The All Time Best Nut Betters and Spreads!

Wowza. That's quite a mighty claim considering the massive market for nut/seed butters and spreads.

Now, if you simply walk into your chain grocery store and meander down the peanut butter aisle, you may see a good number of options, however, if you expand your search to farmer's markets, the internet, and beyond, you will be absolutely astonished at the number of options. 

I consider myself a bit of an expert. I have tried many a nut butter, some good, some not-so-good. I decided to attempt to compile my top 10. It's difficult because some brands offer a wide array of flavors and some may be amazing while others fall short. Some brands are made fresh on a small scale so one batch may be a little better than another, but I'll do my best. I took into consideration taste, consistency and ingredients. 

Top 10 Nut Butters and Spreads

1. Epic Spreads 

This stuff is truly EPIC. I actually first came across Epic Spreads by winning it in a giveaway a few years back. I fell in love and have since made many purchases. 

Epic Spreads

Why do I love it? The flavors are incredible and hit the nail on the head. The texture is perfect for swirling, drizzling, melting in oatmeal or whatever your heart desires. It uses a combination of peanuts and cashews. My personal favorites are Birthday Cake, Toffee, and Mocha. You can use my code: epicmeg for a discount if you order online at EpicSpreads.com or you can find it on Amazon or at several locations in California. 

     2. Crazy Richard's Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter is two words but the ingredients list is just one. That's right. Peanuts. That's it. If you like peanuts, you'll go crazy for Crazy Richard's. It drizzles like a charm and who can compete with the purity of that ingredient "list"? Pro tip: Store it upside down and in the fridge to prevent oil separation problems! Check them out here: CrazyRichards.com

Crazy Richard's in Oatmeal

*Side note: I recently tried Spread the Love which is also made with just peanuts so it's a comparable product. It's made in small batches with love in California, however I've never seen it in stores locally. You can check them out here: https://spreadthelovefoods.com/. 

     3. Legendary Spreads

What makes these nut butters so legendary? They taste amazing with no added sugar! Just look at these flavors: Pecan Pie Almond Nut Butter, Apple Pie Almond and Cashew Nut Butter, Blueberry Cinnamon Bun Nut Butter, Peanut Butter Cup Nut Butter, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Nut Butter. 

 They have no artificial flavors, no sugar, and are made with ingredients found in nature. You'd never guess it. My favorites: Peanut Butter Cup (think melted chocolate peanut butter candy) and Pecan Pie. The texture is a bit thicker but that makes it better for eating by the shovel-ful. Check out these spreads here: LegendaryFoodsOnline.com

    8. Cocoa Bar in a Jar

I was recently introduced to this stuff, and wow! I was hesitant to add it to my top 10 because it's relatively new to me, but I love chocolate so it made the cut. It's peanut butter cup flavor and certainly is reminiscent of a peanut butter cup in spread form. There's no artificial sweeteners or flavors, it's low in sugar, vegan, GMO free and gluten free. It contains coconut butter so mine hardens up in the winter, but just a few seconds in the microwave and I have a delicious, peanut butter cup spread! You should definitely try this! Check them out here: CocoaBarInAJar.com.

    5. Buff Bake

So many flavors, so little time. Buff Bake is a protein boosted nut butter/spread that comes in many decadent sounding flavors. I haven't tried them all but the ones I have tried, tasted great! They also have a thick, spreadable consistency! They use all natural whey protein also have chia and flax seeds in some flavors and are low in sugar. They make almond and peanut spreads for any nut lover! Check them out here: https://buffbake.com/

    6. GButter

GButter Brownies make a great ice cream topping! 

