So, I’m looking for a peanut butter without added sugar. I know that all the “natural” peanut butters don’t have sugar, but my problem is that they separate and have to be refrigerated. Once you put them in the fridge, the layers become kind of hard, and it’s difficult to mix them again.
Can anyone recommend a peanut butter without sugar that doesn’t separate? Or, alternatively, how do y’all deal with the “separation” problem?
How to deal with the separation problem: store your peanut butter upside down when you bring it home from the store. Ideally, have one upside down for a week while you’re eating a previous jar. Stir it as completely as possible when you open it. Don’t refrigerate it. There is no reason to refrigerate it if you eat it within a week or so, unless you live in an incredibly hot climate.
My mom eats peanut butter toast every morning, and she uses the Trader Joe’s all natural no-salt creamy. It takes a few minutes to stir it together really well at opening, but that’s a once a week task. After that it doesn’t separate much if you use it often.
Jif Natural. There’s very little separation and it doesn’t need refrigeration. It’s probably not as peanutty as the higher-end brands that have to be in the fridge, but we’re food peasants and we love it.
I get Trader Joe’s and leave it in the cabinet. I can go through a jar a month, and it hasn’t gone funky on me yet. Maybe 5 or 6 months could be an issue, don’t know.
How to deal with the blending issue:
This thingy, or:
-Open jar, scoop out a big soupspoon’s worth, put that into the damn close to empty jar you’re replacing.Use up this amount first
-Now that you made some space in the jar, use soup spoon to mix up the now 3/4 full jar. Be sure to get it down to the bottom and let the oil seep down into the lower reached of the PB.
-You’ll have to stir it up the first few times you use the new jar, but then it gets mixed and pretty much stays that way
(Upon preview: Ohai Leiko’s mom!)
I buy the Trader Joe’s brand (crunchy, salted), stir it once and then leave it in the cabinet (sometimes, the last bit needs a little restir, but it’s no biggie). I bought this and it makes stirring natural peanut butter a BREEZE.
Third for the Trader Joe’s brand. Best peanut butter out there.
Hi guys,
Well, unfortunately, there’s not a Trader Joe’s near me (I do miss that place), but Target’s up and up natural peanut butter advertises itself as “no stir” (although I found that I did need to stir it a bit) and doesn’t have any sugar or weird ingredients.
AuntiePam, I’m not sure if this is a concern for you, but Jif Natural’s second ingredient is sugar, so I ended up passing on it. Thanks for the suggestions, though!
Thanks for the tip on the stirrer, Glory!
Smucker’s Natural, either creamy or chunky. Just peanuts and salt. I never refrigerate it, and I’ve had jars in the pantry for months, and they don’t go bad.
And by the way, you still have to read the label for different brands. “Natural” does not necessarily mean sugar-free.
I use the aforementioned Smucker’s and I refrigerate it (I use to eat it constantly and did not refrigerate it, but I have restricted my eating of it to satisfy the occasional craving). I put it in the microwave for maybe 12 seconds to soften it. Works great.
I’ve eaten a lot of peanut butter in my day. I’ve tried most of the natural varieties available at the co-ops in my area. The absolute best peanut butter in the entire world is organic Maranatha, creamy, with salt. Without question.
I do as Leiko suggested and store it upside-down when I bring it home. It takes a couple minutes to stir it well the first time, but each subsequent use just requires a quick stir.
If you end up liking it as much as I do, be prepared to start getting a lot of your calories from peanut butter. It’s just too easy to sneak a spoonful here and there, and before you know it, you’ve eaten three servings. Try mixing it 1:1 with malted milk powder and see if you don’t die of happiness. [I fully realize that most people will not share my strange tastes, but I can’t help recommending this.]
I buy natural peanut butter, never refrigerate it, and never have any problems.
I just buy peanuts and make my own. It gets stirred up just fine in the food processor and I’ve never had it separate.
If you’re a Costco member, their Kirkland (house) brand organic peanut butter has only peanuts and some salt, and after an initial stir it stays mixed pretty well. An occasional inversion helps.
Bolding mine.
Just remember to take off the lid. And don’t ask me about empirical knowledge.
I like Laura Scudder’s, store it upside down for the week before opening it and refrigerate it after opening, microwaving when necessary.
Adams is a brand I have been eating for years, one trick I have yet to see posted
Costco sells Adams in huge jars and while I didnt learn this from them the check out people would tell me every time I bought one to zap it in the microwave for a couple minutes before the initial stir, it works great to soften things up for easy stirring.
I usually zap for a min, then let it rest for a couple then zap again for a min, do this for a total of 2-3 min cook time and it will be easy to stir. (winter maybe 3 min if your PB is cold, summer maybe even less than 2 if its warm.
Not only should you remove the lid when you microwave peanut butter, you need to make sure that there is NO residual foil from the original foil seal left on the rim of the jar. If there’s just a tiny bit of foil left, it WILL spark.
I get the Adams “No-Stir” peanut butter. It doesn’t have added sugar, but it does have hydrogenated oils added to it so it doesn’t separate.
This.
I think Whole Foods’ own brand (“365”) of peanut butter is the best I’ve had. It needs stirring the first time you bring it home, which is a drag, but you only have to do it once. Then store it in the fridge.
When you want a serving, dig out some cold chunks onto a saucer and put the saucer in the microwave for five or ten seconds. Easy-peasy.