I Avoid Most Peanut Butter Brands – Only These 5 Deserve a Place in My Pantry

Unless you have a nut allergy in the house, peanut butter is likely a staple in your pantry. From the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches your kids beg for or the peanut butter toast you enjoy in the morning, there are so many uses for peanut butter. Although it may seem simple enough, not all peanut butter is created equal.

Everyone has a personal preference when it comes to peanut butter. There are some brands we love buying and others we avoid. The preferences in our house are usually based on price, taste, and ingredients. I avoid most mainstream peanut butter brands, but these 5 are the ones you'll find in my pantry.

We divide our grocery shopping between several stores, and Target is one of them. Many of the items we don't buy in bulk at Costco are purchased at Target. Ever since Costco stopped selling the Kirkland Signature Peanut Butter, Good & Gather is one of the brands we often buy instead. You can get it in a 16-oz or 40-oz container.

If you prefer a peanut butter without any ingredients except for peanuts and salt, the Good & Gather Peanut Butter isn't the best option for you. While I do prefer to stick with brands with fewer ingredients, this brand has a great flavor, and you can't beat the price. Especially when I'm in a pinch or need to save on my grocery bill, this is my go-to.

Good & Gather now offers a natural peanut butter option as well. This one has dry-roasted peanuts, sugar, palm oil, and sea salt on the ingredients list. I've tried both options, and the natural version is less sweet and less creamy, but still worth the price.

When it comes to choosing a peanut butter brand, many companies offer a regular and natural version of their peanut butter. You won't usually find me buying Skippy Peanut Butter, but the Skippy Natural option is a great one in my opinion.

Many natural peanut butter brands cost a fortune, but I appreciate the affordability of Skippy. It does contain palm oil, but no hydrogenated vegetable oils like the regular Good & Gather option. The 40-oz container at Target costs about $6.29, which is about two dollars more than the Target brand.

For those who like unique peanut butter flavors, try Peanut Butter & Co. You can find options such as the Crunch Time variety or Smooth Operator. Peanut Butter & Co also sells a powdered peanut butter and many other fun flavors of peanut butter spread.

The creamy and crunchy varieties aren't the only options with Peanut Butter & Co. This brand also sells other peanut butter spreads, such as the Dark Chocolatey Dreams, White Chocolatey Wonderful, The Bee's Knees, Mighty Maple, and Cinnamon Swirl. I've tried a few of the options, and they have a great texture and flavor.

Justin's Peanut Butter is a popular brand that has a variety of products. You can enjoy Justin's Classic Peanut Butter or Justin's Honey Peanut Butter Blend. The brand also has a version of almond butter and tasty peanut butter cups.

If you're looking for a brand without added sugar, Justin's is a great option. The classic peanut butter has a rich and creamy texture and optimal spreadability. It does contain palm oil, like Skippy does, but the only other ingredients are dry-roasted peanuts.

If I had to choose one peanut butter brand to purchase for the rest of my life, it would be Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter. You can get this brand in creamy or chunky (we prefer the chunky). Smucker's also sells an organic variety.

Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter has a much higher price point than other peanut butter brands, so we don't buy it as often as I'd like for the sake of saving money. Still, this peanut butter is the best in my opinion. The only ingredients are peanuts and salt. Unlike other regular brands, you have to keep it in the fridge and stir it before using. If you're looking for the real deal with plenty of peanut flavor, this is the best choice.

There are so many uses for peanut butter and ways to make it part of a healthy snack or a quick dessert when you're craving something sweet. If you're looking for some ideas the whole family will love, here are some of my favorite ways to use peanut butter:

• Whole-grain toast with peanut butter
• Peanut butter cookies
• Strawberry, banana, and peanut butter smoothie
• Peanut butter chocolate chip energy bites
• Peanut butter fudge

Next time you're shopping for peanut butter at the grocery store, try one of these 5 peanut butter options that our family loves.