Calories in Peanut Butter

Ingredients in Peanut Butter

Peanut butter comes in many different varieties, such as chunky, smooth, reduced-fat, omega-3, and all-natural. All types, though, tend to be made up of similar ingredients. You can’t have peanut butter without the peanuts, and most types add in salt and oil. You may also find molasses, sugar, honey, fish oils (in omega-3 peanut butter), corn syrup solids, and various types of preservatives listed on the label.

The bulk of the peanut butter, regardless of the type or brand, will be peanuts. At 166 calories an ounce, peanuts are definitely a high calorie food. This makes it incredibly difficult to reduce the number of calories in peanut butter. Decreasing the amount of oil or sugar may reduce the calories a bit, but you’ll have a hard time finding a “diet” peanut butter.

Calories in Different Types of Peanut Butter

While there are many brands of peanut butter, we’ll look at the two most popular brands in the United States: Jif and Skippy. Serving size for all calorie counts below is two tablespoons, which is the industry standard.

Creamy: Jif -190 calories (130 calories from fat); Skippy - 190 calories (140 calories from fat)

Chunky: Jif - 190 calories (130 calories from fat); Skippy - 190 calories (140 calories from fat)

Reduced-fat, creamy: Jif - 190 calories (110 calories from fat); Skippy - 180 calories (110 calories from fat)

Reduced-fat, chunky: Jif - 190 calories (110 calories from fat); Skippy - 180 calories (110 calories from fat)

Natural, creamy: Jif - 190 calories (130 calories from fat); Skippy - 190 calories (140 calories from fat)

Natural, chunky: Jif - 190 calories (130 calories from fat); Skippy - 180 calories (150 calories from fat)

Omega-3: Jif - 190 calories (140 calories from fat); Skippy does not offer an Omega-3 fortified peanut butter

With honey: Jif - 180 calories (130 calories from fat); Skippy - 190 calories (140 calories from fat)

Reduced sugar and sodium: Jif - 190 calories (130 calories from fat); Skippy does not offer a reduced sugar and salt peanut butter

Many Reasons to Love Peanut Butter

Although the high number of calories in peanut butter makes it a food that shouldn’t be eaten in large quantities, there are many nutritional benefits to eating peanut butter. It is high in protein, contains dietary fiber, and is high in unsaturated fat (a so-called “good fat”). There are also many vitamins and minerals in peanut butter, such as niacin and potassium. It can make an excellent addition to your diet as long as you keep portion sizes small and don’t indulge too often. Eating a little bit of peanut butter with some fruit or a grain is a great snack, providing the protein and carbohydrates to keep you going.

References:

Jif - www.jif.com

Skippy - www.peanutbutter.com

Wiersema, Libby Swope - “Natural Peanut Butter Nutrition Information” - https://www.livestrong.com/article/28683-natural-peanut-butter-nutrition-information/