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The Unofficial Ranking of Almond Butter Brands

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at U Mich chapter.

Almond butter has been all the rage lately. You can put it on lots of different foods, it is healthy for you, and it has been compared to peanut butter 1,000 times. My personal preference is almond butter, but then the real question becomes, which almond butter is the best? 

8. Kirkland Smooth Almond Butter

One of my best friends in college swears by Kirkland Almond Butter. She gets it at Costco and loves it. I was very skeptical at first, but since I love any sort of creamy almond butter, I couldn’t resist adding it to the list. It is perfect for me because I don’t usually like to add a lot of almond butter to food and because it is so creamy, a little bit can go a long way. I had to add to the list because, like all things from Costco, you can get a huge container for a relatively cheap price, but it definitely lacks in flavor.

7. Barney Butter

Almond butter
Anna Doherty

Freshman year of college I was deprived of a car, therefore, I was unable to go to the grocery store to get any food. My mom ended up sending me a huge care package of little hand packs of Barney Butter Almond Butter. The flavor is not as nutty as other almond butters I’ve tried, and it wasn’t super creamy either. It’s somewhat difficult to spread on things that break easily (like rice cakes or crackers). 

6. MaraNatha Almond Butter

Nut butters pickle mustard
Lily Allen

MaraNatha Almond Butter is one that I, personally, do not eat that often, but the times I’ve had it, it’s never been bad. It is most commonly found at Whole Foods, but you can find it elsewhere, too. For those of you who have never heard of it, I highly recommend trying it out to compare it to others. I think it’s fine, but it’s just not my favorite. It comes in at number five because it is all natural and really creamy (both great things), but after it has been opened, overtime, it tends to harden. 

5. 365 Almond Butter

Whole Foods has a great selection of almond butters and 365 is one of the best. It has a super nutty flavor, but it is also very creamy, so it is easily spreadable. You definitely can’t go wrong drizzling it on some apples or whatever else you’d like to (almond) butter. 

4. Artisana Organics Raw Almond Nut Butter

Artisana Almond Butter is difficult to find at the grocery store, but if you do find it, you are very lucky because it is one of the best types of almond butter there is. If it was accessible everywhere it would be higher up on the list, but I can rarely find this brand at the store, so good luck. 

3. Justin’s Almond Butter

My first introduction to almond butter came in a tub exactly like the one pictured. It was natural, smooth, and you didn’t need to put it on the fridge after opening (WHAT?) However, overtime, I decided that extremely creamy almond butter was my favorite type, and after a while, Justin’s gets a bit hard and dry.

2. Almondée California Almond Butter

Creamy, natural goodness. I love how smooth this brand of almond butter is, and it’s literally just pure almonds, which is crazy for how good it tastes. My dad randomly bought a jar one day from a natural foods store, and it has been a frequent flyer on our shelves ever since. 

1. Trader Joe’s Raw Unsalted Smooth Almond Butter

Almond butter jam
Kaitlyn Eisenshtadt

This is my favorite almond butter that has ever been invented. It is creamy, easily spreadable, raw, and the most easy for me to just sit and eat by the spoonful. It is almost dangerous for me to buy this almond butter because I drizzle it on everything, and I finish it way too quickly. Trader Joe’s is at it again, producing super high-quality products at a relatively cheap price

Almond butter may have been the first alternative nut butter to gain a lot of attention, but now, there’s an ample amount of different nut butters to try. It is always a good idea to try lots of different types of nut butters, but let’s be honest, almond butter is definitely the best, and now you can be sure the brand you choose is, too. 

I am a sophomore at the University of Michigan and am always searching to find the next best restaurant, recipe, or current food trend!