Store-Bought Almond Butter Review!

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Assortment of almond butter brands for our unbiased view of popular brands

Ahh almond butter, how we love you! Almond butter is a versatile nut butter rich in protein, fiber, magnesium, riboflavin, calcium, and potassium.

If you’re already an almond butter fan, prepare to elevate your fan-hood to even greater heights.

We did a formal, side-by-side review of some of the most popular almond butters on the market. Our goal was to see which brands delivered on taste, texture, and stir-ability and which ones weren’t worth the hype, saving you the time and money of doing the research yourself!

THE GROUND RULES //

  • We tested 9 almond butters. Some were purchased from Amazon (for accessibility’s sake) and others were from a variety of health food stores.
  • This review is not sponsored in any way. We were not given free product or compensated for any of our reviews, and we had no contact with any of these brands.
  • We excluded any products containing palm oil, added sweeteners, or artificial ingredients.
  • We tried to be as unbiased and objective as possible when reviewing.
  • We tested the almond butters by the spoonful, grading on a scale of 1-5 (1 being poor, 5 being excellent) on:
    • Stir-ability
    • Taste
    • Texture
    • Overall thoughts
  • For consumer awareness, we also examined:
    • Cost per ounce (US $) — subject to variability
    • Added oils or salt
    • Raw or roasted
    • Glass or plastic jar (and whether BPA-free)
    • Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.)
    • If we would repurchase

RESULTS //

Three spoonfuls of our favorite brands of almond butter

First place: Trader Joe’s Creamy No Salt Almond Butter
Second place: Georgia Grinders Original Almond Butter
Third place: Whole Foods 365 Organic Creamy Unsweetened No Salt Almond Butter
Fourth place: Jiva Raw Sprouted Almond Butter
Fifth place: Woodstock Smooth Dry Roasted Unsalted Almond Butter
Sixth place:
Spread the Love Unsalted Almond Butter
Seventh place: Once Again Creamy Lightly Toasted Almond Butter
Eighth place: Almondee California Almond Butter
Ninth place: Artisana Organics Raw Almond Butter

THE REVIEW //

Jar of Trader Joe's Creamy Almond Butter for our unbiased review of almond butters

#1: Trader Joe’s Creamy No Salt Almond Butter

Stir-ability: 4 – oil separation, but visibly creamy and pretty easy to stir.
Taste: 4.5 – closest thing to homemade I tasted. Perfectly roasted. No bitterness. It would, of course, be elevated with salt. But since it’s unsalted I feel this is about as good as it gets!
Texture: 5 – very creamy with only a slight amount of grit.
Overall thoughts: 4.75 – great overall and really impressed with the texture and taste.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.50
Added oils or salt: None
Raw or roasted: Roasted
Glass or plastic jar: Plastic (BPA-Free)
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Non-GMO

Overall score: 18.25/20
Would we repurchase? Yes

Jar of Georgia Grinders Original Almond Butter for our side by side review of popular almond butter brands

#2: Georgia Grinders Original Almond Butter

Stir-ability: 2.75 – visible chunks of almonds on top. Oil on top. Slightly difficult to stir and actually get creamy.
Taste: 4.5 – great flavor that would be elevated by sea salt. But even without, the almonds were perfectly roasted. No bitterness and really pleasant and noticeable almond flavor (unlike some of the others, which were more bland). Enjoyed it overall!
Texture: 4.5 – I liked the slight crunch from the slightly unblended pieces. And overall it was really creamy once stirred.
Overall thoughts: 4 – despite the difficulty stirring, the flavor and texture were both really pleasant.
Approximate cost per ounce: $1.03
Added oils or salt: None
Raw or roasted: Roasted
Glass or plastic jar: Glass
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Non-GMO

Overall score: 15.75/20
Would we repurchase? Yes

Jar of Whole Foods 365 Organic Almond Butter for our review of popular conventional and organic almond butter brands

#3: Whole Foods 365 Organic Creamy Unsweetened No Salt Almond Butter

Stir-ability: 4.5 – a little separation but stirred together quickly and easily.
Taste: 3.5 – a little bland, probably because of lack of salt.
Texture: 3.5 – smooth with a little grittiness.
Overall thoughts: 4 – oil separated on top when opened. Pretty basic — tastes like homemade. Nothing special.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.69
Added oils or salt: None
Raw or roasted: Roasted
Glass or plastic jar: Plastic
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Non-GMO

Overall score: 15.5/20
Would we repurchase? Maybe

Jar of Jiva Raw Sprouted Almond Butter for our side by side review of popular almond butter brands

