The Healthiest Almond Butter
So many people are making the switch from peanut butter to almond butter now that they are on a health journey. It is quickly becoming a popular alternative to the traditional peanut butter, and for good reason!
Peanut Butter vs Almond Butter Nutrition
While the caloric intake on both are about the same, almond butter has slightly more fiber, vitamins, and minerals per serving. Almond butter also has slightly less saturated fats if you’re someone looking to eat it in moderation.
Peanut Butter vs Almond Butter Sugar Content
Naturally, almond butter has less sugar than peanut butter, but this can vary by brand once you get into the stuff on the shelves. Both can be sweetened with added sugar to make the sugar content go up. So when looking, always look for the amount of sugar in total so you know just how much sugar you will be consuming per serving.
I also always check on the type of sugar. Natural sweeteners are always a better choice than artificial sugar and can help you pick between brands.
Peanut Butter vs Almond Butter Ingredients
While almond butter is making its mark by hitting the shelves in the “health food isles” peanut butter has been a staple on the grocery store shelves for decades.
I have included two of the most popular brands of Peanut Butter you’ll find at the grocery store that people reach for and you’ll see the ingredient deck is downright scary.
Skippy Peanut Butter Ingredients:
Peter Pan Peanut Butter Ingredients:
My first instinct is to look the ingredient deck so that I understand what is in the product I am buying, or I could end up eating soy protein (no!) or several types of corn syrups in a single product.
That’s why when I started seeing almond butter pop up, it was relieving to see that almost all of the brands focused on very few, whole, natural ingredients.
So now on to my Top 3 Almond Butter Picks.
#1 Almond Butter: Claire’s Goodness
Claire’s Goodness is my top pick for a few reasons:
- Texture
- Spreadability
- Taste
- Ingredients
- Sprouted
- Organic
The texture, for those who like crunchy and smooth, is right in the middle. It’s also a thick pourable almond butter so rationing it across apples or other foods is easy and no spreading is needed.
The taste is out of this world. I have a hard time describing it beyond “savory vanilla cake batter.” However, it is not too sweet. Instead it is very savory with a dessert after taste.
The ingredients are amazing as well: organic sprouted almonds, organic stevia, sea salt.
The stevia helps take down the sugar effect and leaves no after taste.
Sprouted! Yes, sprouted almonds. If you want to know all of the amazing health benefits of sprouting foods your can check out the more in the sprouted foods blog. This is one of the very few almond butters that actually sprouts the nuts first and that’s a big health yes for me!
And last but not least, this almond butter is organic. I feel that with the amount of spraying of chemicals that happens to crops, it’s nice to see the organic stamp on this knowing you won’t be eating all of those chemicals. You can’t wash chemicals off almond butter!
#2 Almond Butter: Justin’s
Justin’s almond butter is the runner up as the next best almond butter.
The texture is smooth/crunchy as these are ground pretty well, just not all the way. The texture is also a little firmer than the Claire’s Almond Butter. It’s squeezable over foods but wouldn’t pour out over it, so you’ll need to spread it with a knife or spoon.
Their ingredients are great: just roasted almonds and palm oil. While roasting can take away from some of the health benefits, the fact that there are just two natural ingredients is really great.
However, if you are coming from the traditional peanut butter lovers train, I wouldn’t start with their original version. This has no added sugar (great for people looking to cut down) and the taste can be surprising for someone looking for a sweet snack. This one is all savory.
While this is not sprouted or organic, it is still a great, less sugar option and still very healthy.
#3 Almond Butter: Barney Butter
Barney’s Butter is my third choice overall as they have a few more ingredients and a little more sugar than the rest.
The ingredients are blanched roasted almonds, organic & fair trade cane sugar, palm fruit oil, and sea salt. Again, I prefer sprouted nuts but the fact that they have chosen an organic and fair trade cane sugar over any other type of sugar is exciting to me.
This is available in either crunchy or smooth. And the smooth is SMOOOOOTH. That means that if you are a smooth only peanut butter lover, this transition will be the easiest for you for a few reasons.
First, this is truly a smooth texture that you are more likely to be used to if you are coming from traditional peanut butter. It’s also sweet and compares to the sweetness that you find traditional peanut butter and you might be expecting. While not quite as sweet, it still has that “I’m dessert” feel to it.
I feel that this is the easiest for those who find they “don’t like almond butter” to adjust to and enjoy. Then, once you incorporate that into your diet, the next step would be to step it up with some sprouted nut butter.
What’s the best almond butter?
For me, it’s Claire’s Goodness because of the texture, taste, and ingredients, as well as the fact that it is sprouted. While there are other awesome and delicious choices, this one stands out to me. For the veteran health nut who wants no added sugar: Justin’s. For the first timer who likes PB: Barney Butter. For the perfect balance of health and delicious dessert: Claire’s Goodness.
Pick which ones works the best for you and delve into delicious almond butter. Tell me below: what’s your favorite almond butter brand?