Home > Categories > Food > Spreads > Nut Brothers - Super Crunchy review
If you're reading this, you care about the crunch in your peanut butter. We understand. At Nut Brothers, we're madly in love with this stuff.
It's why we get our Hi-Oleic peanuts all the way from South America. It's why we roast them here in New Zealand. It's why our grindstones are set to the exact millimetre. That's how we ensure a texture that's satisfying to spread and sumptuous to eat; all the while maintaining that distinctive crunch in every bite.
This isn't just a jar of peanut butter; it's our crunchiest batch yet. Because when you're as obsessed as we are, every batch is a personal best.
Product reviews...
Peanut Butter is something that only two out of the four people in my household really enjoy, my eldest can't stand the stuff and whilst I like it in a satay I don't generally eat it as I hate it sticking to the roof of my mouth (too much gives me Arachibutyrophobia). My youngest has always had weight issues, putting it on, and peanut butter is one of those things that was suggested I let her have as much as, whenever, but ingredient lists always put me off. With this brand I was happy to find it is just peanuts and sea salt, no emulsifiers or additives, and is cholesterol free. I love that it is palm oil free and that it also says you will get a good amount of protein in a serving.
Opening it up you are told to give it a good stir as the oil naturally separates, my ten year old happily took over this task and then licked the spoon clean, declaring it as yum. Both girls enjoyed the bits of crunch that this gave them and though that it tasted just as good as other brands we've bought and they've tried. I asked them what brand we should buy then this lot runs out and both said that we should buy this brand again. Price wise it is more than I would typically spend, but as they're not hoovering through the stuff and both agree that they enjoy both the flavour and the amount of crunch I could buy this again for them.
I have a favourite peanut butter and I've bought and eaten it for as long as I can remember, so the opportunity to try another brand was an interesting prospect and really an adventure into a new age so to speak.
Nut Brothers Super Crunchy Butter comes in a large generous serving glass jar with a simple attractive label with no fuss, it is GMO free, palm oil free, dairy free and gluten free with no added sugar. The lid advised me to "stir before I spread" as oil separates naturally, I opened the jar there was a bit of oil on the top but not too much. After stirring, I noticed the butter was still quite runny compared to what I was used to seeing, but one bonus as it spread very easily onto my bread without ripping a hole in the slice. The butter appeared very full of crunchy bits and when I bit into my bread, the butter coated my teeth and tongue like I'd expect from a good peanut butter and it was SUPER crunchy.
I decided to try it alone straight from jar and the only thing I was slightly disappointed in was the level of salt, it was probably a little on a light side for me but on checking the nutritional panel on the brand I usually use, it was nearly one third more so that would explain it.
Peanut butter can be used in satay meat dishes, baking, sweets and of course on your morning toast or muesli and this Nut Brothers Peanut Butter is well made and packaged so I'm sure will be very popular with New Zealand consumers.
Growing up I wasn't overly fussed on peanut butter, I would like it paired with chocolate, or in a satay sauce, however having it on bread wasn't happening, after having my first child though that changed. I personally try to stick to smooth, however all my children prefer crunchy - pretty sure their motto is 'the crunchier the better.'
I had seen the Nut Brothers range talked about on social media, and people were raving over the taste, I decided I had to find out for myself, thankfully we received a 500g jar of Super Crunch.
I took the jar out of the box and was impressed by the colour I could see, and of course the chunky bits of peanuts I could see. The label is very striking, the navy background teamed with the white lettering really stands out, and is easy to read. The label states there is 33 servings in the jar, the peanuts are Hi-Oleic and came from South America, but they get milled and roasted here in New Zealand. The 5 star health rating is extremely appealing, and the fact there are only 2 ingredients in this makes me happy.
I gently unscrewed the lid and the smell of peanuts wafted up to my nostrils, instantly making my mouth water. On the top of the jar is a tip to stir the product before using, this is due to the oil separating naturally. I dipped the knife into the jar and it came out with the gloriously creamy coating. I spread it onto a piece of white bread and took a bite, oh wow that is delicious! I found myself wanting more as I felt the taste and texture was perfect. The kids tried this after school and this has become their favourite peanut butter, it is now permanently on our grocery list.
This product is gluten-free, dairy-free, has 25%protein, and does not use palm oil, I highly recommend this as it tastes delicious, and has a real crunch factor. I look forward to experimenting with this, maybe teaming it with chocolate to make a yummy treat.
