As if I needed more peanut butter, here is yet another review – this time of 8 different varieties, including ones you’ve probably never heard of. The next shipment from the Peanut Butter of the Month club arrived, this time it was those two lovely jars you see above. On top of that, I was contacted by two nut butter companies who wanted to send me samples, how could I refuse? East Wind Nut Butters is a small nut butter company run by the East Wind Community, a cooperative society living in the Ozark mountains, and they produce a variety of high-quality nut butters as their main source of income. Fitnutz is a peanut butter powder just like PB2 except that they offer 3 different varieties, including chunky. Both companies sent me samples which I happily accepted and tested, all for your benefit of course. If only Vita-Mix would contact me, I’d gladly test their blender’s peanut butter making prowess…
Reviews:
Teddie Super Chunky Peanut Butter – Like the name suggests, this peanut butter is full chunks. It’s lightly salted and the flavor is fairly mild. In between the chunks is a very smooth and runny peanut butter. Overall a decent peanut butter but I prefer Teddie Smooth. Best used in recipes where you’re looking for a substantial crunch, like in a peanut sauce.
P.B. Loco CocoBanana – Previously reviewed, click here.
East Wind Organic Peanut Butter w/ Sea Salt – Strong peanut taste with a great texture. It’s not too runny and has a slightly sweet flavor. There isn’t much, but the sea salt is a great addition, one that I believe all peanut butter brands should adopt. This is a good all-around peanut butter, best used in something like pancakes or in peanut sauce for a full peanut flavor.
East Wind Crunchy Peanut Butter – Freshest peanut taste in any peanut butter I’ve tasted. This peanut butter is bursting with flavor and has the perfect amount of chunks. There is just a touch of salt but not actually noticeable, it almost tastes unsalted. However, the flavor is so good that the salt is not missed – I highly recommend this one. Savor it in it’s pure form – spread it on a slice of bread and enjoy. Hey East Wind, if you happen to run into an excess of this flavor I’ll gladly take some off your hands =).
East Wind Crunchy Almond Butter No Salt – I love almonds but not many almond butters have been able to impress me. In fact, the only one I’ve liked is Naturally Nutty’s Vanilla flavor. This is the first plain almost butter I have enjoyed. It isn’t like a crunchy peanut butter, the chunks are very small and it is more like a coarsely ground nut butter than a chunky one. It is filled with flavor and considering it’s “no salt” I actually enjoyed it. Highly recommended for almond butter fanatics.
East Wind Cashew Butter No Salt – Big surprise here. I don’t like cashews. It’s the only nut that I avoid unless it’s the only one available. This nut butter, however, is wonderful. Perfectly sweet and so creamy that the texture is more like actual butter. This is one nut butter where the salt is not missed. Uses to be determined but initial tastings would suggest using this for an ultra creamy cashew butter and jelly sandwich.
Fitnutz Regular – A new competitor to the beloved PB2. This is basically identical to PB2, being a 12% fat peanut flour and has 50 calories per 2 tablespoon. I have yet to mix this with water to make a “low calorie peanut butter”, personally I don’t even care to try it. The fat in peanut butter is what makes peanut butter so healthy and tasty. My favorite uses for this is to thicken sauces or oatmeal along with some regular peanut butter. Baking uses for this are in progress but as a hint, 12% fat peanut flour (such as this) is wonderful for replacing up to 100% of the flour in muffin recipes.
Fitnutz Chunky – This is a great alternative to PB2 when you just need some chunkiness. This has about 10 more calories per serving than regular due to the actual peanut chunks in this 12% fat peanut flour. Also great to thicken oatmeal and add a few chunks.
Fitnutz Pro – This variety also has 10 more calories than the regular variety due to the higher amount of fat left in this peanut flour. Standard commercial peanut flours are 12% and 28% fat. This variety is a little more than 28% fat yet still much lower in fat compared to regular peanut butter. There is a much richer taste than the other varieties and comes closer to tasting like regular peanut butter. The darker color is most likely due to roasting the peanuts or the flour prior to packaging to enhance the flavor. This is better for smoothies and shakes because of the higher fat content and stronger flavor.
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Ooh I SO want to try the Fitnutz! (I know, it’s the fats that make PB so healthy. But… tasty goodness… powdered form… so mixable… :D)
Eastwind sounds really good too. So many nut butters to try, so little time.
