The 8 Best Almond Butters of 2023

Just like peanut butter, when almonds are ground up enough they produce oil and make a paste. That means all almond butter is the same, right? Not so fast. Thanks to an increasing interest in peanut butter alternatives, there are plenty of almond butters to choose from, and the variety is just as nuanced as shopping for peanut butter.

Whether creamy or crunchy, unsweetened or flavored, the best almond butters combine the best ingredients to provide plant-based protein and fats. Not to mention, they taste delicious as part of French toast, jam sandwiches, smoothies, cookies, and more. Read on to find out which are the best of the best.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Justin's Classic Almond Butter at Amazon

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Best Organic:

Artisana Organics Raw Almond Butter at Amazon

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Best Smooth:

Barney Butter Bare Smooth Almond Butter at Amazon

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Best Crunchy:

Good & Gather Stir Crunchy Almond Butter at Amazon

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Best Budget:

365 by Whole Foods Market =Creamy Almond Butter at Amazon

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Best Flavored:

RX Maple Almond Butter at Amazon

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Best Keto:

Left Coast Performance Keto Almond Butter at Amazon

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Best for Drizzling:

Wild Friends Creamy Almond Butter at Amazon

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In This Article

Our Picks
What to Look for
FAQs
How We Researched
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

4.6

Courtesy of Amazon

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Thanks to a proprietary grinding technique and high-quality California almonds, Justin’s takes the cake for the best almond butter. It has a rich almond taste and the right amount of creaminess with just two ingredients: dry roasted almonds and palm oil. Because of the added oil, you don’t get the typical separation you see with other almond butters, so there’s no need to stir. Better yet, the palm oil is sustainably sourced under a fully traceable supply chain, so you can follow where it came from.

If you're interested in venturing beyond plain almond butter, Justin's also offers maple, vanilla, honey, cinnamon, coconut, and chocolate-hazelnut almond butters that are naturally sweetened with organic ingredients.

Price at time of publish: $7

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This readily available almond butter only has one ingredient—raw, organic almonds—but is still incredibly flavorful and smooth. Because of this, it can be used in sweet or savory dishes. Add it to celery for a crunchy refreshing snack or on top of oatmeal with a drizzle of honey. There are lots of sizes available, including 1.06-ounce packs, 9- and 14-ounce jars, and even an 8-pound bucket.

The almond butter is made in a temperature-controlled process to ensure all the flavor, fragrance, and nutrients stay put. The brand sells other organic spreads, like Macadamia-Coconut Butter, Hazelnut Cacao Spread, and even Raw Walnut Butter and Raw Sesame Seed Butter.

Price at time of publish: $18

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Made only with roasted almonds and palm fruit oil, Barney Butter Bare Smooth Almond Butter is the real deal. The almonds are blanched (dropped in boiling water for a couple of minutes to remove the skin), which leaves the finished product with the smoothest texture around. You won’t find any gritty bits here. The blanching process also gives the almond butter a milder taste, so if you’re more of a peanut butter lover who’s trying to transition, this is an excellent option.

Price at time of publish: $13

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Courtesy of Target

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Over the years, Target has really stepped up to the plate with its Good & Gather line of wholesome, high-quality food products—and this crunchy almond butter is no exception. Made with a single ingredient (almonds), you get the rich almond butter flavor you want without added sweeteners or anything artificial. Plus, with almond bits of all different sizes, the texture is just right for crunchy almond butter lovers.

Because it doesn’t have any added oil, you do have to stir before each use, but that's a small price to pay for such an excellent almond butter at such a great price.

Price at time of publish: $9

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Nut butters of any kind can get expensive, almond butter included. We recommend this one from Whole Foods Market's in-house 365 brand because of its price and size. This one is the same cost at 1 pound as others are for half that size.

But that's not all. Despite some oil separating at the top, is also smooth and creamy and only contains one ingredient. Its dry-roasted almonds are grown in California and are nutty and rich. One tub of this will last in your pantry for a while and won't break the bank, either.

Price at time of publish: $9

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Unlike some flavored almond butters, which contain refined sweetener and higher amounts of sugar per serving, RX Maple Almond Butter is naturally sweetened using just dates and maple sugar. With only 1 gram of added sugar, the combination gives this nut butter an authentic maple flavor without an overpowering sweetness. If you’re not a huge fan of maple, RX also offers vanilla almond butter that’s sweetened and naturally flavored with dates and vanilla beans.

Each jar contains blended egg whites for added protein, too. In comparison, the average almond butter has 7 grams of protein per 2 tablespoon serving, while RX nut butters (peanut and almond) both have 9 grams.

