Is peanut butter keto? If you’ve ever wondered if if peanut butter is keto or low carb, this guide has your questions answered and provides some keto friendly recipes made with this delicious nut butter. If you love snacking on it with cucumbers or celery then you’d be glad to know there is a right one to use to keep the carbs low.

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What is keto?
The Ketogenic diet, primarily known as “keto,” is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that can quickly help you lose weight and improve your overall health.
It works in a way that puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis by significantly reducing carb intake and replacing it with healthy fats. While this happens, your body learns to burn fat for energy or fuel. Even more, it turns fat into “ketones” in your liver, which later can supply energy for the brain and heart.
A standard ketogenic diet contains 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs. It is easier to hit these macronutrient targets by simply choosing high-fat, low-carb food items—luckily, peanut butter certainly fits all the targets.
Related: A beginner’s guide to the ketogenic diet.

Is peanut butter keto?
Yes, it is. Peanut butter is keto-friendly because it is really high in fat, moderate in protein, and accurately low in carbs. In fact, peanut butter is one of the best food items that you could eat on a ketogenic diet when you’re dripping sweat to hit your macronutrient goals every day.
But there’s a catch.
PB is all high-fat, low-carb—unless you’re getting a flavored jar that is usually loaded with one keto-threat: sugar.
Avoiding sugar is the key to staying into ketosis, as the ketogenic diet is strictly all about eating in the nutrient ranges. A lot of peanut butter brands in the market have added sugar, which is why you must read labels of nutritional facts before purchasing one.

How much peanut butter can you consume every day on keto?
Even when peanut butter is a great source of dietary fat, which makes it an excellent keto-friendly food item, you can’t leave it unnoticed that peanut butter contains protein and carbs too.
A ketogenic diet restricts carb intake to 5%, so if you are someone who needs 1600 calories a day, that leaves the carb intake to a maximum of 20g per day. Although, this was just an example, as different people have different daily calorie requirements.
In a basic calculation, if you’re limiting your daily carb intake to 50 grams per day, two tablespoons of PB every day will fit nicely in your diet.
Two tablespoons of natural, no-sugar, high-quality peanut butter contain around 185 calories, 16g fat, 8g protein, and 7g of net carbs.
We suggest you keep variations in your ketogenic diet, like using another nut butter on different days, such as cashew butter, almond butter, or macadamia nut butter. The good side about keeping it varied is that you enjoy different minerals and vitamins:
- Iron & magnesium (cashews)
- Vitamin A, niacin, and riboflavin (macadamia nuts)
- Vitamin E & calcium (almond)
Pro Tip: Avoid getting peanut butter brands that offer “low fat” or “reduced-fat” jars of butter, as the keto diet is NOT a low-fat plan. Another reason behind this being reduced-fat products often contain added sugar.

How many carbs in Peanut Butter?
Peanut butter is one of the healthiest foods to keep in your diet as it is loaded with healthy fats, fiber, carbs, protein, and a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals.
These nutrients have the ability to support your weight loss plan, and reduce health risk factors related to high cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, and other gastrointestinal diseases.
A two-tablespoon serving of peanut butter (32 grams) offers:
- Calories: 188
- Total fat: 16 grams
- Saturated fat: 3 grams
- Carbs: 7 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 8 grams
The best diets incorporate an abundance of nutrient-rich foods that adequately meet your dietary needs consistently, which makes peanut butter the perfect addition to your keto diet.

