Best Nut Butters for a Protein Boost
Nutrition & FitnessDiet & Nutrition

7 Healthy Nut and Nut-Free Butters for a Protein Boost

To get more protein in your diet — plus ‘good’ fats, fiber, and other key nutrients  — try one of the RD-approved choices here.
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Updated on June 25, 2025
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Smuckers natural creamy peanut butter Sunbutter sunflower spread Wowbutter soybean spread
Nut and nut-free butters tend to be both nutrient- and calorie-dense.

If you’re looking to get more protein into your diet (and these days, who isn’t?), nut butters and nut-free alternatives made with soy or seeds are a healthy and delicious way to do it.

Shelley Balls, RDN, a registered dietitian-nutritionist in Afton, Wyoming, says these spreads are also good sources of vitamins and minerals, describing them as “nutrient-dense options to add to a balanced eating pattern.” Plus their mono- and polyunsaturated fats typically help lower cholesterol.

Note that these spreads tend to be calorie-dense, so be mindful of portion size.

1

Once Again Creamy Natural Almond Butter

Once Again Creamy Natural Almond Butter
  • Serving size: 2 tbsp
  • Calories: 190
  • Carbs: 6g
  • Fat: 16g
  • Sugar: 1g
  • Protein: 7g
  • Dietary fiber: 3g

Almond butter is a great peanut butter alternative. It has the same creamy texture with half as much saturated fat (1.5 grams versus 3 grams) per serving.

Once Again Creamy Natural Almond Butter is one of many healthy brands, but it takes honors here because it has only one ingredient — almonds — with no added salt or sugar.

2

Artisana Organics Raw Organic Walnut Butter With Cashews

Artisana Organics Raw Organic Walnut Butter With Cashews
  • Serving size: 2 tbsp
  • Calories: 200
  • Carbs: 6g
  • Fat: 18g
  • Sugar: 1g
  • Protein: 5g
  • Dietary fiber: 2g
Balls says that walnuts are an “amazing” source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for heart health.

 This makes Artisana Organics Raw Organic Walnut Butter With Cashews a terrific choice despite it being slightly lower in protein than some other nut butters. Note that this walnut butter has no added salt or sugar.
Plus, walnuts pack more antioxidants than other nuts, including almonds and peanuts.

 Antioxidants help protect the body against free radicals, molecules that cause cell damage and disease.

3

Smuckers Natural Creamy Peanut Butter

Smuckers Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
  • Serving size: 2 tbsp
  • Calories: 190
  • Carbs: 7g
  • Fat: 16g
  • Sugar: 2g
  • Protein: 8g
  • Dietary fiber: 3g

Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter is free of hydrogenated oil, preservatives, and added sugar, which Balls says makes it useful for managing blood sugar levels. It has just two ingredients: roasted peanuts and salt.

Peanut butter in general is a good source of nutrients, delivering about 20 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin E per serving and 25 percent of the daily value for niacin (for children over 4 and adults).

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4

Artisana Organics Raw Organic Cashew Butter

Artisana Organics Raw Organic Cashew Butter
  • Serving size: 2 tbsp
  • Calories: 180
  • Carbs: 10g
  • Fat: 14g
  • Sugar: 2g
  • Protein: 6g
  • Dietary fiber: 1g
Vandana Sheth, RDN, a Los Angeles–based registered dietitian-nutritionist, praises Artisana Organics Raw Organic Cashew Butter. “This ultra-creamy option has a mild flavor and is rich in copper and healthy fats, even though it’s lower in protein compared with peanut or almond butter,” she says.

 “It’s a good choice for anyone looking for a naturally sweet spread without additives.”
5

SunButter No Sugar Added Sunflower Spread

SunButter No Sugar Added Sunflower Spread
  • Serving size: 2 tbsp
  • Calories: 210
  • Carbs: 5g
  • Fat: 18g
  • Sugar: less than 1g
  • Protein: 7g
  • Dietary fiber: 3g
Sunflower seed butter, made from sunflower seeds that have been processed until smooth, is a popular choice for people with a peanut or tree-nut allergy. One favorite brand, SunButter, makes a version with zero added sugar that offers nutrients like fiber, magnesium, niacin, and vitamin E.

6

WowButter Creamy Soybean Spread

WowButter Creamy Soybean Spread
  • Serving size: 2 tbsp
  • Calories: 200
  • Carbs: 8g
  • Fat: 16g
  • Sugar: 4g
  • Protein: 8g
  • Dietary fiber: 2g

WowButter is made with lightly roasted soybeans in a peanut- and tree-nut free facility, so it’s suitable for people with nut allergies.

There is mixed research on the health benefits of soy, but some studies find it to be rich in isoflavones, which may improve memory and reduce the risk of cancer.

WowButter contains added sugar and oils (the healthier non-hydrogenated kind, added for spreadability), so it’s more processed than other butters on this list.

7

Pepperwood Organic Whole Seed Sesame Tahini

Pepperwood Organics Whole Seed Sesame Tahini
  • Serving size: 2 tbsp
  • Calories: 180
  • Carbs: 5g
  • Fat: 16g
  • Sugar: 0g
  • Protein: 6g
  • Dietary fiber: 4g

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and has no natural sugar, making it more savory than other nut spreads. Pepperwood Organics Whole Seed Sesame Tahini is delicious in sauces, dressings, and dips like hummus that benefit from sesame’s slight bitterness.

Tahini also provides calcium and iron and is high in lignans (compounds found in plants), all of which support heart and bone health, Sheth says, and it fits naturally into Middle Eastern and Mediterranean recipes.

“But avoid it if you have a sesame allergy,” she notes. Allergies to sesame seeds are common in children with peanut or tree-nut allergies.

The Takeaway

  • Butters made from nuts, seeds, or soy can offer a protein boost as well as nutrients including “good” fats, fiber, and antioxidants.
  • Walnut butter is a particularly good source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
  • For people with nut allergies, products like soybean spread (produced in a nut-free factory) can be a satisfying replacement.

Additional reporting by Jasmine Lynn Seales

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Dietary Fats. American Heart Association. August 2024.
  2. Nut Butters: Which One Is Healthiest? Cedars-Sinai. January 17, 2020.
  3. Nuts and Your Heart: Eating Nuts for a Healthy Heart. Mayo Clinic. November 2023.
  4. Ali G et al. Bioactive Composition and Medicinal Properties of Walnut Kernels. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research. December 2024.
  5. Oxidative Stress. Cleveland Clinic. February 2024.
  6. FoodData Central Food Details: Peanut Butter, Smooth Style, With Salt. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  7. FoodData Central Food Details: Nuts, Cashew Butter, Plain, Without Salt Added. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  8. FoodData Central Food Details: Seeds, Sunflower Seed Butter, Without Salt. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  9. Messina M et al. The Health Effects of Soy: A Reference Guide for Health Professionals. Frontiers in Nutrition. August 2022.
  10. FoodData Central Food Details: Seeds, Sesame Butter, Tahini, From Roasted and Toasted Kernels (Most Common Type). U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  11. Sakketou EI et al. Tahini Consumption Affects Blood Pressure and Endothelial Function in Healthy Males. Journal of Human Hypertension. December 2022.
  12. Sokol K et al. Prevalence and Diagnosis of Sesame Allergy in Children with IgE-mediated Food Allergy. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. February 2020.
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