It's estimated that nine in 10 American households eat peanut butter, and that the average American
child will eat over 1,000 peanut butter sandwiches by adulthood. This ranking of the top peanut
butter brands will help you figure out which ones you should turn to and which brands you
should shun.
If you're looking for the most inexpensive peanut butter, the Great Value brand will
almost always win that race. But despite the attractive price tag, you should never, ever
purchase this atrocity. It looks like peanut butter and it smells like peanut butter but
the taste is somewhere between disgusting and revolting.
For a fleeting second or two, the flavor is completely palatable. But when the aftertaste
strikes, you will regret going the cheap route on your peanut butter purchase. No amount
of jelly can mask the putrid flavor. All you can do is try to wash your mouth out and throw
away the rest of the jar.
Although the Peter Pan brand has been in the peanut butter business since 1928, why so
many people still buy their peanut butter is a mystery.
If all you've ever known is Peter Pan peanut butter, you're missing out. The main issue
with peanut butter by Peter Pan is that it's way too sweet. To make matters worse, it's
not a pleasurable level of sweetness. Instead, it's an artificial sweetness that overpowers
all the peanut flavor.
While this peanut butter spreads easily and will get your sweet tooth's attention, Peter
Pan is far and away the most overrated brand. Once you switch to something better, you'll
never again make the mistake of going back to Peter Pan.
"Bye, Peter Pan."
The Justin's brand makes a variety of tasty nut butters including maple cashew butter
and cinnamon almond butter. If you've tried one of those Justin's nut butters, you'd expect
their peanut butter to be excellent. Unfortunately, that's not the case.
Although Justin's peanut butter tastes decent, the texture is so poor that it ruins the entire
experience. Instead of being creamy, their peanut butter is thin and runny. No amount
of stirring helps. If you try to add it to bread, you'll just be left with a slimy mess.
More of the peanut butter will slide off your sandwich than will enter your mouth.
Go with Justin's if you like almond butter or cashew butter. But when it comes to peanut
butter, stay away.
When you see peanut butter made by Reese's at your local grocery store, you may be tempted
to buy it because you think it will taste like the glorious goodness found in the middle
of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Don't make that error. While Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
are legitimately amazing and arguably the best candy ever invented, peanut butter sold
by Reese's is nothing to write home about.
Instead of being nectar from the candy gods, it's just overpriced peanut butter that tastes
completely forgettable. Although it's not as sweet as Peter Pan peanut butter, Reese's
peanut butter is also needlessly sweet.
If you want the peanut butter that can be found hiding within Reese's Peanut Butter
Cups, there's no shortcut available. You'll have to buy Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and
do your own digging.
Brad's Organic makes flavorful peanut butter even though the only listed ingredient on
the label is organic peanuts. Sadly, though, this brand can't be recommended due to being
way too oily. While the flavor will impress you, its greasiness will coat your mouth to
the point that you'll be grossed out after a few bites of your peanut butter sandwich.
If a couple glasses of milk fail to sufficiently wash it down, you'll have to actually go brush
your teeth to get rid of the last remnants of this oily peanut butter.
If you're still going to buy peanut butter made by Brad's Organic, go with their crunchy
peanut butter. It's still really oily but it's less oily than the smooth variety.
When you're in the peanut butter aisle at the supermarket, your natural urge to seek
the most convenient solution to all your problems may lead you to reach out for a jar of Goober
PB and J by Smucker's. You know that Smucker's makes yummy jelly, so why not just get peanut
butter and jelly in one jar?
"With a name like Smucker's, it has to be good."
In theory, it shortens the amount of time you'll need to prepare a peanut butter and
jelly sandwich. In reality, it's a massive failure. The peanut butter is soggy and the
jelly loses its consistency after one scoop.
A much better idea is to just buy a jar of Smucker's peanut butter and a jar of Smucker's
jelly and do the heavy lifting yourself. Peanut butter alone made by Smucker's is fine. It's
not amazing but it's good enough.
Crazy Richard's is a brand known primarily for their peanut butter, and when it comes
to taste it's easy to see why. It's obvious that they use peanuts packed with flavor and
take great care in making their product.
Unfortunately, the texture of their peanut butter just isn't dependable from jar to jar.
Sometimes it's too watery. Other times the peanut butter is too hard. It's also a pain
to stir and the result of the stirring is far from guaranteed. Even if you follow the
brand's directions, there's a chance that you will be left with chunks that are too
hard and other sections that are too liquidy.
Let's hope that one day Crazy Richard's is able to perfect the texture of their peanut
butter. If that happens, they will quickly rise to the upper level of this ranking due
to the impressive flavor apparent in each spoonful.
When you want to snack on some mixed nuts, the Planters brand is always a safe choice.
Whether you prefer your peanuts dry roasted, honey roasted, or blessed with chili and lime,
Planters has some of the best peanuts money can buy. While it's not always easy to find,
they also sell peanut butter with the iconic Mr. Peanut on the label.
Don't get your hopes up too high, though. While Planters peanut butter isn't bad, it's
not especially great, either. Considering Planters has a history with peanuts dating
back to 1906, you'd think they would rank higher — but that's simply not the case.
