Oh So Natural Wholefoods Smooth Peanut Butter

Rating: 3/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: Australia (I think - this is an Aldi brand)

Nope! While the texture is passable for a natural peanut butter, that's about the only positive thing I can say. It tastes like a mouthful of peanut oil with barely any actual peanut flavour coming through. Natural sweetness from the peanuts? Absent. The lack of salt (intentional) doesn't help. So... why bother?

If you're looking for a natural peanut butter, there are better options out there - save your $3.39.

Santa Cruz Organic Dark Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter

Rating: 6/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: USA
• Serving suggestion: Add a pinch of salt and use it anywhere you'd use a dark roasted PB

I wanted to like this one more. Dark roasted peanut butter is usually my jam (pun absolutely intended), but this one's giving "talented but directionless". The deep, roasty, toasty notes are there, but they're performing solo when it's not really meant to be a one-note show. To put it plainly - it needs more salt. It's like they got halfway through the recipe and forgot the supporting cast.

The texture is giving "wannabe diva" - needs frequent mixing to keep it together. The peanuts themselves are giving "fresh-faced understudy" - they don't taste like they've been forgotten in the back of the pantry. But without enough salt to amplify the flavours, it's just... there. A perfectly fine performer that never quite gets its moment to shine.

A sprinkle of salt would probably bump this up a little, but I'm reviewing what's in the jar, not what could have been.

CB's 2 Ingredient Sea Salted Peanut Butter

Rating: 7/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: USA
• Serving suggestion: Your everyday toast companion, or anywhere you want that classic roasted peanut flavor

A Washington local! Sometimes you don't have to be extra to be likeable (note to self). CB's keeps it minimal with just two ingredients and for the most part, it works.

The texture here is quite nice - thick and substantial without being difficult to work with. Not a crazy amount of oil separation drama (a welcome break from my usual natural peanut butter adventures), just a smooth, consistent spread that behaves. It's the kind of texture that makes for easy spreading onto a slice of toast.

Flavour-wise, it reminds me of good quality roasted peanuts - the kind you might get as a bar snack at a hotel bar. The salt level is well-balanced, complementing rather than competing with the natural nuttiness. While it doesn't have the complexity or depth of some darker roasted options in my collection, it's a reliable choice that delivers what it promises: straightforward peanut butter satisfaction.

Is it particularly memorable? Nah. But it's the kind of jar you'll find yourself reaching for regularly, not because it's exciting, but because it works. Think of it as the sensible shoes of the peanut butter world - not the ones you show off about, but the ones you wear quite often. A solid and dependable choice.

Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Peanut Butter

Rating: 6/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: USA
• Serving suggestion: Baking projects and sauces where you need a thinner consistency and don't mind a thwacking of salt

Let's talk about this budget-friendly find from Trader Joe's - certainly a bargain at USD2.49, I didn't hesitate to grab this off the shelf and shove it into my suitcase to take back from my last trip to the States.

First impressions: pretty colour! Isn't quite the deep, dark roast I swoon at, but still easy on the eyes. Made with unblanched peanuts (which just means they kept their skins on for grinding), this spread definitely leans into the "ultra-spreadable" category.

The consistency is thin and oily. Really thin. Like, "don't try to spread this on soft bread unless you want a structural disaster" thin. While some might appreciate how easily it flows, I find myself wishing for something with a bit more body. The salt level is also dialed up past where it needs to be, which limits its versatility as a straight-up spread.

However! This isn't a total loss - that thin consistency and punchy hit of salt actually make it shine in specific applications. Need a smooth peanut butter to make some satay sauce for your meal prep friendly baked chicken because it's shredding season (wow, is this an extremely targeted ad)? This one's got your back, no extra oil or salt needed. Want to swirl some nutty goodness into your baked oat batter? Here's your budget-friendly solution. It's found its niche as a supporting player rather than a solo act.

An "it's fine" on the peanut butter spectrum. For the price point I'd say it's an acceptable pantry backup if you're planning to use a 'natural' style peanut butter in recipes rather than straight on your morning toast.

Shunchen Oil Peanut Butter

Rating: 3/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: Taiwan
• Serving suggestion: Peanut sauce noodles maybe???  (e.g. Nagi's - she says crunchy, I like my noodle sauce smooth, but also, this jar would make no more than 2 servings probably)

Tried this one so you don’t have to.

I had high hopes: picked this fancy little nut butter up from a bougie design store and paid a pretty penny for a very small jar. But sadly, it did not deliver. Bitter, bland, and with an odd aftertaste of burnt oil. No depth and no richness - just a flat, joyless spread.

