6 Healthiest Nut Butters You Can Find at the Supermarket

Aside from being delicious straight from the jar, nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter are quick, convenient additions to smoothies, oatmeal, chia pudding, and baked goods. But these dairy-free butters can be integrated into a range of savory meals, too. “Nut butters are convenient to spread and add to almost anything, whether it’s your morning toast or weekday stir-fry sauce,” says Lindsey Joe, RDN, LD, registered dietitian, employee wellness expert, and creator of The Meal Planning Method. 

But beyond their rich flavor, nut butters can also boost the healthfulness and staying power of whatever recipe they’re added to. This is thanks to the array of nutrients most varieties contain, including fiber, protein, unsaturated fats, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin E, and B vitamins. These nutrients not only help you feel fuller longer, but also support blood sugar regulation, immune function, strong bones, a thriving gut, and heart health.

However, there are a variety of ingredients found in many nut butters that detract from their overall healthfulness through increasing the product’s sugar, unhealthy fat, and sodium content. Here, we’ll explore what makes a nut butter more or less healthy than the next variety, and highlight some of the tastiest and most nutrient-dense options available.

What Makes Nut Butters More or Less Healthy?

When comparing the health benefits of nut butters, the best place to start is the ingredients list. “I like to look out for the main character on the ingredients list: the nut,” says Joe. The cleanest nut butters contain only one ingredient—the nut advertised on the packaging. However, those that have three ingredients or less, namely the nut with the addition of salt or heart-healthy oils like sunflower or avocado oil, are also safe bets. 

“But some nut butters have added salt, sugar, and oil, making them more caloric and less healthy in terms of saturated fat and sugar content,” says Alyssa Smolen, MS, RDN, CDN, community and media dietitian. Ingredients like salt and sodium chloride indicate the addition of sodium while cane sugar, date syrup, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, and brown rice syrup (to name a few), which are all sources of added sugar. And palm, coconut, and peanut oil are saturated fat-containing oils commonly found in nut butters.

These nutrients are important to take note of, as high intake of sodium over long periods of time can increase blood pressure, added sugar promotes bodily inflammation, and frequent consumption of saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels (though some studies show that this fat may not be as tied to heart disease as once thought). “Choosing nut butter varieties that have minimal salt, added sugar, and saturated fat can prevent health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes,” Joe adds.

Any mystery ingredients or additives that you don’t recognize (or can’t pronounce) are also best avoided. This is because these ingredients, though technically deemed safe to consume, haven’t been around long enough for us to fully understand their long-term health implications. 

After scouring the ingredients list, check your work by looking at the nutrition facts panel. Per serving, you want to see sodium levels of less than 200 milligrams (mg), saturated fat content of less than four grams (g), and zero grams of added sugar. And a final way to suss out a healthier nut butter—though this should be your last indicator, as the claim can be misleading in some instances—is to look for ‘natural’ varieties. “This is because ‘natural’ nut butters usually don’t contain any extra oils, added sugar, or salt,” Smolen explains.

The Healthiest Nut Butter Varieties

Thankfully, there are plenty of nut butters on the market that meet these criteria—and in pretty much every type of nut or seed you can think of! Here are six of our very favorites:

Peanut Butter

While peanut butter does contain some saturated fat, the heart healthy unsaturated fat content of this nut butter is over three times greater, an ideal ratio. Plus, peanut butter boasts impressive amounts of vitamin E, magnesium, B vitamins, and even calcium! These champion immune, metabolic, and bone health. And if you like the OG nut butter, there are plenty of minimal ingredient options to choose from, including Crazy Richard’s Peanut Butter and PB2 Pure Peanut Butter Powder. Both of these options are only one ingredient (peanuts) and PB2 has a super long shelf life as a dried product, making it a great investment—particularly for those that don’t use peanut butter often or typically add it to recipes like smoothies and baked goods.

Almond Butter

In recent years, almond butter has been giving peanut butter a run for its money as an increasingly favored nut butter. This is thanks to the remarkable nutrient density of almonds, offering notable amounts of protein, fiber, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, vitamin E, and B vitamins—as well as low levels of saturated fat. This nutritional combination benefits metabolic, heart, immune, gut, and bone health. When searching for healthy almond butter brands, 365 by Whole Foods Market, Organic Creamy Almond Butter and Kirkland Signature Creamy Almond Butter are one-ingredient options that are both accessible and delicious.

Cashew Butter

While cashews are a go-to snack for many, cashew butter is often overlooked—despite being just as tasty and healthy. Nutritionally, cashews measure up very similarly to almonds, but with the immune-boosting addition of copper. Copper serves as an antioxidant in the body, helping to reduce inflammation and eradicate disease-causing free radical molecules. Plus, the flavor of cashew butter is a little more mild than almond or peanut butter, making it perfect for both sweet and savory applications—whether that be added to baked goods, smoothies, overnight oats, pastas, or sauces. When it comes to top-quality cashew butter brands, look for Sprouts Organic Unsalted & Unsweetened Creamy Cashew Butter. “It has just two ingredients and a nearly five-star rating from fans,” says Joe. Artisana Organics Raw Cashew Butter is another fantastic option, as it’s a single ingredient product.

Sunflower Seed Butter

Though roped into the nut butter category, seed butters don’t often receive the recognition they deserve as highly nutritious spreads. As one of the lowest saturated fat options on the list, sunflower seed butter is high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats as well as fiber, protein, folate, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium, which helps to boost gut, metabolic, immune, and bone health. Plus, sunflower seed butter is surprisingly yummy, offering a smooth nuttiness that can be easily substituted in any recipes calling for peanut butter. Delicious brands include Once Again Organic Sunflower Butter and Sunbutter No Sugar Added Sunflower Seed Butter—both made with only two ingredients.

Walnut Butter

Though a little harder to find than other nut butters, walnut butter is among the most nutritious options available thanks to its omega-3 fatty acid content. Omega-3 fatty acids are so buzzworthy nowadays, as they help to reduce inflammation in the body while lowering cholesterol levels—a one, two punch against heart disease and other chronic illnesses. Plus, research shows that Americans aren’t getting enough of this fat on a regular basis. Thankfully, walnut butter can help in this regard as a quick, delicious dose of omega-3s that requires no prep whatsoever! Sun & Seed Raw Organic Walnut Butter is a tasty one-ingredient choice to keep an eye out for.

Sesame Seed Butter (Tahini)

And our final highlighted nut butter is another seed-based option…sesame seed butter, also known as tahini! This ingredient is most utilized in savory dishes thanks to its robust earthy, almost bitter flavor. However, tahini can also be an excellent addition to many baked goods when used in just the right amount. Tahini is packed with nutrition, and as the highest calcium option on the list it also offers selenium, zinc, phosphorus, and B vitamins to bolster the immune response while encouraging healthy bones and metabolism. While you’re unlikely to find added sugar in tahini, it’s still important to look for low ingredient options like Thrive Market’s two-ingredient Organic Creamy Tahini.

What to Look for in Healthy Nut Butter

When it comes to nut butters, the majority of grocery stores have at least one healthy option available in most nut and seed varieties. To make sure the brand you’re after most benefits overall health, follow these general guidelines:

• Opt for brands with three ingredients or less.
• Avoid brands with mystery ingredients or hard to pronounce additives.
• Skip brands that contain added palm, peanut, or coconut oil to minimize saturated fat intake.
• Look for options with less than 200 mg of sodium per serving.
• Healthy options should have no more than four grams of saturated fat per serving.
• Reach for nut butters with zero grams of added sugar.
• Often ‘natural’ nut butters will meet the above criteria, but be sure to double check the ingredients list and nutrition facts panel.