What’s the deal with powdered peanut butter?
The Roanoke Times l File photo
Update: I found some stores in this area that carry powdered peanut butter. Please see my comment below for details. End update.
I’ve heard of powdered peanut butter before but I’ve never had an opportunity to try it. For March, which is National Peanut Month, I received an email with a gluten-free recipe (below) that called for this ingredient. My curiosity was piqued again, so I wrote to a company and asked for a sample. I’m eager to receive it and see what I think, because this is one of those things that just sounds too good to be true.
I say that because powdered peanut butter supposedly has 75 to 85 percent fewer fat calories than regular peanut butter. It sounds like a Frankenstein food, but I looked into how it is made and it sounds fairly simple: Roasted peanuts are pressed until all of the oils come out, leaving nothing but a floury substance behind. One of the companies that makes powdered peanut butter, Bell Plantation, saves the peanut oil and sells that separately.
Bell Plantation’s product, called PB2, contains (per 2 Tbsp. serving) 2.8 grams of fat, .55 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 0 grams cholesterol, 94 mg sodium, 3.7 g carbs, 1 gram sugar, and 4.3 grams protein. The listed ingredients are peanuts, sugar and salt. Some – particularly raw foodies – may be turned off by the fact that the peanuts are roasted first.
Powdered peanut butter is reconstituted with water to form a paste that can be used just like regular peanut butter. From what I understand, you can add as much water as you like to achieve the consistency you like. According to Bell Plantation’s website, you can also mix it with jams or jellies or fruit juice or dip fruit straight in the powder as one might dip strawberries in sugar.
You can also use powdered peanut butter in baked goods, sauces and other recipes. Trader Joe’s sells a peanut flour that is essentially the same thing as powdered peanut butter, except maybe less salt. Alas, we have no Trader Joe’s. So unless someone is aware of a local store that sells powdered peanut butter, we’ll have to order it online.
Here are a few sources:
Betty Lou’s Inc. (Look under “specialty products”)
And this is the gluten-free recipe that intrigued me. I’m not familiar with all of these brands and products, but maybe some of you are:
Gluten-Free Slaw
1 Tbsp. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1 Tbsp. Apple cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp. San-J’s Szechuan Sauce
1 Tbsp. Just Great Stuff Powdered Peanut Butter
1 Tbsp. Thai Seasoning (Spice Hunter brand)
1 Tbsp. Garlic powder
Kall Liquid Stevia – 1 dropper full
1 bag raw shredded vegetables, such as Fresh Express
Preparation
Mix all ingredients together, pour over raw vegetables and enjoy!
Source: San-J International.
March 6, 2012 - 6:11 AM
RSS feed 
I read an article in the food section of the Washington Post last week that said regular peanut butter is better for you than the lowfat kind, because the peanut oil is heart healthy. They were of course talking about jarred peanut butter not the powdered kind.
Reduced fat peanut butter has more sugar than the regular kind does too.
Here’s the link to the article I read.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/5-so-called-health-foods-you-should-avoid/2012/01/31/gIQA6E7vfR_story.html
Interesting. I’ve never heard of it, and sadly my wife believes she has now developed a peanut allergy…since the last time I made peanut butter cookies she wound up having trouble breathing. Bummer for me because I’m a big fan of the goober, but I love my wife a lot more.
My wife loves PB2. I think it’s a little strange but is a good alternative to regular peanut butter.
That is an interesting article. It would seem to indicate there’s nothing healthy about powdered peanut butter because most of the oil has been removed and sugar has been added. However, it must be better than reduced fat peanut butter, because this powdered peanut butter only has 1 gram of sugar or none at all, depending on the brand. I think it’s a great option for people who love peanut butter so much that they can’t keep themselves from overindulging in it.
I’m sorry to hear that you can’t have it around the house anymore, OJ
I haven’t used it.. But as someone who has worked on loosing some weight I joined a website called My Fitness Pal.. People on there raved about pb2. Protein plays an extremely important part in weight loss and muscle building. People use pb2 to make protein smoothies and granola bars. It is also supposed to be great mixed in with oatmeal and greek yogurt.
They have chocolate too!!!
Yeah, it’s tough but for the purpose of cookie making, almond butter seems to do the trick well enough. But OMG is that expensive! Thankfully, we never were big fans of Thai food…
An aside for you and your readers…if you have a side-by-side fridge that is made by GE, keep an eye on it when it gets to 4-5 years old. About 2 years ago, we had an appliance repairman come to fix our clothes washer (transmission blew apart and needed replacing…just because it says it can wash a queen-sized comforter doesn’t mean it actually *can*). He saw our fridge and asked how old it was. At the time, it was just over 2 years old (new with the house). He said in 2-3 more years, the defroster would fail…said it was a GE problem with the design.