 GButter is truly a unique spread that is packed with protein, no added sugars and non GMO. I call it a spread rather than a nut butter because have quite a different consistency than your typical nut butter. It's more, for lack of a better term, gooey. It's sweetened with stevia and seriously tastes delicious in every flavor. Here's the truly magical thing about Gbutter - if you scoop out two tablespoons and microwave it for about 20 seconds it turns into a delicious brownie, cookie, etc. etc. So gooey, warm and yummy. The macros are incredible too. A 2 tbsp serving, varying by flavor, is 100-120 calories and about 10-14g protein! You can use my code "gbuttermeg" for your purchases on https://www.gbutter.com/. I rated it a bit lower because I find it not quite as versatile due to the texture. 

    9. Abby's Better Nut Butters

I've only tried one flavor, so again, I was hesitant to add it to the list, but alas, here we are. Why did I choose to include it: the texture is great! I've tried the Coconut Cashew and it was thick, creamy and spreadable. What more could you ask for. Another reason is the simplicity of the ingredients. Each flavor is made with all natural, simple ingredients. Another reason is that I'm super impressed by the young girl behind this company. She is just 15 years old and already doing amazing things. Check out her nut butters here: https://abbysbetter.com/.

     8. Peanut Butter & Co.

Here's one that is more prevalent at grocery stores. It has a texture similar to your average Peter Pan or Jiffy, however, the taste is great and it melts so perfectly in oatmeal. Every ingredient they source is Non-GMO project verified, contains no hydrogenated oils, no cholesterol, no trans fat, no high fructose corn syrup, gluten free and vegan (with the exception of "The Bee's Knees - honey). Check them out here: ilovepeanutbutter.com

9. Reginald's Homemade Nut Butters

Reginald's has peanut butters, and other nut butters in a variety of flavors. They are ultra creamy which is something I love because I love to drizzle! They use the "finest" all natural ingredients and this pays off. I love this nut butter in my oatmeal. Check out all their fun flavors here: https://reginaldshomemade.com/

Reginald's in Oatmeal

    10. SunButter

This one is only for sunflower seed lovers but I love the uniqueness. I also love that there is a "No Sugar Added" Variety. The ingredients are just sunflower seeds and salt! It's non-GMO and free from the top 8 allergens, so it's great if you're bringing food into an allergen-free environment like certain schools, or if you, yourself have allergies or  an intolerance. I like to melt it and drizzle it! I buy mine from LuckyVitamin.com because they usually have good prices on a lot of products.

So who didn't make the list?

Justin's and Maranatha - tried and true, these brands are easily accessible at stores like Walmart and Target. I simply didn't see anything outstanding about them.

Nuts 'N' More - I've only tried one flavor (Toffee) of this protein boosted spread and it certainly tastes delicious. I debated putting it on the top 10 but something had to give and since I have limited experience with this spread, I booted it. The toffee flavor, though, was great with toffee chunks throughout and a great drizzling consistency!

Monkey Butter - I haven't had this brand in quite some time but I remember it being delicious. It's artisanal peanut butters made in small batches in Canada and they use all natural ingredients - no hydrogenated oils. http://monkeybutterpb.com/ I simply left it off the list because it has been years since I tried it.

5150 Nut Butters, Bliss Nut Butters - These are both smaller brands and quite good as all nut butters are, however, consistency was not perfect to my liking,

PBCrave - They came very close to making the list but I'm not a huge fan of fruity flavors. They have no hydrogenated oils, nothing artificial, and are Kosher certified. I recommend the Cookie Dough flavor.

Skippy, Jif, and Peter Pan - While there's nothing wrong with these classics, they just seem mediocre to my high nut butter standards XD. I often use Peter Pan in baking.

YoufreshNaturals Muscle Butter - I hate to say it, but I've had some less than favorable experieces with this company and finally decided to stop wasting my money. The good jars are good, but the not-so-good took a dive in the trash. 

Brands I want to try: Wild Friends, Artisana, Teddie Peanut Butter, Vermont Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Principle, Nuttzo, and Meenut Butter, Julie's Real, JEM Organics and Nut Butter Nation.

What's your favorite? Have you tried any on my list that I need to try and what do I need to add to my list! Let me know!