To take advantage of the nut expertise of Planters, go with the crunchy version of their
peanut butter if you're dead set on trying this brand.
You'll either love Teddie peanut butter or you'll hate it. What will decide which side
of the fence you fall on is what you think of the grittiness of this peanut butter. Even
if you go with Teddie's smooth peanut butter, it's still a lot grittier than every other
brand. Some people think the gritty texture adds to the peanut buttery goodness. Others
see the grittiness as an annoyance that becomes an obstacle in the path to enjoyment.
Everyone should try Teddie peanut butter once in their lifetime. There's a chance that you
won't be pleased with what you taste. However, there's also a chance that you'll discover
your favorite peanut butter brand of them all.
“I every day have my Teddie natural peanut butter sandwich. Without jelly without fluff.”
Smart Balance does a lot right when it comes to its peanut butter. The texture is fantastic.
It's not only easy to spread, it sticks to anything you put it on. Their peanut butter
with flaxseed oil is the best of the best when it comes to texture and spreadability.
When it comes to flavor, though, Smart Balance isn't nearly as impressive. It lacks the deep,
rich taste that other peanut butters provide. This is most obvious when eating a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich made with Smart Balance peanut butter. Even if you put only
a little bit of jelly, the sweetness of the jelly will almost completely hide the flavor
of the peanut butter. That said, if sandwiches aren't your thing and you just want a peanut
butter with optimal texture that will stick to anything you put it on, Smart Balance is
a smart purchase.
Despite the efforts by Peanut Butter & Co. to achieve greatness in the peanut butter
industry, they still have some work to do. Specifically, they need to improve the consistency
of their product. Sometimes, you'll get a jar of their peanut butter and believe you've
found the holy grail of nut butters. But other times, you'll get a jar of their peanut butter
and be completely let down. There's no rhyme or reason to whether or not you'll get a good
jar.
If you're a gambling person, go ahead and trust Peanut Butter & Co. If you get a good
jar, you'll feel like a hero. But be warned that there's a chance that you will end up
a villain if you bring home a bad jar. Beyond standard crunchy and smooth peanut butters,
they also offer interesting varieties such as Cinnamon Raisin Swirl and Dark Chocolate
Dreams, which combine peanut butter with other yummy flavors.
When it comes to organic peanut butter, MaraNatha reigns supreme. Every other organic peanut
butter on the market has some sort of flaw but MaraNatha manages to be virtually perfect.
They have an organic version with no salt or sugar added that will leave you amazed.
In addition to being the masters of organic peanut butter, MaraNatha has a unique banana
peanut butter that is unlike anything else you can find. While mixing banana with peanut
butter isn't exactly a novel idea, their execution is spectacular.
As good as MaraNatha is when it comes to their organic peanut butter and their banana peanut
butter, stay away from their regular creamy peanut butter. Though it's safely above average,
you can get a better bang for your buck elsewhere in the peanut butter world.
You can't go wrong with a jar of Skippy peanut butter. Every jar of Skippy has the same great
taste and impeccable texture. The only thing Skippy lacks compared to the top two brands
on this list is a rich peanut flavor. There's nothing wrong with their peanut butter, mind
you, but if you enjoy a deep nutty taste, you won't be completely thrilled with Skippy.
Don't worry, though, you'll still want to eat the entire jar.
Since being exceptionally smooth is the hallmark of Skippy peanut butter, you should avoid
their crunchy variety. Instead, go with the jar that says creamy on the label.
It may sound easy, but delivering tasty natural peanut butter is extremely difficult. Many
of the aforementioned brands attempt to do that but something is always amiss. If you
want natural peanut butter, Adams is the brand to turn to. This stuff is wonderful.
When you taste it for the first time, you'll be awestruck at the great flavor. The salt
level is perfect and brings out a powerfully nutty flavor profile. And though this version
needs to be stirred before you eat it, the stirring process is easy and the result is
a consistently creamy peanut butter that makes it well worth the extra effort.
When it comes to the best tasting peanut butters, Jif is easily the cream of the crop. While
Skippy is creamier and Adams is more natural, Jif is the tastiest and has the most flavor.
When it comes down to it, that's what matters most. You don't eat peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches for the texture, you eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the taste.
What's Jif's secret to creating the best peanut butter on the planet? The answer can be found
on the label. Jif adds molasses to their peanut butter. While the result is a sweeter than
average peanut butter, the sweetness from the molasses doesn't overwhelm the flavor
from the peanuts. Instead, it helps elevate the peanut flavor to a whole new level that
their competitors can't reach.
"Peanut Butter so deliciously creamy, it can even bring a kid out of her shell.
That's why choosy moms choose Jif."
Jif has many different peanut butter products to select from, starting with the creamy variety
with the red lid. But don't stop there, as all their other peanut butter options are
fantastic. For example, Jif's honey crunchy peanut butter is so good that you should just
eat it out of the jar. Adding anything, even jelly, to the masterpiece would be a mistake.
When it comes to peanut butter brands, Jif is king and will remain king for the foreseeable
future.
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