It’s time for a review of other peanut butters out there. No matter how much peanut butter I eat, there’s always another brand begging to be tried, and I say bring it on! I can’t consider my life complete until I’ve tried them all! The offerings this time include two brands I can’t rememeber where I got and some standard offerings from a new grocery store I’m obsessed with, Wegman’s. Chances are, if you have a Wegman’s nearby then you already feel the love. If not, then I feel sad for you. In addition, Lee Zalben, the founder of Peanut Butter & Co, was kind enough to send me a few boxes of flavored peanut butter squeeze packs to try. Jealous?
Reviews:
Maple Grove Farms Chunky
= 65%
Great textured
peanut butter with lots of very crunchy chunks. This variety comes unsalted, so I added some salt to help bring out the flavor we all know and love. The only problem was a general lack of flavor. I realize that different brands of
peanut butter roast the peanuts to varying levels before grinding but it seems like Maple Grove Farms
unroasted their peanuts; As in, before they were ripe, because there was barely any flavor. I really enjoyed the other aspects of this variety but the lack of flavor and fairly hefty price tag would preclude me from buying this again.
Krema Natural Crunchy
= 85%
Similar to Maple Grove Farms in terms of chunkiness but the
peanut butter between the chunks was much thinner, closer to the Trader Joe’s Creamy variety. Again I added salt since it came unsalted but the overall peanut flavor was more pronounced than Maple Grove Farms. It was still a very mild flavor, nice and subtle, and tasted like the peanuts were only lightly roasted. Overall, an enjoyable
peanut butter. I would mostly use it for baking or smoothies, probably perfect in
Dark Chocolate PB Banana Bread.
Wegman’s Creamy
= 80%
Standard creamy
peanut butter. Very similar to America’s Choice or Peter Pan. Best when whipped with a knife for 30 seconds or so, it becomes super creamy. I keep a large 4-lb jug at home and another at work. Perfect for baking so you don’t use up all your good/natural/expensive
peanut butter. In fact, I just used it in a delicious
Sweet Potato Casserole!
Wegman’s Crunchy
= 80%
Standard crunchy
peanut butter, same as above but with chunks. Great chunks, slightly sweet and very creamy. Whip it up good first. Despite my love for crunchy
peanut butter, I still prefer the creamy variety of this brand. The chunks of peanuts are the best flavored or crunchiest peanuts out there and they just don’t perfectly match the taste of the
peanut butter in between. Still, this
peanut butter is great on carrots or put onto each bite of an ice cream sandwich!
Peanut Butter & Co Squeeze Packs
= 80%
These flavors have been
previously reviewed, but to recap, the plain is a very good creamy
peanut butter that is perfectly salted and these flavors are some of the best flavored
peanut butter‘s in the business. The texture is nice, thick and very creamy. As of right now, these 3 varieties represent the full line-up of squeeze packs available from PB&Co. My guess is that other than the maple flavored
peanut butter, these are the only 3 flavors we’re likely to see in pack form because the cinnamon raisin and the crunchy varieties have chunks which may not package well in such a small form or come out easily when opened. Regardless, I like the idea of individual packs of
peanut butter but I do have a few concerns. First, you have to knead the package quite extensively before you use it since the oil separates in the pouch. I deal with this all the time in the jar but it’s not quite as easy in the pouch and I’m often afraid it’s going to explode prematurely. Second, if you like your
peanut butter saltier, or you want a little more or a little less
peanut butter, things aren’t so easy. Luckily, I still have small
peanut butter jars (that hold ~1.5 servings) that came as samples from another company. I use these to make my
peanut butter portable, but they still require a knife. But this is a great product and perfect for those emergency cravings I get every 10 minutes or so.
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Thanks for the review and I love PB&Co!
Enjoy!
Thanks for the great reviews as always, Nick!
Hmmm, I was thinking about doing a backpacking trip to the mountains this summer and these PB&Co packets are just what I need! No more trail mix – break out the PB!
Heck yea! They also come in handy during long meetings, although your coworkers might look at you funny.
I admit that I am a Skippy Girl. I can’t help myself, and it has to be smooth Skippy.
Eeek. What about Natural Skippy, have you had that yet? It’s superior I tell you!
love PB&CO, I want to try their chocolate dreams and was in search all over, so I found it last week. But alas, I got over it haha and didn’t buy it. Its crack in a jar.
Haha, well you can try to make your own. I have a recipe here: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter.
I’m amazed at all the varieties of peanut butter you find! you’re truly relentless!
Katherine
I’m amazed too! I just hope it never ends…
I heart PB&Co! I eat the Chocolate and Cinnamon Raisin flavors almost daily! I like to use the Mighty Maple in my cooking, although I can’t find it on my store shelves any longer :(. The packs look convenient, but I think the jars are better for me since I eat so much, hehe!
Agreed, the packs are for emergency or on-the-road situations. I’ve tried eating from a jar with a knife or spoon while driving, it’s quite difficult!
Going to take some of these packs on my next trip. Thanks!
I just ate half a jar of peanut butter and thought, “Hey, I wonder what Nick’s up to?”
Charlie, dude, what’s goin on? It’s been a while. I feel bad, I haven’t stopped by your place (or anyone else’s) in so long! I just can’t find the time to peruse blogs anymore. Although actually I did read a few posts of yours, I think after you came back from a break.
Regardless, how’s the forever-sarcastic life or Charlie Hills?
I wish I could get most of these pbs where I live :D
Jocelyn, I think you know what that means…You obviously need to move =)
I love PB & Co DCD. It’s honestly the only one I’ve tried so far.
Krema is amazing. All their pb’s are sooooo creamy! And I love that there is nothing but peanuts in it.
Hey! I loveee your blog, and this wonderful review. Today, actually, I did a post on reviewing peanut butters. I haven’t tried much, other than the good ol’ Jif. I’d love for you to come let us know what your favorites are! It was neat reading about it on here. Thanks for the helpful reviews!
I love being thanked to eat peanut butter =). If only I could make it my job!
Surprised at the middling review of Maple Grove Farms, though I did notice that some batches were less roasted, and when it was still available locally it was only $2. Sadly now I have no good options, and I’m not going to pay gourmet prices for peanuts. Inflation is truly a crime against humanity
Yes, I distinctly remember that one because there was no flavor to it! Maybe it was just the batch, but there was definitely potential in it!