Let’s just say this one is not getting invited back to dinner. (I am keeping the jar, though! ♻️)

Fuyuan Peanut Butter (Fine)

Rating: 8/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: Taiwan
• Serving suggestion: Sweet breakfasts (the best kind) - pancakes, toast, overnight oats, Greek yogurt bowls

Finally catching up on the Taiwanese peanut butter reviews after months of tasting notes marinating in my Notes app (a chaotic but sacred space). This one in two words: pure nostalgia.

Fuyuan claims to be the the most well-known peanut butter brand in Taiwan and is known for its handmade approach. This peanut butter is sweet, creamy, and mellow - basically, a childhood best friend in a jar. If you grew up on super-sweet-and-salty spreads like Kraft/Bega or Smucker;s, it's like she's come back to visit, but now she's grown-up, a lot more refined, but still the same charmer you remember. It's especially dreamy on overnight oats with seasonal fruit (berries in summer, pears in autumn, bananas year-round) and spice of choice, or swirled into/onto a thick Greek yogurt bowl to brighten up a regular degular morning. Now imagine it drizzled over blueberry pancakes. Yeah, I’m drooling too.

Simple, comforting, and just sweet enough: a quiet winner.

Ground Up Cinnamon Snickerdoodle Almond & Cashew Butter

Rating: 6/10

• 🥜 Category: Almond/Cashew, Smooth, Flavoured
• Country of origin: USA

Checking in from sunny Seattle, Washington, with a spontaneous mini review!

I've been staying in an aparthotel while I've been here because I wanted more excuses to check out the fancy grocery stores/delis that Seattle and its surrounds had to offer, and make myself food. Eating out all the time sounds glamorous until it isn't, you know?

I found these single nut butter sachets at Whole Foods and decided to use this one as a topping on my brown sugar and vanilla protein oats (another purchase from the same trip), with almond milk, so I have no other serving suggestions besides that and straight-out-of-the-sachet. We listen and we don't judge.

Flavour-wise, this nut butter leans heavily on the coconut. The cinnamon is more of a whisper in the background. The texture is boosted by the MCT oil. Classic almond grittiness meets cashew creaminess. It’s a familiar formula, and it works. The sweetness is nice - the honey is mild-flavoured - and the salt level is great. It isn't giving me snickerdoodle cookie, though - more a slightly sweet snickerdoodle inspired granola bowl. Pretty good, but not craveable.

ManíLife Deep Roasted Smooth Peanut Butter

Rating: 10/10 (!!!)

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: England
• Serving suggestion: Don't, send it straight to me 📮

My first peanut butter from the UK and we are starting out strong, my friends... Yep - you read that rating correctly. This is a perfect peanut butter.

Open the jar, inhale deeply. The aroma is divine. Dark chocolate and butterscotch / toffee. Ready your preferred stirring utensil (I use a butter knife that's so flat it almost looks like one of those wooden sticks you use to stir coffee) and mix well. Texture is as it says on the jar: smooth - like super duper smooth - caramel sauce smooth. Now taste it on the spoon. Almost dessert like - burnt sugar, or molasses, and sweet wood. Basically all the notes I love in a gourmand perfume, and in a coffee, and in wine, and in my peanut butter apparently. Salt level is optimal and brings out the best in everything else (we love a supportive friend).

Bonus points:  ManíLife is a B Corp, and if you're in the UK, you can find it at Tesco.

Delicious straight from the jar, on fluffy untoasted bread, on crispy toast, as a dip for a fresh crunchy apples, as a crucial component of your overnight oats... Honestly do I need to go through every scrumptious application of my favourite spread in the whole wide world?

🥜👑✨

Teddie All Natural Smooth Peanut Butter

Rating: 7/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: USA
• Serving suggestion: Drizzled on top of a sweet dessert (in a situation where you might crunch up some potato chips or add crushed peanuts) or a sweet breakfast

The last of the North American peanut butters in my rotation! Don't cry for me - I should be able to get my grubby little hands on some more soon before I "hit pan" (to borrow a term from the makeup girlies), although I am going through these clownishly large jars at a mildly alarming rate...

Another cute peanut butter mascot! 🧸 Some serious stirring is required whenever I open the jar, even for a natural peanut butter - but once I jump that hurdle I find this to be moreish: I get why it's been around since the (19)20s. Medium roast - I think the level hits just right. A very classic, nostalgic aroma, a bit like that smell of just-toasted bread and butter, that accompany the fresh peanut flavour, but then shifts into a plain flavoured salted potato chip aftertaste. (That bit is reminiscent of the Cream-Nut I reviewed a little while ago.) It's got very thick yet drippy and oily texture, and the slight grittiness is charming.

