The healthiest peanut butters at the supermarket – and the ones that should be a dessert

Where does peanut butter actually sit nutritionally?

According to Dietitians NZ’s Lily Henderson, peanut butter can absolutely be part of a healthy everyday diet.

“Peanut butter can be a simple, practical tool to build more balanced meals and snacks by adding healthy fats, protein and fibre,” she says.

Unlike jam, honey or chocolate spreads, peanut butter naturally contains protein, fibre and unsaturated fats, along with nutrients including magnesium and vitamin E.

The Heart Foundation recommends regularly including nuts and seeds as part of a heart-healthy eating pattern.

Research has also linked regular nut consumption with lower rates of coronary heart disease.

So why do many people still think peanut butter is unhealthy?

Peanuts are a nutritious, energy dense snack. Photo / Unsplash

The calorie question

The biggest issue with peanut butter is not that it is inherently “bad” – it is that it is extremely energy-dense.

A couple of generous spoonfuls can contain more calories than people realise, especially because peanut butter is one of those foods that tends to be eyeballed rather than measured.

But calorie density alone does not make a food unhealthy.

Large population studies consistently show that people who regularly eat nuts do not generally gain more weight than those who avoid them.

In fact, people who eat nuts regularly often have lower body weights overall, partly because foods rich in protein, fat and fibre help keep people fuller for longer.

The bigger nutritional divide is not really peanut butter versus no peanut butter. It is minimally processed peanut butter versus heavily processed spreads pretending to be peanut butter.

What makes a good peanut butter?

One of the simplest ways to judge a peanut butter is to flip the jar around and read the ingredients list.

“A good indicator of quality is a short, simple ingredients list,” says Henderson. “Ideally, the product should be as close as possible to whole peanuts.”

That usually means products containing:

100% peanuts peanuts and salt minimal added ingredients

Some brands also use hi-oleic peanuts, which are naturally higher in monounsaturated fats – the same type of fat found in olive oil. They also tend to be more resistant to going rancid.

Natural vs processed peanut butter

One thing that often confuses shoppers is oil separation.

For years, many people assumed the layer of oil sitting on top of natural peanut butter meant something had gone wrong. In reality, it is often a sign the peanut butter contains fewer stabilisers and additives.

“If oil has pooled at the top of the jar, simply stir it back through,” says registered dietitian Julia Sekula.

More processed peanut butters often contain added vegetable oils to create a smoother, more uniform texture and extend shelf life. These products can still fit into a healthy diet, but they generally contain a lower percentage of peanuts overall.

What about sugar and salt?

This is where some peanut butters start drifting closer to dessert territory.

Some products contain surprisingly high amounts of added sugar, particularly flavoured or chocolate-style spreads. Others contain significantly more sodium than shoppers might expect.

“Added sugar is one of the main things to avoid in an everyday peanut butter,” says Sekula. “A shorter, simpler ingredients list is generally a good sign that a product is less processed.”

Sodium levels can also vary widely between brands – from virtually none to around 600mg per 100g.

Packed with wholesome ingredients, including peanut butter, these Beautiful Bars are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Picture / Babiche Martens

Does smooth or crunchy matter?

Not particularly.

Crunchy peanut butter simply retains more peanut pieces, while smooth is blended further for consistency. Nutritionally, there is very little difference between the two.

The more important factors are the overall ingredients – particularly added sugar, oils and salt.

Herald picks: Peanut butters that stack up well nutritionally

These peanut butters can be eaten regularly as part of a balanced diet. Photo / Herald composite

Using the criteria above – high peanut percentages, minimal added ingredients, lower sodium and no added sugar – these supermarket options are among the stronger everyday choices

Pics Peanut Butter Crunchy No Salt – made from 100% peanuts only Fix & Fogg, Mother Earth, Nut Brothers, Ceres Organics and Forty Thieves salted smooth and crunchy varieties – all contain roughly 99.5% peanuts plus salt, with sodium generally ranging between 130mg and 200mg per 100g Pics Seed & Nut Mix – a blend containing 61% peanuts alongside pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, sesame and chia seeds Fix & Fogg Everything Butter – a nut-and-seed blend that adds extra plant diversity to everyday eating Pam’s Smooth and Crunchy Peanut Butter – one of the better-performing more processed supermarket options, with no added sugar, around 10g protein per 100g and sodium levels closer to 200mg per 100g Pam’s No Added Salt Crunchy Peanut Butter – an affordable option without added salt Pam’s Finest Crunchy Peanut Butter – relatively low in salt for a salted peanut butter and positioned at a lower price point than many premium brands

Peanut butters to limit or treat more occasionally

It’s best to limit your consumption of these supermarket brand peanut butters and think of as treats, not every day foods. Photo / Herald composite

Some products are higher in added sugar, oils, sodium or additives and are probably better treated as occasional options rather than everyday staples.

These include:

Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter, which contains added sugar and around 469mg sodium per 100g Some Bega peanut butter varieties, which contain added vegetable oils and sugar and sit at the higher end of sodium levels at around 600mg per 100g Chocolate-style peanut spreads, including Pic’s Really Good Peanut and Chocolate Butter and Forty Thieves Super Food Butter Chocolate, Nuts and Seeds, which contain added sugar and longer ingredient lists

That does not mean these products are “bad” or off-limits – just that nutritionally they sit closer to a sweet spread than a minimally processed peanut butter.

Peanut butter is probably healthier than many people assume – particularly when compared with the sugary spreads it often sits beside on supermarket shelves.

Choose the highest peanut percentage you can reasonably afford, look for minimal unnecessary extras and remember that calorie-dense does not automatically mean unhealthy.

Herald contributor Nikki Birrell has worked in food and travel publishing for nearly 20 years.