14 Peanut Butters Without Palm Oil

I once bought a jar of palm oil because I had never seen it before and the packaging was alluring. Guilty! So curious as to what exactly palm oil was I went home to do some research. What I found was really sad and I was glad that I didn’t purchase that jar.

So what’s the deal with palm oil anyway?  

Palm oil is a vegetable oil that is derived from the African Oil Palm tree. These trees are primarily located in West Africa but also found in Malaysia and Indonesia. The deforestation from cutting down these trees is the reason orangutangs are going extinct. Orangutangs reside in palm forests and they are being driven out with no place to go. Additionally, harvesters kill them as they are seen as an annoyance and others die in man-made fires.

The demand for palm oil is responsible for 8% of the world’s deforestation. Huge areas of forest are burned so that palm trees can be planted for harvesting. These forest fires also emit vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere causing hazy skies and worsen climate change. Many areas enlist the labor of small children to farm palm tree plantations. Some companies may insist that their palm oil comes from sustainable sources but the truth is that it is nearly impossible to know for sure if palm oil is being harvested in sustainable ways.

Unfortunately, palm oil is in more product than you might realize. Some of which include:

• Bread
• Chips
• Butter
• Chocolate
• Instant Noodles
• Shampoo
• Soap 
• Skincare

Peanut butter is also among the growing list of products that contain palm oil. If you are aware of the intense dangers of palm oil and the chain effect it has on our environment then it’s best to be an aware consumer. Always read ingredients labels and purchase products that do not contain palm oil. One place to start is peanut butter and we decided to make that a little easier for you. We have listed our favorite palm oil-free peanut butter brands below. 

Once Again

Once Again officially began their peanut butter journey in 1975 in Rochester, NY. The company has since grown to offer other products like packaged nuts, honey, and other nut and seed butter. Note that the lightly sweetened varieties do contain palm oil.

Ingredients: Peanuts

Other varieties include: 

• • • • Crunchy
      • Lightly salted (smooth and crunchy)
      • Unsalted (smooth and crunchy)
      • Organic (smooth, crunchy, lightly salted, unsalted)

Crazy Richard’s

According to Crazy Richard, there are 540 peanuts in each jar and that’s enough to fill it to the top so there is no room for fillers, oil or other additives. We are kind of partial to true-blue peanut butter that focuses on great taste. The company was born in the ’80s when its founder, Richard, started making 1 ingredient pure peanut butter in his home in Philadelphia. His friends called him crazy and told him he would never sell his product. Richard decided to not only prove them wrong but he added the moniker to his name and Crazy Richard’s was born.

Ingredients: Peanuts
Other varieties include: Crunchy

Woodstock

This company has been producing quality organic and non-GMO foods for over 30 years. They also make annual donations to organizations that support farming and farmers. Besides peanut butter, the company offers a huge variety of products including canned tomatoes, snack mixes, and even barbeque charcoal. Their lightly sweetened varieties do contain palm oil.

Ingredients: Organic peanuts, sea salt
Other varieties include:

• • • Crunchy
    • Unsalted (smooth and crunchy)
    • Additional nut and seed butter (almond, cashew, tahini, sunflower seed)

Santa Cruz

In the 1970s, John Battendieri began tending to fruit orchards in the Santa Cruz mountains. Just a few years later he bottled his first juice and the company has since flourished. The most unique aspect of this peanut butter is that they come in both light and dark roasted. You can get smooth or crunchy in both light and dark roasted varieties. This peanut butter is organic and GMO-free. 

Ingredients: Organic roasted peanuts, salt
Other varieties include:

• Light roasted (smooth and crunchy)
• Dark roasted (smooth and crunchy)

Spread The Love

The purest of pure would have to be Spread The Love since their peanut butter is made of one supreme ingredient, organic peanuts. This California based company is GMO-free and they offer almond butter as well as artisanal jams. You can buy their peanut butter by the jar, individual packs, and large pails for the intense peanut butter connoisseur. 

Ingredients: Organic peanuts
Other varieties include:

• • • • Crunchy
      • Almond butter

Wild Friends

Wild friends offer an insane number of product varieties as well as several seasonal flavors. Our favorite is sugar cookie peanut butter or is it the gingerbread peanut butter…? Okay, we can’t decide because they are both insanely delicious. They usually make their appearance in stores right around October so be on the lookout. All of their peanuts are grown in the USA and the company donates 1% of sales to community programs such as Fuel Her Future and Girls Inc.

Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, sea salt
Other varieties include:

• Chocolate coconut
• Peanut cashew super
• Vanilla collagen
• Chocolate collagen
• Several seasonal flavors (gingerbread, pumpkin spice, chocolate pumpkin spice, and sugar cookie)

Teddie All Natural

All-natural is so correct that we are glad it’s in their name. This peanut butter has very few ingredients because peanut butter is amazing without any fillers or oils. Teddie has been producing peanut butter since the 1930s and all of their nut butter is certified GMO-free. It has a nice smooth thick consistancy and they even offer SUPER chunky.

Ingredients: Dry roasted peanuts, salt
Other varieties include:

• • • • Unsalted
      • Chunky
      • Super chunky
      • Organic

Rx Nut Butter

This high-quality peanut butter boasts simple and straight forward ingredients. They promote health, fitness and high protein products. We love the individual packs which are great for snacking on the go or emergency stashes for the home, office, and car. Some of the other products they offer are protein bars and flavored oatmeal cups.

Ingredients: Peanuts, egg whites, dates, coconut oil, sea salt
Other varieties include:

• Chocolate
• Honey Cinnamon
• Pumpkin Spice (Seasonal)
• Other nut butter such as almond

Adams

Adams peanut butter has been around since 1922 and proves to be an old-timey American classic. Their peanuts are roasted and seasoned with a dash of salt. We also love that they offer organic smooth and crunchy varieties too.

Ingredients: Peanuts, salt
Other varieties include:

• • • • Crunchy
      • Unsalted (smooth and crunchy)
      • Organic (smooth and crunchy)

Probar

This company was founded with the vision of better food equals better health. This is especially true for athletes and anyone who is always on the go. Probar started with meal replacement bars and has recently branched off into some pretty cool peanut butter. All of which are organic and GMO-free. As of right now the company only offers their peanut butter in individual packages which is handy for on the go but not really ideal for making sandwiches or adding to recipes. 

Ingredients: Peanuts, date paste, coconut oil, and sea salt
Other varieties include:

• Sriracha
• Caffeine
• Chocolate
• Almond butter options

MaraNatha

MaraNatha was founded in 1982 in Oregon and was originally a dried fruit distributor. A little bit later on they ventured into the amazing world of peanut butter and have since grown to offer other nut butters like coconut, cashew, and almond. Their smooth peanut butter contains USDA organic peanuts that are dry roasted and double ground for the ultimate smooth texture. Some of their other varieties contain palm oil so check the labels first.

Ingredients: Organic dry roasted peanuts, sea salt
Other varieties include:

• • • • • Crunchy
        • Banana

Smucker’s

Okay, so is it just me or is this label giving off some serious homey/ country farm vibes. I can hear my knife clinking against the glass jar as I grab for more. This company is the mastermind of Goober (Peanut butter and jelly stripes in one jar). Jerome Monroe began selling fresh apple butter from the back of his horse-drawn wagon in 1897 and Smucker’s was born. Beyond peanut butter, the company has spread its wings into jams, syrups, ice cream toppings, honey, and fruit spreads.

Ingredients: Peanuts, salt
Other varieties include:

• Chunky
• Peanut butter Honey
• Unsalted
• Organic (smooth and chunky)
• Goober (grape and strawberry)

Georgia Grinders

If the name didn’t tip you off, these peanuts come from the state of Georgia and are slow-roasted  then ground to perfection. The company was started in 2012 and drew inspiration from an old family recipe. Their peanut butter is available in regular-sized jars, 3-ounce squeeze packs, and jumbo tubs.

Ingredients: Peanuts, sea salt
Other varieties include:

• • • • • Crunchy
        • Other nut butter (pecan, almond, hazelnut, and cashew)

Peanut Butter Co.

This company has been serving us ground-up peanuts in a jar since 1998 and there is no sign of that stopping anytime soon. They offer unique varieties and can be found at just about any grocery store. Please be aware that the only variety that is palm oil free is their old fashioned smooth or crunchy. If you are ever in NYC stop by their sandwich shop for some of the most inventive ways to eat a peanut butter sandwich.  

Ingredients: Peanuts, salt