Peanut Butter vs Almond Butter
Let’s get ready to rumble!!!
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to the main event! Today’s food fight is going to determine which competitor comes out on top with the claim to the title of Most Nutritious! Peanut Butter vs Almond Butter! Let’s meet our contenders.
In the blue corner, weighing in at 32 grams (2 tablespoons), is the heavy weight champ, the American pantry staple, the creamy or the crunchy, the insanely delicious …. PEANUT BUTTER (insert crowd cheers).
And in the red corner, weighing in at 32 grams (2 tablespoons), is the contender, perhaps the underdog, gaining in popularity, the ridiculously scrumptious …. ALMOND BUTTER (more crowd cheers, some uncertain clapping).
FIGHT!!!
Let’s see how they match up pound for pound, or in this case, gram for gram! (According the USDA Nutrient Database) https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
Round 1: Calories
Both PB (peanut butter) and AB (almond butter) come in at under 200 calories per two tablespoons (let’s face it, nobody is going to eat only one tbsp). It’s very nearly a tie in round one with PB pulling ahead with only 192 calories vs it’s counterpart AB at 196 calories.
Winner: Peanut Butter
Round 2: Fat
Both PB and AB are high in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. These are the good fats linked to a reduction in heart disease and better blood sugar control (making you feel fuller longer). PB has twice as much saturated fat (the bad fat) than AB. AB also gets a slight edge over PB with roughly 25% more monounsaturated fat.
Winner: Almond Butter
Round 3: Protein
Once again, in this round, the competitors are toe to toe! Nut butters pack a great punch of protein (see what I did there). This round is so close we are going to have to go to the judges on this one. PB takes the round with just a hair more protein than AB at 7.2g vs 6.8g.
Winner: Peanut Butter
Round 4: Sugar
Oh man, there is some fancy footwork here. This part gets a little tricky. While AB has less sugar than PB, both are fairly low in sugar overall. AB comes in at 1.4g and PB has 3.4g. A lot of PB (and nut butter) brands have added sugar and salt so buyer beware! When choosing a nut butter, always shoot for the natural versions, pay attention to the ingredient list to avoid unnecessary sweeteners.
Winner: Almond Butter
Round 5: Fiber
Gloves up on this one! Almond butter dominates this round with almost twice as much fiber than PB! Fiber has some awesome benefits like making you feel full, helping you maintain a healthy weight, providing prebiotics to the large intestine (gut health yo), and it also helps lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol. There’s no denying that fiber is the sh*t (pun intended).
Winner: Almond Butter
Round 6: Vitamins & Minerals
PB can throw punches and dance around all it wants, AB is going to prevail! AB is once again the front runner in this round with nearly three times as much vitamin E, twice as much iron, and seven times more calcium than PB. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps stop the build up of plaque in your arteries (which can lead to a heart attack). Calcium supports bone health and iron is essential for your red blood cells. Both nut butters contain healthy doses of potassium, biotin, magnesium and zinc.
Winner: Almond Butter
And the overall winner is…..
Almond butter by TKO (and the crowd goes wild)!!!!
PB loses to AB when strictly looking at nutrient content, but only by a bit. AB has more fiber, vitamins and minerals, and has less saturated fat.
The bottom line is that both AB and PB are healthy options. It can come down to taste preference and cost! AB can cost up to three times more than PB. If you’re still not sure, alternating between the two is a perfectly reasonable solution. Just remember to READ THE FOOD LABELS and make sure your nut butter doesn’t have any added sugar, partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats or artificial ingredients.
Lastly, if you made it this far to the end of the blog post you get a pro tip on flirting with your love interest… try this pick up line and watch the magic happen, “I have peanut butter, you can have it.” You’re welcome!
Here’s a few of our favorites:
| Peanut Butter | Almond Butter | |
| Serving Size | 2 Tbsp | 2Tbsp |
| Total Calories | 192 | 196 |
| Total Fat | 16.4 g | 17.8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3.4 g | 2.2 g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 8.4 g | 10.4 g |
| Sodium | 6 mg | 4 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 7.2 g | 6 g |
| Fiber | 2 g | 3.4 g |
| Sugar | 3.4 g | 2g |
| Protein | 7.2g | 6.8g |
| Calcium | 15.8 mg | 111 mg |
| Magnesium | 53.8 mg | 89.2 mg |
| Vitamin E | 3 mg | 7.7 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 g | 1.2 g |
