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Peanut butter is one of the hardest working ingredients in our kitchen. Between playing a key role in post-workout smoothies, afternoon snacks, and Gado Gado-inspired salads, a new jar of peanut butter is added to my cart almost every time I hit the grocery store.
I’ve spent a lot of time trying to navigate the peanut butter aisle, which these days extends far beyond the choice between creamy and crunchy. Alongside all those nostalgic name-brand jars, there’s a whole spread of new spreads vying for your attention with claims like no stir, all natural, 0g trans fat, etc. And unfortunately, none of these things tell you which peanut butter actually tastes good.
So to find out, I added all of the peanut butters to my cart and ate spoonful after spoonful to get the full scoop on the best tasting store-bought peanut butter.
The Tasters
To help me determine which peanut butter brands are the best, I recruited my sister and brother-in-law: two people who have been known to polish off a jar of peanut butter in a matter of days with only the help of a spoon.
The Methodology
After selecting 11 different peanut butter brands available for delivery through DoorDash from grocery stores nationwide, we tasted each peanut butter both from a spoon and spread on crackers, then we judged them on flavor and texture.
For this test, I included what I’m referring to as “traditional” peanut butter — a.k.a. the homogenous stuff many of us grew up with — as well as natural peanut butter. Though the term isn’t regulated, natural peanut butters are those that are typically made with just peanuts and salt and usually require some stirring due to natural oil separation; traditional peanut butter contains hydrogenated vegetable oils to prevent separation and typically has some added sugar as well.
We only tried the creamy version of each peanut butter during this test because not every brand offered a crunchy counterpart. But good news for crunchy fans: All of our favorites are available in a crunchy style as well.
The Results
Best Natural Peanut Butters
Teddie All Natural Peanut Butter
This natural peanut butter is made with only two ingredients — peanuts and salt — and the balance of them is on point. Teddie had a prominent fresh-roasted peanut flavor and a good amount of salt to help amplify that flavor. We also really enjoyed the grainy texture and the loose-but-not-runny consistency, which makes it easy to slather on everything, or eat straight from the jar, Ted Lasso style.
Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter
While a lot of the natural peanut butters we tried were a bit bland, Smucker’s stood out from the competition with a strong roasted peanut flavor, and like Teddie, it had plenty of salt to bring all those toasty, nutty flavors to the forefront. We really liked the texture of Smucker’s, which toes the line between creamy and crunchy and was described as “gritty in a good way” and filled with “lots of yummy little crunchies.” It also had a spreadable consistency that lends itself well to PB&Js. Bonus: The oil separation was minimal and it was easy to stir.
Best Traditional Peanut Butters
Of all the nostalgic peanut butters on the shelves, Jif is the GOAT. It’s sweet, salty, super smooth, and has a big peanut-forward flavor; it’s also hard not to love the silky, whipped texture. And unlike a lot of the other traditional peanut butters we tried, Jif wasn’t artificial tasting or overly sugary. The general consensus among the tasters: “This one tastes like childhood.”
Skippy was a close second behind Jif. This PB is rich and thick, but not too thick, and has a velvety texture that didn’t feel waxy like some of the other contestants in the traditional category. Though it’s on the sweeter side, it has enough salt to keep it in check — and that makes Skippy the best choice for peanut-butter-filled desserts like cookies, pie, and fudge.
PHOTO CREDIT:
Photographer: Paul Quitoriano
Food Stylist: Brett Statman
Art Director: Sarah Ceniceros Gomez
