Best crunchy peanut butter: supermarket own-brands beat Sun-Pat and Skippy

Which supermarket peanut butter will deliver a satisfying crunch on a budget?

We asked a panel of 72 people to blind-taste Sun-Pat and Skippy alongside eight budget-range supermarket crunchy peanut butters to find out.

M&S was our tasters' top choice, with cheaper options from Asda and Lidl not far behind. 

A jar of Sun-Pat will set you back around £3.80, but our results show you don't need to pay this much to enjoy great-tasting peanut butter – it was the least favourite option in our test. 

See how all the peanut butters compare below.

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Best crunchy peanut butter

M&S own-brand crunchy peanut butter impressed our taste testers the most.  

Asda and Lidl tied on score and price for second place overall, and are both Great Value options. Skippy scored similarly, but is pricier.

Best Buy: M&S Crunchy Peanut Butter – 72%

£1.65 for 340g (49p per 100g)

Most of our tasters found this M&S peanut butter achieved that crucial salty-sweet balance, which helped it bag our Best Buy award.

Its colour and crunchy texture were rated highly, and more than two-thirds thought the peanut flavour hit the spot.

A third said they found it a bit too thick, but most felt it was about right.

It’s the priciest of the supermarket own-label peanut butters, but is still far cheaper than Sun-Pat or Skippy.

Available from Ocado.

Great Value: Asda Just Essentials Crunchy Peanut Butter – 69%

£1.25 for 340g (37p per 100g)

Asda tied in second place alongside Lidl and Skippy in our taste test. It’s also second cheapest, so we think it’s a Great Value choice.

It had a good, appetising colour, and the all-important crunchy texture was a hit with more than two-thirds of our tasters. Most also liked its flavour and salt levels.

Around a third of tasters said they’d like a stronger flavour, but overall Asda’s peanut butter is a good all-rounder.

Available from Asda. 

Great Value: Lidl Mister Choc Crunchy Peanut Butter – 69%

£1.25 for 340g (37p per 100g)

Lidl’s peanut butter also went down well with our panel. Most found the colour appetising and the crunchy texture impressed two-thirds of our tasters.

Some found it too thick, and the saltiness divided opinion – half thought it was perfect, while the other tasters were evenly split on whether it needed a little more or less.

It’s a cheap supermarket option that matches Asda for price, so can be a regular toast-topper without blowing the budget.

Available from Lidl (in-store only).

Check out our pick of other supermarket staples including the best tomato ketchup and the cheap supermarket baked beans that beat Heinz

How peanut butter from Sun-Pat, Skippy, Tesco and more compare

Of the brands, Skippy scored well, but it's pricier than supermarket jars. None of the remaining peanut butters did badly, but some were more successful than others at achieving that elusive salty-sweet flavour and perfect crunch.

Sun-pat scored lowest overall, and we think you can do better for the price. If you’re a firm fan though, keep an eye out for special offers – we've seen it on sale for less than £3 rather than the standard £3.80.

• Skippy Crunchy Peanut Butter – 69%. Although tasters weren’t wowed by its looks, most said it had the perfect level of crunch. It’s a good all-rounder and also the only one on test with no palm oil. It’s quite pricey, though. £3 for 454g (66p per 100g). Available from Ocado.
• Aldi Grandessa Crunchy Peanut Butter – 68%. Colour and sweetness were both rated well, but half said saltiness missed the mark, and 42% found it too thick. £1.25 for 340g (37p per 100g). Available from Aldi.
• Waitrose Essential Crunchy Peanut Butter – 68%. This one contained the most peanuts (97%). It got great marks for colour, and its saltiness and texture were well-liked. More than a third found it lacked sweetness though, and 40% said it was too thick. £1.60 for 340g (47p per 100g). Available from Waitrose.
• Morrisons Savers Crunchy Peanut Butter – 65%. Most found the salt levels and crunchy texture fitted the bill, but more than a third thought it too thick and lacking in flavour. £1.25 for 340g (37p per 100g). Available from Morrisons.
• Sainsbury's Stamford Street Co. Crunchy Peanut Butter – 65%. Most liked the thickness but otherwise it was mediocre. Nearly half said it lacked flavour. £1.25 for 340g (37p per 100g). Available from Sainsbury's.
• Tesco Stockwell & Co Crunchy Peanut Butter – 65%. A pleasing texture, and most found the salt levels good, but 57% said the colour was too light and 38% that the flavour was too weak. £1.25 for 340g (37p per 100g). Available from Tesco.
• Sun-Pat Crunchy Peanut Butter – 63%. This well-known brand was the lowest scorer. Half found it too thick, while more than 40% said it was too light in colour and lacked flavour and sweetness. It’s also the priciest on test. £3.80 for 400g (95p per 100g). Available from Amazon, Asda, Iceland, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco.

What's in peanut butter and is it healthy?

Peanut butter consists mostly of peanuts. Of the products we tested, they made up between 87% and 97% of the total, though some are 100% peanuts.

Other added ingredients are typically vegetable oils, used to improve texture (usually including palm oil in the budget range), plus sugar and salt to enhance flavour.

Fat content is high, typically around the 50% mark. While most of this is heart-healthy unsaturated fat, peanut butter gets a nutritional red light for saturated fat, which averages between 8% and 9%.

Around 25% of peanut butter is protein. So, if you're looking to up the protein in your diet, then peanut butter on toast, in smoothies, cookies or satay sauce will provide a boost. 

In the brands we tested, sugar content varied between around 5g and 10g per 100g, and the salt content from less than 0.5g to nearly 1g per 100g. If you’re watching your intake of these, check the nutritional information on the jar. 

If you go up a level from the basic range in the supermarket, you tend to get a higher percentage of peanuts per jar and fewer additional ingredients.

Is peanut butter vegan?

Peanut butter is a good source of plant protein and is suitable for vegans.

A generous spoonful (around 15g) can supply around 4g of protein and nearly 100 calories. 

Find out the best vegan burgers as rated by our tasting panels. Or read about the array of plant-based meat alternatives you see in supermarkets

How we tested peanut butter

The peanut butters were taste-tested in August 2023 by a large panel of consumers who regularly buy and consume peanut butter. 

Each peanut butter brand was assessed by 72 people, and the make-up of the panel broadly represents the demographic profile of adults in the UK. 

The panellists rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance of each product and told us what they liked and disliked about each one. 

The taste test was blind, so participants didn’t know which brands they were trying. The order in which they sampled the peanut butter was rotated to avoid bias. 

Each panellist had a private booth so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The overall score is based on:

• 50% taste
• 20% texture
• 15% appearance
• 15% aroma

These weightings are based on consumer rankings of how important each factor is. 

Recycling peanut butter jars

Plastic and glass are both recyclable, and many areas will have kerbside collection. Otherwise, containers can go to your local authority recycling centre.

After washing, Recycle Now recommends replacing the lid on both plastic and glass jars, unless your local authority advises otherwise.

To find out more about recycling, see our guide on how to recycle.

Prices correct as of 8 September 2023