We Tried And Ranked 8 Peanut Butter Brands With No Added Sugar Or Oils

Americans have a passion for peanut butter. It's clear when you consider the sizable number of peanut butter options at your local supermarket, big-box stores, and online retailers. Sitting alongside the peanut butters of yesteryear, you'll find an expansive selection of natural peanut butters, meaning those made without sugar, oils, and unnecessary additives. But is this category any good? Since I've been writing about food for 25+ years, I decided to find out.

I sampled eight nationally available, natural peanut butters and ranked them from worst to best. Truth be told: They were all good. Natural peanut butter is traditionally made with peanuts that are roasted, blanched (to remove the skin), and ground. Though there are no official FDA regulations on what makes natural peanut butter, some brands add salt, but all natural brands are free of sugar, hydrogenated oils, and palm oil. Truly delicious peanuts need no sugar for sweetness. And if you don't mind stirring your peanut butter if it separates, it doesn't need stabilizers like hydrogenated vegetable oil or palm oil either.

I judged each peanut butter based on overall flavor and texture. Natural peanut butter is often runnier than regular peanut butter, so I factored that in. If the peanut butter delivered great peanut flavor and had a nice consistency, it got points. All brands were great, but some were better than others. Here are the results.

Crazy Richard's came in last in this ranking for one reason: It's too runny. As mentioned, natural peanut butter is made without stabilizers (like hydrogenated vegetable oils) so it can be much runnier than the peanut butter of yesteryear. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that, and in fact, I'd rather have runny peanut butter than a bunch of additives. That said, this brand was much runnier than others. It dripped right off the bagel, and I'm confident it's too runny for a PB&J. Crazy Richard's suggests pouring off some of the oil or popping the jar in the refrigerator to thicken it up; both are great ideas, and I promptly put my peanut butter jar in the fridge after judging it. There are other ways to thicken peanut butter, so you can still enjoy this butter. 

In terms of flavor, I enjoyed the roasted peanut taste, but it just wasn't as robust as the other brands. For this reason, it lost a few more points. I love that Crazy Richard's is made in the United States, and each jar contains 720 American-grown, non-GMO peanuts. So, while it didn't rank higher, it will certainly find a home in my fridge on the regular.

Spread the Love peanut butter is purportedly crafted in small batches using organic North American peanuts. I appreciate that, and I like knowing it's a minority and woman-owned business. The reason this peanut butter lost points is because it was too watery. Yes, natural peanut butter can be runny, but this was more watery than runny. There was very little stirring required when I first opened the jar because the peanut butter was inherently drippy. And, being that the consistency was so thin, I found the peanut butter a tad bland. Especially when compared to the other brands in this ranking. The peanut flavor was good, just not as rich. 

However, I think this mild peanut flavor could work — I envision drizzling this peanut butter over pancakes, waffles, and crepes. I would also consider using it in spicy chicken satay bowls since the flavor will be complemented by other ingredients in the peanut sauce (soy sauce, chili sauce, garlic, honey, and lime juice). Also, I plan to keep this jar refrigerated (to thicken it) when I want to spread rather than drizzle.

365 peanut butter has great peanut flavor and discernible bits of dry-roasted peanuts in every bite. That's why it scored higher than the first two brands. This peanut butter brand required the most stirring — not that it lost points for that — there was just significantly more separation of the peanuts and peanut oil. Thankfully, there are plenty of mess-free ways to stir nut butter so you don't end up with half of the peanut butter on the counter, or dripping down the sides of the jar. 

This peanut butter lost points because it was a bit salty. In this ranking, some brands contained salt and some didn't, and in most of those that did, the amount of sodium was somewhere between 40 and 70 milligrams per serving. However, 365 peanut butter has 120 milligrams of sodium per serving — and you can taste the difference. In other items, the hint of salt simply enhanced the peanut flavor, but you couldn't really detect it. You can taste the salt in this peanut butter, so that's why it ranked third to last. Since the peanut flavor was great, I'll be saving this peanut butter for savory dishes, including Thai or Indian peanut butter curry. 

Nutrica peanut butter was the thickest of all the brands I tested. There was no stirring required; in fact, it was so thick it was almost hard to spread the peanut butter onto the bagel without ripping the bread. I thought that was admirable, so I gave this peanut butter points for that. With each bite, there were delectable ground bits of dry-roasted peanuts, so the texture was great. In fact, as I was sampling, I envisioned using this peanut butter to make salted peanut butter bars because it will hold its shape and bake up firm, without being runny. 

There were two reasons this jar lost points in this ranking. First, when compared to others, it was the smallest jar at the highest price point. All other brands came in 16-ounce jars; Nutrica peanut butter is sold in 9.25-ounce jars. And it was the most expensive, at $1.20 per ounce (others were closer to $.50 per ounce). Second, this brand lost points because the flavor couldn't compete with the winners. It's as simple as that. 

