Healthy Protein Peanut Butter Spread
This Healthy Protein Peanut Butter has more fiber, more protein, less calories, and less fat than regular peanut butter, but it tastes JUST AS GOOD!
NEWS FLASH: I love peanut butter!
Okay, I know that’s not news, I just had to put that out there (again).
Peanut butter on a spoon. I’ve been there, you’ve been there, we’ve ALL been there. And while (natural) peanut butter is totally healthy, it IS really high in fat and calories.
“Moderation is key!” Yeah, yeah, but that’s not what goes through your head when you’re digging into a peanut butter jar 😉
So, I made a lower calorie peanut butter spread that is just as rich, just as smooth and just as creamy as regular peanut butter. Go ahead, have a couple (or seven…) spoonfuls.
Healthy Homemade Protein-Packed Peanut Butter Spread
Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsweetened Vanilla Soy Milk
- ¼ cup Vanilla Brown Rice Protein Powder
- 6 packets Natural Sweetener (stevia, Truvia, etc.)
- ½ cup Natural Peanut Butter (I used homemade!)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the milk, protein powder and sweetener until smooth.
- Whisk in the peanut butter and the remaining ¼ cup of milk until completely smooth. Give it a taste and add more sweetener or a pinch of salt to taste. Scoop into a jar, seal tightly, and refrigerate to store.
Compared to regular peanut butter, my Protein Peanut Butter has 100 less calories, 11g less fat, and half the carbs! What a difference!
Now where is my spoon?? I need some of this right, STAT.
The grams of protein for this recipe shows as 2g less than regular peanut butter, but the ratio of protein to calories or fat is much higher than regular peanut butter. This PB recipe is 22% protein while regular PB is 14% protein.
This protein peanut butter spreads just like regular peanut butter. If anything, it spreads a little better because you get to use MORE of it 😉
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With love and good eats,
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– Jess
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Indulge − no strings attached!
oh, the girl, this recipe made my evening 😉 I a few addict when business concerns some peanut butter… and the serving size simply kills me. Finally I always simply lower a spoon in bank again, again and again 😀 so thanks for your recipe, I will surely make it! by the way, your blog amazing 😉
I don’t usually comment… but I needed to tell you that I love your recipes! And that looks so yummy! Yea for peanut butter!
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This is such a great idea! Thank you! I can’t see a reason why it wouldn’t also work for almond butter, right?
Mel-
Yup, I’m sure almond butter would work just as well! It might not have as much flavor though, peanut butter is pretty strong in flavor. If you want a more flavorful spread, you can try adding some yummy vanilla extract/vanilla paste, pure maple syrup, cinnamon, whatever you like 🙂
Hi…Love the idea of this!! 🙂 I know you talk about the importance of healthy ingredients…from everything I’ve been researching, soy is really bad for us (can really mess up hormones, etc), & the majority of soy in this country is GMO…a lot of the rice has arsenic in it 🙁 also, truvia is also very bad for us 🙁 here is a very informative article about it http://foodbabe.com/2013/04/25/stevia-good-or-bad/
let me know your thoughts on this! 🙂
Christy-
I definitely agree with you, genetically modified soy is TERRIBLE for us. However, I do not have a problem with organic/non-GMO soy, especially if consumed in moderation. The problem with soy is that is resembles estrogen in the body (I believe it’s the same with flaxseed?), so it is not recommended to eat large amounts on a daily basis. And the same goes with any other food.
Rice contains minimal amounts of arsenic which can be tolerated by the human body. Again, if eaten in moderation. The brown rice protein powder used in this recipe is organic, non-GMO and raw, so it isn’t processed and bleached like white rice.
