So in my local store I’ve noticed that there is a huge difference in pricing between different peanut butters. Some are three time more expensive than others. Looking at the ingredients, I’ve noticed that the biggest difference is in peanut butter % and the type of oil used. The cheapest peanut butter had 85% peanut and used palm oil, while the most expensive one had 96.2% peanut and used pumpkin oil. Does these, what seem like minor, differences in ingredients really make enough of an impact to affect the price in such a way?
I have noticed this too. I stick with peanut butters that contain peanuts and salt only. You have to stir them up upon opening but that’s a minor inconvenience. Maybe someone in the accounting department has calculated that the cost of replacing a certain amount of product with oil is cheaper so the price is set to that.
There are multiple reasons for price difference, including the types of additives used (oil, preservatives) to the sourcing of the nuts themselves (fair trade will be more expensive than free trade).
The health impact will also be affected by the additives (palm oil vs pumpkin oil, etc).
Nut butters naturally separate and do not typically require added oil or preservatives. The recommendation I make is to try and find butters with only a single ingredient, ie: roasted peanuts. However, these may be more expensive due to less shelf life and less filler.
Main difference is marketing.
I buy cheap peanut butter from a supplement store and it’s 100% peanuts. Doesn’t get any better.
It costs 10€ for 1kg.
Also be careful with cheaper butters from the supermarket as they’re full of sugar.
Ingredient differences wouldn’t make that big of a difference on price.
However: the cheaper peanut butters tend to be produced in larger quantities, so they have economy of scale working on their side (cheaper peanuts, cheaper oil, cheaper packaging, mass produced, and shipped with a better contract).
Edit: not quite sure why the downvotes. OP asked about the difference in pricing. If I’m living in imagination land, please toss me a correction along with the down-arrow!
A lot of it is marketing. Peanuts are cheap, they don’t use the phrase “paying peanuts” for nothing.
When selecting them it’s best to just get a jar where the only ingredients are peanuts and salt if you prefer that for taste. Watch out for added sugars. Sometimes oils are added to help stabilize the separation that you usually see in peanut butter with just peanuts. I don’t personally have any gripes with this, but a lot of people choose to avoid palm oils for a variety of reasons.
Whatever you do just avoid the really cheap stuff that has hydrogenated oils, those oils have been linked to numerous health issues.
I would urge fellow peanut butter eaters to prepare your own peanut butter at home. You could make yours 100 % peanuts instead of 96.2 %, no oil is needed just stick unsalted roasted peanuts into a foodprocessor, with salt to taste, and voila you have peanut butter without enumbers and crazy amount of sugar and preservatives. That being said if you do want it to taste a bit more like store bought peanut butter you can add some honey or similar to sweeten it a bit.
A lot of higher-end grocery stores have peanut and almond grinders, and you just buy what you need by the pound. You can even reuse your container. And it’s just one ingredient– peanuts. Because there are no preservatives, you should keep the nut butter refrigerated.
I grind my own as I have the masticating juicer with the nut butter attachment. Remember that the oil will oxidize over time and go rancid. To me it makes no difference in brand, but if you control the quality of nuts and salt, your house brand is superior.
Cheap peanut butter is grown in a humid climate which makes it very susceptible to aflatoxin, a specific mold. Valencia peanuts grow in a dryer arid climate and has the least amount of aflatoxin on the market. That’s why I buy Santa Cruz peanut butter. And it just tastes better.
There’s an old tale of a young boy helping his father setup his shop table on a roadside. He has 4 hats and puts a $10 price tag on two of them, and a $40 price tag on the other two. When the boy asked why he did this, his father said “Some men like paying $10 for a hat, and others like paying $40 for a hat.”
I’ll never understand why people buy shop-bought peanut butter.
You have the most delicious peanut butter ever. Cheap and healthy.
Usually it’s a lack of certain oils like palm oils, but not always (@ Justin’s lol) and a lack of sugar, which I think is ridiculous. You’re charging me for LESS ingredients?! Personally I got a food processor from Walmart for $10 and I make my own nut butters the way I want them. Tastes great and it’s way cheaper than buying organic peanut butter or something
The cheap ones like skippy etc. are filled with sugars and crap ingredients. The ingredients list is usually huge. The organic or more natural peanut butters are more expensive but the ingredients are just peanuts and salt. I usually buy the brand “smuckers” either the natural or organic creamy one. Yeah it looks nasty cause you have to mix the oil on top but it’s worth it. And when you put it in the fridge after mixing, you don’t see the oil again.
Stick to peanut butter that is peanut and salt. I used to not do this but it’s best for your overall health. It may take you time to get used to the taste but there will no added sugars and hydrogenated oils that are terrible for you.
I have no idea why people are so opposed to a peanut butter that’s not 95%+ peanuts.
The difference is usually the brand and then the ingredients/recipe. The cheapest one might have been PB with part of peanut oil replaced/diluted with cheaper oil. The most expensive was probably some brand of “gourmet” PB.
The “pure” PB made out of peanuts and salt will separate the oil out of the ground peanut mass and you will need to stir it to combine. These tend to taste very earthy. I like to use those for cooking and occasional PB&J.
Some companies add some oil and/or sugar and other spices to affect the flavor. These are usually not as savory. I prefer those on a plain sandwich (or sometimes with a jelly) as they are usually easy to spread evenly since they do not separate and less “dry”.
Both are good products in their own right. The thing you should probably look out for the most is the oil they are adding (if any). It would not matter too much if you don’t eat PB too often.
I’ve tried 4 peanut butters and they were all of similar price, and only one was not 100% peanuts lolIt had added sugar, salt, canola oil, fully hydrogenated canola oil and some other oil, probably sunflowerBut all of very similar price so idk 🤔
What I noticed is that if you go to any supermarket and pick up regular non organic peanut butter it has a load of stuff in it. And is still somewhat expensive. Trader Joe’s however has high quality cheap peanut butter for 1.99.
Not entirely sure but it may also have to do with the quality of the peanuts themselves before grinding changing the taste of the final product and/or the texture.
I would also like to add that making your own peanut butter is a very simple process that takes very little time as well. This way you know what and how much of what is actually in it as well as the added bonus of being able to alter to personal taste. Check it out,