Peanut Butter vs Nutella

Question: What are the differences between peanut butter vs Nutella?

Answer: Many people have likely had the internal debate on whether to top their toast with peanut butter or Nutella. Maybe you have wondered which one is better for you nutritionally. Let’s take a look at peanut nut vs Nutella to determine how they differ.

Ingredients

Peanut Butter: In its simplest form, peanut butter is just ground peanut nuts. Salt is often added to add flavor. Other ingredients may include molasses, palm oil, sugar, cane syrup, agave syrup, vegetable oils, cottonseed oil, mono and diglycerides, and maltodextrin. In our opinion, there is no need for other ingredients outside of peanuts and salt.

Nutella: It is made from sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, milk, lecithin, and vanillin.

As you can see above, the main ingredient in peanut butter is peanuts. The main ingredient of Nutella is sugar. More on this later. While both of these products are nut butters, they vary not only in ingredients but taste and nutrition.

Taste

Nutella is a smooth and spreadable just like creamy peanut butter. You might expect Nutella to have a strong chocolate taste but it is actually somewhat muted by the other flavors like hazelnut, milk, and sugar. It is very sweet because sugar is heavily used as an ingredient. Overall it is has a sweet nutty flavor with a mild but noticable chocolately taste.

Peanut butter does not need much explaining when it comes to taste. Peanut butter is essentially ground up peanuts and salt. Most of us know the taste of peanut butter so we aren’t goingto elaborate on this one.

Nutrition Facts - Peanut Butter vs Nutella

NutrientNutellaPeanut Butter (Smooth)
Serving Size2 Tablespoons2 Tablespoons
Calories200191
Total Fat11 g16.44 g
Saturated Fat3.5 g3.30 g
Trans Fat00
Cholesterol00
Sodium15 mg136 mg
Carbohydrates22 g7.14 g
Fiber1 g2 g
Sugar21 g3.36 g
Protein3 g7.11 g
Vitamin A00
Calcium4%0
Vitamin C00
Iron4%2%

People wonder the nutritional differences between peanut butter and Nutella because they are often used as alternatives for each other. The most notable difference is the sugar content of 21 grams for Nutella compared to about 3 grams for peanut butter. That’s a whooping 1.4 tablespoons of sugar per two tablespoon serving of Nutella. Check out the below video to give you a visual of the sugar contenet of Nutella.

Watch:

Nutella is more of a dessert or candy than a nutrious spread. All-natural peanut butter made from just peanuts and salt is a much better option than Nutella when it comes to nutrition. By looking at just the calories of these two products you might assume that they are nutritionally about the same. This is clearly not the case.

Remember, when it comes to peanut butter they are not all made the same. If you are looking for the best peanut butter for your health, review the ingredients on the label. Look for minimal ingredients and avoid products that have extra oils, sugar, or ingredients you cannot pronounce. You have to pay a bit more but it is worth it.

Photo Credit: Michael Wifall

Scroll to Top