What Is Clean Peanut Butter And How To Make It
What is clean peanut butter? Let’s take a closer look…
I get a lot of questions from people who are new to clean eating, wanting to know what constitutes a peanut butter that is clean.
As with all labeled food products, you have to take two things into account when deciding if something is clean.
1) How much is it processed and altered from it’s original state?
2) What is in the ingredient list? (Read more on how to read food labels for clean eating here.)
Peanut Butter Ingredients
The truth is, figuring out if a particular peanut butter is clean is pretty simple. Finding a clean peanut butter at the store can be a little more difficult. But not impossible!!
This is the actual ingredient list from a jar of NOT-SO-CLEAN peanut butter:
The only thing that comes to mind when reading this is, “WHY???“
Here is the actual ingredient list from a jar of CLEAN peanut butter:
See the difference?
I would NEVER go to the store to buy some copper sulfate to cook with at home. But peanuts… I would definitely buy those. Keep in mind that a few brands out there have some added salt. Unless you must restrict your salt intake specifically, this does not make the peanut butter unclean. Salt in healthy amounts is clean and necessary.
So what are some some good peanut butter brands that are clean?
- Trader Joe’s Organic Peanut Butter
- Adam’s Peanut Butter
- MaraNatha
- 365 (Whole Foods store brand)
- Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter – Creamy
- Brad’s Organic Peanut Butter (Costco)
- Teddie Old Fashioned All Natural Peanut Butter
And if you can’t find any of those at your local super market and don’t want to order any online, here’s how to make your own at home. It’s quick and easy, and you just cannot get any cleaner than homemade!
I actually prefer natural, unsweetened nut butters now. Since going clean (for the most part), extra sweet stuff is just that, extra sweet and makes me sick to my stomach. Now to get the rest of the family on board.
Stephanie – It’ll happen. Just take baby steps. They’ll get there.
This is great and a must try… what’s your suggestion for storing; just refrigerate???
Melissa – Yup! Just put in a small container and keep in the fridge. It will last just as long as any other peanut butter, but you don’t have to worry about oil separation!
What about Skippy or Jiff natural peanut butter?
Nicki – I haven’t read the ingredients on them, but if you follow the information below, that should tell you. Do you know what’s in them?
I watched the video but I don’t have speakers here at work.. looks like just peanuts..is that it?
Melanie Z – Yup! Just peanuts. 🙂
This is a little off subject, but what kind of food processor do you have or what brand would you recommend? I have a tiny (and really cheap) food processor, so when I want to puree a larger amount of food I usually use our blender. It gets the job done, but takes too long.
Btw, my family is new to clean eating. Far from being totally clean, but we’re slowly making changes. Your site is usually the first one I turn to for a “clean” recipe. 🙂
Jana – Thanks! Actually, I have a cuisinart. They are a pretty good line of products.
Great post! Very helpful.
(aka, *new* not *knew* to clean eating. I am obsessed with your blog and think youre amazing and brilliant, so I know you’d want a minor typo correction!)
Tiggs – Ha! Oops. I do know the difference. I swear. 😉 Thanks!
what about the PB2 powdered peanut butter?
Megan – Well, you have to ask yourself. How did the peanut go from a peanut to powder? You can’t get peanuts in powder form in nature, so there’s definitely some processing there. Also, I could be wrong but I believe they add sugar to it, don’t they?
Teddie Old Fashioned All Natural Peanut Butter is another you can add to the list. Ingredients: Highest grade U.S.A. grown peanuts (Available with or without salt) YUM!
SC – Added! Thanks! 🙂
Love this! I have been using the machines at Earth Fare that do this for me but it would be way better to do this at home. This also looks like it’s ground finer that what I get from EF, so I think my son might actually try this…I’ve struggled getting him away from store bought peanut butter because of the stirring involved.