When it comes to Truvia, I am on the fence. I don’t like how it is made from corn but it is one of the few sweeteners my stomach can tolerate. I can’t have xylitol (which is hear is hydrogenated) and refined sugar makes me feel sick. Truvia is widely available so the majority of my readers can make my recipes. I also believe that Truvia is far better than refined white sugar. Refined white sugar not only goes through numerous steps to bleach/purify/refine (this interesting video follows the process of making sugar: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/209980401349666657/), but it also promotes slave labor in poor countries around the world. I am currently taking a Nutritional Anthropology class at my university and we learned A LOT about cane sugar! It’s just terrible and I refuse to use it 🙁
There are a million foods out there that are bad for us: trans fats, hydrogenated oil, refined sugar, bleached flour, artificial food colorings, artificial food flavorings, hormone-filled heavy cream/butter, corn-fed cows locked in crates, chickens that are 5x the weight they are supposed to be so that McDonalds can survive (grrr, why can’t they go under?!)… and so on. I think those are the foods that should be avoided. For most people, a nutritionally balanced diet filled with antioxidants, macronutrients, micronutrients, sufficient water, etc, is what keeps us alive and well. The human body is extremely (and surprisingly) resilient 🙂 I know this first hand. I was in very poor health just a few years ago due to my unhealthy diet and lifestyle (and genes, I guess), but my new diet and lifestyle have reversed those problems.
Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to comment! It’s really nice to hear the feedback 🙂 I apologize for my essay of a response, the semester is almost over where I am and I guess all those essays due have rubbed off on my blogging life too… 😉
-Jess
I was wondering if you could use Almond Milk instead of Soy?
Sally-
Yup, you can use almond milk instead of soy milk… any other milk should work to replace the soy milk 🙂
-Jess
I must say that I LOVE your essay above (meaning your answer to Christy)! Such an educated and well-argumented answer – I feel 100% the same. Sometimes I feel so helpless when it comes to food as everything and anything is bad for us according to research; even veggies/fruits having residuals from pesticides etc… I guess it is just about choosing the least harmful things! And of course also enjoying life, as sometimes worrying/overthinking can be even more harmful than having something not-100%-healthy once in a while 🙂
What’s your stand on honey or dates? Do you use that kind of more natural sugars? I know our body takes any sugar quite similarly, independent whether it’s “natural” or not… so do you ever use honey/dates and what would be a portion size per day you would recommend?
Thank you so much, your blog is my number one fave as your treats are so delicious and your knowledge about nutrition is so admirable 🙂
Pipsa-
Haha thanks! I’m glad someone took the time to read it. After I saw how long it was I didn’t expect anyone to actually go through it lol. It’s difficult to navigate all the (sometimes conflicting) scientific studies out there saying “this is good for you” and “no that’s bad for you!”
As for honey and dates, I think these are DEFINITELY much better than processed cane sugar. Honey and dates are all natural and you can’t go wrong with choosing fruit over refined sugar! Personally, I love honey… it tastes good and it’s low glycemic, however many brands nowadays are overly processed (kind of like how agave is now) so it’s best to get organic or raw honey. This way you’ll get the antioxidants and minerals. Of course, too much of this is a bad thing. I mean, it IS pure sugar 🙁
I don’t have much experience with dates because they kinda freak me out. They’re ugly and look like cockroaches. When they’re ground into Larabars and such I don’t mind though. I think dates are a great replacement for sugar. The fruit is primarily sugar (not much fiber) so it is very sweet and therefore perfect for healthified desserts. There are great recipes out there for date syrup which can replace honey, agave, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, etc. You can always buy date syrup too (I got a jar from Whole Foods once). The only problem I can really think of with these sweeteners is that they are dense in calories/carbohydrates, so I wouldn’t recommend them to people trying to lose weight, people trying to control their blood glucose/diabetes, and sedentary people.
The portion sizes I would recommend for people at a healthy weight/good health status would be 1-2 tbs of honey (60 calories per tbs) and 5-10 dates (~20 calories each). I am not a registered dietician though, so if you have health questions I would definitely recommend making an appointment with an R.D.! In my experience, they’re much nicer than doctors 😀
Hope my (other) essay of a response finds you well!
-Jess
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Wow, this is amazing! I have a bad habit of just dipping a spoon in my jar of almond butter… So I immediately knew I had to try this out. I used almond butter and almond milk as it’s what I had, and chocolate protein powder for a bit of sweet chocolate flavor… Omg. OMG. At least now when I dip my spoon into my jar it’s a bit healthier! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Lisa-
Oh my gosh CHOCOLATE protein powder? What a good idea!! My mouth just dropped to the floor when I read that 😉
Looks delicious! I’m definitely going to try this. How long can it be refrigerated? And is the taste much different than actual PB? Lovely toast-topper for my morning breakfast!
Mary-
I’m not really sure how long it lasts. I finished my batch in about 2 weeks, but I’m sure it could’ve lasted longer than that.
