If you're not allergic, peanuts are one of the greatest foods. They offer an almost unparalleled variety of uses, from peanut sesame noodles to chocolate peanut butter waffles to a good old-fashioned PB & J. But it's time to try the new(ish) peanut product in town: Peanut Flour.
Peanut Flour is made through a process of grinding roasted peanuts into a paste and then pressing them to extract the oil. It is often marketed as "defatted" or "partially defatted" and is sold in a plastic jar or bag.
What is the nutrition profile for peanut flour?
One serving of peanut flour is 1/4 cup and normally ranges from 110 to 130 calories. It contains 14 to 16 grams of protein and about 4 grams of fat. The only ingredient is roasted peanuts, so plain peanut flour is also low in sugar. It is also naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Why should you try it?
Peanut flour is essentially a natural protein powder. Because it contains only one ingredient (roasted peanuts), it's less processed than most other protein powders. Because of this, it also has a stronger peanut flavor than peanut butter flavored protein powders.
What is PB2 and is it the same as peanut flour?
Not quite. You may have seen PB2 on the shelf of a local health food or grocery store, but it's not quite the same. PB2 is a brand of powdered peanut butter, which is essentially Peanut Flour with added salt and sugar. PB2 also has a slightly lower protein content than most peanut flours. However, powdered peanut butter comes in cool flavors, just like peanut butter. If you're interested, you can try flavors like cinnamon, chocolate, and honey.
How do you use it?
Peanut flour can be mixed with any liquid (I normally use almond milk) to create a thin paste (consistency depends on amount of liquid) that tastes like peanut butter. This can then be used as a topping for pretty much anything, though it's especially good on oatmeal or pancakes. Peanut flour can also be added to smoothies and used to make protein shakes. If you want to get more creative, try making these peanut flour pancakes or peanut stir fry sauce!
Where can you buy it?
Like most things, peanut flour can be ordered from amazon. There are many different brands, but the one I use most is Anthony's Peanut Flour. It can also sometimes be found at local health food stores.
So, should you replace all your peanut butter with peanut flour?
No. Peanut flour is a great source of plant-based protein, but peanut butter contains healthy fats. One is not better than the other in every case, so choose based off of your own nutritional and cooking needs.
Now go forth and enjoy all your peanut treats!