Recent years have seen a massive boom in traditional, well-loved foods being reinvented not only to accommodate specialised diets and needs but also to crack down on the boredom that using the same products on repeat can create. Such a craze can be seen with almond butter and peanut butter.
Regardless of their viral popularity, the question remains; are almond butter and peanut butter the same?
As you may have guessed, the most significant difference between almond butter and peanut butter is that almond butter is made using ground almonds, while peanut butter uses peanuts.
What is Almond Butter?
Similar to the rise of almond milk and other nut-based alternatives, almond butter has boomed in popularity recently despite being around since 1913, according to Spiceography.
Almond butter is a spread that comes in a variety of textures and consistency but is always made with a base of ground almonds.
Depending on the price of the almond butter and its quality, other ingredients will be thrown in there, too, like extra oils and sugars. However, for the most part, almond butter is simply almonds.
As such, almond butter has a significantly rich taste with a very nutty flavour.
Many almond butter brands include some honey or sugar in their butter to enhance the almond’s natural sweetness, but on the whole, the butter is not overly sweet.
You can buy crunchy or smooth almond butter. The crunchy variety includes larger chunks of almond for added texture. Smooth almond butter, while smooth like its name, can be grainy if the almonds have not been roasted beforehand.
For as smooth an almond butter as possible, buy roasted, smooth almond butter. Also, try buying a type that has a little added oil.
What is Peanut Butter?
Everyone in the western world knows that peanut butter is a home staple. No matter how often you eat it or use it in your cooking, you will almost always find a jar of peanut butter in your cupboard.
As its name suggests, peanut butter is made with peanuts, specifically by grinding peanuts until a thick paste forms.
Natural peanut butter adds a little oil to make this paste moderately thinner and leaves the peanut butter at that. However, the most affordable peanut butter on the supermarket shelf will have added sugar and fat to make the peanut butter mild and sweet but still just as nutty.
Peanut butter is used all throughout the cooking world, from savoury noodle dishes to cookies. Because of most brands’ sweetness, it is a popular flavour that is easy to incorporate into baked goods.
Peanut butter does not have as rich a peanut taste as you would expect. Roast peanut butter is nuttier, but only to some extent.
Similarities Between Almond Butter and Peanut Butter
When products are placed next to each other on the supermarket shelf, you would assume that they have some fundamental similarities. In the case of almond butter and peanut butter, these are:
- Spreadable Butters – As butters of sorts, peanut butter and almond butter are intended to be used as spreads like jam or Nutella. They can be used to create a delicious sandwich or be added to recipes. You will therefore find them on the same shelf in the supermarket.
- Make At Home – All that almond butter and peanut butter are is a specific type of nut ground up into a paste and thinned out a little to make it spreadable. It is an incredibly easy method to follow at home as you need very few ingredients and even less equipment (check this out from Minimalist Baker).
- Nut Spreads – Almond butter and peanut butter do not just share the fact that they are named after nuts but are also made with a base of nuts. Hence why they are classed as nut butters or nut spreads.
Differences Between Almond Butter and Peanut Butter
Of course, almond butter and peanut butter are not the same food. They have their noticeable differences:
- Base Nut – It is not hard to guess the biggest reason why almond butter and peanut butter are different. They are made using different nuts with different qualities and flavours – almonds and peanuts.
- Flavour – Because they are made using different nuts, almond butter has a much richer and nuttier flavour than peanut butter, as almonds taste nuttier than peanuts. Though peanut butter is noticeably sweeter than almond butter even when less added sugar is used.
- Retail Price – Almond butter and peanut butter each have their own variations, which are sold at various price points. However, because almond butter is seen as a more specialised alternative food, almond butter is much more expensive than a cheap jar of peanut butter.
- Popularity – Peanut butter has been a common ingredient in countless households across the world for centuries, especially in America, where it was invented. Almond butter has also gained a lot of popularity in recent years, though it still remains a specialised item and is, therefore not as popular.
- Texture – Both peanut butter and almond butter are sold in various states of smoothness, from extra crunchy to ultra-smooth. But because almonds contain a crispy skin that is not shed in many almond butter manufacturing processes, there is only so smooth that almond butter can be. Instead, almond butter tends to be grainier.
- Healthiness – Almond butter has gained a reputation as a healthy alternative to peanut butter as most almond butter manufacturers keep the butter as raw and natural as possible. Because peanut butter has been commercialised for so long, most varieties load their peanut butter with sugar making it much less healthy overall.
Almond Butter vs Peanut Butter: Which Wins?
If you had to pick between the two, which would you rate your favourite? Is it almond butter that comes out on top or peanut butter? It’s time to vote: Almond butter vs peanut butter?
Do You Prefer Almond Butter or Peanut Butter?
Almond Butter and Peanut Butter FAQs
If you have further questions about almond butter, peanut butter, and how they differ then these FAQs might be of use:
Generally, almond butter will have a nuttier taste compared to peanut butter. If the nuts have been roasted then the nuttiness will be intensified.
Acacia may be a freelance writer by day, but they are a food fanatic by night. They are always trying out new recipes or finding different ways to elevate classical dishes. But their biggest culinary aim is to educate others on the basics of the kitchen so that they too can enjoy delicious food.