You know what, I do like this despite its fussiness. It makes me want to get a chocolate/vanilla sundae from the local ice cream shop so I can drizzle this on top, or use this in a PB&J sandwich with the white bread I grew up eating (untoasted and with crust - always with crust). Dear reader, this is a reminder from me to have a silly little snack that makes you happy once in a while, and hug your inner child. 💖✨

Once Again Unsweetened Creamy Peanut Butter

Rating: 4/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: USA
• Serving suggestion: Peanut sauce or salad dressing, think South East Asian (Thai/Indonesian) flavours

Fruity and floral to begin with but has an unpleasant plasticky aftertaste. The texture is fine for a natural peanut butter - very loose and drizzly but requires stirring, yadda yadda yadda. Not awful for an unsalted peanut butter but also not good. I reckon this would be a boring but safe choice if you're into organic products, making peanut sauces, and you are inclined to add heaps of stinky strong ingredients like shrimp paste and tamarind to said peanut sauce.

Trash pandas are my spirit animals - I was once followed by a family of five raccoons on a long walk in Vancouver. I love their resourcefulness and their motivation for food. Unfortunately for this cute mascot, this is not my spirit peanut butter. 🦝

Darryl's Fresh Roasted Peanut Butter

Rating: 8/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth/Crunchy, Plain
• Country of origin: Australia
• Serving suggestion: As a huge dollop in the centre of a bowl of overnight oats with juicy juicy sliced ripe peaches, thick yoghurt and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon

Happy new year (it's still January - better late than never)!!! Since I last wrote I have been busy travelling, working (to afford peanut butter), adding to my peanut butter rotation, and eating through delicious (including some peanut butter-y) holiday treats. Now I have a backlog of tasting notes to sift through, reviews to come, and peanut-related travel photos/notes to share. I hope the short hiatus will have been worth it!

To start off, I have this jar, which I realise I did not photograph when it was shiny and beautiful and new. More proof that I do actually eat my peanut butters??? (Did you need it though???) There's a little associated story - I have a friend (A!!!) who is very judgemental of my Mayver's dark roasted obsession and instead swears by Darryl's. Despite my valiant efforts (ok, medium-willed at best) over a couple of years, I couldn't find it at my local specialty stores, and ordering online seemed unnecessarily annoying. So when one fine summer's day, I spotted a container of this extremely hard-to-source nut butter at the cafe where my friend's birthday was held, I bought it immediately. (And used it as a prop in all event photos I proceeded to be in. What are you meant to do with your hands, anyway?)

It's very yummy - caramelly, chocolatey and sweet, with slightly bitter coffee / dark chocolate notes at the end despite it not being as dark roasted. Salt level is perfect. I've been hooked on summer stone fruit lately and find that a dollop of this salty crunchy peanut product is a lovely complement to, and brings out, the natural sweetness of peaches and Greek yoghurt.

Texture is somehow verging on too dry though, and the peanuts aren't as chunky as in the Pic’s crunchy, but still not the best on toast (the other very important-to-me use case). I'd put it as pretty smack bang even with the regular Mayver's, but, sorry A, my beloved Mayver's dark roasted has not yet been dethroned.

Koeze Company Cream-Nut Natural Smooth Peanut Butter

Rating: 5/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth, Plain
• Country of origin: USA
• Serving suggestion: Mixed with vanilla/pandan or some other flavouring (perhaps good quality cocoa powder) and spread on toast or drizzled on fruit

Surprisingly nice roast level - unexpected from the colour alone. Texture is wonderfully spreadable but thick and gritty. I believe, from some quick Internet research, this is what Cream-Nut is known for and divides the people of the town.

Cream-Nut has a slight toasty, ashy taste that to me is not unpleasant but that doesn’t linger too long. To me, this is plain (like Bazzini, it is advertised as an old-fashioned style of peanut butter, an "oldie but goodie") - but in a way where I see it as a blank canvas.

Really tastes like Smith’s original (salted) potato chips at the end and coats your mouth in a similar way. I do like this! - but I'm not sure that I like it enough on its own to give it more than a 5.

Bazzini Old Fashioned Roasted Peanut Butter

Rating: 8/10

• 🥜 Category: Peanut, Smooth/Crunchy, Plain
• Country of origin: USA
• Serving suggestion: Delicious on toasted sourdough with raspberry compote for an adult PB&J; pictured here with some vanilla, sliced banana and a dusting of cinnamon for extra oomph

Oh, I like this one a lot!

A very classic (old fashioned as it says on the jar) dependable peanut butter and it doesn’t claim to  do more than that. Beautifully balanced flavour and on-point salt level. Nutty nutty nutty, rich, and naturally sweet with a pleasant texture and aftertaste.

Timeless, tasty, and pantry-staple worthy.