Is Peanut Butter Gluten-Free?

How well do you know your peanut butter? Whether you spread it on your toast in the morning, or you use it as an ingredient in a candy bar, peanut butter is great for you.

A jelly’s significant other in your PBJ’s and a best friend to apples and bananas, peanut butter is a staple food for many people. It’s also a common ingredient in many recipes, especially desserts. But is peanut butter gluten free? We’ll tell you here.

What Is Peanut Butter Made From?

Before we jump into “is peanut butter gluten free?”, let’s actually see what peanut butter is made from.

Crunchy or smooth, peanut butter is just so yummy that none of us would say no to it. This natural buttery delicacy is made from finely ground, roasted peanuts.

Additionally, other ingredients like sugar, salt, or oil may be added to enhance the texture or flavor.

Did you know?

An average American gobbles up to 1.5 kg of peanut butter/year [1]

What Is Gluten?

Gluten (Latin- Gluten= glue) is the main storage protein found in certain cereal grains like wheat, rye, barley, certain species of oats, triticale, etc.

It is a heat-stable protein that has the capacity to act as a binding and extending agent and thus is used as an additive during food processing for improving texture, moisture retention, and flavor of foods [2].

Thus, gluten can not only be found in wheat but also in

Vegetarian meat substitutes

Reconstituted seafood
Processed meats
As fillers or coatings used in confectionary or medications

As thickeners, gelling agents or emulsifiers in
- Candies
- Icecream
- Stuffings
- Seasonings
- Butter, a dairy product
- Marinades
- Dressings etc

Is Peanut Butter Gluten-Free?

Nuts and seeds are gluten-free. Natural peanut butter, that is peanut butter made just using roasted, finely ground peanuts and maybe a pinch of salt is gluten-free too.

So does peanut butter contain gluten? Not at all. Peanuts and peanut butter in their natural form are gluten-free indeed.

But then why is this question ‘is peanut butter gluten free’ popping around so often?

Though pure peanut butter with no added ingredients is gluten-free, many manufacturers fail to keep their peanut butter gluten-free.

One reason is that most store-bought peanut butter has additional ingredients like sweeteners, flavorings, spices, oils, and emulsifiers which might rarely contain gluten.

Additionally, some brands of peanut butter might be processed in industries that also process wheat and other gluten-based products, which might lead to cross-contamination.

The risk of cross-contact might also occur if the industry doesn’t have strict safe manufacturing regulations, for example, if gluten-based products are allowed into the facility via staff lunches or on-site cafeteria.

Although it is unintentional, brands will add a disclaimer to the label that it may contain traces of wheat or gluten.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter List

There are many brands that do not use gluten-based products and there are also brands manufacturing gluten-free peanut butter. Some of which are:

Jif: The majority of Jif Peanut butters are certified gluten-free. They mention this in the product information and also in their FAQ section.
Peter Pan: All Peanut butter varieties manufactured by Peter Pan are dairy-free and have a gluten-free smart label on its website.
Crazy Richards’s: Their peanut butters are labeled gluten-free.

Earth Balance: All of their peanut butters are certified vegan and labeled gluten-free.
Justin’s: All of Justin’s nut butters are certified and labeled gluten-free.
Peanut Butter & Co: All their peanut butters are certified and labeled gluten-free.

Fatso: All fatso products, including peanut butter, are gluten-free.
Once Again: All their products are gluten-free.
A few other gluten-free peanut butter brands are Santa Cruz Organic, MaraNatha, Elliot’s, Yum Butter, Spread the love, Skippy, Teddie, etc.

Brands that claim they don’t use any gluten-free ingredients in their peanut butter are:

Disano: Disano unsweetened natural 100% peanut butter is labeled gluten-free
Reese’s (Hershey): Neither their website mentions Reese’s peanut butter under the Gluten-free products list, nor are they labeled gluten-free.

Kissan: The label on Kissan Peanut butter states that it is made from 100% real peanuts and that it has no added colors or flavors but it does contain a gluten-free label.
Adams, Fix and Fogg, Good & Gather, HomePlate, Laura Scudder’s, Nuts’n More, Better’n Peanut Butter, 365, etc

The Most Reliable Gluten-Free Peanut Butter

Of course, the most reliable gluten-free peanut butter is the peanut butter made at home. Because you know exactly what you put into it.

If you are planning to buy peanut butter from your nearest store and are asking around ‘is peanut butter gluten free and dairy free’, you might want to take a peek at the ingredients list.

Natural peanut butter has only one ingredient- Peanuts. That’s it. No funky added ingredients.
If your peanut butter claims it is 100% pure peanut butter but doesn’t have a gluten-free label or certification, you might not want to go for it.

Look for any gluten-containing ingredients.

The most common additives used are sweeteners, flavorings, and spices. If such ingredients are in bold or underlined, or if there is a disclaimer to the label, something like ‘May contain traces of wheat’ or gluten, it is definitely a red alert that your peanut butter might not be gluten-free.

So the best way to find the most reliable, store-bought gluten-free peanut butter is to check for a gluten-free label.

Gluten-Free Brands

Few brands which manufacture gluten-free products are:

Once Again
Fatso

MaraNatha
Santa Cruz organic etc

Non-Vegan Products

Many types of peanut butter are made from vegan ingredients. But, few brands use oils, flavorings, and sweeteners like

Honey
Cane sugar – which is filtered and bleached using bone char
Fish oil or

Peanut Butter enriched with omega-3s – which are often sourced from fish like sardines and anchovies
Gelatin

Moreover, some brands which manufacture peanut butter might have vegan ingredients but are produced in facilities that also process animal products. This causes cross-contamination.

A few non-vegan peanut butter examples are:

Jif Creamy Omega-3 Peanut butter – Contains sardine oil, anchovy oil, and tilapia gelatin.
Peter Pan Crunchy Honey Roast Peanut Spread – Contains honey

Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter with Honey – Contains honey
Justin’s Honey Peanut Butter – Contains honey
Skippy Roasted Honey Nut Creamy Peanut Butter – Contains honey

Peanut Butter & Co. The Bee’s Knees Peanut Butter – Contains honey
RX Peanut Butter– Contains egg whites

Some examples of vegan-friendly peanut butter are:

Disano All Natural Peanut Butter Creamy Unsweetened
Fatso – All their products are certified vegan
Earth Balance – All of their peanut butters are vegan

Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter
Spread the Love NAKED Organic Peanut Butter
365 Everyday Value Creamy Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter & Co. Old Fashioned Smooth
PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter
Pic’s Smooth Peanut Butter

How to make homemade gluten-free peanut butter?

Instead of asking around ‘is peanut butter gluten and dairy free’, you can make your homemade gluten-free peanut butter.

All you need is a high-power blender or food processor and some peanuts.

Take about 250-500g unshelled peanuts, roast them and grind them in a food processor. Keep grinding until you get a buttery consistency. Make sure you stop in between if the peanut mixture or the mixer gets too warm.

It might take 5 to 10 minutes till you get a buttery consistency, depending on the power of your food processor.

You can also add a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of sugar or any other dry sweetener, and oil, based on your preference.

Your homemade peanut butter must be good for about 2 months if you store it in the refrigerator.

Wrapping Up

While a straight answer to ‘is peanut butter gluten free’ is a yes, it is very important to check the label if you are talking about store-bought peanut butter. While in most cases peanut butter is gluten-free and vegan, there are a few exceptions.

If you have Celiac disease or gluten intolerance it is of utmost importance to read the label of your peanut butter and make sure it does not contain gluten.

What next?

Peanut butter isn’t the only protein-rich source. Check out few other healthy protein sources