If you’ve recently started a vegan-based diet and have been wondering if peanut butter is ok to eat, well, we’ll tell you now that yes – almost 100% of peanut butter is vegan.
Peanut butter is a divinely delicious ingredient that many people love because of its rich taste, creamy texture, and its versatility in recipes.
This magical, nutrient-dense cream is commonly enjoyed in smoothies, baked goods, spreads, and sandwiches. You can even eat it by the spoonful straight out of the jar. Or make some peanut butter cookies.
With so many different brands and different kinds of peanut butter on the market, you may be looking for some assurance that the peanut butter you have your eye on is indeed vegan before you buy it.
Without any further ado – let’s give you the creamy, dreamy lowdown on this popular spread.
The majority of Peanut Butter is Vegan
Most peanut butter recipes are pretty simple – containing just peanuts, oil, and salt.
You will find some peanut butter brands that have other additives that are generally healthy, and vegan, such as maple syrup, agave syrup, or molasses. Sometimes you’ll find syrup that has honey added to it, which may or may not be suitable for your vegan diet, depending on what degree of veganism you follow.
With that said, most all peanut butter is vegan peanut butter.
What are some Vegan Peanut Butter Brands?
-PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter
-Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter
-CB’s Nuts Organic Peanut Butter
-PB&CO Peanut Butter
-Yum Butter Organic Peanut Butter
You can find these peanut butter products online or in your local grocery store, in addition to other vegan-friendly and vegetarian peanut butter jars. You can also grind up fresh n protein-rich peanuts at the co-op if you have one in your city or at your health foods store, to enjoy it as fresh as fresh can be.
What about the Non-Vegan Peanut Butters?
Most all peanut butter is, in fact, vegan, but you will find some brands that have honey as an additive, as mentioned earlier. Since honey comes technically from bees, some vegans avoid this ingredient as they may consider it an animal product.
If you want to be extra sure your peanut butter is as vegan as all possible, refrain from buying peanut butter that has inorganic refined cane sugar as an ingredient. If the refined cane sugar is not organic, it has been processed and bleached using bone char particles.
Though the sugar doesn’t outright contain bone in it, the fact that it’s been processed with this deters some vegan from eating it.
Also, some types of peanut butter products have Omega-3 fatty acids supplemented into it, which are sourced from anchovies or sardines. This may or may not be ok with your vegan diet.
Some peanut butters are produced in facilities where items are also produced with animal products, so there is the risk for cross-contamination.
Some vegans don’t view these trace amounts of animal products as much of an issue and continue to consume these additives. The thing is – every vegan is different. To each their own.
Here are some non-vegan Peanut Butter products that have been popular on the market:
-Jiff Creamy Omega 3 Peanut Butter
-Skippy Honey Roasted Honey Nut Peanut Butter
-Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter with Honey
-Peter Pan Crunchy Honey Roast Peanut Butter
-Justin’s Honey Peanut Butter
How can I tell if my jar of Peanut Butter is Vegan?
Read the label for the following ingredients for a quick answer.
If your peanut butter product has honey, fish oil, inorganic refined sugar, or gelatin on the ingredient lists at all, it’s not vegan, and indicates that animal ingredients are present.
If you see a vegan certification label on the product, this is an automatic yes – it’s vegan.
You can always reach out to the manufacturer or company directly for more questions about the ingredients, or visit their webpage.
Health Benefits of Peanut Butter Vegan
If you’re not allergic to peanuts, peanut butter is one of those healthy and substantial food products you can add to your vegan diet without any guilt. One-quarter cup of peanut butter has 20% of the recommended daily protein intake. It also has monounsaturated fats which help lower the bad cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. It’s low in carbs – which is ideal for a low carb diet, and rich in linoleic acid – an Omega 6 essential fatty acid that the human body needs. This yummy spread also has a nutty amount of vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, and Vitamin B3.
Who knew peanuts could be packed with such nutrients?
Peanut Butter and Palm Oil
Sometimes you will find palm oil listed on the ingredient list of your nut spread. Frankly, this additive does not offer any flavor or nutrition benefits, and actually airs on the more detrimental side to your health. Palm oil has been proven to hinder the function of the liver and kidneys, and to lead to toxicity of the reproductive organs.
Furthermore, palm oil is not harvested in a sustainable way. It takes parts of the Earth’s tropical rainforest to be cleared to harvest this, and it affects the endemic species that are endangered. When you purchase peanut butter that has this type of oil in it, your dollars are going toward supporting this harmful business.
So, it’s up to you whether you care about palm oil is in your peanut butter or not.
Conclusion
All in all, whether a food item is 100% vegan or not depends on what your personal version of veganism is.
For the most part, peanut butter spread is vegan. Most often times the peanut butter products you come across will be a fairly simple blend of ingredients – peanuts, oil, and sea salt.
Now, your knowledge base is stronger after reading this of knowing what to scan for as far as vegan versus non-vegan peanut butter goes.
If you’ve been daydreaming about a fresh n ooey-gooey old-fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich that brings you back to childhood….you know what to do.
