or many of us, the love affair began with lunchbox peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or after-school apple slices slathered with the nutty spread. Maybe you’ve since found other uses for the salty, creamy treat, like blending it in a smoothie or mixing it into a creamy dressing for salad or meat. Or maybe you still keep a jar of peanut butter on hand for that classic PB&J. Whatever the reason you use it, this nut butter delivers when it comes to texture and flavor, along with protein and some good-for-you nutrients to boot.
However, peanut butter now has some serious competition from other nut butter varieties. From almond butter to cashew butter to tahini (a buttery paste made of ground sesame seeds), all of them serve up the rich creaminess of peanut butter — but each comes with its own unique flavor, texture, and nutrition brags.
“Most have a good amount of fiber and heart-healthy fats,” points out Lindsay Malone, RD, a professor of nutrition at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. According to the American Heart Association, heart-healthy fats are mono- and polyunsaturated fat, which tend to help lower cholesterol. Nuts are among the foods that offer healthy fat. But certain varieties are higher in protein or carbohydrates than others. And the different options offer solutions for people with food allergies or sensitivities.
Just be careful to avoid varieties with unnecessary calories and added sugars, Malone adds. You don’t want to unknowingly be eating a dessert in disguise!
