If peanut butter suddenly vanishes from the shelves—hey, you never know what’s going to happen nowadays—don’t spiral just yet. Fight the urge to panic-text your therapist and, instead, repeat this mantra: “Almond butter. Tahini. Cashew butter.” Everything will be okay, especially since you’ll have us to do all of the emotional labor for you. We’ve tried over 30 different nut butters and seed butters in search of the best peanut butter alternatives out there. Now take a deep breath and delete your News app. All is well.
What we looked for in the best peanut butter alternatives
Silky, creamy, easy-to-stir textures. I’m not breaking my arm to make a sandwich. It’s honestly that simple.
Balanced flavor. The right balance of sugar and salt can make or break the best nut butters. We want a roasty-toasty flavor that doesn’t finish too bitter.
Whether you have a peanut allergy (be sure to check labels!) or you just want to try something new so you’re ready in case the peanut-apocalypse strikes, these are the best nut butters and seed butters at the grocery store.
The following article contains affiliate links that may generate a small commission to us when you make a purchase through the link. Learn more about how we work with affiliates here.
Boy, do I love a nut butter that advertises itself as “no-stir.” Stirrability might be the least important part of the best peanut butter alternatives, but it’s important to me, as a lazy person with no arm strength. Regardless: This is one of the best peanut butter alternatives thanks to the flavor alone. It’s rich, toasty, a little sweet, and perfectly salty. I’d buy it even if I did have to break out the immersion blender.
This tahini has more of a melted peanut butter consistency to it, but we love the toasted, nutty sesame flavor so much, it deserves to be highlighted as one of the best peanut butter alternatives, even if, texturally, it’s much looser. The squeeze cap is very versatile, too—great for spreading or drizzling. That said, if you’re looking for a thicker tahini to bulk up your smoothies, definitely check out our full list of the best tahini you can buy and choose your fighter.
Almond butter has always been my go-to jar of nut butter, but I don’t know, guys… I might be a cashew butter convert. This is so creamy and light, it took less than ten seconds to stir. It’s the flavor that really stands out, though—I was pretty certain this had added sugar and salt in it, but nope! Just dry roasted cashews. They somehow taste roasty, smooth, and balanced all on their own. The natural sweetness of the cashew must be at play here. I put this on some Ritz crackers and had a blast.
SunButter is the OG sunflower seed butter brand, and its seniority in the market shows. The problem with many sunflower seed spreads is the inescapable bitter aftertaste, which SunButter mitigates really well. Their creamy version is the easiest to stir, too, and the most texturally similar to your standard jar of PB. On the whole, sunflower seed butter might not be the very best peanut butter alternative, just because the flavor leans less nutty and more bitter, but this jar in particular is really tasty and hassle-free.
I was only able to find three pistachio butters at the grocery store, and it was a real Goldilocks situation. The first was too sweet, the second purely savory, but Gusto’s Pistachio Butter tasted just right. It’s definitely sweet enough for spreading on pancakes and pistachio cookies (even a croissant, if you, like me, enjoy offending the French), but savory enough for a simple slice of toast, too. The texture is a little more delicate and thin than your average nut butter, but it feels almost elegant, which I love.And it’s a product of Sicily. I love pointing to things in my pantry and saying, “That’s from Sicily,” don’t you?
Howdy! I’m a Sporked writer based in L.A., and you can find me overstaying my welcome at just about any coffee shop with free wifi, no matter the speed. Sadly, I can never move back to my home state, Florida, because even if the seafood is totally unmatched, there aren’t enough Mediterranean or Korean restaurants to keep me sane.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
Ariana Losch
Vinz Karl
Jordan Myrick
Jessica Block
Looking for your chocolate fudge