Nut butter is a staple that most of us have in our pantries. You can use nut butter in cooking, baking, and on its own as a quick protein source. Nut butter is also kid-friendly! But what IS nut butter?
Nut butter is a high-fat paste made from grinding up nuts. Pretty simple, right?
Well, there’s a bit more to it than that! We’ll go into what nut butter is in more detail below!
What is nut butter?
Nut butter is a spreadable mixture of ground nuts and their oils. Nut butter is made by grinding nuts until they form a thick paste, and sometimes other ingredients are added like salt, sugar, and additional plant-based oils.
Because nuts are high in fat, nut butter is a high-fat food. (And even though it has the word “butter” in it, nut butter doesn’t contain actual butter, so it’s suitable for vegans and those with a milk allergy!)
You can buy commercial nut butter or make your own. All you need is a food processor or a blender to blend the nuts until they form a smooth paste.
Types of nut butter
Any type of nut can be made into nut butter, so there are several different types. The different types of nut butter have varying nutritional benefits and stats depending on the source.
Nut butter comes in two main varieties: smooth and chunky. Smooth varieties don’t contain solid pieces of the nut, while chunky versions do. Chunky nut butter is generally higher in fiber than smooth nut butter because of the inclusion of the (generally) fiber-rich nuts.
Nut butters can be salted, unsalted, sweetened, and unsweetened. There are also specialty types of nut butter like high-protein nut butter and flavored nut butter.
Benefits of nut butter
What are some of the benefits of nut butter? There are quite a few!
- Usually a good source of protein (but it varies among types of nut)
- Primarily high in unsaturated fats, which are considered the “healthy” fats
- Many types are suitable for special diets such as keto, paleo, and vegan diets
- Budget-friendly protein compared to sources like meat and fish; also a good vegan source of protein
- Some types are rich in nutrients like vitamin E, selenium, magnesium, and iron
- Some types of nut butter are high in fiber
Drawbacks of nut butter
There are some potential nutritional downsides to nut butter, such as:
- Most types of true nut butters aren’t suitable for those with nut allergies
- Peanut butter must be avoided by those with peanut allergies (different from a tree nut allergy)
- Might not be suitable for those on certain low-fat diets
- Some versions are high in sugar, such as flavored nut butters
- Some types are low in fiber, an important nutrient for digestive and heart health (whole nuts and seeds are generally high in fiber, which can be broken down and lost in the process of making nut butter)
- Some types are higher in saturated fat, which may contribute to cholesterol problems in some people
What about seed butter?
Something very similar to nut butter is seed butter, which is made from edible seeds. Seeds are nutritionally similar to nuts, so seed butter is a good alternative for those with tree nut and peanut allergies.
FAQs:
Nut butter refers to a smooth (or chunky) paste made from ground-up nuts. Peanut butter is considered nut butter even though peanuts aren’t true nuts (they’re legumes – the same family as lentils and black beans).
Nut butter refers to any type of nut (or pseudo-nut such as peanuts) that has been ground into a paste. Many types of nut butters are made from nuts that aren’t true nuts but are considered nuts in a culinary sense (like peanuts!).
Unsweetened almond butter, peanut butter, and walnut butter are all healthy choices, as are most unsweetened types of nut butters. Aim for those without added sugar, added oils, at least three grams of fiber per serving, and at least five grams of protein per serving whenever possible.
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