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Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor at The Kitchn
I grew up in a Chinese food-loving family, eating my first restaurant meals in Oakland's vibrant Chinatown. My love of food but lack of cooking experience led to me Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where I graduated with a Diplôme de Cuisine in French cooking.After culinary school, I learned how to test and edit recipes in test kitchens at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW, falling in love with the process of rigorously testing recipes to make sure they were foolproof for the home cook. I've worked with thousands of recipes over the past 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. Living in the delicious diversity of San Francisco, I never get tired of finding new ingredients or cuisines to try. My favorite type is Cantonese home cooking — I'm on a quest to recreate the dishes my grandmother used to make. All the food I test at home is eagerly tasted and enjoyed by my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie, while our little dog, Mochi, looks wistfully on.
updated Dec 6, 2022
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When my daughter started school for the first time, her welcome packet included a note letting me know that the building was nut-free. I wasn’t surprised, of course, given how many kids have nut and food allergies these days, but I did have to do a little research to see what I could use in her normal almond butter or peanut butter sandwiches instead.
Turns out there are a lot of tasty alternatives to peanut butter that aren’t too hard to find, making similar versions of PB&J still possible!
Sunflower Seed Butter
The closest spread to peanut butter I’ve found in terms of flavor and texture is sunflower seed butter. It’s also relatively easy to find; I’ve seen it in large chain grocery stores right next to the peanut butter. Sunflower seed butter has a nice nutty flavor and is smooth and spreadable. I honestly don’t feel like I’m missing out on peanut butter when I’m eating it.
You can also make your own sunflower seed butter, with some pumpkin seeds (another nut-free alternative) thrown in for good measure.
Tahini
Tahini is a thick paste made of sesame seeds. I love how the sesame seeds give this Middle Eastern staple toasty, nutty flavors. Because it’s usually sold unsweetened, it’s great for those who don’t like sugar in their nut butters, and you can always pair it with a sweeter jam or even honey in your sandwiches to balance it out. Try making your own homemade version.
Cookie Butter
I know, I know. Cookie butter isn’t really high on the nutritional tree, but it sure is delicious. A thin spread of this sweetly spiced spread goes a long way, and who doesn’t need a sweet treat in their lunchbox every now and then? Pair this with a hearty whole wheat bread and savor every bite.
Soynut Butter
Soynut butter is made from roasted soybeans. It’s usually gluten- and dairy-free, and has a lot of protein.
Coconut Butter
This peanut butter alternative is probably the one that may seem the the most unlike peanut butter, but hear me out: coconut butter, which is basically a paste made from shredded coconut, has an intense coconut-y flavor and richness that’s delicious and tastes great with jam.
It’s both nutty and naturally sweet at the same time, and companies are even making flavored versions of coconut butter that contain interesting things like cocoa if you want to shake up your lunch routine.
Granola Butter
Granola butter is made from ground oats and comes in a variety of flavors like vanilla, birthday cake, and cookie dough. If you’re looking for flavor profiles more outside the box than “nutty,” this is a good option.
Chickpea Butter
Chickpea butter is a mixture of dried, roasted chickpeas, sunflower seeds, olive oil, and sugar. You can spread it on a sandwich or use it as a replacement for peanut butter in baking. It comes in both creamy and crunchy varieties too, just like peanut butter.
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