A blind taste test of 13 crunchy peanut butters from Australian supermarkets has crowned budget brands as the winners, with cheaper spreads outperforming their more expensive rivals. The test, conducted by Guardian Australia's Nicholas Jordan and five friends, aimed to find the tastiest spread for toast, with a preference for salty, sweet and flavour-packed varieties over pure nut blends.
Skippy Super Chunk took the top spot, praised for its 'fluffy' texture and 'uncomplicated enjoyment'. One reviewer described it as 'as close as a peanut butter can get to being fluffy'. The American brand, costing $4.50 for 462g, was noted for its salty, sweet and savoury flavour profile. Bramwells Crunchy Peanut Butter, an Aldi exclusive at $3.39 for 500g, was named best value, though testers found it firmer than competitors.
Mayver's 100% Australian Crunchy Peanut Butter and its Dark Roasted variant shared the title of best unsweetened peanut butter, with strong nutty flavour but a very loose texture. The taste test highlighted that extra spending often leads to drier, less flavourful peanut butter with oil separation. Added sugar in cheap brands was defended as low compared to products like Nutella, with less than 10g per 100g.
