $3.19.
The look:Dense and jam-packed with peanuts.
Some are as big as half pieces while others are much more miniscule.
I did find that the volume thins out closer to the bottom of the jar.
But, man, is it a rocky start.
The taste:It comes with a trifecta of sugar, molasses, and salt.
I think my family picked right all those years ago.
And I’ll be sticking with tried-and-true creamy Jif going forward.
As I picked up the $5.79 16-ounce jar, I couldn’t yet confirm the delicious part.
It is natural, containing dry-roasted peanuts and palm oil.
It’s also filled with a bunch of itty-bitty peanut fragments.
Looking back at the label, I realized it’s not technically classified as “creamy.”
But that’s what I had been expecting.
The taste:Both natural and neutral.
I can tell it is high quality and devoid of excess sugars or sodium.
The flavor itself is neither good nor bad.
My only grievance revolves around the PB’s gritty, almost sand-like texture.
It was the first branded peanut butter in the U.S., flying onto shelves nationwide starting in 1928.
Almond butter variations have been discontinued.
The look:Smooth and satisfying with natural brown specks throughout.
The taste:A strong salty-like sweetness hits your tongue first, making a great impression.
It’s certainly not the least appetizing peanut butter I’ve ever had.
So, I wouldn’t place it in my Never-Never Land category of brands I wouldn’t touch again.
But it’s not as magical as I hoped.
I bought a 16-ounce glass glass jar of the spread for $4.39.
The salt adds character and depth to an otherwise monotone product in most samples.
Trouble is, it’s notgreat.
The look:Suspiciously smooth.
There are no peanut bits or piecesjust glossy, undisturbed butter.
The taste:It’s incredibly thick, but not in a way that gums up your mouth.
Instead, it covers your tongue in a cozy layer of creamy goodness.
It’s noticeably more sugary than some of the more natural offerings.
I counted this as a bonus.
That was always a given.
I just wasn’t sure which variety I would pick.
It immediately went into my cart.
The 16.3-ounce jar containing all those supposed chunks cost me $3.49.
The look:The spread’s amusing name immediately made more sense as I unscrewed the lid.
The taste:Not surprisingly, this one hits you with a bold peanut flavor from the jump.
It’s rich and sweet but not too sweet.
Plus, it leaves you with a consistently pleasant mouthfeel.
This is not a brand you want to skip.
Is Peanut Butter Good For You?
One area where the store brand shines is with condiments and other accompaniments.
The look:Glistening from the top in a promising shade.
The peanut bits hiding underneath are similar in size to what you would sprinkle over a sundae.
The taste:A perfect ratio of butter to nuts combined with a balanced level of sweet and salty.
Kroger pulled through with this pure peanut butter bliss.
I couldn’t stop scooping it, and I’m happy to ignore its dash of hydrogenated oils.