#4: Jiva Raw Sprouted Almond Butter

Stir-ability: 5 – no separation of oil and nut butter — very creamy,
Taste: 2.5 – bitter, slight vanilla undertone, definitely tastes raw/sprouted.
Texture: 5 – super creamy.
Overall thoughts: 2.5 – really great texture, no separation, high quality, but I didn’t like the taste.
Approximate cost per ounce: $1.87
Added oils or salt: None
Raw or roasted: Raw
Glass or plastic jar: Glass
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Organic, Non-GMO, Sprouted

Overall score: 15/20
Would we repurchase? No

Jar of Woodstock Smooth Almond Butter for our review of the top almond butter brands

#5: Woodstock Smooth Dry Roasted Unsalted Almond Butter

Stir-ability: 2.5 – super separated. Took quite a while to stir, and even then it wasn’t completely creamy.
Taste: 4 – definitely tastes roasted, in a good way. No salt. But overall really straightforward and pleasant.
Texture: 4 – pretty creamy with slight grittiness. 
Overall thoughts: 4 – I liked it overall, but the separation wasn’t ideal and it took quite a bit of stirring to get it creamy, but compared to others I would repurchase. In terms of flavor, reminded me of the roasted almond butter you get from the bulk bin at grocery stores.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.94
Added oils or salt: None
Raw or roasted: Lightly toasted
Glass or plastic jar: Glass
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Non-GMO

Overall score: 14.5/20
Would we repurchase? Yes

Jar of Spread the Love Almond Butter for our unbiased almond butter brands review
#6:
Spread the Love Unsalted Almond Butter

Stir-ability: 3.5 – pretty oily/drippy. Relatively easy to stir, but some hard chunks on the bottom.
Taste: 3 – quite bitter. Tasted over-roasted and slightly burnt.
Texture: 4.5 – very creamy. Only slightly gritty.
Overall thoughts: 3 – The flavor was disappointing even though the texture was very creamy and smooth.
Approximate cost per ounce: $1.00
Added oils or salt: None
Raw or roasted: Raw
Glass or plastic jar: Plastic (BPA-Free)
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Non-GMO

Overall score: 14/20
Would we repurchase? No

Jar of Once Again Creamy Lightly Toasted Almond Butter for our almond butter review

#7: Once Again Creamy Lightly Toasted Almond Butter

Stir-ability: 3 – oil separation on top, took a little longer to stir than the others. But once stirred, seemed creamy. Still had visible grittiness.
Taste: 3.25 – slightly bitter, but not as much as Jiva or Artisana. No vanilla undertone. Just straightforward almond butter.
Texture: 4 – mostly creamy with a little grit.
Overall thoughts: 3.5 – pretty decent, high quality, but gritty texture and nothing special in terms of taste.
Approximate cost per ounce: $1.12
Added oils or salt: None
Raw or roasted: Lightly toasted
Glass or plastic jar: Glass
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Organic, Non-GMO

Overall score: 13.75/20
Would we repurchase? No

Jar of Almondee California Almond Butter as part of our unbiased almond butter review

#8: Almondee California Almond Butter

Stir-ability: 3 – not much separation and stirred okay, but there were noticeable chunks of darker almond butter, which made it look kind of gritty.
Taste: 3 – a little cardboard-like and slightly bland. Compared to the others it somehow didn’t have as strong of almond flavor.
Texture: 4 – pretty creamy, with only a little grit.
Overall thoughts: 3.5 – looked more like peanut butter than almond butter at first — orange-brown and creamy. The texture was pretty good, and the flavor was good, not great.
Approximate cost per ounce: $0.68
Added oils or salt: None
Raw or roasted: Roasted
Glass or plastic jar: Plastic
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Non-GMO

Overall score: 13.5/20
Would we repurchase? No

Jar of Artisana Organics Raw Almond Butter as part of our review of almond butter brands

#9: Artisana Organics Raw Almond Butter

Stir-ability: 3.5 – oil on top, but noticeably gritty and seemingly unblended in spots. Once stirred, it did seem buttery.
Taste: 3 – bitter — not as bitter as Jiva — but noticeably bitter. Vanilla undertone. Noticeably raw.
Texture: 3.5 – gritty, a little chunky, not too smooth.
Overall thoughts: 3 – great ingredients, but not creamy enough or well blended. The flavor was underwhelming.
Approximate cost per ounce: $1.41
Added oils or salt: None
Raw or roasted: Raw
Glass or plastic jar: Glass
Quality of ingredients (i.e. organic, non-GMO, etc.): Organic, Non-GMO

Overall score: 13/20
Would we repurchase? No

HOW TO USE ALMOND BUTTER //

We enjoy almond butter by the spoonful (for a protein boost), in smoothies (especially berry), on toast, with apple slices, in sauces, and in recipes such as our Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, No-Bake Almond Butter Cup BarsAlmond Butter Tofu Stir Fry, and Almond Butter Dipping Sauce.

It can also be used as a substitute for other nut butters (such as peanut butter) in many recipes. The possibilities are endless!