We are a family of peanut butter lovers. It is a permanent favourite on toast, crackers, in baking or on fruit, and I love that I can whip up a quick nutritious snack really easily. But as we all know, not all peanut butter is created equal. Many of the peanut butter brands we have tried are either far too sweet and full of sugar, or just don't have enough peanuts. That is why I was so excited to try this Nut Brothers super crunchy peanut butter- with the promise of lots of nuts and plenty of taste.
When we received the jar we were really pleased with how large it was- even with our generous portions we have still not got through the entire thing yet. I was also really happy with the ingredients list- just peanuts and sea salt, without any emulsifiers or additives, and is cholesterol free. It also comes with the promise of being 25% protein- the perfect snack for mu hubby who trains twice a week for his competitive sport. All of these features made me confident enough to try the whole family with it, meaning that the possibilities for use have been almost endless.
The taste was exactly what we had hoped for- gloriously nutty and not too sweet or artificial, with the bonus of being choc full of really large pieces of peanut. It certainly lived up to the name of super crunch. It spreads beautifully on toast, and is not cloying in any way. It was certainly a cut above most other peanut butter which we have had, and the value for money is evident from the sheer quality. Both my 8 month old and 3 year old loved the chunks of peanut, and really enjoyed it spread onto fruit and crackers.
We have also tried the spread in a number of other ways- as a filling in pancakes, splodged into brownies, where the nuts really added a great crunch to cut through the sweetness, and made a really fantastic peanut butter cheesecake.
Overall this is a great product. At last a gloriously crunchy peanut butter for the whole family, with a truly natural ingredients list and literally limitless ways to be used. Fantastic value for the quality and number of portions, I simply cannot recommend this more highly.
There are so many different types of peanut butter and I've found the quality varies quite substantially. Nut Brothers have produced a quality, super crunchy peanut butter with flavour you can see!! The peanut butter comes in a 500-gram glass jar with a nice clear label. It contains no added sugar, is GMO-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and most importantly (for me) is it contains no palm oil. With 25% protein and a 5-star health rating, this peanut butter packs a punch!
There is a sticker on the top that says 'oil separates naturally, stir before you spread' and when I opened it I found a small amount of oil that disappeared once I gave it a good stirring. You can see peanut parts and the butter is a lovely golden colour. It smelt great and I couldn't wait to try some so I grabbed a teaspoon and dug in. It was delicious, crunchy and flavoursome and the sweetness of the peanuts was balanced nicely with the sea salt. It's thick and creamy and easy to spread and tasted great on toast, crackers and my favourite, peanut butter and jam (or jelly as they say in America).
Ingredients consist of peanuts and sea salt and when I looked at a peanut butter that we use for mouse traps, I found it contained sugar, vegetable oil, salt, and molasses. Nut Brothers Super Crunchy peanut butter may be a little more expensive than you usually pay but it's quality you are getting.
Crunchy peanut butter, in my opinion, is the best variety you can get as the texture of smooth creamy peanut butter blended in with crunchy pieces of peanuts is fantastic and so satisfying. Peanut butter is one of those commodities that I imagine is in every household as it is very versatile and tasty. The Nut brothers brand can be commonly found within our pantry at home and is loved by every member of our family whether it be the Salted caramel peanut butter or my go-to favourite the Smokin' Chipotle peanut butter. Nut brothers are a well respected and trusted name for producing great quality nutritious products.
The Super crunch peanut butter comes in a 500-gram translucent glass jar that retails at $7.50 per jar. The labelling is simple and bold blue in colour which stands out against the peanut butter contents inside. Even as you peer in from the outside of the jar you can see the many chunky pieces of peanuts that the mix contains. I put two slices of bread into the toaster and removed the lid from the jar then stirred the peanut butter mixture as the oil was separated and sitting on top. I was surprised to see that this peanut butter had less oil than the other Nut Brother mixtures I have but because of its super crunchy consistency maybe it is less blended so doesn't release as much oil. I took out a teaspoon and ate it by itself and the taste was exactly what I expected which was creamy, nutty, slightly salty and the texture was pure bliss with the silky smooth peanut butter melting away amongst the crunchy pieces of peanuts.
I spread the peanut butter over my two pieces of toast and was satisfied that the crunchy pieces of peanuts didn't lose their effect even when used on a grainy type of toast. Nut Brothers have another fantastic product on their hands and because it has no palm oil, no added sugar, is GMO-free, Gluten-free, and Dairy-free it is catering to a wider range of people which is awesome. Regardless of what type of peanut butter you prefer I really believe this is a must-try and will become one of my staple peanut butters in my pantry.
