Review of 'Smart Balance' All Natural Rich Roast Chunky Peanut Butter (and Omega-3s from Flax Oil)

Smart Balance -- All Natural Rich Roast Chunky Peanut Butter (vegan)
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: I normally opt for all natural peanuts, no ingredients added peanut butter and I've gotten so used to it, that this flavoured peanut butter was a big change. After a couple of servings, it grew on me. I liked the sweetness from the cane juice and I'm happy for the natural source. I could have done without the saltiness though. I would prefer either a salty or sweet nut butter, not both. I do like the chunkiness but would have liked bigger chunks. I would recommend this because of the good ingredients. I would have given a 4/5 if I were able to locate verifiable information on Smart Balance's oils (e.g. non-GMO).

Where to buy: US store locator; not currently available in Canada




Ingredients: peanuts, evaporated cane juice, natural oil blend (palm fruit and flaxseed oils), salt, molasses.

*Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 2 tbsps
Calories: 190
     Calories from fat: 145
Total fat: 16g
     Sat fat: 3g
     Trans: 0g
     Polyunsat: 1.5g
     Monounsat: 12g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 145mg
Potassium: 185mg
Total Carb: 6g
     Dietary fiber: 2g
     Sugars: 3g
Protein: 7g
Iron: 4%

Full nutritional profile available here.

So I normally opt for peanut butter with 1 ingredient...peanuts. But for a product that deviates from this model, I quite enjoyed it. The ingredients are good and the nutritional profile is great! It has a pretty average fiber and protein content for peanut butters, but has more sodium than my 'one ingredient peanut butters'. Don't be afraid of the high fat content, because these are the good fats that we actually want and need.

So for myself, I'd still prefer my natural, one ingredient peanut butter. Still, I'd recommend this particular brand and flavour to those who prefer flavoured nut butters. The brand caters to the health conscious, so go wild!

I can't wait to bake with this! You can actually substitute peanut butter for butter in some recipes. You can check out the Smart Balance recipe list here (e.g. Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches).

Other peanut butter products:

• Rich Roast Creamy Peanut Butter (vegan)

Brand:

• No hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in any of their products
• 0g trans fat
• Certified kosher