Almond, peanut or cashew: Which nut butter is best for your health?

Yahoo

01-07-2025

Britain has gone nuts for nut butters. Back in 2020, sales of peanut butter in this country even outstripped those of jam. Gone are the days where you'd most likely find peanut butter slathered in a sandwich to make up a quick and easy lunch, however. This cheap staple has had a upgrade and is now the star of many trendy dishes, heaped atop acai bowls or mixed into tasty noodle dressings.
Muscling in on its territory are butters made from other, more glamorous nuts: almond, pecan, macadamia and the now popular pistachio. A tiny tub of walnut or cashew nut butter in Waitrose or Holland and Barrett might set you back £10, and in Wholefoods in Chelsea, London, you can make your own customised nut butter blend in a hand-churned machine for the small price of £1.19 for 100g.
Packed with protein, fibre and healthy fats, it's easy to see why nut butters appeal to the health-conscious among us. But is there really any difference between these stylish new spreads and the good old-fashioned peanut butter in the back of your cupboard? We asked the experts.
On the whole, nut butters are very healthy. 'I tend to recommend them a lot to clients,' says nutritionist Jenna Hope. 'They can be a really convenient way to get more nutrients into your diet.' Nut butters are a good source of protein, 'especially for people who are following plant-based or vegan diets,' Hope adds. A 30g serving of peanut butter contains around 8g of protein, roughly the same as that in a large egg. A spoonful this big would also contain nearly three whole grams of fibre.
There are many benefits to including a lot of nuts in your diet. Some research indicates that doing so can protect against cancer, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and they are a core part of the MIND diet, which was developed to help stave off dementia.
The advantage of nut butters over whole nuts is that 'the blending done to make nut butters means that some of the digestion is done for your system before you actually eat, making those nutrients more readily available,' Hope says. That said, this also makes them more calorific, 'as your body is doing less work to break it down'.
'You need to be mindful of serving sizes when it comes to nut butters, as they contain a significant amount of fat, even though it's healthy fat for the most part,' she adds. 'Moderation is key. If you're having a nut butter on toast or to make a sauce for a noodle dish, I'd use no more than a tablespoon, and if it's going in a curry or on top of a yogurt bowl with lots of other toppings, then a teaspoon is ample.'
On that note: not all nut butters are made equal. Some nut butters come with added oils, like palm oil, 'which is high in unhealthy saturated fats,' Hope explains. Others can be heavily salted, with salty foods contributing to high blood pressure.
For this reason, 'try to find a nut butter that is a 100 per cent nut, or that only has a small amount of added salt, which I would count as less than 0.08 per cent on the ingredients' list,' Hope advises. Sugary or other flavoured nut butters are best avoided, as they will likely be high in sugar – 'even where they've used agave syrup or coconut sugar, which both sound healthier but aren't necessarily' – and contain added flavourings.
Peanut
Almond
Cashew
Hazelnut
Walnut
Macadamia
Pistachio
Pecan
91 calories, 7g fat, 4g protein, 1.3g fibre
When it comes to protein, peanut butter comes out top, making it 'especially good for people who don't eat meat,' says Hope. It also contains vitamin E, 'which is great for your skin health', as well as a good amount of folate and copper, which help with the production of red blood cells. Though peanut butter is high in fat, 'most of them in an peanut butter free from added oils will be monounsaturated or heart-healthy fats,' Hope says. 'Just be aware of how much you're adding to your meals.'
87 calories, 7.8g fat, 3.1g protein, 1.6g fibre
Almond butter has the most fibre of any nut butter, and also has fewer calories, making it a good option for people looking to eat well while restricting their calorie intake. It is also a good source of protein, though it contains marginally less of it than peanut butter, and it's packed with magnesium and calcium. It is more costly than peanut butter, however, and Hope would recommend having whole almonds rather than almond butter, as these contain even more fibre to 'nourish your gut bacteria'.
101 calories, 8.4g fat, 3.2g protein, 0.6g fibre
Cashew butter isn't so high in protein, but is packed with healthy fat and B vitamins as well as magnesium, 'which is crucial in more than 600 processes in the body,' Hope says.
102 calories, 9.8g fat, 2.6g protein, 1.5g fibre
Hazelnut butter is a good source of vitamin E and B vitamins, as well as folate (crucial to skin and eye health, immune response and the formation of red blood cells, respectively). Just steer clear of mock Nutella butters made with hazelnuts and chocolate, and added sugar, Hope says, unless you're looking for a treat.