Peanut Butter does not last very long in this house! It seems like I am buying a new container every two to three days. Honestly, I can buy it on the Friday and then when pop to the supermarket on the Sunday it is back on the list. If my youngest could have her way she would have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I always look at this brand when shopping it sits on the top of the shelf at Countdown Supermarkets and I have toyed about getting it once or twice before but the price has always been the barrier. I end up buying whatever one is the cheapest or on special as I know in couple of days I will back to the same place, standing in the same position grabbing a new tub. It does not matter if I buy salted, smooth or crunchy it still disappears before my very eyes.
When I received this in my review both girls squealed. It got opened straight away and was surprised at how runny it was at the top. We then saw that it says 'stir before you spread' to which was done and both girls took a spoonful and screamed 'yum'. I walked away from the kitchen and my eldest daughter had decided to put in pantry upside down thinking it would solve the stirring issue. When hubby got home he asked why it was stored that way and when she told him her idea he explained the whole concept about the oil preventing it from drying out so that was quicky squished.
I reinforced the point that they were not allowed to go crazy with size control and they were actually rather conservative as it has now lasted for nine days - granted we were away for two of these and had no bread for another one. But there is still around a quater of a jar left which I am impressed over. The verdict is in and the three of them say it is the best peanut butter they have ever had. My husband said he loves the silkiness of it and how tasty it is where as my girls love everything about it.
I am personally not a peanut butter fan. I will use it in milkshakes, baking and when making a satay sauce nut on its own I am not a fan. But as this is my review and to keep it above board I tried it also. I found it rather thick and did enjoy the crunch aspect but will pass on having it on toast or bread. Although for the review scores my husband graded it.
Because it has been such a hit with my husband and the girls we will be purchasing it again. His eyes were glowing as he described the flavour and I could tell he honestly loved it. At 500g over the normal 375g I am sure it will last longer and as hubby said it gives out way more flavour so not as much is required. My daughter pointed out because it is runnier due to the oil it spreads better so she won't use as much. Either way it is now firmly on the shopping list.
I am usually firmly on #TeamSmooth when it comes to peanut butter, so trying a super-crunchy variety was going to be interesting. I tried some on its own and found it to be surprisingly pleasant, despite the chunkiness being on a scale I wasn't used to. One of the first things that struck me though, when I opened the jar, was how well emulsified it was, despite sitting for a week or so. There's a clear note on the lid to say "Stir Before You Spread" because peanut oil will, over time, rise to the top causing the peanut butter at the very bottom to dry out and go hard.
I wanted to try it on a bit of toast with some butter - usual benchmark test. In terms of texture, any crunchy-butter fan is going to love this. Going only on taste alone, it was easily on par with my favourite peanut butter brand. It was well balanced, a hint of salt, the natural nutty sweetness of peanuts, a smoothness to the butter without being oily on your tongue. Thanks to one of my kids, I was aware that cheese and peanut butter is an unusual but surprisingly good flavour pairing, so I then tried some on there. That's when the richness went from 'luxury' to 'too much' for me. However, I tried topping it with thinly sliced tomato, and that was the magic ingredient. That cut away a bit of the richness which balanced the flavours out nicely. The final tweak - a grind of fresh black pepper.
I later tried using this in a satay sauce, but I got sidetracked at a critical point, and it scorched. I will be trying this recipe again though, there was a small patch of uncharred sauce, and that was quite tasty, with a good nutty finish that left me wishing dearly I hadn't answered the door just then. I also spread some of this on some freshly-made pancakes, with some sliced banana. It was a wonderful flavour complement that help lift the plain pancakes to a new level. However, be sure to do small pancakes, because they become quite filling with the extra bulk of the peanut butter.
Overall, while not the cheapest, it is well priced for the quality and on par with its peers. If you are looking for a delightfully rich, natural peanut butter that isn't corrupted with emulsifiers, preservatives, sugar and lordie-knows-what else, then this is a serious contender, fresh into the ring. Well worth trying, even if only once... but I suspect that if you appreciate real peanut butter, your first taste will only be the first of many.
My enjoyment of nuts is a peculiar thing because technically I have an allergy to nuts. Luckily it isn't a serious allergy because I love cashews and crunchy peanut butter. Burger Fuel used to be my favourite takeaway franchise when they had the Peanut Piston burger, and since they stopped selling the burger, I don't eat there anymore. When I worked in a cafe/restaurant I'd eat the stuffed chicken breast with a peanut satay sauce on a weekly basis. I love the flavour, no matter how bad it is for me, so much like this brand claims, you could safely call me unhealthily obsessed with nuts too.
