13 Delicious Peanut Butter Alternatives To Try in 2024

While a jar of peanut butter can often be a staple in any well-stocked kitchen, there may be reasons you're looking for peanut butter alternatives. Allergies, dietary needs or a dislike of the taste may have you looking for easy alternatives to the popular food. Peanut butter comes in handy for everything, including baked goods, smoothies, dressings and even savory cooking like Thai noodles. You also will find it used for dipping fruit or veggies and spreading on toast. There is also, of course, the famous PB&J. 

What can I use instead of peanut butter on toast? What can I eat if I don't like peanut butter? What is a good alternative to peanut butter? 

We’ve rounded up some great suggestions of the best peanut butter alternatives that meet all sorts of needs and work around many restrictions. They include seed butters, similar butters made from other kinds of nuts, as well as other nut-free options. They are similarly great for lunch ideas for adults, finger food ideas or healthy snacks for kids.

Jump to Section 

• Peanut Butter Alternatives for Allergies
• Peanut Butter Alternative for School
• Peanut Butter Alternative for Bulking
• Low Calorie Peanut Butter Alternative
• Peanut Butter Alternative for Baking

Peanut Butter Alternatives for Allergies

1. Tahini 

A great nut-free peanut butter alternative for allergies, tahini is made from ground sesame seeds formed into a paste, incorporating salt and oil. Usually added to sauces and dressings, tahini is a popular element in Middle Eastern cuisine. This makes it perfect for adding as a substitute for more liquid recipes since it is far more moist than regular peanut butter. The paste can also be spread on crackers or bread or incorporated into dips easily. It is also gluten-free and entirely plant-based, making it ideal for a range of dietary needs. Since it's harvested from seeds and not nuts, it doesn’t quite have the nutty flavor of peanut butter, but will still pair well with fruit jams and jellies for a nut free-version of PB&J. 

2. Coconut Butter

Coconut butter harbors the great flavor of coconut. It’s made by grinding the meat of the coconut down and combining the ground fruit with salt, sugar and other flavorings. This makes it a perfect peanut butter alternative for allergies. It's also higher in saturated fat than peanut butter, but is lower in carbs if you buy an unsweetened version. It gives a nutty and sweet flair when used in foods like oatmeal and overnight oats. You can also add it to smoothies and yogurt for a creamy coconut flavor. 

3. Chickpea butter

What is a peanut-free alternative to peanut butter? This unique butter is sold in stores and is harvested from garbanzo beans (or chickpeas), meaning it is one of the best peanut butter alternatives if you are allergic to nuts or gluten. You can also make a homemade version with vegetable oil, honey, ghee butter and salt that makes a great butter for dipping fruit and veggies in with the same rich sweetness as the real thing without the dangers of an allergic reaction. Its coloring is also very similar to regular peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Alternative for School

4. Sunflower Seed Butter

Since many schools prohibit peanuts or peanut products due to sometimes deadly allergies, sunflower seed butter is a healthy peanut butter alternative for school snacks. It’s sweet and creamy like peanut butter, but is derived from a seed instead of a nut. The taste and texture is very similar between sunflower butter and peanut butter. It's created from ground sunflower seeds, usually in versions with or without additives like sugar or salt. It's also readily available on grocery store shelves. Spread it on bread, crackers, veggies or fruit for a great school snack that will leave many kids guessing whether or not peanuts were involved. To make a homemade version, combine roasted sunflower seeds, brown sugar and salt in a blender. 

5. Granola Butter

While less common than sunflower butter, granola butter is made by grinding down granola that's usually a mix of oats and various seeds. Many granolas also involve honey, maple syrup or dried fruit. The ground granola is then added to coconut oil and maple syrup in a blender or food processor to create a creamy paste. It is great for dipping fruit or vegetables in, as well as spreading on crackers or bread as a kid-friendly peanut butter alternative for school days. You can also bake with it to add sweetness and texture to items like cookies.

6. Soy Butter

Made from toasted and ground soybeans, this is a healthy peanut butter alternative for baked treats your kid will be taking to school since it is both gluten and dairy-free. (Though some may be allergic or intolerant of soy). It's also one of the lowest alternatives in terms of saturated fat and much higher in protein than other non-nut alternatives. It works great as a tasty spread for crackers, pretzels, fruit and vegetables. 

Peanut Butter Alternative for Bulking

7. Walnut Butter

Higher in iron, magnesium and fatty acids than the original, this peanut butter alternative for bulking is similarly high in calories to other nut butters like almond butter and macadamia nut butter, but does not have all the sweetness of some of the others. This means it's a great way to add calories and protein to toast, in smoothies, with oatmeal or on fruit. With all the same nutty taste that peanut butter usually harbors, add it to your high protein meals for additional nutritional value. 

8. Macadamia Nut Butter

This delicious nut butter is made from toasted macadamia that is food processed or blended into a creamy paste. One of the softest nuts, they require a lower setting and blade than other nuts resulting in a creamier butter overall. They are a perfect accompaniment to baked goods, but are also delicious for giving a nutty flavor to desserts like chocolate chip cookies and fudge, as well as pouring over ice cream, oatmeal and into smoothies. You can make a salt or no-salt version of this peanut butter alternative for bulking depending on how you plan to use it.

Low Calorie Peanut Butter Alternative

9. Pistachio Butter

While its vivid green shade may not look too familiar to classic peanut butter, the flavor and richness will approximate the original. You can grind the nuts with or without the skins in a food processor. The creamy results are a product of the pistachio's natural oils, so very little else has to be done to make a creamy spread that is higher in electrolytes and potassium than peanut butter. Sweet and creamy, you can use it as a spread, a dip or add it to smoothies and oatmeal as a low-calorie peanut butter alternative.

10. PB 2

While this low-calorie peanut butter alternative does technically involve actual peanuts, it's marketed as a lower-fat, lower-calorie version to the real thing. It’s actually a dried and ground powder which many use to add a peanut butter flavor to shakes, smoothies and other liquid products, as well as an additive to oatmeal, overnight oats and other cereals to get all the properties of peanut butter without the fat content.

11. Cashew Butter

Cashew butter, a long-time popular substitute for dairy-based butters in vegan cuisine, has higher amounts of magnesium and omega fatty acids, making it a healthy peanut butter alternative if you're looking for lower-calorie alternatives. It does not, however, have as much protein as the real thing. It’s made from ground cashews made into a paste and is among the creamiest of the other nut butters. This makes it very well suited to sauces and dressings, Since it is sweet, it often doesn’t need any additional sweetness or sugar added. 

Peanut Butter Alternative for Baking

12. Hazelnut Butter

Made from ground hazelnuts, this popular spread and peanut butter alternative for baking is often associated with chocolate due to its most famous variety, Nutella. But you can actually get it plain in sweetened or unsweetened versions from many retailers. It does have a higher fat content, but fewer calories overall. The nutty taste is particularly good for sweets and baked goods, especially since it is so good with things that involve chocolate flavors.

13. Almond Butter

The most popular and best peanut butter alternative on this list, almond butter is often used as a substitute for peanut butter’s rich flavor. It is a tree nut, which can prevent those with allergies from enjoying it. Use it in a one-to-one ratio for any baked good as a peanut butter alternative for baking , where it grants a similarly rich flavor. You can also get versions that are sugar-free and salt-free. It does show up a little less moist in baked goods, so supplement with other liquid materials like oil to make up the difference. 

These perfect alternatives to peanut butter may surprise you with their flavors and health benefits, such as more protein, magnesium, or fatty acids than the real thing. You can find many of them in your local grocery store or make them from scratch at home with the help of a food processor and blender. 

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