Leslie – Ya, the great thing about the homemade variety is that if you store it in the fridge, there is no stirring required! 🙂
Since I’ve been on your site, here is just one way I’ve been inspired. I switched to making my own nut butters. Use organic/raw nuts, flax seeds, coconut oil, honey and a little bit of sea salt – put all into my food processor and in minutes have yummy nut butter. Thank you for the motivation I needed to “clean” up my diet. Sincerely, Jan
Jan – How wonderful! I’m so happy I could help in some way. Homemade is always so much yummier than store bought!
Thanks so much. I know that some of this stuff should be common sense, but sometimes it just makes it all make sense when reading it.
Kristi – My pleasure!
I’m not sure who all has a Kroger in their area (I’m in Mississippi), but they have a store brand that is clean…peanuts and sea salt…and by far, the most affordable. I go through TONS of peanut butter!
Kellye – Good to know! Thank you!
I am new to your site and very excited to have found you.
I prefer almond butter. Would I do the almonds the same way, do I need to blanch them or could I cheat and use almond flour and just grind it finer?
Tami – Almond flour is a tiny bit different. But I’m not sure what the adjustments are. It’s on my to-do list and I hope to have it done shortly. So I’ll have to let you know!
I like grinding my own peanut or almond butter at Whole Foods in the bulk food section. I can’t even eat the other un-clean peanut butters now. Just yuck.
Melinda – Haha! I agree! Very yuck!
Ok so my peanut butter says 100% natural. The ingredients are roasted peanuts, sugar, salt and fractionated palm oil. I bought this before I decided to get on the clean eating wagon. So this is or is not a good option?
Thanks!!
Summer – The word “Natural” has absolutely no meaning on a food label. None. The sugar and fractioned palm oil are not clean. Sorry.
I recently bought PB2 peanut butter. It’s roasted and pressed peanuts to release the fats and oils. It comes in a powder and you mix it with water as needed. Even better its only 45cal a serving.
Ben – I have serious doubts about PB2. I know many of their products have refined sugar in them, and let’s face it. The powder is processed. I mean, if the only thing in the powder is peanuts, then I suppose there are far worse choices you could make. Just depends on how picky you want to be I suppose.
I’m so glad I found this blog! I have been gluten free (or trying) for a little over a year. I still have days with issues. Trying to find foods I can eat is a task. I’m so excited to try clean eating now. Thanks for sharing with us.
Melinda – Welcome! Please keep in mind that clean does not equal gluten free, but it’s totally possible to be gluten free AND eat clean. I have a gluten free section as well as a paleo section you might find helpful. I hope you enjoy my recipes! 🙂
LOVE PB2..no added sugar..PERFECT
Barb – I guess it must depend on the kind you buy because all the PB2 I’ve seen so far hasn’t been clean. It’s either processed into powder or has added sugar. What type do you buy?
I am just learning about clean eating. Your site has been very informative! I do have a question though, and hope maybe you might have an answer for me. I LOVE LOVE the Smucker’s Organic Natural peanut butter. LOVE it. Anyhoo- for awhile I was having a really hard time finding it. I could find the original, but not the Organic. I can honestly taste the difference & prefer the organic. (The usual grocery stores are now carrying it again thankfully), but while on my search, I noticed that any of the “healthy” supermarkets, (Whole Foods, Earth Fare, and a local nutrition store here in town) do NOT carry Smucker’s brand peanut butter. I know these stores have a long list of unhealthy ingredients that they do not carry in their stores, but when I read the label on Smuckers pb, the ingredients are: Organic roasted peanuts, contains 1% or less of salt. That’s it. So why the Smucker’s snub?? Any ideas?
Jodi – Within the health food movement, there is a general snubbing of any foods from large food corporations. The irony here, is that Whole Foods is a large corporation themselves. However, most of that snubbing is directed towards the large manufacturers, not the stores that sells these products (or do not sell them). I can’t even begin to guess on the specific reasons as to why WF doesn’t sell name brands, but I would assume that the attitudes of their customers towards them would quickly change if they did.
do they have to be roasted peanuts? have you tried it with raw peanuts?
meggs – I haven’t tried it with roasted nuts yet. But I’m sure it would work just fine.