When it comes to the debate between crunchy or smooth, I have always been a firm believer in crunchy being superior. I like to be generous with my peanut butter servings, and smooth peanut butter does not hold its shape. That is to mean that the crunchy aspect of the nuts holds the peanut butter in the sandwich when you are consuming it, whereas with smooth peanut butter it just squishes the bread together and pushes the peanut butter out the sides. It's a mess.
That's brought me up to 200 words already, but I feel it's necessary to explain my thoughts fully about this product because it really took me by surprise. I have never had a crunchy peanut butter variety that I could not heap as much as possible in the sandwich. There has never been an upper limit to how much crunchy peanut butter I could add to my sandwich. Until today. I never thought there would come a day when I would bite into a PB sandwich and say it was too much PB but here we are.
I would have to take a guess and put this down to the specific grit and consistencies blended. You can tell just by looking in the jar when you open it. You are told on the lid that you need to mix it before you spread or your lower half of PB will dry out. Yet I have seen other "gourmet" varieties that split so much, that there is a full cm deep of oil on top that you have to try mix in each time. There is something in the consistency here that has better retention of the oil. You can see it glistening, but it is very easy to mix, and has minimal, if any, separation of nut and oil.
It's this consistency that creates an issue for my sandwiches though. This thinner, easier-to-spread PB now acts in a similar way to smooth peanut butter when eating it. It's funny, because despite being called "super crunchy", I would liken it's properties to that of a smooth/crunchy hybrid. All of this being said, it's ultimately not a negative thing. It's only negative in my personal experience because I don't like having to put thought into how much PB is going into a sandwich (though I have been known to put half a jar between two slices of bread). This consistency does help with maintaining proper portion control, while not losing any of the flavours because this is a very dense crunchy peanut butter.
How is the flavour though? The product doesn't feel overly salted. There's a slight kick on the tip of the tongue but it isn't overbearing. More importantly, this isn't a sugary peanut butter. I don't know why many brands are adding sugar to their blends, but there is no added sugar here. The ingredients are dry roasted peanuts and sea salt. Simple.
Having a 500g gram jar, I'm surprised by how much is still in here after 2 weeks. Strong flavour, good portion control, easy to mix, and no added sugar, makes this a strong contender for top PB. Personally, I'm too lazy to actually control my portions, so I'll probably stick to other brands for my sammies. This will definitely be my top choice for cooking, however. This style of peanut butter will lend itself to really well for thick satay sauces.
I am fussy about peanut butter. I like it to taste of peanuts, not chemicals, and I prefer it reasonably dry - not swimming in large quantities of oil. This blend ticks all the right boxes. Peanuts are the main ingredient with only a small amount of sea salt added; the mix is deliciously crunchy which prompted me to take a teaspoon and scoop out some straight from the jar. It was so nice that I helped myself to a second scoop.
We tried it on sandwiches for lunch - plain, and also served with mango jelly. It was delicious both ways, full of flavour and with a satisfying texture that left us in no doubt as to what we were eating. Later that day I made some more sandwiches, this time with peanut butter and honey because that was a popular spread when I was a child. It was still as good as ever. I had to put the rest of the jar out of the way before the rest of the contents vanished.
We all love satay, so I next tried a variation on my usual recipe - chunks of chicken breast marinated in two tablespoons of peanut butter, a tin of coconut cream, and half a teaspoon each of garlic, ginger, turmeric and chilli. This was left overnight and then cooked in the slow cooker until the meat was tender. About half an hour before it was ready, I added another half cup of peanut butter - I deliberately left it towards the end of the cooking time so that the crunch was maintained. It was delicious, much better than the skewered version as that can be too dry. I served it with Basmati rice, corn kernels and dried tomato strips; a perfect meal for a cold winter night.
There was some of the satay mix left over, so I used it to fill some dumpling wrappers and then steamed them gently until they were cooked through. I left the prepared dumplings in the fridge overnight; next day, I dropped them into some home-made cabbage soup (flavoured with caraway and asafoetida) and heated them through. The flavours were interesting with the peanut and caraway mingling to make a completely new flavour. I enjoy experimenting with different food ideas: mostly, as in this case, they work, but there have been occasions when I end up thinking that was not such a good idea!
I look forward to trying out some more ways of using this product. We sometimes get fresh salmon from our hunter-and-fisher friends, so I would like to try some of the peanut butter as a glaze just before the fish goes on to the barbecue. That is, if I can keep enough of the product away from everyone until we go to visit our friends. It certainly got the thumbs up for taste and texture in this household.
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