Best-Tasting Peanut Butters
We evaluated six popular natural-style brands. Here's how they stacked up.
Many of us grew up eating classics like Jif or Skippy, but these days you may crave something a little less sweet—and perhaps healthier, too. Just 2 tablespoons of creamy Skippy peanut butter contain half a teaspoon of added sugars and around 150 mg of sodium. Plus, many classic peanut butters are made with hydrogenated vegetable oil, which means they contain saturated fats.
Peanut Butter
13 ounces $8
Made with Spanish peanuts, which gives Sweet Ella’s a decidedly sweet taste, it’s also more coarsely ground than the other peanut butters here. It separates and needs stirring.
- Calories 190
- Total fat 16 g
- Saturated fat 2.5 g
- Fiber 3 g
- Added sugars 0 g
- Protein 8 g
- Sodium 45 mg
16 ounces $6
Peanut Butter & Co. is smooth and creamy, and moderately sweet and salty. It has a lot of oil on the surface, so you’ll need to do some stirring to get the right texture.
- Calories 190
- Total fat 15 g
- Saturated fat 3 g
- Fiber 2 g
- Added sugars 2 g
- Protein 7 g
- Sodium 100 mg
Once Again has the flavor of lightly roasted peanuts. While it’s creamy, it has a slight sandy texture. Needs no stirring.
- Calories 190
- Total fat 15 g
- Saturated fat 2.5 g
- Fiber 3 g
- Added sugars 1 g
- Protein 7 g
- Sodium 65 mg
This is quite smooth and creamy with no oil on top. Rich, with a deep roasted peanut flavor and just a hint of salt.
- Calories 190
- Total fat 17 g
- Saturated fat 4 g
- Fiber 3 g
- Added sugars 0 g
- Protein 8 g
- Sodium 50 mg
Adams is creamy, salty, and just a little sweet. The sodium count is a bit high at 160 mg, similar to classic peanut butters. Needs no stirring.
- Calories 190
- Total fat 16 g
- Saturated fat 3.5 g
- Fiber 3 g
- Added sugars 0 g
- Protein 8 g
- Sodium 160 mg
With just peanuts and palm oil, the fresh, roasted peanut flavor stands out here. Justin’s is finely ground with a few coarse, crunchy bits. It needs no stirring to integrate the oil.
- Calories 210
- Total fat 18 g
- Saturated fat 3.5 g
- Fiber 1 g
- Added sugars 0 g
- Protein 7 g
- Sodium 25 mg
*These are called spreads because they contain palm oil instead of hydrogenated oil, and therefore don’t meet the Food and Drug Administration’s definition of peanut butter.
Editor’s Note: This article also appeared in the February 2024 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
