Peanut Butter Nutrition Facts per Tablespoon

In the United States, "peanut butter" has a federal standard of identity (21 CFR 164.150). It is made from ground roasted peanuts, and any seasoning and stabilizing ingredients, such as salt, sweeteners and hydrogenated vegetable oil, may make up no more than 10 percent of the finished weight. The fat content may not exceed 55 percent, and artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives and color additives are not allowed.

Products that fall outside the standard, such as most reduced-fat versions that replace some peanuts with other solids, are sold under a different name, usually "peanut spread." USDA's record on this page is for regular smooth peanut butter with salt, the familiar shelf-stable kind.

• Regular (stabilized): contains a small amount of hydrogenated vegetable oil that keeps the peanut oil from separating, and usually some sugar. This is the type USDA measured here.
• Natural: usually just peanuts, or peanuts and salt. The oil rises to the top in the jar and has to be stirred back in.
• Crunchy or chunky: smooth peanut butter with chopped peanut pieces mixed in. USDA's chunky and smooth records are close in calories, protein and fat.
• Unsalted: much lower in sodium than the salted record here, which has 136 mg per two tablespoons.

Because peanuts make up nearly all of every jar, calories, protein and fat per serving change little between these types. The real differences are in sugar and sodium, so compare the labels on those two lines.

Most peanut butter goes on bread or toast, but it also works as a cooking fat and flavoring:

• Baking: peanut butter cookies, blondies and no-bake bars, where it supplies both fat and structure.
• Sauces: thinned with soy sauce, lime and garlic for Southeast Asian style peanut sauce, or stirred into West African groundnut stew.
• Breakfast: swirled into oatmeal or overnight oats, or blended into a banana smoothie.
• Snacks: a dip for apple slices and celery.

Food manufacturers use it as a filling for crackers and candy, and as a binder in snack and protein bars.

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Peanut butter and fruit jam or jelly on white or whole grain bread. White Bread
• Peanut butter cookies. Peanut butter, sugar and egg, often with flour and butter, pressed with a fork before baking. Sugar · Egg · All-Purpose Flour · Butter
• Peanut sauce. Peanut butter whisked with soy sauce, garlic and a sweetener, served with noodles or grilled chicken. Soy Sauce · Garlic · Honey · Chicken Breast
• Groundnut stew. A West African stew of peanut butter, tomato and onion, often with sweet potato or chicken. Tomato · Onion · Sweet Potato
• No-bake energy bites. Peanut butter rolled with oats, honey and chocolate chips. Oats · Honey · Chocolate Chips
• Peanut butter banana smoothie. Banana, milk and a spoon of peanut butter blended until smooth. Banana · Whole Milk

Regular peanut butter is shelf stable and stays spreadable in the cupboard after opening. Natural peanut butter, without the stabilizing oil, keeps better in the refrigerator once opened: the cold slows separation and keeps the oil from going rancid, though it makes the peanut butter stiffer. Stir a new jar of natural peanut butter thoroughly before chilling it, so the oil does not stay on top.

Weigh peanut butter in grams rather than measuring it by the spoon: it is sticky, a heaped spoon can hold far more than a level one, and USDA's tablespoon here is a level 16 g. Enter the weight in the label generator with your other ingredients. When peanut butter is an ingredient in your product, the ingredient statement lists it with its own components in parentheses, which the ingredient formatter handles, and peanuts must be declared as a major allergen. If you sell peanut butter itself, the FDA reference amount for nut butters is two tablespoons; check other categories in the RACC lookup.