Into product reviews? Be sure to check out our Plant-Based Vanilla Protein Powder Review, Flavored Protein Powder Review, Chocolate Protein Powder Review, and Plant-Based Protein Bar Review!

We hope you enjoyed this almond butter review! Let us know what other brands you love in the comments below!

Reader Interactions

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  1. sadie says

    I appreciate this review. However, there is no way I’d buy nut butter (read: fats) housed in plastic. Chemically, plastiscisers transfer to the oil. Why would I elect to knowingly consume plastics? We get enough of this into our systems without our knowledge. In any case. . . . food for thought (har har).

  2. Rebecca says

    It’s almost laughable how many of these are labeled “non-GMO” since all almonds are inherently a non-GMO product, even if they aren’t labeled as such. Also, any products that have Organic certification will also therefore be non-GMO as part of the organic requirements. This isn’t a comment per se on how you identified the products, just more a comment on the sometimes silly labeling and greenwashing that companies undergo to make it seem like their product is better than one not labeled with the non-GMO identifier.

  3. Felix says

    i love your exclusion of products that contain palm oil (e.g. Barney’s), but disagree with stir-ability contributing to the overall score.

    separation depends on how the nut butter was handled and how long it sat before you bought it. more importantly, it’s easy to stir nut butter after warming it. (do this carefully when it’s packaged in a plastic jar!)

    i add an appropriate amount of dark chocolate before warming and stirring :-)

  4. carla says

    For me the number one criteria for almond butter is how they pasteurize the almonds. By law, all almonds are required to be pasteurized prior to sale and for use in almond butter and milks. there are several methods for pasteurization and one is particularly toxic. Organic almonds are always steam pasteurized, which is the best of the processes, but the rest, not so much.
    Here’s more on the process https://healthylifestyledocs.com/almonds-for-health. I’ve checked with Costco and their Organic Almond butter is steam pasteurized. After delving into the topic, I wouldn’t trust any almond product that’s not organinc.

  5. K. B. says

    Hi, have you tried Maisie Jane’s organic almond butter? It is by far our family’s favorite and we have tried many an almond butter. Please give it a try and why not purchase the organic one?

  6. Danielle says

    Thanks for sharing this. I really love your comparison posts! My husband and I enjoy the Natural Grocers almond butter, but it’s very thick and not drippy at all. It’s great for smoothies and on top of acai bowls, but not the best for eating with dates or by the spoonful :) We went to Trader Joe’s today and bought both the creamy no-salt almond butter and their creamy raw almond butter – can’t wait to try them!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Randie, thanks for the feedback! We will keep that in mind if we do another review in the future.

  7. joan allsop says

    I love your very interesting comparative review of Almond Butter . Thankyou. My question is do any of your recommended makers ship to New Zealand ? ??
    Kind Regards Joan Allsop ??

  8. Kirilly says

    I was wondering if it would be possible for you to add a section to your recipe index where you include your reviews (like this one and the protein powder ones), and also where you include your roundups (eg. when you do pancake roundups, summer salads etc). These posts used to appear on the homepage of your website when you would first add them the same way the recipes would, however since changing the layout of your website they no longer do. The only way I ever find out about these kinds of posts now and am able to get the link to access them is through your instagram, which means that despite me really enjoying them, I sometimes miss seeing that you have posted them. This would be so helpful and greatly appreciated!
    Thanks ,
    Kirilly

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Oh my gosh that’s an amazing idea! Can’t believe we didn’t think of that sooner. Adding that STAT!

  9. Veronica says

    What a fun and useful post! It’s always so hard to choose when there are so many good options available now.

    I was surprised that you found Spread the Love to be bitter – I really like its flavor, it’s my favorite! To me, it’s really robust and almondy… some of the others almost lean too sweet for me. But we all have our own unique palate!

    Thanks for all that you do!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Interesting! Perhaps the bitterness was more pronounced alongside other almond butters. Thanks for sharing!

  10. Kelly says

    I’m disappointed you didn’t test the Kirkland brand. I know they definitely have the best cost that i’ve seen.

    • Gina says

      I’ve tried the Kirkland brand…. tastes good (actually the only kind I’ve liked so far) but it’s really hard to stir and separates again easier than I’d like even if you put it in the fridge.

    • Cathy says

      I agree! I usually buy Kirkland brand. Also, on occasion, Justin’s Almond Butter… did their ingredients not meet your standards? In any case – I loved your post on this – super helpful!

  11. Weston says

    Thanks for the review, Dana!

    My favorite is Trader Joe’s Unsalted Raw Almond Butter. Have you compared the Raw vs the Roasted? It has more almond taste than most roasted almond butters I’ve tried. Plus, it remains relatively pourable even when refrigerated (many nut butters turn to a solid brick when cold).