All Natural OR Processed Peanut Butter

Yes, I am aware that this post comes at a bad time given the peanut paste and filling issue going on in the U.S.. As of today, the FDA says that peanut butter in jars from grocery stores is safe to eat.


In my last post of 2008, I shared photos of our Peanut Butter and Jellies that Dave and I made for New Year's Eve dessert. It clearly stated that we should use all natural peanut butter and not processed peanut butter because of all the additives.

We were shocked at the difference in texture and taste. Having grown up eating Jif, Skippy or other commercial brands of peanut butter, I just assumed all peanut butter was pretty much the same. I even started buying reduced fat peanut butter because I did not think the taste and texture was all that different from the regular. I remember seeing an organic, probably all natural, peanut butter in college where the oil separated from the peanut spread and I was told you had to stir it each time you used it to bring it back together. It didn't sound or look appealing. This was not the experience we had on New Year's Eve.


The Krema peanut butter had a smoother texture similar to that of whipped butter (not margarine) and tasted of only peanuts. It was like eating fresh fruit compared to frozen fruit as I think you sometimes lose a little flavor when using the frozen version (don't get me wrong, we have fresh and frozen fruits and veggies). You tasted peanut and not sugar or sweetness. It wasn't as sticky as the commercial brand peanut butters either. I will admit, it had a little oil on the top that easily mixed into the peanut butter - not nearly as much oil as I saw years ago on that organic peanut butter.

Overall, big thumbs up for the all natural peanut butter. If you look on the label, you will see one ingredient - peanuts. They say that through roasting and baking (I think), they can create a healthier* peanut butter.
*Healthier because you don't have all the additives in the all natural version.

If you like to bake, I highly recommend using all natural peanut butter. I always wonder why my peanut butter cookies or icing just doesn't have the right peanut butter flavor and I'm pretty sure after making the peanut butter chocolate truffles it is because I was using commercial/processed peanut butter with too many extra additives. Don't chefs say it's best to cook with all natural ingredients anyway?

While I grew up on Jif and still keep it in my pantry, I no longer look at it the same. When tasting the two peanut butters side-by-side, Jif is definitely sweeter and less peanutty. It sticks to the inside of your mouth more than the all natural version.

After we tasted both peanut butters, we decided to compare ingredient labels. After reading the ingredient label, I now know why it tastes sweeter than the all natural peanut butter. The second ingredient is corn syrup solids and the fourth ingredient is sugar. There are some ingredients I can't pronounce and have no idea what they are or do to food. I'm sure some are to help preserve the peanut butter to give it a longer shelf life. Seeing the difference in labels certainly surprised us as we didn't expect such a big difference.

Sidenotes: The all natural version cost about $0.10, maybe $0.15, more than the Jif. Sorry Jif!

This wasn't meant to be a 'preachy' post, just the opportunity for me to share an eye-opening experience in comparing an all natural product to a processed product. Plus, like I said, I think the all natural peanut butter will make cookies, cakes, icing, etc. taste better. It will be our secret!!