Peanut butter and other nut butters can be very healthy and diabetes-friendly additions to your diet. This delicious stuff contains lots of healthy fats, protein, and fiber. It is moderately low-carb and has a low glycemic index, which means it won’t quickly spike your blood sugars. Pairing nut butter with a higher-carbohydrate food can help minimize the glucose spike by slowing down the digestion of carbs, thanks to that protein and healthy fat.
But many commercial nut butters are anything but natural: They’re loaded with added sugar and low-quality oils.
Check the labels, and find a delicious nut butter with natural ingredients and little or no added sugar. It’ll be best for your weight and your blood sugar.
I love peanut butter, and I’ve tasted them all! Here are my top picks for the best nut butter out there:
Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter
Justin’s became a quick staple in my house once I discovered its peanut butter cups. I then decided to give the peanut butter a try and have continued to use it since. The brand’s nut butters come in jars and are available in a whole host of flavors, including Classic Peanut Butter, Honey Peanut Butter, Maple Almond Butter, Honey Almond Butter, and more. Justin’s also sells these in handy little squeeze packs, great for exercise or travel or just low-carb snacking on the run.
Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter has 5 grams (g) of net carbs per serving, but even the sweetened flavors are pretty low-carbohydrate. The Maple Almond Butter, for example, has only 6 g of net carbs per serving. These nut butters taste rich and creamy and will be sure to exceed your expectations!
Pic courtesy of Americano
This completely natural peanut butter contains exactly two ingredients: roasted peanuts and salt. That’s it! Not a speck of added sugar, and no palm oil or other non-peanut oils. This is the lowest-sugar peanut butter possible, just 1 g of total carbs per serving, only what’s naturally present in peanuts themselves.
Fair warning: Like other natural peanut butters, the oil can separate from the solids, so it can take a lot of stirring.
Americano also has sweeter flavors like Cinnamon Honey Peanut Butter and my favorite: Choco Blanco Peanut Butter. This white chocolate gold does have a bit of added sugar, but it still weighs in at only 4 g of net carbs per serving. I highly recommend checking out this growing brand!
Pic courtesy of Legendary Foods
I was lucky enough to sample this company’s products a few years ago and wrote a very positive review. Since then, I’m happy to see they have hit shelves in local nutrition stores and some grocery store chains. These guys specialize in yummy, dessert-flavored nut butters that are all keto and low-carb. Unique flavors like Blueberry Cinnamon Bun and Peanut Butter Cup are sweetened with erythritol, a sugar alternative. They all have 4 g net carbs or less. They also come in small individual packets, which helps with my self-control! I could eat this stuff with a spoon.
Skippy No Sugar Added Chunky Peanut Butter
Even the biggest peanut butter brands are adding “no sugar added” varieties. If you are a fan of chunky peanut butter like myself, you’ll be happy to know you can usually find Skippy at any grocery store. It contains only 3 g net carbs. This peanut butter contains palm oil, so it isn’t quite as natural as some other options, but the convenience and price are tough to beat.
Yes, a powdered peanut butter! I was a little leery when I first tried powdered peanut butter a few years back, but I was pleasantly surprised. Since then, this company has upped its game. The original PbFit contains only 2 g net carbs and — this is the exciting part — only 87 calories per serving. It knocks out almost all of the fat, so you’re mostly getting just peanut flavor and protein. This stuff is just great to add to smoothies and shakes, and you can reconstitute it with a little water to create a super-low-fat peanut butter.
Trader Joe’s Creamy and Unsalted Peanut Butter
If you have a Traders Joe’s close by, you should definitely be taking advantage. Trader Joe’s is fun, inexpensive, and has a lot of healthy finds, including its peanut butter. This has 190 calories, 4 g net carbs, and contains only natural ingredients. (Luckily for the rest of us, it’s available on Amazon and at Walmart too.)
Peanut butter is high in calories, so make sure to be mindful of portion control. And if you eat a lot of it in one sitting, watch out for the delayed blood sugar spike from fat and protein.
Peanut butter is an excellent option for those of you looking for healthful foods that taste great and won’t spike your blood sugar. I think the products above are all fine choices for people with diabetes. Time to enjoy this delicious spread worry-free!