When I first opened the jar of Once Again peanut butter, I was shocked by its dark color. It almost reminded me of the color of unsweetened cocoa powder. I believe we can thank roasted and blanched peanuts for that. These organic, ethically sourced peanuts transform into a thick peanut butter that's as decadent as dark chocolate. And there's no sugar or salt, just delicious-tasting peanuts. I plan to use this peanut butter in my next satay-style peanut sauce because I'll be guaranteed great color and depth of flavor. 

In terms of texture, I loved that it was thicker than the runnier brands; the peanut butter didn't drip off the bagel or the spoon and onto the plate. This peanut butter wasn't too thick to spread either. So why did this amazing peanut butter lose points? Because it didn't pack as much peanut flavor. It's still a solid peanut butter with no sugar, salt, or oil, which makes it a winner overall. 

One peek into the jar of Santa Cruz peanut butter and you can tell it's made with dark roasted peanuts. The peanut butter itself is dark, and the aroma is rich and complex. Once stirred, I took a little pinky sample and immediately knew this peanut butter was different. Thanks to the dark roasting process, this peanut butter is more flavorful and robust than the previous items, which is why it ranked higher. There's also a dash of salt, which enhances the flavor of the roasted legume. The texture is also fabulous — there are delectable flecks of crunchy roasted peanuts woven into the creamy nut butter. I plan to use this peanut butter in my next nut butter smoothie because it will add complexity and healthy, vegan protein at the same time. 

This peanut butter made it to the top three for a reason — it's pretty much everything you want from peanut butter. Sweet without sugar, slightly savory, and packed with flavor. The only reason it's not in the top two is because two other brands had better flavor and texture overall. 

With a name like Peanut Butter & Co I had high hopes for this peanut butter — and it didn't disappoint. Each bite of this peanut butter delivers undeniably fresh-tasting peanuts. I realize the peanuts are roasted and blanched before grinding, but they tasted fresh nonetheless. Fresher than many other brands in this ranking. There's also a hint of salt, but not enough to overpower the peanuts; there's just enough to enhance the essence of the nuts. Made with U.S.A.-grown peanuts, this peanut butter offers complexity and depth of flavor. Since the ingredients are roasted peanuts and salt, there's nothing standing in the way of that peanut-forward flavor. There are countless recipes using peanut butter where I plan to incorporate this brand. 

The only reason this peanut butter came in second was because of the texture. It was a little too runny for my liking. Again, that's often the case with natural peanut butter since it's made without stabilizers. But one brand was able to offer a winning package — a combination of great flavor and desirable texture. For this reason, Peanut Butter & Co got the sliver medal.

When I took the first bite of Just About Foods organic peanut butter, I was transported to the ballpark; the flavor was reminiscent of a bag of warm peanuts eaten at the stands. I instantly knew this peanut butter would rank in the top two — and I thought it might win overall. And it did. I'll start with the texture since that's what struck me at first glance. This peanut butter is the only one I tested that didn't require stirring. In fact, I raced to the label to make sure there are no stabilizers, and there are none. This creamy smooth peanut butter spread onto the bagel with ease, without destroying the bread. It also stayed perched on the spoon, without dripping onto the plate. 

Flavor is spot on as well. There are clear notes of dry-roasted peanuts and a hint of salt. There's a subtle sweetness, yet there's no added sugar. This creamy spread offers the perfect balance of savory and sweet. The organic peanuts are non-GMO and cultivated in Mexico using regenerative agriculture, which means the process pays back to the land and its people. Just About Foods peanut butter is proof that you don't need added sugars, oils, or stabilizers to create a great product. 

This ranking was a bit challenging because all peanut butter brands were good. Thankfully, some were great, so I was able to order them starting with my least favorite. To test each, I spooned one serving (2 tablespoons) on a bagel half. I didn't eat the bagel, I just used it as a prop to judge the consistency. If the peanut butter dripped off the bagel, it lost points. Same was true of the spoon; it was a bonus if the peanut butter stayed on the spoon without drizzling onto the plate. Most peanut butter brands in this ranking required stirring, so I didn't use that as judging criteria. I did, however, judge peanut butter's consistency once the peanuts and oil were blended. If the peanut butter was runny or watery, it lost points. 

I judged the flavor of each peanut butter based on how much it tasted like dry-roasted peanuts. If the nut butter had a rich, roasted peanut flavor, it went up in the ranking. If it tasted sweet, even though none had sugar, it moved up in the ranking. Some brands had salt and some didn't, but only one tasted overly salty. 

And since I had eight jars of tasty peanut butter to sample, I asked friends and family to help. We all agreed on this ranking and plan to enjoy most of these brands regularly.