Price at time of publish: $10

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With around 3 to 4 grams of net carbs per serving, you can easily work most kinds of almond butter into a keto lifestyle, but the Left Coast Performance Keto Almond Butter was specifically designed with keto dieters in mind. It's made with a combination of almonds, macadamia nuts, and sea salt, as well as medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, which supports ketosis on a ketogenic diet. Each serving contains just 2 grams of net carbs.

Of course, it tastes delicious, too, and even though it separates, it blends back together easily and smoothly with a couple of quick stirs.

Price at time of publish: $14

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If you need an almond butter to drizzle on top of your oatmeal or smoothie bowl, Wild Friends Classic Creamy Almond Butter is right for the job. Made with only two ingredients—roasted almonds and sea salt—it has a deep almond flavor. Its texture is much thinner than others on this list, so it drips right off your spoon, with no melting required. It’s super creamy and excellent for spreading, too.

Wild Friends is involved with Glory Bee’s Save the Bee program, so each jar you purchase helps fund the effort to save the world’s most important pollinators.

Price at time of publish: $12

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Final Verdict

Justin's Classic Almond Butter is an all-around great option that’s suitable for spreading, drizzling, and blending. If you prefer the crunchy kind, we recommend Good & Gather Crunchy Almond Butter.

What to Look for in Almond Butter

Ingredients

Almond butter will contain almonds, but some brands are organic, and others include blanched almonds, which will result in a different flavor. If you want to avoid salt or sugar, look for ones without those ingredients. If spreadability is important, look for ones that are creamy right out of the jar; those typically have palm oil in them to help improve their consistency and prevent separation.

Storage

Some almond butter brands are shelf stable, which means once you have opened them they can stay the same consistency at room temperature. Others, however, need to be refrigerated. Check the fine print on the label.

Uses

How you plan to use almond butter may help you determine which brand to buy. You might want one that's a little runnier if you're adding it to smoothies, using it in a dipping sauce recipe, or swirling it into yogurt or oatmeal, that's a consideration. If your primary use is to substitute it for peanut butter in a sandwich or for spreading on celery sticks or apples, then you'll want one that's easy to spread, maybe one with palm oil.

FAQs

Is it normal for almond butter to have oil on top?

Almond butter that's made exclusively from almonds and no other added oils or stabilizers will often show signs of separation, with oil resting on top. It's completely normal. Just give it a thorough stir and you're good to go.

Is crunchy or smooth almond butter better?

Smooth edges out crunchy in terms of popularity and sales, but both are good, although crunchy almond butter contains about 3 grams of fiber to smooth almond butter's sole gram of fiber.

Why is almond butter so expensive?

The cost of almond butter is high compared to peanut butter, for example, because the growing conditions in California, which produces the majority of the world's almonds, have been compromised in recent years by drought. Almonds require a lot of water to grow and can only do so in certain climates, and it also takes longer to produce a viable yield. Peanuts grow quickly and can and do so in various regions around the world.

How We Researched

To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best almond butters on the market, evaluating their key features—like ingredients, consistency, and price—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used this research to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain products on the list.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Lindsay Boyers is a certified holistic nutritionist with extensive nutrition knowledge and food- and beverage-testing experience. She’s developed over 1,000 original recipes and is constantly on a mission to find the healthiest, best-tasting options and ingredients across all food and drink categories.

Amanda McDonald is an editor at The Spruce Eats and has over seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing about all things food — from what new products are at the grocery store to chef-approved hacks that keep tricky leftovers fresh for days. She updated this article to include the most up-to-date information.

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Carrie Havranek

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Amanda McDonald

Article Sources

The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

D C Harvey CJ, Schofield GM, Williden M, McQuillan JA. The Effect of Medium Chain Triglycerides on Time to Nutritional Ketosis and Symptoms of Keto-Induction in Healthy Adults: A Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial. J Nutr Metab. 2018;2018:2630565. doi:10.1155/2018/2630565
https://www.nutritionix.com/i/trader-joes/crunchy-almond-butter/53a02eb8c1325099051b54cf
https://www.nutritionix.com/i/great-value/smooth-almond-butter-natural/5bbb01bf7285a02d0b0800d4

There are lots of varieties to choose from—here are our picks

Best Overall

Justin's Classic Almond Butter

Best Organic

Artisana Organics Raw Almond Butter

Best Smooth

Barney Butter Bare Smooth Almond Butter

Best Crunchy

Good & Gather Stir Crunchy Almond Butter

Best Budget

365 by Whole Foods Market Creamy Almond Butter

Best Flavored

RX Maple Almond Butter

Best Keto

Left Coast Performance Keto Almond Butter

Best for Drizzling

Wild Friends Classic Creamy Almond Butter

What to Look for in Almond Butter

Ingredients

Storage

Uses

FAQs

Is it normal for almond butter to have oil on top?

Is crunchy or smooth almond butter better?

Why is almond butter so expensive?

How We Researched

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?