Peanut butter v Almond butter

I’ve researched both peanut butter (pb) and almond butter (an) for calories, fat and protein. The big deal seems to be ab over pb but I don’t see enough of a significant difference to see what the big deal is about ab. Any thoughts on this to help me? Thanks.
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Replies

  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    What is this big deal that you speak of? I don't care for Almond Butter so I do eat Peanut Butter occasionally.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    edited January 2020
    MikePTY wrote: »
    You are correct that nutritionally, they are very close to identical. If you have a taste preference, go with one of those. If not, I would go with the cheaper one, which I assume would be peanut butter.

    As to why almond butter is trendy as a "healthier" version of peanut butter? Who knows. Lots of things because trendy for reasons not based in science.

    That^^

    Peanut butter, because it's cheaper and it tastes better.
  • cdudley628
    cdudley628 Posts: 547 Member
    I used to eat almond butter because peanut butter (and peanuts) was a major GERD trigger for me. Luckily my GERD hasn't been as bad recently and I can go back to eating my cheap peanut butter. I prefer the taste of peanut butter as well.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    I like raw almonds, but I don’t care for almond butter. Growing up, my sibs would have pb&j sandwiches, I only wanted jelly, no pb. Now I love pb on toast with sliced bananas. Prefer peanut butter over other nut butters.
    Not much difference nutritionally or calorie wise, so enjoy what you like.
  • Priasmama416
    Priasmama416 Posts: 103 Member
    Cost wise I prefer peanut butter, try Simply Jif, it has less sugar than most peanut butters, and is gluten free
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,023 Member
    i prefer blue diamond almonds & creamy peanut butter...almond butter is overpriced!
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited January 2020
    i prefer blue diamond almonds & creamy peanut butter...almond butter is overpriced!

    You can make it easily with almonds (and peanut butter easily with peanuts). My store-bought versions were the same price, but I could have found peanut butter easily, probably (I only like the kind that's only peanuts and salt, however).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    madre715 wrote: »
    I’ve researched both peanut butter (pb) and almond butter (an) for calories, fat and protein. The big deal seems to be ab over pb but I don’t see enough of a significant difference to see what the big deal is about ab. Any thoughts on this to help me? Thanks.

    Not sure what "big deal" you are referring to. They are both nut butters...they are both healthy choices. There is very little difference in nutritional profile. To me this is kind of like when people tout the sweet potato as a super food and a regular potato as "bad" food...but when you look at the nutritional profile, they are pretty equivalent. The bottom line is people who make things a "big deal" often don't really know much of anything about nutrition and just go along with the masses and whatever is hot and trendy in the media.

    I prefer PB, but only keep AB at the house because I have a boy that is very allergic to peanuts.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    Almonds are a better source of vitamin E and calcium, so there's that. I keep both in the house most of the time, because I like them in different applications.
  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
    I feel that other than taste they are the same. And when one is $2 and the other is sometimes close to $10, I'll pick PB. If you aren't allergic to one or the other I'd just eat the one you want because they are pretty equal in nutrients.
  • AngryViking1970
    AngryViking1970 Posts: 2,847 Member
    I find almond butter to be kind of bland, so I usually opt for toasted soy nut butter or just regular PB.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I'm sure my mother and my aunt have an extremely scientifically valid reason why almond butter is better.

    </sarcasm>
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,741 Member
    Cookie butter > sunflower seed butter > peanut butter > almond butter
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    I think almond butter got a glow up back when all the articles about which nuts were "heart healthy" started, and almonds and walnuts were attributed superfood status, for better or worse.
  • JennDoingTheThing
    JennDoingTheThing Posts: 24 Member
    I just like the taste of almond butter better. I love almonds, but can't eat them because they're too hard for my very sensitive teeth. Almond butter just makes total sense to me. I don't know why people demonize peanut butter though.. unless you have allergies to it.
  • aries68mc
    aries68mc Posts: 173 Member
    I like both, and prefer to make them rather than buy them premade. This makes them both even more healthy without all the additives, etc the manufacturers put in them. They both have distinctively different tastes.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    aries68mc wrote: »
    I like both, and prefer to make them rather than buy them premade. This makes them both even more healthy without all the additives, etc the manufacturers put in them. They both have distinctively different tastes.

    I think making them can be the most cost-effective option, and I like to do that too, sometimes, but you can buy them without anything but peanuts and salt or almonds and salt (and probably without salt too, I simply haven't looked for that).
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited January 2020
    hesn92 wrote: »
    I don't know but it annoys me when people act like almonds are this superior healthy nut and suggest "a handful of almonds" if you're hungry in between meals etc. Almonds suck. They don't taste good. PB wins for me although cashews and pecans are even better (although I haven't tried pecan butter, that sounds delightful)

    I think almonds and almond butter are delicious, but if people are acting like almonds are some superior nut, that is silly. I haven't seen that yet (although I do recall when walnuts were supposed to be the best nut). I have seen anti peanut sentiment, as noted above.
  • Savannahmiamaddie
    Savannahmiamaddie Posts: 54 Member
    I usually buy peanut butter because it costs less. One concern I have about almonds, in general, is the negative impact of large scale almond farming. I am an amateur bee keeper. I recently learned that every year semi-truck loads of bees are shipped to California to pollinate the trees. A lot of the bees are killed due to the use of pesticides, fungicides and the stress of shipping them.

    https://www.honeycolony.com/article/california-almonds-killing-bees/
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I like both. I do limit peanut butter though. The reason is to limit exposure to aflotoxin, a mold that can form on peanuts and isn't reduced by heating. The risk in peanuts grown in the U.S. is not very high but is higher in peanuts from developing countries in tropical climates. I live in southern Mexico.
  • mi_nina_lola
    mi_nina_lola Posts: 767 Member
    costco almond butter - my personal nut butter crack . delicious compared to other almond butters i've had before. i'm not a fan of peanut butter.
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    Almonds are quite water intensive, so pb is cheaper and I think more environment friendly. There's a shop near me where I can get it freshly ground in a reusable glass container, so I do that.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I just like the taste of almond butter better. I love almonds, but can't eat them because they're too hard for my very sensitive teeth. Almond butter just makes total sense to me. I don't know why people demonize peanut butter though.. unless you have allergies to it.

    Probably because PB is cheap and common ;)