Favorite Nut Butters, Ranked Worst To Best

In the name of running the gamut on all nut butters, we were obligated to include a walnut butter variety on the list here. And, don't get us wrong, Nutty Gourmet does a knockout job with their raw walnut butter. It's a single-ingredient spread: just organic walnuts, packed together under an adorable pink lid and sustainably farmed (as Nutty Gourmet takes pride in communicating to their customers, they only use walnuts that are farmed with drip irrigation, micro sprinklers, and solar panels.) 

They take care to keep everything clean, organic, and honest -– while the walnut butter does have more calories than other nut butters might, it packs the meanest punch of Omega 3s as well as numerous phytochemicals, antioxidants, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Nutty Gourmet makes consumers aware of all of these benefits, and speaking from experience, we appreciate it. At the end of the day, though, while Nutty Gourmet's Organic Raw Walnut Butter is pure and delicious, it's still walnut butter. Comparatively, the taste of that nut itself just doesn't measure up to the rest of the spectrum.

One of Justin's products obviously had to make the list. This fairly new but ubiquitous company rolled out in 2004, and is easily recognizable by its white label with the friendly-looking brand name: "Justin's," spelled out in clean and simple cursive. The story goes that Justin himself began churning out peanut butter in his home kitchen back in the day, and as anyone who's familiar with Justin's nut butters can attest, that story tracks based on the current flavor.

Justin's is obviously, based on its rank, not our personal favorite. We find it a tad too grainy and hard to spread, and while it does taste healthy in that it clearly has minimal ingredients, there's nothing particularly creative to keep the flavor profile interesting. Justin's dabbles in all kinds of nut butters, but especially when it comes to their almond butter, the notes of nut are at times overpowering.

In Justin's defense, we were slightly swayed by their vanilla flavor addition for this almond butter. While still leaving a bit to be desired, this spread is inventive and interesting.

Talk about a classic brand. Everything about Teddie feels old school and endearing, from the green lid to the cartoon bear label with classic bubble lettering, even down to the very name itself. It's a kid-friendly, glass-jar staple, and it knows it. But perhaps the greatest aspect of Teddie's signature All Natural Smooth Peanut Butter is its health factor. This spread is all-natural (as the name very plainly indicates), vegan, gluten-free, and – we were pleasantly surprised to learn –- contains flaxseed. It somehow tastes better than the other all-natural peanut butters we've sampled; richer, bolder, and thick but still easy enough to spread onto just about anything and everything. The number one word we'd put to this quintessential snack component is "hearty" – without weighing you down at all, Teddie's All Natural Smooth Peanut Butter will leave you satisfied. For those who are so inclined the "Super Crunchy" variety is pretty delicious as well.

Just kidding! Two Justin's spreads ended up making our roundup, which is probably indicative of just how successfully they are mastering the marketplace, if nothing else. Despite our qualms about the almond butter and the overall grainy texture of Justin's products, this bad boy makes it pretty high in the definitive ranking. How does it manage to come from behind and lock in a lead? Honestly, in this case, it's all about the chocolate flavor. When combined with the strong hazelnut base, this Justin's spread is -– dare we say it? –- reminiscent of Nutella. 

While Justin's version of the semi-dessert nut butter packs a much stronger hazelnut flavor than its widely-celebrated competitor, it also has a lot less sugar, 4 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fiber. In a nutshell (pun very much intended) Justin's chocolate-flavored Hazelnut Butter Blend tastes healthier because it is healthier.

Here's the problem, here: to us, this tastes like childhood. Sticky fingers, snack time, slabbed onto bread mid-playdate; that's the absolute essence of JIF peanut butter. For that reason, it's almost unfair to rank this timeless all-American spread against the newbies that have emerged in the current nut butter renaissance. But here we are trying anyway.

As any millennial who consumed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches during the first two decades of life could probably tell you, JIF is sweet -– both literally and figuratively. It verges on unnaturally smooth, and every bite tastes salty and creamy and then, ultimately, also sugary. When stacked against more up-to-date favorites, JIF stands out like a sore thumb. There's no part of the spread that's trying to seem healthy -– until you consider this more recently released "natural" rendition. With all the nostalgic traditional flavor and some semblance of a health factor, JIF Natural Creamy Peanut Butter holds its own.

As Costco shoppers know, there's no product like a Kirkland product. From the mega grocer's sophisticated-tasting store-brand liquor selection to their dips that are way more gourmet than generic, Costco kills it with the in-house creations. We are happy to report that their mixed nut butter is no different. This very large tub of nut butter might not look like anything special –- with a fairly vague label and a big brown cap, you could easily miss Kirkland's mixed nut butter during a Costco run. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that not snagging a jar of this spread would be a grave mistake. 

The unique, dark-caramel-colored spread is a fusion of almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds. It is diversely textured and thick without being too difficult to slab onto a piece of freshly-made toast. Similar to its Trader Joe's competition, the flax and chia seeds add crunch without distracting from the overall flavor. Ultimately the game-changer here, though, are the pumpkin notes. Not at all limited to fall, the subtle flavor addition is what seals the deal for the Kirkland Mixed Nut Butter in the first place.