I kept that in the back of my mind, and in February of this year we noticed that the fridge side wasn’t holding temperature properly. We adjusted the settings and it was still warm. So, remembering what the guy from Kittinger’s said, I took everything out of the freezer and removed the back panel to find the coils completely caked in ice. Yep, our 4+ year old fridge suffered a failed defroster.
Thankfully, this is a simple repair…the new defroster was $35+ shipping from repairclinic.com (really good DIY appliance parts, help, repair site), and it took my wife and I less than 20 minutes to replace it and the thermostat (which was still working…now a back-up, the defroster was fried though, completely black and dead according to the multi-meter test). Before we got the parts, we defrosted the coils with a hair dryer to keep the fridge from blowing the compressor…and now after the parts replacement, everything seems to be working properly again, and holding temps correctly (the fridge/freezer thermometers are an absolute must). In a couple weeks I’ll crack open the back panel again to double-check…but so far so good.
I have tried it. I wish Kroger or Fresh Market or Natural Foods Co-op would stock it. Maybe if you have a contact you could make the suggestion to them? Thanks
David, does your wife buy PB2 around here or does she order it online?
Star, I wonder if any of those nutrition stores such as GNC would carry powdered peanut butter? Especially if weight lifters use it for protein? I’ll call and see.
I found some! Nature’s Outlet carries the Betty Lou’s brand, Just Good Stuff, at 6.4 ounces for $9.69.
The lady at the Promenade Park location in Roanoke said they only have one jar left but they are going to restock on Thursday. You may want to call one of the other locations before driving out to see if they have it in stock:
Promenade Park • 3548 Electric Road • Roanoke, VA 24018 •540-989-5109
Valley View • 4822B Valley View Blvd. • Roanoke, VA 24012 • 540-366-1764
Salem • 35 East Main Street • Salem, VA 24153• 540-389-9583
Martinsville • 294 Commonwealth Blvd. • Martinsville, VA 24112 • 276-632-4697
I’m still trying to wrap my mind around powdered peanut butter. I just can’t imagine it. PB is a staple at my house with 3 kids. I wonder if you can make up a “batch of paste” ahead of time for sandwiches or if you have to make it up as you go.
Wow, that’s some powerful marketing. So the healthy peanut oil is extracted (and sold elsewhere), unhealthy sugar is added, and you mix it with water to make it palatable. All that for $24.23/lb.!
Excepting allergies, peanuts are good for you. Pretty much all foods, when left alone or processed minimally, are good for you. Unfortunately they just don’t generate enough profit as is, and their discrete, processed parts are worth more individually on the commodities market than the whole foods.
Look at the labels, people. Many peanut butter brands extract the peanut oil and replace it with other (hydrogenated) oils already.
Powerful marketing by the person who emailed me the recipe?
I think if someone is interested in this product, they’d be interested in it because they’re looking for protein sources without as much fat (and it’s vegetarian), and they are watching their sugar. One gram of sugar is not a lot.
We haven’t found anywhere around here that sells PB2. We usually stock up on it when we take trips to Athens, Ga. – and it’s only sold in a Co-op store there. I wouldn’t consider this an item for the budget shopper.
No I meant powerful marketing in general, to convince people that stripping a natural food of much of its nutritional value (fat is GOOD for you, the simple carbs in the added sugar is BAD for you) so that it can be sold elsewhere, and then charging a premium price for it, is something they should want to buy and eat.
You can buy a pound of pb2 on Amazon for $10 + shipping.. A lot more reasonable than buying in store. Plus if your amazon orders $25 or more you get free shipping
I don’t even recognize the need for this product. If you think peanut butter is too fattening for you, don’t eat it or eat less.Are there adults out there consuming so much peanutbutter than a few less calories will have that big an impact on their diet?
I don’t get how removing ourselves further and further from eating food in its actual naturally grown state is progress. Next up..peanut butter in a pill.
I sell the Bettylous Organic Peanut Butter…I love it…This product is hard to find in my area…if you would like to try, please let me know…www.Organicbettylous.com.
I Accidently came across PB2 while looking up Yonanas ice cream makers on Amazon. I am going to try both the peanut and peanut with chocolate. They sound like a great way to flavor a smoothie or banana ice cream