Canstar Blue’s 2020 peanut butter review has seen Bramwells (ALDI), Bega (Simply Nuts), Mayver’s, Sanitarium, Coles and Woolworths rated on taste, consistency, variety, value for money, packaging appeal and overall satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Bramwells (ALDI) was rated best in Canstar Blue’s peanut butter brand review, scoring five stars across most categories. It leads the way from six other big name and supermarket brands.
On toast or straight out of the jar? Why not both! Peanut butter is a pantry staple in most households. According to our latest survey results, peanut butter is the most popular spread among Aussies (30%) edging out even the ol’ Vegemite. And it’s not hard to see why – aside from its deliciously gooey goodness – peanut butter is also generally rich in healthy fats, making it a good snack option to curb cravings! But ‘nut’ all peanut butters are created equal. Whether you’re on team smooth or crunchy (keep reading to find out which Aussies love most), there’s a great variety of options to satisfy your taste buds.
For our inaugural peanut butter review, we’ve surveyed over 1,000 Aussies to get their feedback on which popular brands were the peanut butter to their jelly. Respondents scored brands on factors including taste, consistency, variety, value for money, packaging appeal and overall satisfaction.
So, which peanut butter brands are consumers going nuts for? Well, Bramwells (ALDI) took out the top prize, scoring a neat five stars for taste, consistency, variety, value for money and overall satisfaction. It leads the way from six other big name or supermarket labels.
Check out the best peanut butter brands in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:
Bramwells (ALDI) edged out the competition to score five stars across the main categories for taste, consistency, variety of ingredients, value for money and overall satisfaction. The remaining six brands compared in this year’s review finished up with a four or three-star rating on an even split for overall customer satisfaction.
Aussie favourites Bega and Mayver’s ranked highly for taste and consistency, but fell short in the value for money category, scoring only three stars. On the other hand, Coles received a four-star rating in value for money but got three stars for taste and variety.
Bramwell’s is a generic brand sold exclusively in ALDI supermarkets, so diehard shoppers will be glad to know their favourite superstore is stocked in quality American style peanut butter. The peanut content per Bramwells jar is higher than in most generic brands, with less than half the sodium, and for a fair price of about $2.40 for 500g.
Bega’s journey may have started in dairy, but this Aussie-owned brand is now renowned for its wide range of nut spreads, cream cheese and Vegemite. Bega features a great range of peanut butter options catering for every nutter’s taste buds. This includes smooth, crunchy, super crunchy, dark roast crunchy and dark roast smooth peanut butters. Plus, products are free from nasties like artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. A jar of your favourite Bega peanut butter could cost anywhere between $3 and $4.50 for 500g.
Mayver’s is another Aussie label on a mission to provide a healthier alternative to your run-of-the-mill nut butters. This brand is a staple among health-conscious shoppers because it offers different flavours of ‘natural’ spreads, but could set you back $5 or more for 375g at the checkout. Mayver’s peanut butter offering is striking, including smooth, scrunchy, organic, protein peanut butter and peanut coconut spread.
Sanitarium was the first to make peanut butter in Australia circa 1898, but quickly grew to become one of the country’s most trusted food brands even today. Whatever type of peanut spread you like; Sanitarium has you covered with a range of smooth and crunchy options and healthier alternatives with no added sugar or salt and made with 100% natural peanuts. A spread jar can cost between $3 and $4.05 for 375g, depending on different retailers.
Bega Simply Nuts is the newest offshoot of the Bega peanut butter family – said to be made with 100% Aussie slow-roasted peanuts and low in salt. Bega Simply Nuts is also gluten and dairy free and offers the staple smooth and crunchy spread, but a 325g jar could set you back about $5.
This supermarket brand comes in a smooth and crunchy option with no artificial colours or flavours, but contains less than 10% Australian ingredients. Coles peanut butter retails for about $3.50 normally or less when on promotion.
The Woolworths ‘no-brand’ peanut butter range includes the usual smooth and crunchy offering, plus a ‘100% natural’ peanut butter option, with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. The price point varies depending on seasonality, usually between $2.40 and $3.50.
This is a debate that has divided Aussies for years. Which is best – smooth or crunchy? Well (drum roll please), the majority of respondents (53%) in our survey said they prefer a crunchy peanut butter over a smooth spread.
But whatever your preference of texture, it’s important to look at the product label of each product for the peanut content (some spreads can contain less than 50% peanuts) and nutritional information. Of course, price will also be a factor to consider. But if our survey results are anything to go by, you don’t always pay for what you get with peanut butter, so it’s worth shopping around and trying new things.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
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*Prices sourced from respective retailers- accurate as of February 2020.
Picture credits: Dmytro Zinkevych/ Shutterstock.com, / Marie C Fields / Shutterstock.com.
Canstar Blue surveyed 3,083 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased and eaten a peanut spread from a supermarket or grocer (i.e. not homemade or purchased from a market) in the last three months – in this case, 1,034 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then alphabetically. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.