I found the flavor to be very similar to regular peanut butter, especially if you use lots of it 😉 Of course this isn’t an exact replica though because other flavors have been added to it, but I think you’ll definitely be happy with the recipe. DEFINITELY delicious on some warm toast!!
-Jess
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I found this recipe and I was so excited! Then I realized it called for almond milk- I live in an area where the only kind you can get is flavoured with all sorts of things. Blek. I would make my own but I’m not particularly confident in my kitchen skills yet! Do you think I could just use water instead of a milk? (I have to avoid soy milk also.)
Junebee-
Oh no, that’s too bad to hear!
I would recommend trying out other milks rather than water, because milk provides flavor and a good texture. Maybe try unsweetened coconut milk or organic dairy milk instead?
If those aren’t available either, I guess you could try water. Make sure to add a pinch of salt though, because the PB might need some extra flavor.
I hope you like the recipe!! 🙂
-Jess
Thank you for the advice! I ended up using just water, and it worked okay. If anyone else wanted to try water, I’d advise to try just 1/4 cup first and then add more. It definitely needs to be chilled, too. There’s so many possiblilites with this! 🙂
Junebee-
Thanks for letting me know how the water turned out!!
And thanks so much for trying out the recipe 😀
-Jess
One question – how many tablespoons does the recipe yield if followed as written? This looks absolutely perfect as a way of stretching PB; just trying to get an idea of how many servings to expect before diving in. Thanks!
JW-
The recipe yields 1+1/3 cups, which equals 21 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon 🙂
I hope you like the PB!!
-Jess
Thanks! Sorry…I see it now…completely missed that the first time around :o)
Okay, so I just made this and it’s really good but I’m getting a slightly higher calorie count. I used two 1/4 cup almond milk (16 calories), 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (90), and 1/2 cup peanut butter (760). It yields 1 cup at 54 calories per tbsp. It’s not a huge difference but it can add up depending on how much is needed. Any idea why I might be getting only 1 cup out of it instead of 1 and 1/3 cups? I followed the amounts exactly.
The result is great…so far it’s the best lightened up peanut butter I’ve tried. I’m just trying to work out why I’m getting a lower yield from the same recipe.
Thanks so much and keep up the great work! Your recipes are fantastic.
JW-
I’m glad you got a chance to make the recipe!!
All products from different companies have varying nutrition labels. For example, your peanut butter has 190 calories per serving while I have two jars in my pantry, one with 180 calories per serving and one with 210. For this recipe, I used the 180-calories-per-2-tbs one.
I’m not sure why you only got 1 cup of the peanut butter. I remember making this recipe and I mixed the spread pretty vigorously, so I probably incorporated some air into the PB. I’ll update the instructions to reflect that 🙂
Thanks for making the PB and letting me know how it turned out!
-Jess
I am curious… please enlighten me…. what brand of peanut butter has 90 calories per serving (two tablespoons)?
I have checked every label of -every- nut butter in three different natural food stores and have found nothing.
I’m so perplexed… WHO could be making peanut butter that is so low in calories!
AJ-
The peanut butter with 90 calories is my Protein-Packed Peanut Butter. The nutrition label on the left is storebought peanut butter, the nutrition label on the right is for this post’s recipe 🙂
-Jess
If you used sweatened almond milk, could you omit the sweetener?
Kate-
There probably won’t be enough sweetener in the almond milk to make up for the Truvia, but you can definitely reduce it! Maybe try 4 packets and then give it a taste 🙂
I hope you like the recipe!
-Jess
What are you using for the base (peanut butter)? All the PB I see at whole foods/wegmans/safeway is 200+ cals for 2 tsb, yet yours only comes out to 90 cal. What brand are you using?
Michael Norton-
The peanut butter with 90 calories is my Protein-Packed Peanut Butter recipe. The nutrition label on the left is storebought peanut butter, the nutrition label on the right is for this post’s recipe. The calories are reduced in my recipe because the peanut butter is mixed with milk and protein powder 🙂
-Jess
Oh i see. Curious, what is the brand of PB that you use?
Michael Norton-
I don’t really have a favorite brand, I just buy whatever’s natural and with a good price 😉 (sometimes organic PB ends up being the same price as non-organic!)
