Can You Eat Peanut Butter on a Low-Carb, Keto-Friendly Diet?

Peanut butter is a high-calorie but low-carb item. It's considered to be a relatively balanced food and could be added to your keto diet, but it depends on the ingredients list.

If you’re new to the ketogenic (keto) diet, keeping track of what you can and can’t eat can be challenging. Many high-calorie foods that are frowned upon in other diets are considered keto-friendly. However, is peanut butter one of them? Read on to learn more about what the keto diet involves, whether there are carbs in peanut butter, whether it’s keto-friendly, and more.

Food is the primary source of fuel for the human body, particularly carbohydrates (sugars) from grains, fruits, and vegetables. The main goal of the keto diet is to switch the body’s main source of fuel from carbohydrates to fats. 

Once the body begins to burn stored fat in the liver, it produces ketone bodies through a process called ketosis. These ketone bodies can replace sugars as the body’s energy source for normal functioning. 

After switching to a keto diet, the body usually requires a few days to overhaul itself and enter a ketosis state. For the body to remain in the state of ketosis and keep burning fat as fuel, you mustn’t provide any alternative sources of energy like carbohydrates or high amounts of protein (which the body can convert into carbs for energy use). 

If you eat a large number of carbs during every meal, the liver will not feel the need to make ketone bodies. Therefore, the keto diet mostly involves eating high-fat foods and little to no carbs. On the keto diet, you’re expected to eat less than 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day. 

Some of the healthy fats that you can include in your keto diet are nuts like walnuts and almonds, seeds, tofu, olive, palm, or coconut oil, and butter or cocoa butter. 

Peanut butter is a high-calorie but low-carb item. It also contains a good amount of fiber and healthy fats. Therefore, it’s considered to be a relatively balanced food and could be added to your keto diet, depending on its preparation type and ingredient list.

As the nutritional value varies with the ingredients included, here’s a list of the carb, net carbs (i.e., carbs minus fiber), and calorie contents of several different types of peanut butter:

Smooth peanut butter:

Two tablespoons (32 to 37 grams) contain 191 kilocalories, 7 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of net carbs.

Chocolate peanut butter:

Two tablespoons (32 to 37 grams) contain 190 calories, 21 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, and 20 grams of net carbs.

Low-fat (or reduced-fat) peanut butter:

Two tablespoons (32 to 37 grams) contain 166 calories, 11 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of net carbs.

Peanut butter with honey:

Two tablespoons (32 to 37 grams) contain 180 calories, 12 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, and 11 grams of net carbs.

This nutritional information may differ across brands, though, so be careful to check the label before making your final calculations or consuming anything.

According to the nutritional values of the various peanut butter types, you can include moderate amounts of smooth peanut butter in your keto diet.

However, peanut butter with additional sweetening components like chocolate or honey may include a lot of sugar, making them too carb-heavy to fit in your keto diet plan.

The keto diet is mainly a high-fat, low-carb diet. So, even though low-fat peanut butter is a low-calorie option, it defeats the purpose by supplying more carbs and fewer fats compared with smooth or crunchy peanut butter.

According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, the final product for all types of peanut butter must be at least 90% peanut. Still, be careful to check the label for any hidden ingredients or added sugars that could silently derail your diet.

Here are some of the health benefits of eating peanut butter:

• Enhanced nutrition. Peanuts are a great source of dietary fiber and important nutrients like vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B6, vitamin E, copper, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. These nutrients are essential for the normal functioning of your body.
• Increased satiety. Although peanuts are a rich source of fats, they’re mainly monounsaturated fats. These are considered healthy fats because they can help stabilize blood glucose levels, improve heart health, enhance sleep quality, and make you feel full for longer periods after meals, which can prevent excessive eating.
• Improved sleep quality. Peanuts have plant proteins. These contain the important amino acid tryptophan, which plays a key role in producing the important chemicals serotonin and melatonin. Both serotonin and melatonin are critical to normal brain function, including the sleep-wake cycle. They regulate your sleep cycles and can improve the quality of your sleep.
• Antioxidant and anticancer properties. Peanut skin contains antioxidants like coumaric acid and resveratrol. They help neutralize free radicals and protect your vital organs from cell damage and oxidative stress.

The ideal serving size for peanut butter is two tablespoons (around 32 grams). Here are some ideas to spark your culinary creativity when adding peanut butter to your keto diet:

1. Include peanut butter in your favorite cookie recipe for a delicious nutty flavor. Consider using other keto-friendly ingredients to keep up with your diet.
2. Use peanut butter to prepare banana bread with a unique twist. 
3. Add peanut butter to your toast or sandwich. If you’re looking to experiment, you can also use sriracha sauce and pickles to give your sandwich a spicy makeover. 
4. Use peanut butter as a dip for celery sticks and apple or banana slices.
5. Spread it on tortillas, crackers, or muffins.
6. Mix it with popcorn.

Regular peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) without any added sugars can be a delicious addition to your keto diet when eaten in moderate amounts. Peanuts also have a lot of beneficial effects.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab that spoon and enjoy your tasty peanut butter. Improve your health and lose weight, all in one go.