Here’s a tongue twister for ya. It is not nutty to go nuts for nummy-num-num nut butters. Nut butter is a healthy, delicious, and fuss-free way to spruce up a meal. So long as you stay away from varieties with excessive salt or sugar. I love devouring crunchy peanut butter straight from the jar. I am also partial to almond butter. I started adding nut butter to my breakfast (and dessert!) to increase my protein intake and help feel fuller for longer. Keep reading to discover everything I have learned about the best nut butters in Singapore as well as some creative ways to eat them.
Is Nut Butter Really Healthy?
It’s not a simple “yes” or “no” answer. Healthy means something different depending on who you ask. It is a fact that eating whole nuts improves your heart health and lowers cholesterol. Nuts are a great source of healthy fats, fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. However, when the skin of the nut is removed and the nut is ground into butter, some of the fibre is lost. Sugar and salt are also added, along with a host of other sometimes dubious ingredients, that can negate any positive health benefits. You need to be careful which nut butter you buy.
Generally speaking, crunchy nut butters are better for you than the smooth ones. Always make sure you read the label to see what other ingredients have been added.
Nut butter is one of the few protein-packed vegan options. This makes it a perfect post-workout snack for non-meat eaters. A piece of toast smeared with peanut butter, or a scoop of almond butter in a protein shake, will help you reap so much more from your workout.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is the original and the best. It is easily found on supermarket shelves, is lower in price than other nut butter varieties, and there are plenty of crunchy options. Peanut butter is rich in iron, folate, potassium, and magnesium. These health benefits are especially important for women. However, with all that in mind, do watch out for cheap peanut butter brands that are loaded with sugar and salt. My four favourite peanut butters in Singapore are:
- Yogood Peanut Butter Crunchy Spread
- Peanut Butter & Co Simply Crunch
- Mayver’s Dark Roasted Unsalted Peanut Butter
- Mother Earth Natural Unsalted Crunchy Peanut Butter
| Peanut Butter per 100g | Calories | Salt | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yogood Peanut Butter Crunchy Spread | 591 | 0 | N/A |
| Peanut Butter & Co Simply Crunch | 594 | 312.5mg | 6.3g |
| Mayver’s Dark Roasted Unsalted Peanut Butter | 581 | 6mg | 4.8g |
| Mother Earth Natural Unsalted Crunchy Peanut Butter | 576 | 3mg | 5.5g |
Yogood Peanut Butter Crunchy Spread
Yogood is the BEST. Not only does it taste great – I mean, it has a really nut-nut-nutty taste thanks to the high-grade peanuts used – but it also has zero salt and no added sugar. You know what they say about less is more? Well the only ingredients in this spread are peanuts and vegetable oil. That’s it! I love the texture of the Yogood peanut butter. It is thick and chunky with no oil separation. Yogood is available at Fairprice for around $7 for a 453g jar.
Peanut Butter & Co Simply Crunch
Peanut Butter & Co Simply Crunch – sugar free variety – by Wholesome Harvest is nearly as good as the Yogood brand. Crunchy, paste-like texture? Tick! Rich, premium peanut taste? Tick! No added sugar? Tick, tick, tick! The only ingredients used to make Peanut Butter & Co Simply Crunch are peanuts, palm oil and salt. This one loses points on account of the palm oil and because it is more expensive. Buy it from Redmart for around $10 for a 453.5g jar.
Mayver’s Dark Roasted Unsalted Peanut Butter
There is only one ingredient in this bad boy – 100% roasted peanuts! This butter is messy to eat because it has a lot of natural oil separation. Whatsmore, it is not crunchy – it is smunchy – which means sloppy with the occassional small chunk. However, as the peanuts are “dark roasted”, it possesses a sophisticated flavour palette. Because Mayver’s Dark Roasted Unsalted Peanut Butter is Australian made you know the quality is also superb. A 375g jar is only $5.95 from Fairprice.
Mother Earth Natural Unsalted Crunchy Peanut Butter
This is another awesome peanut butter spread made from 100% high oleic peanuts. High oleic peanuts contain a higher amount of oleic acid compared to standard peanuts. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid – it is known as a good fat, that helps to reduce bad cholesterol. While this peanut butter is a little oilier, it doesn’t have the same amount of oil separation as Mayver’s. The nut pieces are also super chunky. You can buy two 380g jars of the Mother Earth Natural Unsalted Crunchy Peanut Butter for $15 from Shoppee.
Specialty Peanut Butter
While it is hard to beat regular peanut butter, there are a few special peanut butter mixes out there which taste good. However, be aware that specialty peanut butter normally contains extra sugar and salt!
| Specialty Peanut Butter per 100g | Calories | Salt | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fix & Fogg Peanut Butter – Dark Chocolate | 585 | 207mg | 9.2g |
| PeaCoNut Butter | 582 | 356.1 | 5.1 |
Fix & Fogg Peanut Butter – Dark Chocolate
Chocolate peanut sounds like an amazing combination. Am I right or am I right? Think Reese Peanut Butter Cups. Well, the sad reality is that most chocolate peanut butters aint nothing special. I’ve tried a lot of them and they all taste like a poor man’s Nutella. Of all the various brands I’ve sampled, the Fix & Fogg Peanut Butter – Dark Chocolate is the best. It isn’t very crunchy (despite being labelled as super crunchy), but it possesses a distinct peanut flavour that holds up well against the dark cocoa. This one is best kept in the fridge otherwise it can have a sloppy consistency. A 275g jar costs around $10 and is available from Cold Storage.