98 calories, 9.9g fat, 2.1g protein, 1.2g fibre
Walnuts are high in omega-3s, says Hope, which is what makes the nuts powerful for protecting your brain health, an effect observed in many studies. Consuming it in butter form may add to those benefits by making the nutrients more readily available. Bear in mind its high fat content, however, and the fact that it is slightly less protein-rich than some other options. Walnut butter as a niche product is also much more expensive than whole walnuts, 'which are likely just as good for you,' Hope says.
108 calories, 11.4g fat, 1.2g protein, 1.4g fibre
Macadamia nuts 'are said to have the best omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, making them excellent for brain health, especially if you don't eat fish,' says Hope. Though they are lower in protein than peanuts, this balance of healthy fats 'means that they have a profile that's very favourable when it comes to reducing inflammation'. If you're struggling to get enough omega-3 into your diet, it may be worth adding a dollop of this spread to your breakfast, though they don't offer the same level as walnuts.
90 calories, 8.3g fat, 2.7g protein, 0.9g fibre
Trendy pistachios are packed with beneficial plant compounds, lending their bright green colour, Hope says. This also indicates the presence of antioxidants, though they're also high in potassium (which is good for your muscles, blood pressure and heart) and vitamin B6 (which aids metabolism and boosts your mood and brain function). Just swerve the sugary pistachio creams that have also become commonplace on shelves if you're looking for a healthy add to your breakfast, Hope advises: they look similar but are a very different product.
106 calories, 10.8g fat, 1.4g protein, 1.4g fibre
Pecans are naturally sweet, with a rich, nutty taste. They're not quite as high in protein or fibre than other nuts, but having it on your toast or adding a spoonful to smoothies may help to curb your sweet tooth.
Which nut butter is healthiest, then? It all depends on what you're looking for, says Hope. Really 'it's best to switch them up when you can, as they all contain different micronutrients and can play a role in adding to the variety in your diet'. But if you're going to pick one, there's no harm in making it peanut.
You can always make your own nut butters: it's as easy as 'roasting the nuts and then blending them in a high-speed food processor,' says Hope. But you may not want to spend the time needed. 'If you're time-constrained, you're much better off making yourself a healthy dinner and opting for one of the more minimally processed nut butters in supermarkets.'
Meridian's peanut and almond butters are as simple as it gets: both, in their crunchy and smooth varieties alike, are 100 per cent nut. They're also blended into butters with their skins on, retaining more fibre and micronutrients. Aside from almond and peanut, Meridian also makes cashew and hazelnut butter, as well as light and dark tahini (and a range of other flavoured, less healthy nut butters).
With no added salt, this range is the best you'll find in mainstream stockists, though Hope notes that many supermarket own brand products are actually sugar-free and oil-free, and either very low-salt or salt-free, and much kinder on your wallet to boot.
Pip & Nut's smooth peanut butter contains 99.5 per cent peanuts and 'just a sprinkle' of salt – nothing else. It's the same story for the brand's almond smooth and chunky almond butters. This makes it a winner in Hope's book, though its flavoured sweet and salty products contain agave syrup, coconut oil, and more than just a pinch of salt, at 1 per cent of the total jar.
Manilife makes a range of nut butters with different roast strengths, a bit like coffee, providing a range of different flavour options without additives or sugar. Its peanut and almond butters are on the slightly high side when it comes to salt, however, which comes in at 0.9 per cent of each jar, slightly above Hope's safe range. 'Overall though, it's a very good brand. I'd just avoid it if you have high blood pressure or you're concerned about developing it,' she says.
Whole Earth has the sort of healthy-looking label and name you might reach for when you see it on the shelves, but it falls far short of some of its rivals when it comes to health. Its smooth peanut butter is just 96 per cent nut, the rest being made up of salt and dreaded palm oil. All this and it costs a pretty penny. It's best swerved, Hope says.
'They are equally healthy,' says Hope. 'Peanut butter is higher in protein, but almonds are higher in micronutrients. It all depends on what you're looking for.'
'Macadamia nut butter and almond butter are both lower in carbs than peanut butter,' Hope says, though it's worth pointing out that all nut butters are low in sugar so long as none has been added to your jar of choice.
'I would say that almond butter is the best alternative to peanut butter,' Hope says, given its high fibre content, but 'the best nut butter is the one that you enjoy the most'.
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