If you've never tried peanut butter, you're going to want to keep reading. We're getting into detail about the taste and texture as well as the differences between the creamy and chunky styles of peanut butter. And of course, we'll give you some recipe tips for five-star meals.
Here we go!
What Does Peanut Butter Taste Like?
Without a doubt, you'll find peanut butter nutty-tasting even though peanuts are legumes, not nuts. This flavor is toward the earthy side with a mildly savory quality.
Most peanut butters are a little salty and sweet. A good amount of sugar is traditionally added, but they'll generally retain an underlying savory quality.
Peanut Butter Texture
This is The Big Question: Crunchy or smooth? Both types of peanut butter are thick, but the smooth ones are utterly creamy as the spread has been pureed to a fine paste.
The chunky style of peanut butter has partial peanut bits in it, so it's both smooth and chunky at the same time. These differences are huge with peanut butter fans.
Is Peanut Butter a Sweet?
Where peanut butter lies on the sweet to savory spectrum is a bit of a muddle. Take the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich, for example. You can eat it for lunch, but both the peanut butter and the jam are usually sweet.
You may have also heard of the famous peanut butter and chocolate combination in desserts, which also pushes peanut butter toward the sweet category.
However, it's still considered savory, too, and it's frequently added to spicy curries and warming soups. It's probably best to think of peanut butter simply as one of the most versatile condiments in your cabinet.
What Is the Best Tasting Peanut Butter?
This is really a matter of personal taste, but we can tell you why people have their preferences for certain types of peanut butter. We've already covered the chunky versus smooth discussion, but what we haven't discussed is natural versus processed peanut butter.
Natural tends to mean no preservatives or artificial flavors, but these spreads often aren't as sweet as the processed types. Usually, it's the sweetness of the less natural peanut butters that people like, but there are many who prefer the more organic flavor of natural peanut butter.
What Can I Eat Instead of Peanut Butter?
Whether you're not into the flavor of peanut butter or you just ran out, you can replace it with any nut or seed butter. Cashew butter is a great stand-in for flavor and texture.
Almond butter tends to be a sweeter, less earthy spread with the same nuttiness but a grittier texture. You can also try sunflower seed butter or even tahini on toast.
Peanut Butter Recipe Tips
Ever wonder how peanut butter is made? Watch these videos to find out the steps involved in making it from scratch and then turning it into fun, delicious vegan foods.
You'll see how to make peanut butter in this video with just one ingredient. You guessed it—peanuts. If you like, you can add sea salt and agave or your favorite vegan sweetener.
Why not start by testing out peanut butter cookies? They're incredibly simple and scrumptious.
Buy these ingredients at the store (minus the peanut butter if you made your own):
- Peanut butter
- Agave syrup
- Whole wheat flour
- Vegan chocolate chips
In this video, chef Sandra Vungi makes vegan peanut butter and tofu curry. It'll stick to your ribs.
Here's what you'll need:
- Cooking oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Tofu
- Curry powder
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Tomato sauce
- Peanut butter
- Salt
- Rice noodles or rice
Make sure you remove the excess moisture from the tofu by using a tofu press. Not only will this improve the texture but it will also make the tofu more flavor dense. If you want to make your tofu extra awesome then you'll want check out our best tofu press guide.
Wrap Up
Peanut butter is salty, sweet, nutty and earthy. When you try it, you'll quickly find yourself in good company in either the smooth or chunky-style camp. Chocolate may go with peanut butter just as perfectly as jelly, but so do spicy, umami-rich flavors. Try some peanut butter in either a Thai or Indian style of vegan curry, or venture out!