Right now in my pantry, I have organic Laura Scudder (creamy, no sugar added) and natural PB from Costco 🙂
-Jess
I’ve been searching the internet for a protein peanut butter recipe (inspired by the delicious, yet expensive, Nuts N More pb’s) and I am thrilled to have come across this recipe! Not only is it the protein packed peanut butter recipe I am looking for, it is actually much lower in fat & calories then Nuts N More. Just made a batch and I substituted almond milk, unflavored whey protein powder, cocoa powder and honey- YUM! It came out a little juicer then pictured but I bet it will firm up a bit in the fridge. Next batch I’m going to try to recreate the same flavor of the Nuts N More toffee crunch by using toffee extract instead of the cocoa powder. Mmmmm, the flavor possibilities are endless! Thanks a million for the recipe!
Robin! You totally just made my day!! 😀
Good idea using the whey protein powder instead of rice protein. Rice protein will thicken the peanut butter more than whey, but I actually prefer drippy nut butters over solid/spreadable ones… I definitely gotta give that a try.
And TOFFEE EXTRACT + COCOA?!? YOU. ARE. PURE. GENIUS. *runs to go buy toffee extract* 😉
-Jess
May i ask plz.. i made the pb a lil bit liquidy .. but for how long should I refrigerate it? or should be always in the refrigerator? thx =)
The peanut butter should always stay in the fridge. This helps thicken it into a peanut butter consistency. If it’s not as thick as you like, feel free to add more protein powder. Hope you like it!
-Jess
I don’t have any rice protein powder- the only kind I have is whey. Would that still work, or would it mess up the consistency or something? :/
The consistency definitely won’t be the same when using whey instead of brown rice protein, but I think it’s worth a shot! You might need an extra scoop or two in order to thicken the spread, otherwise it might be like a glaze/frosting-like texture (which now that I say it, doesn’t sound too bad haha). Hope you like the recipe!
I made this with crunchy all natural pb (just peanuts and salt), unsweetened vanilla almond milk, orgrain organic protein powder in vanilla, added cinnamon and vanilla extract and omitted the truvia. It tastes like cookie dough batter to me which is a good thing since I don’t eat gluten, dairy or sugar. Will eat this up then try with the chocolate protein powder and add a dash of cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Thank you!
CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER! You are a genius. I’ve just started liking crunchy peanut butter, so I think I wanna make this recipe again. Once with cinnamon and once with cocoa. YUM! 😀
Jessica, Hi. I have been searching several store bought natural peanut butter brands and they are all fairly close in calorie count, calories from fat, and protein. I have read your recipe and am planning on preparing it. One question that I have is this, if you add a natural peanut butter that has 200 or 190 calories as your recipe calls for, how do the other ingredients dilute the calories present to near half the amount?
Thank you very much. I hope this is not viewed as a stupid question.
Hi Rick! The additions of the milk and protein powder drops the calorie count. The milk has 80 calories per cup and protein powder 114 cals per 1/4 cup. When that’s mixed with peanut butter, it averages out to 90 calories per serving! 🙂
Hello,
I am eager to try this recipe but I don’t have any protein powder.
Would this mixture come out okay if I don’t use the powder? Should I try oat flour instead?
Thank you
I haven’t tried this recipe without the protein powder so I can’t be sure. All I know is that protein powder acts as a thickener, so oat flour MIGHT work. Start off using 1/4 cup, and if the peanut butter hasn’t thickened enough, add another tablespoon or so, until it’s a peanut buttery consistency. Also give it a taste test, you may need to add an extra packet or two of Truvia and a splash of vanilla extract for the vanilla flavor you’re missing from the protein powder. Hope this turns out for ya! 🙂
Thank you. I will let you know when I have tried it. I may even attempt to make my own almond flour and use that instead…
for people into fitness like me who are too fussy about eating coz we need to prep a lot and avoid a lot of things which we would eat day and night… i love your recipes…. i even tried the green tea marshmallow was delicious.. Anyways coming to this i just needed a lil help from you i guess the nutritional label u had posted for the peanut butter protein spread the link to that i guess has expired… could you pls post the lable again or maybe send that to me in mail ?
Would be of great help if u can…
Oh wow, thank you so much! I’m glad you liked the Matcha Marshmallows!
I updated the post to fix the image issues and nutrition label 🙂