PeaCoNut Butter
Heaven. I’m in Heaven. And my heart beats so whenever I taste the original PeaCoNut by Straits Preserves. This jar of loveliness combines two of my favourite ingredients – peanuts and coconut! The resulting taste is oh so tropical – it tastes like you are on holiday. This spread has a wonderfully gooey consistency that is easy to whack on toast. Buy it on Redmart for only $6.
Amazin’ Graze
Amazin’ Graze is a relative newcomer to the nut butter trade. They were founded in 2015 by three gutsy young women cooking up granola and trail mixes. They still sell that stuff, but now they also boast some of the yummiest nut butters I have tried. But they have a couple of doozies too.
| Amazin’ Graze Nut Butter per 100g | Calories | Salt | Sugars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazin’ Graze Crunchy Almond Nut Butter | 581 | 28mg | 5g |
| Amazin’ Graze Almond, Brazil Nut, and Cashew Nut Butter | 594 | 13mg | 4.4g |
| Amazin’ Graze Honestly Chocolate Peanut Butter | 430 | 174mg | 15.1g |
| Amazin’ Graze Cinnamon Roll Almond Nut Butter | 550 | 72mg | 15.7g |
The Amazin’ Graze Crunchy Almond Nut Butter is the real show stopper. Almond is the healthiest of all nut butters because it has the most vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, magnesium, and calcium. Almond nut butter is usually smooth. But this one, by Amazin’ Graze, is oh-so-crunchy. Yet, its overall consistency is runny, which makes it easy to spread on toast. In short, it takes every inch of my being not to eat an entire jar of this stuff. Num-num-num!
The Amazin’ Graze Almond, Brazil Nut, and Cashew Nut Butter is also delicious. You can really taste the Brazil nuts, which have a bold and earthy flavour. The only downside is that this is a smooth butter and it is as runny – and sloppy – as wet chicken soup. That is partly to do with the hot Singapore weather. So if you don’t like liquid-y butters, keep this one in the fridge.
Amazin’ Graze does attempt to be creative with their nut butter range, however, it doesn’t pay off. The Amazin’ Graze Honestly Chocolate Peanut Butter is awful – and that’s being kind. With each slimy glob I can feel the granules of sugar crunching between my molars. I’d feel more satisfied splurging on low-sugar chocolate. The Amazin’ Graze Cinnamon Roll Almond Nut Butter sounds special and I like that it contains whole, black raisins. But, overall it is far too sweet and the cinnamon tastes artificial.
But you know what? Sometimes taste is a matter of personal preference. Amazin’ Graze nut butters are keto-friendly, high in fiber, and trans fat-free. So it can’t be that bad for ya! Check out their website for prices and latest deals. They usually offer discounts on bulk purchases.
Eatnuf
Eatnuf, like Amazin’ Graze, is another “backyard health food company”. Run by two Singaporean lads, their signature nut butters are Almond Butter and Cashew Butter. I decided to give them a go because I love cashews! Plus, I was impressed by the labels – their nut butters contain only one ingredient, and one ingredient only… 100% nuts.
My biggest grievance is that these nut butters are smooth and not crunchy. I need the crunch factor for full satisfaction. To be fair, I’ve never come across crunchy cashew nut butter. Eatnuf Cashew Butter is smooth and sloppy like pancake batter. It is also very sweet tasting. I enjoy eating it on Weet-Bix with lots of milk. I wasn’t as fond of the Eatnuf Almond Butter. It became dry very quickly and was no where near as good as the crunchy Amazin’ Graze variety. It’s also a lot higher in calories. Eatnuf butters cost around $11 a jar – sometimes they have special bundle deals on their website.
| Eatnuf per 100g | Calories | Salt | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eatnuf Cashew Butter | 590 | 16mg | 8.7g |
| Eatnuf Almond Butter | 630 | 0mg | 6.8g |
Scoop Wholefoods – Organic Nut Butters
If money is not a problem then you’ll want to check out Scoop Wholefoods for all your nut butter needs. I mean, for God’s sake – take a look at their nut butter machine below!
Scoop Wholefoods Peanut Butter is a must-try-at-least-once-in-your-lifetime kinda deal. Scoop are an Australian business that support Aussie farmers. They use Grade A peanuts from Queensland that are certified chemical and pesticide-free. The only downside is that the peanut butter is more smunchy than crunchy.
I also have an unhealthy addiction to Scoop Wholefoods Mixed Nut Butter. And don’t even get me started on their cashew spread. Uh-uh! There is just too much to say about Scoop Wholefoods, I will be dedicating a separate post to all the wonderful healthiness they have on offer. In the meantime, I urge you to visit their flagship store at Tanglin Mall.
How to Eat Nut Butters
If I was a person with no self-restraint, then I’d be eating my nut butter straight from the jar. Pretty gross, eh? Truth be told, while plain nut butter is good, there are so many other ways you can enjoy eating it. Add a spoonful on top of your hot oats or porridge. The steam from the cereal will give the nut butter a melty quality. You can also add some dried blueberries or figs for sweetness. I sprinkle a handful of lecithin on mine to make it even healthier.
The most popular application of nut butter is on toast. Of course, America made the phrase, “peanut butter and jelly” famous. However, if you have a more refined palette, why not try some chunky almond butter on sweet potato bread? Sprinkle a few raisins on top and voila, you have a sweet yet wholesome snack.
Nut butter is also a central ingredient in my chocolate brownie recipe. Other ways you can enjoy your nut butter include:
- Nut butter smoothie with milk, banana and avocado
- As icing on chocolate cake
- Peanut satay sauce
- A dollop of almond butter with Greek yogurt
- Chunky peanut butter on a celery stick
- A spoonful of chocolate nut butter in warm milk (aka nut butter hot chocolate)
- With low-sugar chocolate
The list goes on. How do you eat nut butters? Share your recipes in the comments box below.