Thanks for enlightening me and expanding my PB horizons Nick :)
Great Reviews!
I want that east wind one. any pb made with seas salt has to be fine.
i really need to try the pb2! all of those other nut butters sound amazing, especially the sea salt one!
Great Reviews Nick. Very helpful. Have you ever tried using peanut butter in your marinades… apparently they are great
Hahaha, awesome on the peanut butter! Great reviews!
Wondering….What do you think of Trader Joe’s unsalted pb?
Organic or non-organic? I’ve had TJs salted creamy (#1), salted crunchy (#3) and organic salted crunchy (#2). I don’t think I’ve tried unsalted though. I generally prefer salt in my peanut butter, it brings out the flavor and seems to make it stick less to my mouth. Do you recommend it? ~ Nick
oooooooooooh!!!!!!!
The PB with Sea salt sounds so good! I like PB2 for smoothies, but that’s about it. It’s nice to see a competitor.
Thanks for the reviews!!!
Great reviews! It’s amazing how much PB can vary brand to brand. That sea salt one sounds really intriguing.
Thanks for the reviews Nick. I’ve had the East Wind almond butter before, and I concur – it’s great. So curious about the FitNutz chunky. Would love to sample that one! Maybe the FitNutz Fairy will kindly pay me a visit soon. :)
I lived at East Wind for years and in fact found the community via their awesome nutbutter. I can attest to the awesomeness of their products, and have to urge anyone who tries the cashew butter (my favorite and I don’t like cashews either)– eat it with a crunchy Fuji apple! Hand to God, it’s reminiscent of a caramel apple, but way better for you and even yummier!
Great reviews, Nick. Thanks for doing the works for us.
I enjoyed doing it =). ~ Nick
Thanks for the comment on my blog. Alison with one “L” is less common in the U.S. But in the U.K., I believe Alison is the most common spelling. The name seems to be particularly popular in Scotland. When I was in 7th grade, there were 4 of us with the same name with 4 spellings – Alison, Allison, Allyson, and Alyson.
That’s a crazy amount of Alison’s! Interesting, I think in the US the double “L” is the most common but not entirely sure. Not many other names I can think of have so many alternate spellings. ~ Nick
Nick, I like peanut butter desserts so that’s why I only buy unsalted at TJ’s and, yes, I think it’s fantastic. I switched from making my own at Whole Foods. There’s no comparison in my opinion. Only problem is that it takes a while to eat the whole jar, I refrigerate it, and over a week or so it loses its great runny consistency. But the taste is good. Catherine
Nice review Nick. I have yet to find an almond butter that I like more than Katie’s, so that one sounds interesting. I suggest making some hummus with the cashew butter you received. I always substitute it for the tahini, and it works wonderfully. I have a cilantro hummus on my site, if you want to check it out. Thanks Again.
I love these reviews. I’m pretty sure I’m going to head to my fridge right now and eat some pb straight from the tub. Yes, there are finger marks in my pb.
There should always be finger marks in there! It’s a sign of a healthy obsession! ~ Nick
Mmmm! Lucky!
I could practically drink the crunchy Barney Butter (except I’d choke on the chunks!) ;) I’m fresh out of both smooth an crunchy BB now, too! :(
Thank you for all of the great reviews. For awhile I only ate Teddie’s unsalted smooth. It was the only kind I ever had and I loved it. Now I am more open to other experiences. :D
GREAT reviews :)
love all your peanut butter ideas.
I loved East Wind’s Cashew Butter too, to my surprise for sure!! You got me very excited to try their peanut butter-it’s still in my closet unopened!!
Oh awesome, they sent you some samples? You’re going to love it, it’s got so much flavor! Open it, open it! If you like it you can probably order from them, they sell it in 5lb and 35lb tubs! ~ Nick
I love the East Wind Almond Butter but cannot figure where the fat comes from? With 1 g of Sat fat..we have 17 grams of fat missing from the label. Does anyone know this??
Perplexed!
I’m not entirely clear on what you’re asking….is the label incorrect on the almond butter? The “total fat” says 0g? It’s probably just a misprint, it happens often with small companies but luckily in this case you know what’s in it and the nutrition facts are easy to come by online. But this is partly what makes small companies so charming. Or annoying, depending how you look at it.
Tried the Fitnutz, did not like the taste, PB2 has a better taste.
I agree quads, PB2 is superior. Plus, I like the jar better than the bag!