I recently tried a free sample of Barney Butter smooth almond butter and all I have to say is yum!

The texture is exactly like peanut butter and the taste is very subtle.  While some almond butters (like raw almond butter, whoa) are strikingly different in taste from peanut butter, Barney Butter is very close to the taste of peanut butter and just plain delicious (note that other product reviewers have said it tastes just like almonds…aah perspective!).  And, they use natural ingredients – just almonds, evaporated cane juice, palm fruit oil and sea salt.

Is almond butter better than peanut butter?  I say yes.  It has less saturated fat, more iron, more fiber (and in the case of Barney Butter, more magnesium and vitamin E) than peanut butter.

In terms of practicality, budgets and health – let’s find the happy medium.  For us Southern Cali people, right now Barney’s is only found online, at Whole Foods Market (currently only the crunchy variety is available near me), or Henry’s Market.  Additionally, and unfortunately, almond butter is more expensive than peanut butter.

Here is Barney Butter compared to my favorite almond and peanut butter.  You can decide based on your budget, health concerns and access to grocery stores which variety is best for you!

Barney Butter Almond Butter, in Smooth
$7.99 for a 16-ounce jar directly from them online, $8.99 at Whole Foods, $7.99 from yummy.com.  It looks like a 3-pack discount will be given from Amazon.com eventually – I’ll keep you posted.

Two tablespoons: 180 calories, 15 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 3 g fiber, 6 g protein
8% iron, 20% vitamin E, 25% magnesium

Trader Joe’s Unsalted, Creamy Almond Butter
$4.99 for a 16-ounce jar – Available only at Trader Joe’s
Two tablespoons: 190 calories, 18 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 3 g fiber, 8 g protein
6% iron

Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy Peanut Butter
$7.99 for TWO 28-ounce jars – available only at Costco Wholesale markets
Two tablespoons: 200 calories, 15 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 2 g fiber, 9 g protein
4% iron

Missing from my list, I’ll admit, is regular, store bought, peanut or almond butter. Here’s my confession – I have an aversion to regular grocery stores.  The prices are ridiculously high and there is too much junk and crap food that it really disheartens me. If you would like to recommend I try your favorite, healthy, almond or peanut butter, I’m totally up for it!

Tags: almond butter, Barney Butter, calories, Costco, nutritional information, organic peanut butter, peanut butter, trader joes, Whole Foods Market