Nuts are a staple ingredient in top‑rated eating patterns, including the Mediterranean, DASH, Portfolio and MIND diets.
As part of a healthy diet, eating a serving of nuts (about 30 to 45 grams) at least five times a week is linked to a lower risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
A consistent nut intake helps lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, reduce inflammation, support blood vessel function and improve insulin sensitivity.
And it’s not just whole nuts that deserve a place in your regular diet.
Nut butters count, too. Nutritionally speaking, two tablespoons are equivalent to a 30 g serving of whole nuts.
Here’s a quick guide to popular nut butters and their defining nutrient profiles. Plus, nut-free butter alternatives to try if you’re allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.
Nut butter ingredients
Natural nut butters contain only one or two ingredients – roasted nuts and sometimes salt. Because they don’t contain added ingredients to prevent their oils from separating, you need to stir them before using.
No-stir brands of nut butter add fat or oil to prevent natural oils from separating and rising to the top.
Major brands of peanut butter, for example, contain very small amounts of fully hydrogenated vegetable oil to stabilize the nut butter, giving it a creamy, spreadable texture. (Unlike partially hydrogenated fat, banned in Canada in 2018, fully hydrogenated fat does not contain harmful trans fats.)
Vegetable oil and additives called mono- and diglycerides are also used to emulsify and stabilize no-stir peanut butters.
Nut butter nutrient breakdown
Like whole nuts, nut butters contain a mix of heart-healthy unsaturated fats, plant protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
They’re also plentiful in flavonoids, protective phytochemicals with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Here’s how popular nut butters compare nutritionally, per two tablespoon serving.
Almond butter
This nutrient-dense nut butter contains 195 calories, 7 g of protein, 3.3 g fibre and 18 g fat (83 per cent of it unsaturated) per serving.
Almond butter really stands out for its impressive vitamin E and magnesium content, providing 8 and 89 mg of each, respectively. Adults need 15 mg of vitamin E per day; daily magnesium requirements are 320 mg (women) and 420 mg (men).
Plus, you’ll get some calcium (110 mg) and potassium 240 mg) in a serving of almond butter.
Peanut butter
One serving provides 180 calories, 7 to 8 g of protein, 1.6 g of fibre and 16 g of fat, 75 per cent of it unsaturated fat.
And it’s an excellent source of brain-friendly vitamin E (3 mg) and niacin (4 mg), a B vitamin essential for healthy skin and nerve function (men and women need 16 and 14 mg of niacin per day, respectively).
Peanut butter also supplies a decent amount of folate, magnesium and potassium.
Light peanut butter has 25 per cent less fat than the regular version, trimming a mere 10 calories per tablespoon. ( I don’t see a nutritional advantage for light peanut butter.)
Cashew butter
You’ll find 190 calories, 5.6 g of protein, 0.6 g fibre and 16 g of fat (76 per cent as unsaturated fat) in one serving of this creamy nut butter. Like almond butter, cashew butter is an excellent source of magnesium, delivering 82 mg per serving.
Other nutritious nut butters to rotate in your diet include walnut butter, an excellent source of a plant-based omega-3 fatty acids called alpha linolenic acid, and pistachio nut butter.
For complex flavours, try nut butter blends such as almonds and pecans, cashews and macadamia nuts or peanuts and hazelnuts.
Tree-nut or peanut allergy? Consider seed butters
When it comes to calories and amounts of protein, fibre and healthy fats, seed butters are similar to nut butters. Some are exceptional sources of certain vitamins and minerals.
A two-tablespoon serving of sunflower seed butter, for example, is an excellent source of magnesium (100 mg) and selenium (33 mcg, more than half a day’s worth), a mineral needed for normal thyroid function.
One serving of pumpkin seed butter provides 9 g of protein along with a hefty 156 mg of magnesium and a decent amount of immune-supportive zinc (2 mg).
Sesame seed butter (tahini) is a good source of B vitamins, iron and zinc. Its claim to fame, though, is calcium: one serving supplies 130 mg. (Sesame can cause food allergies and allergic-type reactions in some individuals.)
All research on this web site is the property of Leslie Beck Nutrition Consulting Inc. and is protected by copyright. Keep in mind that research on these matters continues daily and is subject to change. The information presented is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. It is intended to provide ongoing support of your healthy lifestyle practices.