Allergic to peanuts or need a swap for school? No worries! Here are over 25 of the best peanut butter and peanut substitutions substitutes in recipes and for snacks.
Peanuts and peanut butter are staples in so many recipes and of course in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But if you have a peanut allergy or have kids who go to a peanut free school, you need some alternatives.
Here are some great ideas for peanut substitutions.
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Peanut Free Options for Schools
Since 2013, many states have set in place policies for peanut free schools. This is to help prevent cross-contamination for kids with severe peanut allergies and lessen their chances of having a life-threatening reaction.
For those parents looking for peanut free options, there are so many available! Here are some of the best grocery store finds that don’t cost a lot.
Soy nut butter
How to replace: Use soynut butter in sandwiches, dips, spreads, and sauces in a 1:1 ratio to replace peanut butter.
This is the gold standard for a peanut butter replacement! Made with roasted soy, this is a totally peanut free and tree nut free alternative. My personal favorite brand is Wow Butter. I love the crunchy version, and they even have a chocolate version! It has a taste that is the most similar to peanut butter and is always my first recommendation.
Purchase soy nut butter here.
Crispy roasted chickpeas
How to replace: Use roasted chickpeas in salads, trail mix, and snacks in a 1:1 ratio to replace roasted and salted peanuts.
Roasted chickpeas make for a great alternative for salted and roasted peanuts! Made with chickpeas, which are naturally peanut and tree nut free, they are a protein packed snack. Make them yourself with a can of chickpeas, or purchase pre-made snack packs.
Purchase roasted chickpeas.
Pretzels
How to replace: Use crushed or crumbled pretzels in a 1:1 ratio for any recipe that calls for salted and roasted peanuts.
Pretzels are a surprising but kinda perfect replacement for peanuts! Use them in baked goods, crumble them on top of cakes, noodle dishes, or add them to trail mixes. They have that salty crunchy factor that makes them such a good peanut substitution.
Make sure that you use gluten free pretzels for those who are also avoiding gluten!
Purchase gluten free pretzels here.
Seeds
How to replace: Use raw or roasted seeds in a 1:1 ratio on tops of salads, in trail mix, or just by themselves for a snack to replace salted and roasted peanuts.
Similar to chickpeas, seeds are a great protein packed alternative for peanuts. Some common peanut free alternatives include:
- Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- Sunflower seeds
- Hemp seeds
Peanut Free Snack Ideas
Peanut Butter Substitutes
There are so many options to choose from! There are of course tree nut butters that work well in most recipes. You can use them in baked goods, like peanut free peanut butter cookies, as well as in dips and for sandwiches. Some common ones include:
Seed Butters
- Sunflower seed butter
- Pumpkin seed butter
- Hemp seed butter
- Tahini (sesame seeds)
- Watermelon seed butter
- Tiger nut butter (not a nut, it’s actually a seed!)
Bean Butters
- Soy nut butter
- Chickpea butter
Tree nut butters
- Almond butter
- Cashew butter
- Macadamia nut butter
- Pine nut butter
- Pistachio butter
- Walnut butter
- Hazelnut butter
- Nutella
For a fun twist, why not try cookie butter!
Peanut Free Baking
How to replace: Use the nut/seed butter of your choice in a 1:1 ratio to replace peanut butter in baking recipes.
In general, most nut and seed butters can be replaced in a 1:1 ratio for your baking needs. That makes it really easy to make allergy friendly favorite recipes. The taste might be slightly different, but overall, these recipes are easy to adapt.
Tip! Sometimes, you’ll find that some seed butters are a little more liquidy than peanut butter. Especially seed butters like sunflower seed butter. If your peanut butter replacement is more runny than peanut butter, use only 75% of the amount called for and see if you need to add more.
Peanut Oil Substitute
Peanut oil is a great oil for frying since it has a high smoke point at 400F. Canola oil and Tiger Nut oil (not a nut at all but a seed) can give similar results thanks to a similar smoke point.
You also can achieve the same crunch by double frying your food. A double fry means to fry your food once, let it cool, and then fry again. This will give you a big crunch and crispy texture that peanut oil is famous for giving.
Peanut substitute for Pad Thai and other Asian dishes
For a good crunch on top of noodle dishes, try using one of the following:
- Roasted chickpeas
- roasted sunflower seeds
- roasted cashews
Peanut Substitutes for Soups
African Peanut Soup and Indian peanut chaat call for boiled peanuts. Replace them with cannellini beans or kidney beans for a similar texture and protein .
Other options for dips
Just because you are allergic to peanuts, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy delicious dips! Here are some ideas to make.
- Hummus
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Fruit dips
Delicious Peanut Free recipes
If you try these out, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, dietary friendly recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
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