Peanut Butter Alternatives

 

Peanuts. Peanuts were the first allergy my kid was diagnosed with. It was life changing. My older son, with no food allergies, loves peanut butter. He loves getting peanut butter smeared on his face and wiping his peanut butter crusted hands on his shirt. Peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, peanut butter crackers for snack, peanut butter smoothies when it’s hot, peanut butter on apples in the fall. Peanut butter is sweet manna from heaven, and we mere mortals do not deserve it. 

There’s nothing like the real thing. I’ve searched. Nut butters. Roasted soy butter. Sunflower seed butter. Coconut butter. I’ve made replacements in cooking and baking. It’s just not quite the same. I miss the giant jars of slightly sweetened peanut butter that could survive the apocalypse without separating. The kind that with one bite transports you back to your childhood. Without peanut butter how do I load up my kid with fat and protein so she can grow big and strong? Well, we’ve tried some things. She seems to like all of them; you can’t miss what you’ve never had. My son and I, on the other hand, are still searching for the best alternative.

·        Almond butter: Okay, so it’s pretty ubiquitous. Unfortunately, it’s also not good. It’s not as creamy. It has a weird after taste. Also, most brands have warnings that it’s processed on the same equipment as peanuts. Why? Why would you do that? If you are trying to be a peanut butter alternative, explain to me why you would set up camp right next to it? Especially when maybe (probably) the only reason anyone is even looking your way is because they are allergic to peanuts? 0/10, would not recommend.

·        Pecan butter: What a delightful surprise! I love pecan butter and I love that it isn’t trying to be peanut butter. It is its own, unique, delicious spread. Maybe it’s the southerner in me coming out, but I love pecan butter. Spread it on some crackers it tastes like a pecan pie. Add it to (vegan) icing and it really tasted like butter pecan ice cream and your birthday cake had a baby. It’s delicious. But it’s definitely NOT peanut butter.

·        Wow butter: I think what we have here is a case of unrealistic expectations. Wow butter, made from roasted soy beans, includes a sticker that you can send in your kid’s lunch box that warns people that it looks and tastes JUST LIKE peanut butter but it’s safe to take to school. The marketing really set itself up for failure. Is wowbutter bad? No. Is it good? Not really. Is it peanut butter? No. Nope. No. The texture is just a little bit off. It tastes just a bit burnt, like they forgot to set a timer when those poor soy beans were roasting. Don’t just take it from me, though. This is the one peanut butter alternative my toddler just won’t eat.

·       Sunbutter: This one has a lot things going for it. It is the only one on this list that doesn’t include one of the top 8 allergens. Sunflower seeds are delicious. I think it’s got the closest taste to peanut butter. While it definitely falls short if you take your spoon and try to eat it straight from the jar, if you are making a PBJ, a SBJ isn’t that much different. Plus, the longer I go without eating real peanut butter, the better this tastes. It’s our go to for replacements in baking and cooking.

Note: I haven’t tried other nut butters (cashew!) because my kid isn’t cleared to eat those yet. Fingers crossed we can add some more alternatives in the next year!

Another problem with all of the peanut butter alternatives? They are SO expensive. A jar of peanut butter was on sale for $1.99 the other day at my grocery store. Sunbutter, pecan butter, almond butter run $8-12. That’s insane!