10 Deliciously Addictive Craft Nut Butters
Whether you grew up on Jif, Peter Pan or Skippy – or maybe your parents were a little bit hippy and fed you PB&Js spread with Adams, the OG natural peanut butter – it’s time to expand your taste buds. If you take a stroll down the spreads aisle at your local supermarket, you’ll notice the offerings have greatly expanded since you were a kid. According to Mintel, the nut-based and sweets spread category grew to $3.9 billion in 2018, due in large part to greater awareness of the health benefits associated with nut butter, including heart-healthy fats and satiating protein.
Unlike many big brands that have added sugar, oils and preservatives, however, a new crop of companies is producing craft nut (and nut-free) butters using only the best ingredients. Some are even incorporating nuts such as pistachios and pecans to create unique textures and flavors. We stirred, spooned and sampled our way through the latest small-batch spreads to bring you 10 of our favorites.
NutMeg’s Spreads
The story behind Nutmeg’s Spreads is as good as the taste of its nut butters. Chicagoans Megan Mzenga and her husband, Billy, founded the company out of a desire to give back to his home country of Kenya. 50% of sales from their delicious pistachio, peanut, almond and cashew butters – which all deliciously incorporate hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and pink Himalayan sea salt – go toward Kenyan nonprofits, including Freely in Hope, whose mission is to end sexual violence. “Ultimately that is the heart and mission of NutMeg’s,” says Mzenga, “but really our customers simply love the taste and the clean ingredients of our product.”