Which Peanut butter is Keto Friendly?
This is a good question. Since peanut butter is Keto friendly, what peanut butter is sugar free. When choosing peanut butter whether you are living a low carb lifestyle or not, it’s best to choose natural peanut.
Natural peanut butter are less likely to contain added sugars. If you are making yours, then it’s the best since you know exactly what’s going into it. We go through quite some quantity of peanut butter and below are a few brands we use and recommend. Generally you should be looking for a brand with less than 3g of sugar.
Brands and nutrition per 2 Tbsps
- Kirkland Organic Creamy Peanut butter: Calories 180 |15g Fat|8g Protein|1g Sugar|4g Net carbs
- Smuckers Organic Creamy Peanut butter: Calories 180 |16g Fat|8g Protein|1g Sugar|2g Net carbs
- Once Again Natural Crunchy unsalted Peanut Butter: Calories 190 |16g Fat|9g Protein|1g Sugar|3g Net carbs
- Once Again Natural Creamy unsalted Peanut Butter: Calories 190 |16g Fat|9g Protein|1g Sugar|3g Net carbs
- Spread The Love Naked Organic Peanut butter: Calories 180 |15g Fat|7g Protein|1g Sugar|4g Net carbs
- Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter Spread: Calories 210 |18g Fat|7g Protein|1g Sugar|5g Net carbs
- Trader Joe’s creamy unsalted peanut butter: Calories 190 |16g Fat|7g Protein|1g Sugar|4g Net carbs
- Teddy All Natural Unsweetened Old fashioned Crunchy or Smooth Peanut Butter: Calories 190 |16g Fat|8g Protein|1g Sugar|4g Net carbs
Other brands.
These brands are more readily available in your local grocery stores but may contain additives and more sugar than the organic and natural ones listed above.
- Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter: Calories 190 |16g Fat|7g Protein|3g Sugar|4g Net carbs
- Skippy Natural Peanut Butter: Calories 190 |16g Fat|7g Protein|3g Sugar|4g Net carbs
- Jif Natural Creamy Peanut Butter: Calories 190 |16g Fat|7g Protein|4g Total Sugar (includes 2g added sugars)|5g Net carbs
Health Benefits of Peanut Butter
Consuming peanut butter consistently and in moderation can offer numerous health benefits to you:
Weight Loss
Thanks to its protein, fiber, and fat content, peanuts can improve satiety (the feeling of fullness), which eventually helps people maintain their weight or even lose weight.
According to a 2018 study that compared dietary data for over 373,000 people from 10 European countries, eating nuts (including peanuts) can reduce a person’s risk of being obese or overweight.
A whole lot of “fitness freaks” and bodybuilders use peanut butter in their daily diets for various reasons.
Bodybuilding
Active adult men must consume around 3,000 calories daily, while active women require up to 2,400 calories daily. This makes peanut butter a great option because of its high-calorie content along with unsaturated fat intake.
Other than calorie-fulfillment, peanut butter is also an excellent source of protein, which is very important for bodybuilding and repairing muscles after heavy workouts.
Heart Health
Peanut butter is rich in a lot of nutrients, and some of them can help in improving your heart’s health, including:
- Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)
- Vitamin E
- Magnesium
- Niacin
Many researches suggest you include up to 46g of peanuts or peanut butter into your diet for at least 6 months. Doing so could benefit your heart’s health, maintain & reduce weight, and improve blood lipid profiles.
There are a lot of health benefits to including peanut butter in your daily life. Keep enjoying them, along with the taste that comes with it.
Peanut butter Alternatives
Some of us may have peanut allergies and the good news is there are some great keto friendly alternatives that are not nuts.
- Sesame seed butter
- Sunflower butter
- Almond butter (if you don’t have tree nut allergies)
Peanut Butter Friendly Recipes
Peanut butter is an all-rounder awesome snack that used to be on your sandwich for lunch every day when you were young. Now that you’ve grown up, there is a whole lot more you can do with peanut butter than just spreading it over a roasted toast.
Here are some amazing butter friendly recipes to make your day more healthy and tasty:
- Cucumber peanut butter bites
- Peanut cookies
- Keto Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
- Peanut soup
- Spiced Peanut butter
Your Frequently Asked Questions answered
Is sugar free peanut butter good for you?
Sugar free peanut is good for you and like every good thing, it’s best to eat it in moderation as it is high in calories.
Is there any sugar in peanut butter?
Peanut butter has natural sugars which is good for you when taken in moderation. However some brands contain added sugars and those are the ones you should avoid.
Is it ok to eat it every day?
I wouldn’t recommend eating it every. It’s best to vary your meals and also eat in moderation.
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Hi Chichi,
Would you happen to know if ose-oji is keto friendly? My mom’s doctor recently advised her to go on a keto diet due to insulin resistance and she refuses to eat plain peanut butter or anything that’s not Igbo/Nigerian so I’m running around like a headless chicken trying to figure out Keto alternatives😭🤷🏾♀️. Your recipes have given me a headstart on what to do so thank you so much!!💖
Hi Oluomachi,
Ose Oji is simply peanut but which has a few spices which are keto friendly. Peanut butter should be taken in moderation because the carbs can easily add up. Yes she can have Ose Oji in moderation. Happy you are enjoying the recipes. Good luck.