If you’ve discovered you or one of your loved ones have a peanut allergy, you might feel limited to the types of things you can cook or prepare.
Peanuts and peanut butter are prevalent in a variety of culinary applications from baked goods to spicy dipping sauces.
Luckily, modern technology has given us the ability to create alternatives in the comfort of our own homes.
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How to Do It
Making nut butter at home is easy and simple!
All you need are nuts and a high-powered blender or food processor.
You take the nuts (or seeds), put them inside and blend until smooth.
Depending on how powerful of a device you have, you may have to roast the nuts beforehand or simply add a little bit of oil or water to complete the process.
Making “raw” nut butter is certainly possible, but it may not be as smooth as the stuff you’re used to. It’s still delicious though!
Learn more about the best blenders for the job here.
OK – now let’s begin…
Here are 5 alternative nut butters that are just as delicious as peanut butter.
While sold for exorbitant amounts in the jar, you can make them for a fraction of the cost at home!
Almond Butter
Perhaps the most popular of them all, almond butter is great for almost anything.
It has a smooth and mild taste with a hint of sweetness. This makes it totally addicting to eat with a spoon.
It tends to have a slightly pleasant grit to it that you don’t find in peanut butter.
You can use it pretty much any place you’d use peanut butter:
- Almond butter and jelly.
- Marinades.
- Baking.
- Mixed with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar for dipping.
- And more.
Buy it in the store and the stuff can cost up to $20 for a one-pound jar!
Buy almonds in bulk and you can get it for $6.00 a pound or less!
Cashew Butter
If you’ve never had cashew butter then you’ve never lived!
No seriously.
Cashews are among the most mild and neutral tasting of all nut butters. They don’t pack much of a flavor other than the fact that they are “fatty”.
This means that they’re the perfect canvas for anything you add to them.
Add some nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and pepper to your cashew butter and you’ve got yourself a cheesy spread. Use it anywhere that you would regular cheese and you’ll be amazed.
It’s got a clean flavor yet is just as savory and addicting as the “real” stuff.
For a sweet treat, add some cocoa powder, sweetener of choice and hazelnut extract and you’ve got yourself a delicious “Nutella-like” spread.
Put this on top of oatmeal, on a slice of toast or use it as a dip for some fruit.
At home, you can make it for around $8-9 per pound.
Buy it at the store, and you’ll probably pay $12 or more. Plus, it’s usually pre-mixed with sweeteners and other stuff that you might not want.
Walnut Butter
Walnut butter is a delicacy in the nut butter world. If you’ve ever had a real walnut, you know that it’s got a very deep and unique flavor – especially when they’re roasted.
Walnut butter is no different.
The final texture is a bit coarse which means that it’s ideal for spreading and adding texture.
Personally, I like to mix it with my oatmeal that I’ve usually added banana and cinnamon to.
The deep nutty flavor makes it best for sweet applications such as spreading with jam or jelly.
Many people opt to add sweeteners like agave to the walnut butter itself which makes it super delicious.
But this is by no means a requirement if you’re trying to cut down on sugar.
Sunflower Butter
Sunflower seed butter is also referred to as “sunbutter”. It’s made out of – you guessed it – sunflower seeds.
Interestingly, it’s probably got the closest flavor profile to peanut butter out of the entire group.
Sunflower butter tastes a bit stronger and less sweet than peanut butter, but on a “sunflower butter and jelly sandwich (SFB&J)” it’s hard to notice.
It also tends to be the least expensive, which is why many parents opt to use it in place of peanut butter for kids with nut allergies.
It’s great for many things beyond sandwiches though.
- Homemade granola bars
- Healthier cookies
- And salad dressings
..Are just to a few great things you can do with sunbutter.
Coconut Butter
Coconut butter isn’t coconut oil.
Rather than extracting the oils, making coconut butter uses the whole meat of the coconut.
You’d make it just like you would any other nut butter, by blending or food processing coconut flakes until it’s spreadable. It’s basically just coconut that’s been pureed and liquified.
As you might imagine, it’s got quite a different flavor to everything else on this list.
It’s tropical and refreshing rather than deep and nutty.
Coconut butter is great for making non-dairy ice cream, cookies, cakes and pretty much anything sweet.
Mix it with pineapples and mild spices and it makes the perfect add-on to any savory dish!
You can find shredded coconut for around $3-4 per pound, which is half the cost of what a jar would be.
Because the cost isn’t too bad, it makes sense to buy a jar, try it and make your own if you like it!
Final Verdict
So, what are you waiting for?
Get out and try some of these delicious nut butters!
They’re all great – especially if you’re someone who likes to switch things up from the norm in the kitchen.
If you’ve got a favorite nut butter or one that was left out, be sure to mention it in the comments below!
Hello! I am Camille, a wife, mother of four, Disney obsessed, certified teacher, and believer in creating your best momlife the way you see fit. Motherhood comes with its ups and downs, my hope is you’ll find something here to make your life a little better/easier. Let’s be friends on social!
I did not know there were so other many choices,,we dont have a peanut problem,but i woulid like to try different types for sandwiches