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An American staple that’s a British favourite, too, peanut butter is the sandwich filler of choice in may a household. But now it’s possible to explore a whole range of nut spreads from a liquid pistachio paste to a crunchy cashew butter. We sampled jars and jars to bring you the best. So if you want to go organic or even want a nut butter that doesn’t contain nuts, take a look at our top ten.
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Show all 10 10 best nut spreads Waitrose Organic Smooth & Spreadable Peanut Butter This does what the label promises: it’s smooth, sumptuous and easy to spread. Some customers have questioned the provenance of the palm oil used, but Waitrose confirms that it’s Certified Sustainable Palm Oil that conforms to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s standards.
£1.99 for 340g, ocado.com
10 best nut spreads WOWButter Crunch Nut Free Spread The “I can’t believe it’s not peanut butter” entrant is a nut-free spread for those with nut allergies, and is made from toasted soya. Produced in Canada, it’s rich and satisfyig and a likely winner in any blindfold test.
£4.99 for 500g, hollandandbarrett.com
10 best nut spreads Whynut Green Pistachio Paste A rich, deep green pistachio paste made from early-harvest nuts grown in Turkey with no flavourings, additives or preservatives. More of a liquid than a spread, it’s best used in cooking for the likes of macaroons, mousses and cakes, or poured over a good-quality ice cream.
£6 for 100g, whynut.co.uk
10 best nut spreads Skippy Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter With that genuine all-American taste, this has been a firm favourite in the States since 1933 and is now China’s top-selling peanut butter, too. Elvis Presley liked his banana and peanut-butter sandwiches deep-fried, although those on a slightly healthier kick may prefer it simply spread on bread.
£2.65 for 340g, ocado.com
10 best nut spreads Equal Exchange Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter Luxurious and flavoursome, this Fairtrade butter has, in the words of the makers, “no dodgy fats or nasty stabilisers”, and the nuts are roasted without blanching to retain all their natural goodness. Also available as a smooth butter and without salt.
£2.54 for 280g, ecogreenstore.co.uk
10 best nut spreads Bulk Powders Crunchy Roasted Cashew Butter This is a gym-related, bodybuilding company, which is just as well as you’d need some strong muscles to lift these 1kg tubs. The USP here is that it’s simply roasted cashews ground into a crunchy butter – and nothing else. High in fibre, it might be just what you need to help you to get those abs in shape.
£10.49 for 1kg, bulkpowders.co.uk
10 best nut spreads Sun-Pat Rich Roast Crunchy Peanut Spread Sun-Pat joined the peanut-butter bandwagon in the 1960s and it’s the leading brand in the UK. This is its latest variety: a seriously nutty hit in a jar – with crunch. The peanuts are roasted for longer than usual to bring out the flavour, and milled coarsely to give it the chunky texture.
Available from next month, ocado.com
10 best nut spreads Damiano Roasted Almond Butter Here’s something a little different. Organic almonds are shelled, peeled and roasted at Damiano’s plant in Sicily and made into this rich, creamy and naturally sweet butter. Almonds are renowned for their health-giving properties – this is a good way to enjoy them.
£4.99 for 180g, healthysupplies.co.uk
10 best nut spreads Meridian Smooth Cashew Butter Cashews have proved a popular alternative to the all-conquering peanut, and this smooth and silken spread gains full marks in the taste and texture department. Made from 100 per cent roasted nuts with nothing added, the makers suggest you can also add it to shakes, bakes and cakes.
£2.39 for 170g, tesco.com
10 best nut spreads Whole Earth Crunchy Original This is a nutty and wholesome-tasting butter made from peanuts roasted with the skin on, which is why you see the little red bits in the jar. It’s made from 97 per cent peanuts with sustainable palm oil and sea salt and there’s no added sugar. It’s also certified carbon-neutral.
£2.68 for 340g, asda.com
Verdict:
For that classic all-American taste, nothing beats the rich and creamy Skippy, while for those on a health kick the Whole Earth and Equal Exchange peanut butters taste great and do you good, too. If you fancy something a little different why not try Damiano’s Roasted Almond Butter, while Bulk Powder’s Cashew Butter is great for eating and cooking. Sun-Pat’s new tasty Rich Roast show that the future looks promising, too.
Buy now
1. Waitrose Organic Smooth & Spreadable Peanut Butter, £1.99 for 340g
2. WOWbutter Crunch Nut Free Spread, 500g £4.99
3. Whynut Green Pistachio Paste, £6 for 100g
4. Skippy Smooth Peanut Butter, £2.65 for 340g
5. Equal Exchange Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter, 280g £2.54
6. Bulk Powders Crunchy Roasted Cashew Butter, £10.49 for 1kg
7. Sun-Pat Rich Roast Crunchy Peanut Spread, £1.89 (available August)
8. Damiano Roasted Almond Butter, £4.99 for180g
9. Meridian Smooth Cashew Butter, £2.39 for 170g
10. Whole Earth Crunchy Original, 340g £2.68
