We spread it onto sandwiches, mix it into recipes, and eat it by the spoonful, but for anyone who has a nut allergy or parents with kids in a nut-free school, peanut butter, and nut butter can be a problem.
Below, you’ll learn the top peanut butter alternatives that passed the test and became kid approved!
What is the Closest Non-Nut Butter to Peanut Butter?
Most kids agree that soy butter tastes the closest to peanut butter and don’t mind the swap in their sandwiches, toasts, and treats. It’s perfect for lunches because it spreads smoothly on sandwiches, can be sealed in a DIY uncrustable, and holds no-bake treats like energy bites very well!
Best Nut-free Peanut Butter Alternatives:
Now, we’re at the most important part of the whole post. The review! I bet you are wondering “how do they taste?”, “where can I get them?”
I’ve got all the answers right below, so let’s begin:
Make your own: Cinnamon Pumpkin Seed Butter
Peanut Butter Alternatives for School
Sunflower butter is the most popular peanut butter alternative for school lunches because it spreads easily, has milder taste kids enjoy, and is available at most local grocery stores.
Whether you use it to make a quick peanut butter sandwich, pack it in a bento lunch to dip apples, or for a snack, ultimately, the best option is one your child enjoys.
Nut Butter Substitutions Video
Watch the video to see why these made my choice for the top peanut butter alternatives!
Peanut Butter Alternatives Using Tree Nuts
Other peanut butter alternatives that are peanut free but are made with tree nuts include almond butter, cashew butter, walnut butter, and pecan butter.
Top tree-nut butters to try:
- Nut-zo butters: made tree nuts and seeds they are super nutritious and delicious.
- Almond butter: few can resist it’s delicious taste and if you love it, buy it big!
- Cashew butter: smooth taste, pairs great with everything, and tastes luxurious.
Melissa says
My 10-year-old is NOT allergic to peanut butter, but I am. When she was 5, I had a terrible experience when we went to Steak ‘n Shake and the cook in the back didn’t clean the milkshake mixer at all when he made mine after he’d made my husbands and the kids’ drinks. Well, I had an orange-cream shake and the kids (as well as the hubby) had ones with peanut butter cups and Reese’s in it. Cross-contamination happened and I ended up in the ER with a serious allergic reaction. It scared my daughter so much that she now refuses to eat anything with peanut butter in it when she’s home. She’ll def eat it when she’s at her dad’s or grandmas, however. (There hasn’t, luckily, been any other incidents other than that one time. It had been almost 15 years since my last allergic reaction, so this isn’t a common occurrence. She is scared of something happening to mommy, so that’s why she’s so adamant about not eating PB when she’s home.)
With that being said, I keep peanut butter for my son and husband, but I also have nut butter alternatives for myself and my daughter. I used to get Wowbutter from Walmart, but I haven’t seen it in stock in ages. Last month I purchased Almond butter, but she wasn’t a big fan of the taste. I loved it, but with the cost of the nut butter alternatives, I can’t exactly purchase multiple ones every month. I am looking for a nut butter alternative that would work well in recipes like no-bake cookies/energy balls, and for our apple sammy’s (apple rounds spread with nut butter, topped with granola, and then finished off with another apple round. They’re delish!), but I’m struggling to find one that is similar to Wowbutter and will hold up well in these recipes.
Any suggestions? Thanks in advance, and thank you for your amazing recipes! I turn to them a lot when I’m preparing our monthly meals/snacks. I try to get everything I need for the month and then make what I can ahead of time, or I’ll make the weekly ones on Sunday evenings for the week ahead. I homeschool for now, too, so having both of my kiddos home, and my son being almost 13, I try to find recipes that will give him energy, yet fill him up enough to last through mid-afternoon between lunch and dinner. So far, your recipes have helped with him not eating us out of house and home! I forgot what it was like to be a “starving” teenager lol Unfortunately, this is a stage that we’ll be in for a while.
Thanks again!
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you for continuing to use my recipes for your family! I completly understand what it’s like to have bottom-less pits teenagers! Funny that you asked about the wowbutter. I recently had to go to two local grocery stores searching for it -I needed to test some recipes- and they’ve been out! I ended up ordering them online and thanks to you, I realized that the link had changed. I updated the link on Amazon, where it’s now available. My second choice is sunflower seed butter, which relatively easy to find (it’s a hit or miss at Walmart) and there are several varieties/brands online. This also performs just as well to make no-bake bites and more. Chickpea butter tastes good but it’s a bit expensive so I use it mostly on toast. I hope this helps!
Myrna Smith says
I really like your review. For my child, texture is as much of importance as flavor. Your presentation was helpful. Thanks for doing it.
Now that Soy is frowned upon by many nutritionist, it’s not so easily accessible as it once was. My son has Milk AND Nut allergies, so the trendy Cashew & Almond milk alternatives are not an option for him. I’d really like to find a soy whipping cream or ready-made whipped cream, just something that’s neither nut or milk based. Any ideas?
Thanks,
MOMables-Laura says
Possibly soy whipped cream or coconut whipped cream?
Huong Nguyen says
reddiwhip makes a vegan whipped cream made from coconut !!
Christina says
It’s really good too!
tara says
sunbutter is gross. is wow butter that much better?? i miss PB
MOMables-Laura says
My family and others that have tried it are pleasantly impressed with WOW butter. It’s not exactly like peanut butter but a similar taste and texture.
Lori says
I enjoy wow butter it what we use as our house is peanut free now. I have baked with it as a peanut butter substitute also.
Sandy Buchart says
I missed Pb for many years and then I found wow butter ! It tastes so much like Pb that I eat my first jar by the spoon ful try it you will like it !
WINKS says
Good alternatives for nut allergies but a PEANUT IS NOT A NUT. It is a LEGUME. You can have an allergy to peanuts but not be allergic to nuts. I did not develop a peanut allergy until I was in my 50’s but eat nuts almost daily. Putting peanuts in the nut catergory is misleading.
MOMables-Laura says
Hi Winks, I realize peanuts are a legume but most people reading this post, are looking for peanut butter alternatives for basic lunch recipes, therefore tagging it in the nut category makes it easier for them to find.
Judith Parker says
I mix Wow utter and Sun Butter to a consistency and taste that’s not as good as my beloved Jiff, but closer than anything else I’ve tried.
MOMables - Laura says
Brilliant mix!
Jenna says
I bought the granola butter and the seed butter and they were great! Thanks for the recommendation!
MOMables - Laura says
The sesame seed butter way my favorite. So glad you liked them!