Almond Butter vs. Peanut Butter: Choosing the Healthier Nut Butter

Almond butter and peanut butter can be part of a balanced diet.

Whether you’re following a ketogenic eating plan or not, these nut butters can help meet your nutritional needs in the right amounts.

Almond butter comes from ground almonds while peanut butter comes from ground peanuts, with the addition of ingredients for flavor and texture.

When searching for the best nut butter, it’s important to pay attention to the details.

In this article, we’ll dive into the nutrition basics of almond butter and peanut butter per serving, possible risks associated with these spreads, how to use them, and low-carb recipes to try.

Almond Butter vs Peanut Butter

Both nut butters have similar calories and amounts of carbohydrates, fat, and protein in 1 tablespoon or a 16-gram serving, according to the USDA (* , *).

If you’re looking to maintain a healthy weight, either one of them can be a good choice for promoting fullness while satisfying your cravings.

Note that in real situations, these values may vary depending on a brand. For example, some nut butters have added sugars and high amounts of carbs which would easily put you out of ketosis. That said, always check the nutrition facts label when grocery shopping for nut butters and stick to natural versions.

Calories

While both nut butters are high in calories — almond butter has 98 calories while peanut butter has 96 calories — they contain substantial amounts of dietary fat and protein, which promote satiety and reduce energy intake (*).

Since these nut butters essentially have the same calorie content, they’re equally fine when it comes to controlling your calorie intake. Just be careful not to exceed one or two tablespoons at a time to avoid unnecessary weight gain.

Read more: Do Calories Matter On Keto?

Carbohydrates

Almond butter and peanut butter provide 3 grams of total carbs per serving, making them an option for those trying to keep their daily total carbs low.

Keep in mind that when following a ketogenic diet, you’re only allowed up to 50 grams of carbs per day to enter ketosis (*).

You can definitely consume more than one tablespoon of nut butters as long as it fits your daily carb allowance while still leaving room for other meals.

Fiber

Including fiber in your diet helps with regulating bowel movements, normalizing blood sugar levels, increasing fullness, and supporting a healthy weight loss (*).

Since fiber is found in all plant-based foods, you can consume it through almond butter or peanut butter. Between the two, almond butter has a slightly higher fiber content.

Fat

Peanuts and almonds are naturally high in healthy fats, particularly monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (*).

Including these beneficial fats in your diet can help regulate inflammation and reduce your risk of heart disease (* , *).

A serving of almond butter contains a little more fat than peanut butter.

Protein

If you’re looking for a source of plant-based protein, nut butters can fulfill that need. In terms of protein content, peanut butter has 4 grams of protein while almond butter has 3.4 grams of protein in one tablespoon, making peanut butter the obvious winner.

Regardless of your diet, adequate protein consumption matters. Protein plays key roles, including physical strength, muscle preservation, immunity, and survival (*).

Read more: How Much Protein to Eat on a Keto Diet

Sugars

Generally speaking, almond butter and peanut butter are low-sugar options. However, be aware that a lot of nut butters contain extra ingredients that raise their sugar content. (Unfortunately, commercial nut butters are common sources of hidden sugars).

Watch out for sugar which can come in different names, such as honey, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, maple syrup, agave, and dextrose.

Better yet, make your own nut butter at home — or choose natural nut butters with few but clean ingredients like Perfect Keto nut butters and SuperFat nut butters.

We don’t use sugar in our nut butters. Instead, we sweeten them using stevia and erythritol, which don’t raise your blood glucose levels.

Vitamins and Minerals

In addition to dietary fiber, nuts provide a variety of nutrients (*):

• Folate for cell growth and red blood cell formation
• Calcium for nerve function and muscle contraction
• Magnesium for protein synthesis, blood pressure regulation, and energy production
• Potassium for water balance and muscle contraction

Getting sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals is vital to staying healthy. Nut butters are just one of the many foods where you can source your micronutrients.

Possible Risks of Almond Butter or Peanut Butter

For example, almond proteins including amandin (a major storage protein), have been identified as allergens (*). Meanwhile, peanuts contain 12 allergens, with Ara h 2 being frequently cited as the most potent peanut allergen (*).

Nut allergy signs and symptoms include skin hives, redness, swelling, digestive problems, and difficulty breathing.

Make sure to check if you have an almond or peanut allergy before consuming nut butters.

Another possible risk, especially with peanut butters, is salmonella infection — which is common in raw nuts (*).

Keeping salmonella out of nut butters entails roasting nuts and ensuring that the nut butters don’t get contaminated after the roasting process (*). In other words, proper handling lowers the risk of nuts becoming a source of harmful bacteria.

Ways to Use Nut Butter

Perfect Keto Nut Butter Recipes to Try

Which Nut Butter Is Healthier, Almond Butter or Peanut Butter?

Don’t forget to check nut butter labels for added sugars and artificial ingredients before putting a jar in your shopping cart. For nut butters with the highest quality ingredients, choose Perfect Keto or SuperFat.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Almond Butter and Peanut Butter